Connecticut western news., 1883-01-03
FAITHFUL LUCY.
An Indian Girls ROmance-Her Solitary Home in OregOn-LOnG Years
 of Waiting.


 She was California Indian, probably of the Tulares, and migrated to Oregon with her family thirty years ago, says H. H." She was then a young girl, and said to be the handsomest squaw ever seen in Oregon. In those days white men in wildernesses thought it small shame, if any, to take Indian women to live with them as wives, and Lucy was much sought and wooed. But she seems to have had uncommon virtue or cold ness, for she resisted all such ap- breaches for long time.
 Finally, 8 man named Pomeroy ap- peared, and, as Lucy said, afterward, as soon as she looked at him, she knew that he was her tum- tulm man," and she must go with him. He had small sloop, and Lucy became its mate. They two alone ran it for several years up and down the river. He established little trading-post, and Lucy always took charge of that when he went to buy goods. When gold was discovered at Ringgold Bar Lucy went there, worked with rocker like man, and washed out hundreds of dollars worth of gold, all of which she gave to Pomeroy. With it he built fine schooner and enlarged his business, the faithful Lucy working always at his side and bidding. At last, after eight or ten years, he grew weary of her and of the country, and made up his mind to go to California. But he had not the heart to tell Lucy he meant to leave her. The pilot who told me this story was at that time captain of a schooner on the river. Pomeroy came to him one day and asked him to move Lucy and her effects down to Columbus. He said he had told her that she must go and live there with her relatives, while he went to California and looked about, and then he would send for her.
 The poor creature, who had no idea of treachery, came on board cheerfully and willingly, and he set her off at Columbus. This was in the early spring. Week after week, month after month, whenever his schooner stopped there, Lucy was on the shore, asking if he had heard from Pomeroy For long time, he said, he couldn't bear to tell her. At last he did; but she would not believe him. Winter came on. She had got few boards together and built herself sort of hut, near house where lived an eccentric old bachelor, who finally took compassion on her, and, to save her from freezing, let her come into his shanty to sleep. He was mysterious old man, 8 recluse, with morbid aversion to women, and at the outset it was a great struggle for him to let even an Indian woman cross his threshold. But, little by little, Lucy won her way; first she washed the dishes, then she would timidly help at the cooking Faithful. patient, unpresuming, at last she grew to be the old mans housekeeper as well as servant. He lost his health, and become blind.
 Lucy took care of him till he died, and followed him to the'grave, his only mourner, the only human being in the country with whom he had any tie. He left her his little house and few hun dred dollars-all he had and there she is still, alone, making out to live by doing whatever kind of work she car find in the neighborhood Everybody respects her; she is known as "Lucy up and down the river.
 II did my best to hire her to come and keep house for my wife last year, said the pilot "Id rather have her fol nurse or cook than any white woman il Oregon. But she wouldn't come. I don know as she's done looking for Pomeroy to come back yet, and she's going to stay just where he left her. She never misses 8 time, waving to me, when she know what boat I'm on, and there ism much going on on the river she don know"