Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1883-09-08
THE FIRST WOMAN.
How She Was Welcomed to q Minina
Camp In the Far West.


June 30 was day Of jollihcation
at Carbonate, COL, being the advent
OF the first woman, and the first board
from the mill, says the Denver News.
1t would have been interesting to the
reader to have witnessed the eIectrify.
ing effect on the men in the camp
when word was passed along the line
that woman was coming. Long be-
fore she was within a mile of the
camp, knots Of men were gathered
here and there watching, looking in
the direction from whence the wagon
was to come. AS she hove in sight,
each one gathered around his or their
camp, as when an alarm had been
sounded in prairie-dog town. When
within few yards of the outside hab-
itation the woman alighted and, &C.
companied by her husband, proceeded
toward the County Clerks office. Ut
had been advertised that the donation
OF town lot would be given the first
woman who came ny Curious ewes
were watching her every step as she
approached the Clerks quarters. But
the crowd " hich had gathered around
the office for mail receded respectfully
each side of the entrance. AS she
passed in, Colonel Ferguson serenely
loomed up, and, sailing out among
the boys, agitated reception.
Seized by the inspiration, 100 hats
were removed from heads of noble
structure and design, siluriated some-
what, perhaps, and 100 horny palms
passed over tire rnkempt locks to
smooth them down, vests were pulled
down, and 100 pairs of eyes ran down
the respective owners ''digging
clothes" proudly inspecting the in,
evitable ''ball stitch" which reioined
the dismembered seam or held in
place the patch of conspicuous d.
mansions. by a look Of common
consent, the Colonel was the man Sc.
lectcd to make the reception speech.
Uneasily pluming his moustache
with carbonate.stained fingers, the
Colonel approached her, and, followed
by the uncovered heads, he inadvcr-
te"tly yanked frog from his throat
and began.
"Respected Madam" - and 100
heads nodded assent. Appealing
again to his moustache for the needed
inspiration, tile colonel resumed again
"Respected Madam--Th. Illuminating
spectre Of this most fascinating occa.
sion" And 100 heads bobbed Sc.
renely again in assent. Pluming
again the source of inspiration, the
haltlng colonel staggered on: "Foot-
prints of thine, which have first fallen
on our carboniferous soil, we wei.
thee. Mercury, in her AERIAL
flight trails, through..the starry archi-
traves of heaven, to trail over the sill.
urlan outcrops of Garfield county,
which has become sacred to us from
toll, vicissitudes and privations. 1t is
ours by right of discovery, and you
are welcome. We are conyerSant
with your sex, and some Ct us have
been victimized. We have learned
to love and cherish in memory the
tiny fingers which were rubbed over
our biscuits in other days, and we Ian.
ynish for the same. The delicacy of
sewing on buttons (thimbleless) is
ours, and our toil-stained robes bear
he traces Of the siIurian outcrop.
''or months we have been here sur.
'ounded by the beautiful crystalline
pearls of heaven, which have been
about and around us, and our
'nly solace has been the chirp of tie
amp bird and the weird wailincs of
he metamorphic blasts. We have
ons anticipated the daisy, struggling
trough the snowy depths to comfort
IS. AS the day drew near we laid by
ur snow-shocs on the limestone
edge, but this occasion is most sub
me. undreamed of and unprecs-
ented in the history Of our new
o"ntry. Thou hast come upon us
Ike the perfumef reighted breath OF
ne gentle spring.time, and thou art
ne shrine to which we bow and bring 1
rbute, and in behalf of these, NV
artners in the struggle, who stand
efore You with uncovered heads.
,me Of them glistening like bur
lshed disk in the slnran SUNLIGHT.
rads which have been robbed Of ca.
Hilary traces from inevitable contact.
again say, welcome"
And she dropped. ]