The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-08-02
THE FIRST WOMAN.
How She Was Welcomed to Mining Camp in
the Far West

IA9 west
June 80 was b day of Notification at
Carbonate, Col, being the advent of the
| first wagon. the first woman and the first
| board from the mill, saws the Denver
Ne0s 1t would have been interesting to
| the reader TO have witnessed the cleo
| trifying effect on the man in the camp
when the word was passed along the line
| that a woman was coming. Long before
she was within mile of the camp knots
of men were gathered here and there
watching. looking in the direction from
where 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 a prairie dog town
When within few yards of the outside
habitation the woman alighted and, &C
! companied by her husband, proceeded to
the county clerks Office, lit had been
advertised that the donation of a town
lot would be given to the first woman
who came inl Curious eyes were watch
ing her every step as she approached the
clerks quarters. But the crowd which
had gathered round the Office for mail
receded respectfully each side of the en-
trance As she passed in Col. Ferguson
serenely doomed up and sailing on
among the boys agitated reception.
Seized by the inspiration, one hundred
hats were removed from heads of noble
structure and design siluriated somewhat,
perhaps, and one hundred horny palms
passed over the unkept locks to smooth
them down, and 100 pairs of eyes ran
down the respective owners digging
clothes, proudly inspecting the inevita-
BILE "ball-stitch" which rejoins the disem-
bered scam or held in place the patch
of CONSPICUOUS dimensions. BY look of
common consent the Colonel was the man
selected to make the reception speech.
Uneasily pluming his mustache with
carbonate stained fiHgers the Colonel
approached her, 'and, followed by the
uncovered heads, he inadvertently yank-
ed frog from his throat and began;
Respected Madame" and 100 heads
nodded assent. Appealing again to his
mustache for the needed inspiration, the
Colonel resumed again: Respected
Madame--The Illuminating spectre of
this most fascinating occasion" And
100 heads bobbed serenely again in as :
sent. Pluming again the source Of
inspiration, the hating Colonel staggered
on: Footprints of thine, which have
first fallen on our carboniferous soil, we
welcome thee. Mercury, in her serial
flight, rails through the starry architarves
of heaven,.to trail over the silurian
outcrops of Garfield country. which has,
become sacred to us from toll, vicissitudes
and privations. 1t is ours by right of
discovery, and you are welcome We are
coversant with your sex, and some of 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 languish
for the same. The delicacy of sewing on
buttons (thimblelets) is ours, and our
toil-stained robes bear the traces of the
silurian outcrop. For months we havs
been here surrounded by the beautiful
crystalline peafls of heaven, which have
banked about and around us, and oul
only solace has been the chirp of the
camp bird and the weird waiiings of the