Milford chronicle., 1883-05-18

very adroit in the use of arms. She was
a much better shot, indeed than myself.
In our first little skirmish on this occa-
sion l had taken position on a hill with
few men, while the cattle and pack
animals were corralled by the others in
a blight in the foothills below to prevent
a stampede. And thus intrenched, we
waited the attack of the Indians, who
held the further point of the ridge on
which l had stationed my men. Sud
denly Minnie, baby in arms, stood at
my side and began calmly to discuss the
situation and to pass merry remarks
about the queer noises the bullets made
as they hattened on the rocks about us
and glanced over our heads. ! finally
got her to go down, or, rather, to prom
ise to go down to camp for the better
safety of the baby. But in moment
she was back. She had hidden the
laughing little baby in the rocks, and
now, gun in hand, kept at my side until
the brush was over and the Indians
beaten off.
Here is one leaf from her journal, or
rather, I think, her recollections Of the
journey, which she left me along with
her other papers when she died.
zone night Of that journey ! shall not
soon forget. There has been some fight
ing ahead of us and we knew the foe
was lurking in ambush. They made
kind of fort of the freight and while we
lay down in the canon, baby and I,
away up on the high sharp butt, Joaquin
stood sentinel. And I say this tonight
IN his behalf and in his praise that he
di5 eravely and saved his loved ones
from peril that night That he stood on
that dreary summit, a target for the foe
and no one but me to take note of his
valor-stood till the morning shone IA
diant, stood till the night was passed
There was no world looking Oh to praise
his courage and echo it over the land
only the frozen stars in mystic groups |
far away and the slender moon, like a /
sword drawn to hold him at bay"
Reaching the mines in safety I, as
detailed in a previous sketch, practiced
aw, mined, fought Indians and indeed
was the busiest Of men in trying all
means to get on. planted the first or
hard in all that land. pushed ahead as
lard as I could and tried to be punctual
md steady and thoughtful. Yet I was
till but a lad in years. Iforgot to men,
ion that I was meantime elected Judge
# the county and had begun to write
he "Songs of the Sierras. My life
7as a sober and severe one. For without
earning, I was trying to administer the
wv; without knowing how to read or {
pell, I was trying to write a book I /
as walking a new road of life now. All {
as strange What availed my knowl- y
1ge Of woodcraft in the courts Of law? a
he mystery of making fire by the fric-
on of two sticks of wood, the secret of s
lding water in the desert by the flight
bird, the cunning of foretelling the c
rec of the coming winter or the depth
the snow-all these and the like were A
no use now. o
If the shrewd and sharp lawyers who "
lllied and beat me had come iuto my O.
ements bad beaten them. But I had k
osen to enter t leirs and must be equlI N
the undertaking. And so it was 1 h
,rked and studied as never man worked c,
d studied before. Often never left b
2 Office till the gray dawn, after day w
toll and mig t.of study. My health b
We way and I was indeed old and h.
oughtful Well, all is you eau see 81
! not suit e merry hearted and IA
)iled child of the mines at all. Then q,
e was not so ambitious as 1 was; then is
2 had not such a strange wild life be- II,
I'd to haunt her. She became tha tc
)iled child here that she had been at n
r fathers and naturally grew impa--
mt at my persistent toll and study. q,
It she was good all the time: good and w
nest and true in all things and in al or
Us; understand that distinctly And h,
me say here, once for all, at no tl
N or woman can put a finger on any si
in in woman's whole record of y,
= so far as truth and purity go. But M
) was not happy here. Impatient of 60
, dull monotony or the exhausted min W,
: camp and longing for the sea and T.
, old home that almost overhung the tb
lnding waters, she took her two chil III
IN and returned to her mot er, while tb
old the little home we had built and mr.
pit together, the new orchard and the Oh
les of roses we bad planted together, as
I remained taere in the camp, prom tol
lg to follow her, yet full Of ambition Ii,
" to be elected to a place ON the Su- 90
,me Bench of the State, and re-
ined and worked on to that end cease =
sly. 10
She had been absent from me quite a oo
r when the convention was called and wi
,ent to Portland, seeking the nomina- fin
] for the place 1 desired. But the 70
II, impatient lady, impulsive always wo
angry that I should have kept so ba
g away, had forwarded papers from NJ,
home, hundreds of miles. remote, to ND
awyer here, praying for divorce. fan
s so put me to shame that 1 aban- tn,
ed my plans aud in rage and disap- see
ltment formed collusion with her the
yer to give her a pretense Of that qu
ch she professed to desire. Yet I she
W quite well that this was only sor