Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-01-03

An Indian Girls ROmance-Her Soil.
tary Homo In Oregon-L0ng Years OF
Waiting r.

Waiting.
From the Atlantic Monthly.
She was California Indian. probably Of the
Tulares and migrated to Oregon with her fam
lily thirty years ago. She was then young
girl, and said to be the handsomest squaw ever
seen in Oregon In those days white men in
wNdernesses 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 OF
GOODNESS, for she resisted all such approaches
for long time.
Finally man named PoMeroy appeared. and,
as Lucy said aftcrward, Us soon as she looked at
she must 60 with him. He had a small sloop,
and Lucy became its mate. They two alone ran
1t for several years up and down the river. He
established little trading post, and Lucy al
ways took charge of that when he went to buy
goods. When gold was discovered at RnggOld
bar Lucy went there, worked with a rocker like
a man, and washed out hundreds of dollars
worth of gold. all of which she gave to Pome-
roy. With it he built fine schooner and en-
larged 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 60 to Cali
fornia. But he had not the heart to tell Lucy
he meant to leave her. The pilot who told me
llIIS Was dJ t!ldC captain OF 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 told her she must 90
and live with her relatives while he went to CAL
ifornia and looked about, and then he would
send for her.
The poor creature, who had no idea of treach-
cry, 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 could not 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 a sort of al hut. near a house where
lived al eccentric old bachelor. who finally took
compassion Oh her and, to save her from freez-
ing. let her come into his shanty to Sleep He
was mysterious old man, recluse, with a
morbid aversion to women, and at the outset it
was 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 bereally the old mans house.
keeper as well as servant. He lost his health.
and became blind Lucy took care of him till he
died, and followed him to the grave. his only
mourner, the only human being i'm the country
with whom he had any tie. He left her his little
house and a few hundred dOllars-all he had
and there she is still, alone, making out to live
by doing whatever work she can find in the
ncighborhood. Everybody respects her She
is known as 'Lucy" up and down the river. 81
did my best to hlre her to come and keep house
for my wife" said the pilot. "Td rather have
her for nurse or cook than any white woman in
Oregon. But she wouldn't come. don't 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 a time waving to me
when she knows what boat I'm on, and there
isn't much going on on the river she doesn't
know