The Wilmingtonian., 1885-02-28
THE STORY TELLER.
A "REMINISCENCES

the journey l made the acquaintance Of a
doctor, who was in practice there and who
on account of his striking personality very
strongly attracted me. His conversation
was full of the most varied information, es-
pecially. as he had been one of the early
pioneers Of California, and many were the
"reminiscences with which lie enlivened the
tcdium of our journey.
promised myself to see more of him on
our arrival, and consequ ntly was glad to
accept an invitation to dinner with which he
very soon after hoEored me- His house was
very large and elegantly appointed, all the
details in perfect keeping with each other.
There was therefore something incongruous
in an old velvet curtain, faded and worn
almost threadbare, which partly shaded two
large pictures side by side in a recess of the
DOCTORS study. My eyes vera often attracted
towards this spot during the conversation
which the doctor knew how to conduct 10
such an entertaining manner, and once or
twice his eyes caught mine as they travelled
toward the curtaiued recess. He rose, aud
drawing the covering aside displayed the
picture ola woman aud infant, both fair and
strikingly resembling each other.
''My wife and child, explained the doctor,
81 see you have been puzzliug yourself to
account for this shabby covering, but there
by hangs tale, which if you care to listen
! will relate to you,
1.-TWO and twenty years ago, when all
kinds of adventurous spirits were attracted
towards this country, l drifted here among
the rest. was married just two years, and
felt sorely puzzled what to do with my wife
and little 1-year-old. Mary was a little bit
of a creature, her curly head scarcely reach
ing above my waist, but she determined to
follow me into the wilderness. You must
know that in those days woman was the
rarest sight on Gods earth in any of the ell
campments, and as my business took me
great deal away from home, and not caring
to leave Mary alone i'll the company of the
rough miners constructed log hut some
miles away, and placed her there with an
old eolored nurse who had accompanied lis.
1t was terrible life for any woman to
lead, but for one tenderly nurtured and
brought up as she had been, nothing but the
most sublime self-denial could have made it
even tolerable. Living in constant dread oil
our lives from the attacks Of wild Indians or
wild animals, besides the fear of robbers in
search of our gold dust, we scarcely knew
when we lay down at night whether another
morning would find us alive. 1t was there
fore with many misgivings that saw myself
compelled to undertake a few days Journey
farther into the interior, where it was sup
posed a new vein had been struck l hated
to leave Mary, but even had 1 felt inclined
to take her with me it was utterly impossi-
BILE on account of her delicate state ofhealth.
But aside from her natural firmness Of char
acter she had acquired wonderful amount
of selfreliance roughing it out there, aud
could rely OH her promptness Of decision
during any unforeseen emergency.
Poor thing She was called upon to exer-
nip oh, 7 Txr,n.- ni,
two days when the little one was seized with
a violent attack Of Group You know how
dangerous this sickness is, as it steal, up IN
you without the least previous warning, like
a thief in the night, and ifnot speedily coun-
teracted generally proves fatal. Though
Mary had acquired a great deal of practical
medical knowledge under my direction she
was inexperienced in this kind OF thing, and
in spite of her frantic exertions the little
thing died. You may imagine how self-sac-
rifcing her disposition was when she put
her cwn grief aside, determined at all haz-
ards to preserve the little body until my re-
turn home so could have a last look at it..
She embalmed it with her own hands, cut up
her white silk wedding gown, with which sine
cushioned and lined the little coffin she had
herself constructed, and laid the little crea-
ture inside. From another gown others she
made velvet pail, the identical curtain up
there covering her own aud her baby's pic
ture, and so awaited my coming.
1t CHANGED that we had incessant rain
storms which almost made the fords impas-
sable, beside materially rctarding locomo-
tiun of any kind. In arough country Of this
kind, without any graded roads of properly
defined landmarks to speak Of, it was hardly
an enviable state Of affairs, especially as il
induced all kinds of maladies aud revers. A
few nights after the child's death the oil
colored nurse was taken dangerously ILL.,
Mary exerted all her skill to relieve her. but
toward midnight she grew worse So rapidly
thar her mistress saw it was impossible tc
save her unless she called in more skilled
aid. 1t was raining pitchforks at the time
and the night was as dark as Erebus; bcsde'
the creeks and gulleys on the roadside wer,
full of snakes. Bus she put pistol in he
pocket, flung her macintosh over her shoul
dprs and went intn the out-house tn saddl