Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-12-11

:
merited heaven they must have been most
uncomfortable companions on this poor
earth of ours. OF Matthew'S wife we know
the name, of herself and character nothing.
We know she died young-probably happy
to escape-leaving one child, TO whom the
father gave the name OF Hezekiah.
"This Hezekiah, for all his uncomfort-
able name, seems to have been of an en-
tirely different temper from either father or
grandsire. OF soldierly and adventurous
nature, he distinguished himself, while still
lad, as man-of-war in repelllng and
chastsing band of predatory savages, and
as an explorer of the then little known
country that lay west of the feeble colony.
Two diaries, or rather parts OF diaries,
written by his wife and daughter have, by
some chance. or through the tilial piety of
some descendant, come down to us. Both
are, most unfortunately, in q mutilated
| condition, but from them we find that
HeZekiah was, in his beliefs, as strict
member of the church as either OF the older
Weatheringfields. A pious, God-fearing
man, but of gentle, sweet and loving ma
ture, his heart leaned ever to mercy. To the
father a sinner was one who should be pun
ished to the extreme limit of the law, and,
if he continued in his sin, to be rooted out
from among the living as pestilence. To
the son the sinner was to be pitied, and,
when asking forgiveness for ones own sins,
should be humbly prayed for, that his heart
might be changed. In due time Hezekiah
took to himself a wife. She was the daugh
ter of a well-known clergyman, and in
those days the minister seems to have
been as much of leader IN things tempo
raj as in things spiritual. Weatheringheld
was a man of substance, and HeZekiah
could probably have become an important
i oh thal
life ia the colonial town had evidently
grown distasteful to him. He loved the
woods, 10 listen to the wind among the
branches and to the songs of birds. Besides
this, although of course it is not put into
words in the diary which his wife kept
from girlhood to old age, YET we can clearly |
read between the lines that the cold harsh |
fathers views and meddling advice made |
the young couples life any thing but bed |
of roses. And now for the first We hear Of
a wondrously lovely place which the young
man had seen ON one of his youthful jour
neys.
" 4 tree. crowned hill, from whose sum-
NIT gushed crystal spring so coplous as to
form little brook, that fell in music down i
the rocky hight Around stretched level |
and almost treeless valley Evidently at one
time the bottom of a lake of considerable |
size before the deep and rapid little river,
which now made great loup around the
solitary hill, had cut its channel through |
the ravine by which it at present reached |
the great stream beyond. The valley was
rich and fertile and ready for the pillow.
The river was full of fish. Game abounded. |
Fur bearing creatures of all kinds were
plentiful bears and foxes in the woods,
and few miles up the river colony of
beavers had built dam. To crown ali,
J., \
lily be defended against the Indians.
" Mingled with these practical details are
poetic descriptions of the beauties of the
scenery, of plain and river, wood and hill. |
For Hezekiah, notwithstanding his name,
was poet in feeling, and at times even in
expression. This is proven by several short
bits addressed-some to his wife, some TO
his daughter, but all carefully copied into
both diaries. These | intend some day to
print for private circulation. They are
quaint, all tender and loving and half de-
votional verses, preserved by chance, but
they show the author TO have been a true
poet in minor key, and, in rude, untu-
tored way, both naturalist and botanist
"A few months after his marriage we
find that young Weatheringfeld had hired
q small ship This he loads with house
hold stuff, TOOLS etc, and young bulle
and three cowes which last we fear,
from subsequent entries, he used to pillow
his fields with, for he certainly did pillow
and sow, and hear of no other beast fitted
for the yoke. The sailed from Boston around
Cape Cod and safely reached the calm
waters of Long Island Sound. Here a
number of days were lost at the mouth of
the Thames, which the Captain declared
must be the great river up which they were
to sail. At length they reached the Con-
necticut.
Just here some pages are wanting. We
know, however that six stout fellows,
probably carpenters and nasons, had been
brought to build we house and create
stone vale, which shoulde encompasse We
house with its otfyces as well as create
syringe
The house, which was probably of logs,
is gone; the stone wall can be in some
places traced, but the great spring still
pours out its sparkling flood, as we all have
seen.
q The ship, which either waited for them
or returned, sailed off with the six stout
men, and Weatheringield and his wife
settled down to what, judging from her
diary, seems to have been a sort of sensible
married lovers picnic that lasted about
half a century. They had some means
perhaps by friendly Indians-of at times
getting letters from and sending news to
the other world, and, at least once year,
ship came to bring clothing, household
articles and now and then a few books,
and to take away the skins of the beasts
Weatheringfield trapped when he could
spare the time from his farm and garden,
the providing of fish and game for his
table and the cutting and hauling of wood
for his fires.
" A year and two months after they had
settled in their new home there was born
to them a daughter, whom they named
Priscilla-a name that my small tyrant
yonder has inherited. OF her, her wonder
full doings and sayings, the mothers diary
is henceforth full. She even, after time.
cut teeth, and did other as remarkable
things. Before this stout young woman
had been sent for and now, relieved of
some OF the domestic cares, we find the fair
young mother and her babe as frequent
companions to the husband and father
when be went to the stream or forest. Be
sides these notes there is a pretty little
pastoral, entered under a certain date when
Miss Priscilla must have been about q year
old, with this head Writ this daye by my
deare husband, at incoming TYNE, when we
were in We northe woods
1t begins rather pedantically, with
'QuaIis mater tails fliG which, being a
dominies daughter, let US hope she under
slOOQ put the picture II draws OF the TWO is
lovely.
Indeed, allowing for all parental par
TALLY, l think they must have both been
fair to look upon If my tyrant and her
female relations were not present might
say how sad it is that the good looks have
so entirely disappeared from the family.
To return to my story. The father, in his
verses, compares his daughter TO flowers
and other vague things, but the mother
notes, as the child grows older, her soft
and abundant hair, her white skin, her
large and lustrous eyes, small hands and
slender feet, the most arched she had ever
seen.
The years ran on, as they do with US
all. A man and his wife were brought out
to assist in the farming and a house built
for them in the valley. Beside it was
long warehouse for the beaver skins and
other peltries, which were now purchased
II, large Quantities from the Tudieue