The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-12-02
CHAPTER V.


While this simple pastoral life was CEN
tered around the school house in the clear
| ing, broken only by an occasional warning
| pistol shot in the direction of the Harrison
| McKinstry boundaries, the more business
| part of Indian Spring was overtaken by
| one of those spasms of enterprise peculiar
| TO all Californian mining settlements The
| opening OF tho Eureka Ditch and the ex
| tension OF stage coach communication from
| BIZ Blutr were events of no small import
| ance, and were celebrated on the same day.
the double occasion overtaxlng even the
| fluent rhetoric OF the editor Of the Star
| left bin struggle & in the metaphorical
| difficulties of a PactOlian Spring. which he
had rashly turned into the Ditch, and
| obliged MIN to transfer the onerous duty of
| writing the editorial on the Big Bluff Ex-
| tension to the hands of the Hon. Abner
| Dean, AsSemblyman from Angels. The
| los, of the Hon. Mr.. Deans right eye in an
| early pioneer fracas did not prevent him
| from looking into the dim vista of the fu-
| ture and discovering with that single I'M
aided optic enough to fill three columns of
| the Star. SIT is not too extravagant 10
say" he remarked, with charming depreca-
| ton, THAT Indian Spring, through its own
| perfectly organized system of inland trans
portation, the confluence of the north
fork with the Sacramento river. and
their combined affluence into the illimitable
Pacific, is thus put not only into direct COM
munication with far Cathay but even re-
noter Antipodean markets. The citiz m of
Indian Spring taking the "a. m. Pioneer
coach and arriving at Big Bluff at 2:40 Is
enabled to connect with the through express
to Sacramento the same evening, re ching
San Francisco per the Steam Navigation
Company's palatial steamers in time TO take
the Pacific Mail steamer to Yokohama on
the following day at $3.50 p. H." Although
- T,.ra K-a4 o.
avail himself of this admirable opportunity,
nor did it appear at all likely that any
would, everybody vaguely felt that an in
estimable boon lay in the suggestion, and
even the master professionally entrusting
the reading aloud Of the editorial to Rupert
Filgee with Interior designs of practice in
the pronunciation of five-syllable words
was somewhat affected by it. Johnny
Filgee and Jimmy Snyder accepting it as
mysterious something that made Desert
Islands accessible at a moments notice and
q trifling outlay. were round-eyed and at
tentive. And the eliminating information
from the master that this event would be
COMMUNICATED by hall holiday, combined
10 make the occasion as exciting to the SIM
pie school house in the clearing as it was 10
the gilded saloon in the main street.
And so the momentous day arrived, with
its two new coaches from Big Bluff CO tain
ing the specially invited speakers-always
specially invited 10 those occasions, and
yet strangely enough never before feeling
the extreme importance and privilege" OF
it as they did then. Then there were the
firing Of two anvils, the strains Of a brass
band, the hosting OF a now flag on the lib
erty pole, and later the ceremony Of the
Ditch opening, when distinguished speaker
in a most understandable tall hat, black
frock coat and white cravat, which gave
him the general air Of a festive grave-dig-
ger, took spade from the hands Of an APP
parently hilarious chief mourner and threw
out tho first sods There were anvils,
brass bands, and COLLATION." at the hotel.
Bat everywhere the most ex-
travagant expectation and even the laugh
ter 1t provoked the spirit Of indomitable
youth and resistless enterprise intoxicated
the air. II was the spirit that had made
California possible; that had sown thou
sand such ventures broadcast through its
wilderness; that had enabled the sower to
stand half-huinorously among his scant or
ru ned harvests without fear and without
repining, and turn his undaunted and ever
hopeful face to further fields. What mat