Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1888-09-22
HOW THEY COURTED.
A Romantic Story Of Pioneer Days
in Oregon.


following scene alta camp meeting,
in the early days Of Oregon:
Much Of the "courtiug" was done
on horseback. I remember one
isis, Waldo, the bell-I think l
may write Of her now since l am
told that she and all her bright little
circle have crossed 10 the other side
of darkness-who claimed that she
could outride any man living. And
so by and by it somehow came to be
whispered about and understood
that she would marry the man who
could keep up with her, or rather,
ride at her side from the camp
grounds To her fathers home, some
fifteen miles away. She was an
heiress, had splendid horses, and
daily rode to and from the camp
grounds all alone. The story that
she would marry the man who
could catch her kept widening and
crystalizing till it become the cur
rent talk of Oregon and Northern
California. suddenly, one fine
summer, u handsome, dashing
young Californian from the mines
who had loads of gold, laid his plans
and came early on the ground with
a gallant mount, determined to
carry of the prize or perish. In
terest became intensely heightened
in the affair when it began to be
whispered aloud that Miss Waldo
was not indifferent to the suit of the
ardent and dashing young miner
from California. The swiftest
animal in his mount of four fine
horses was a trim-limbed little
Morgan mare, with Il brown nose
and three white feet. | remember
seeing one of the old Oregon.
preachers-a splendid judge of horse
flesh he was, too, as were all Ore
goniaus--shallc his head sagely as
he saw these three white feet one
day; and he lifted his nose as he
looked at the Californian. He
clearly did not like the little brown
nosed Morgan mare with the three
white feet nor the Californian
either.
Suddenly one afternoon as they
We're singing the final hymn, and
"Sisn Waldo stood ON the edge of
the outer row OF the crowd with her
gathered riding skirt in one hand
and hymn book in the other, there
was commotion. The little
Morgan mare, led by the California
black boy, came prancing under the
trees not forty feet from where Miss
Waldo's groom stood holding her
horse, and ready for immediate use.
The crowd began to drift and tilt
over to that side. The preachers
sang their loudest; their high nasal
notes fairly made the maple leaves
quiver overhead. But still the
pious people had but one neck, and
one pair of eyes now. AT last the
same old preacher who did not liFe
the three white feet slipped his
hymn-book back in his pocket, and
stin singing with all his might, slid
down out of the pulpit behind the
pulpit behind the other preachers,
and slowly but surely tilted over on
the edge of the crowd close 20 the
I little Morgan mare with the white
feet. Don't blame him! We did
love horses so in Oregon in those
days. And bear in mind we had
but little other diversion.
As the last loud notes Of Screen
lands icy mountains died away
amid the lisping leaves overhead,
there was a leap and a spring for
high benches. Hundreds Of young
horsemen were determined 10 be in
the field! There was going TO be
such chase and such race over
the open and rolling Waldo hills as
the world never witnessed.
But the beautiful and audacious
little lady seemed 20 be in no great
haste. She walked slowly up 20 her
horse, stood still moment, then
handed the boy who held her horse
not only her hymn book, but her
little rawhide whip also. The old
preacher who did not put faith in
the three white feet Of the Morgan
mare, now put on a very queer and
derisive smile, and, taking his long
underlip sidewise between his thumb
and finger, he jerked at it yiciously,
a. he seemed 20 say 10 himself'
"Zounds! she wants TO DO caught
How she got on the horse / don't
know. But she was on aud she