Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-02-12
NORTH CALIFORNIA.
An Interesting etter From
Herald Correspond dant.
ORovnLE, Cal, February 1st, 1888.

OROVlLLE, Cal, feDruary lSt, 1000.
The "Gem OF the Foothills" is once
more smiling in the winter sunlight,
the faces of her boomers" are smil-
ing too, but Old Boreas and Jack
Frost have rather chilled the ardor Of
their smiles, in fact, the boom, the
blessed era of enterprise and pros
perity which was to fall like mamma
from heaven, the millennium which
was to rise phoenix like at the foot OF
Table mountains, from the ashes of
'49 and spread its white pinions over
the broad expanse OF the Northern
citrus belt came nearer being nipped
in the bud and therefore the faces OF our
boomers wear an attenuated smile,
and the smile is wilted like the or
ange leaves.
The Citrus Fair has passed and gone,
bearing the label Of grand success. 3"
and will pass into history OF Butte as
such; and comparing the amount of
fruit displayed with the number Of
trees under cultivation, it was some
thing really wonderful. We shall
never cease to marvel how our hope
full orange-growers made so good an
exhibit and had any fruit left on their
trees at home. All fair-week the
changeful sun showed a benignant
face and directed his beaming coun-
tenance from the very heart OF pale
violet sky, down to the cleaning
white roof Of the citrus pavilion, as
though Old Sol, too, would like to get
a peep at the golden fruit which had
decked itself in his own colors.
1t was fortunate for Buttes first
citrus fair that it's date was not a week
later, for Old Sol having withdrawn
his gracious patronage and masked
his smiling face, beckoned to his
'lord high executioner," the "Slorm
King" and together they held Il
whispered conference behind the
clouds, then the citrus blizzard began.
However novel it might be citrus
fair in stow-storm would hardly to
consistent, and somehow we are at
more or less admirers of the perfect
whole" The holidays came and
went, and we found ourselves
launched upon the duties of a new
year, before we were quite certain OF
having completed those Of 'S7, verify
tempuS .fug't.
The event of the season was the
ball at Miners Rancho-at least it
will be remembered longer than any
other event OF the year. never had
so many toes mashed, never saw so
many dancers trying to occupy
the same space at the same
time as we saw here, for
everybody from far and near came to
trip the eight fantastic" and get a
look at "Old Julia" the strange,
ghoul-like creature who owns the
pla e, and had sent down word from
her mountain lair that she was COM
ing down for the party, to show the
Oroville bellies chow as to dance as
ladies should"
Since the days of '49, there has
stood an autiquated spook-haunted
inn, far back in the Sierras at Buck 8
ranch, and here one day, away back
in the fift.es, came gaunt, storm
beaten woman, who asked and OBJ
tained work.
Since then Julia Haley has held
her own at Bucks ranch, toiling
early and late, accumulating stock
and land and gold until
now her possessions extend for miles,
while hundreds of cattle Craze on her
thousand hills. A woman hater, she
avoids the society of her own sex and
for fifteen years has never been out OF
sight of her own house. Of her life
and history before she came to Bucks
ranch she never speaks, and seems
determined that the past, whatever it
may have been to drive her from
friends or kinfolks, shall remain an
unexplained mystery.
NINA T.. PETERS.