Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-03-11

"AAASA AhuCk thC ClICuIuSlstuCcS WIS or equal importance to these people was the rapidity with which all fruit-be arine trees and vines began producing. Grapes at three years from the cut ting. and peaches at three years from the pit, would bear no 1nconside-ab.e burdens of fruit; while mo.t O. h r va, l. cities were equally rapid in reaching maturity.
 Melons. and indeed all kinds of vines and vegetables were wonderfully pro- life, and lri potatoes, turnips, car rots. beets anI othe.' root crops could be raised in abundan c, and by the simplest methods of GU tivation.
 For the pre- ,ent it was probable that the mines in the vicinity wo id con sume, at large prices, any surp.us hat the sqnatters m ght pro luce; anI if in time this market should fail. q little wo wouli enable the n to ansport everything they pro olucei to the river, where it could be shipped to Sacramen- to, or down to lh rlver.
 Those whose duty it had been to as certain regard.n ng the title to the land in the locality under consid ra- ton reported it free from taint of any kind. In point of fact the ella m of these men to the land upon which they settled in t e loot hi Is above Sacramento City was never dis put d.
 A motion that they locate upon the lands described was put to vote and carried unanin, usly, and separations for the journey at once began. The team which had bro Aght John Parson's family acros; the pl,,ins was again hitched to the canvaS-covered W gon, their little store of goods was packed therein, including as mu .h of the products of the garden as could be leaving all, even Mrs. Parsons and the children, to walk, and thus they again took up their journey, q dozen families, all told.
 Some in the little company were cu- tirely without money. All, not except ing John Parsons, were nearly so. And Martha knew we'll that worse hardships than walking for few days, or even weeks, beside the tc!m awaited her and her child 'en before they could erect a shelter or procura the wherewithal to provide a comfortable home.
 True, the men m ght go back to min ing There would be m.nrs in the vi cinity of the claims they expected to To- cate, but these men had lost all faith in their luck with the pick. They had worked at it, more or less. all of them. but none had ever '.struck it rich.' Be- sides, they were of that class of men who prefer steady gains, even if slow and small, to the excitement of specula. ton or searching with pick and shovel for fortune winch may possibly come at any moment, but in all probability will never come at all.
 Mining partakes very much of the character of gambling. It constantly holds out the promise of large gains of fortune to be secured ill q day, in an hour perhaps. The next deal, the next sEovelful, the next blow with tine pick. may disclose a pocket fill d with gold, and convert the finder into a Crus,ls; and so he works on for days and months and years with but one ob- ject, one thought-to find that which men have dccreed should be of more value than home. or friends, or honor; titan the means of su taining life; than life itsclf-nay, more; that failing to procure this one thing, they shall be denied all others.
 But these men were not spcculators, not gamblers by nature. They were men who loved best the quiet of home and the peaceful p rsuits of agriculture. Farmers and farmers sons back i'll the States, brief experience in mining had f'sal alis!ied most, and all ha;i tried it until they were satisfied. What th y wanted was an opportun ty to earn their living and mikc homes for themselves and families in obedience to natures laws and their own inclinations, by the culti- vation of the soil, and the gathering of it's ripened fruits and grains.
 They were not unused to hardships. What man or woman was that had been | a miner or miners w f. back of '6O in California?
 And tley were not towards. The towards went out later, when the will derncss had been, in a measure, sub dued; when bravcr men had proven | the immense resources of the country; had bridged its torrents; had opened it's mines; had driven out the Indians; had laid the foundation for private fortunes | and national wealth-it was then the | towards came, or were bpgOtten of the spirit of gambl ng, the greed for sud den and immense wealth which the ceaseless search for gold stimulates if it 1 does not create-came and plotted to rob better men of their hard-earned savings. These men, 1 say, journeyed from their ravaged homes upon the Suscol Ranch to the foothills 10 begin again, were not towards, and they were inured to lardship, and like all other people they were too quick to forget wrongs done them under the cloak of law, and they let their anger die out; refused to peer too closely or too far into the future, which they could not control, and laughel as they journeyed instead of crying; sang scraps of from tier songs, instead of recounting to each other the story of their sui:erings.
 And the women? Why. bless you. dear reader. women learned long ago, some centuries back, think it was, to suffer and be still. Not one woman cried out at the hordships she was com pelied to undergo during that whole journey.
 l CHAPTER VI.
 1 BEGINNING A NEW HOME.
 Arriving at their destination each head of a family selected his claim and