The morning call., 1892-01-07
WALKING THE PLUME,
nv FLORENCE PERCY MATHEsoN C'FLoR-
ENCE ALLEN.)

whole GNAL>t OF NY Ni'SN'E-- - -''J A'@Ni
and made. thank God, different woman
of me.
LIGHT rains had washed all the summers
5nst from the trees and bushes, and q faint
and tender green was appearing upon
no hitherto barren slope of the mountain
ABOVE rs. Even ], with all my dislike Of
fine redwOods, could not but confess that
our little place and its surroundings was
well worth looking at under the bright De-
fobpr sunshine Behind and above us the
T,[auut3in stretched UP to the blue skies;
i'm front the clearing slOped gently down
n the split picket fence, just outside Of
which twisted the narrow Snake-llke road,
which. with tile fume beside it, ran along
fhe very edge Of tie deep rayine that sep
aratf1 us from the mountain beyond,
where PINES and redwO0ds, that seemed to
have forgotten when 70 stop growing,
stretched up tall and straight as needles,
hundred and fifty feet from earth 10 top,
While around their great trunks dense
thitkets Of the shjnluE-leayed maOZauita,
alder trees (n0t bushes in this country,
but large siz d trees, and others or which l
have never cared 10 learn the names, formed
an almost impenetrable jungle. II was
beautiful, all of IT, and the dampened and
refreshed earth and foliage sent up q sweet
and grateful Od0T as tile sun shone warmly
down upon them.
Yes, it was beautiful and there was the
dishes 90 wash, the weeks washing 20 do,
and dinner TO get, and / had little time to
waste staring about me. And then, right IN
the midst Of my work, who should drive up
but a gentleman aud lady-the Superin-
tendeut of one OF the mills and his fine lady
wife from the bay.
The man wanted TO 90 out among the
timber with AbneT, and so she staid with
HE, and she tried her best to be polite and
agreeable, but l felt crOsser than ever as
looked at her stylish hat and dress her
little bits of hgh-heeled boots, her paras oil
covered with lace, and her fur cloak and
long kid gloves. II didn't seem right to NE
that she should be wearing such things, and
lie roasting myself over the stove with
mean old calico dress on, and not pair Of
kid gloves TO my name. l had TO be civil 10
her, Of course. but her chatter about the
scenery and all that nearly drove me wild,
and l was thankful when they went away
and left NE 20 myself again. How cross l
was that day! That woman's clothes and
airs and graces just haunted me and /
could think Of nothing except the contrast
between US.
Abuer was looking kind Of pale and
tagged out. tie had been complaining a
little off and on for day or two, but
thought IL was only notions, for he had
not had sick day since l knew him, and
SO l didn't Worry about him. In the after
noon il ClOuded mp thick and DARK and the
men came In from the timber soon after
dinner. II was setting In for a long rain
they said and they were going 10 hitch up
and * down 10 Boulder to get IN q stock Of
things against the roads getting blOckaded.
That sounded drea iIul 70 mo. and when
they were gone and l was alone l sat down
and had a good cry. AbneT was putting
bolts in the tums, and when he came in he
found me crying still, and the more he tried
10 comfort me the more l wouldn't be COM
fOTted.
at seems as though | can't make you
happy no way. Jennie" says he. "Llck's
against ME about tn 4, certain. II seems
ike you're just as miserable as a fish out er
water all the time and don't get ne comfort
out or nOthin' l am afraid, bv aud by,
you,u wish you'd never married me- my
% wish so now!' cried. too cross and
ugly % care what l said Aud then. for
moment, everything was still as a church,
aad th-n AUnCT turned, without a word,
and walked slowly and heavily cut Of the
house.
knew where he was going-down the
dume. He had never gone before on that
dangerous tramp without kissing me, and
now lOuged TO run after him aud tell him
I was sorry for my cruel words but il was
too late. When l ran down TO the road q
moment later be was stridiug along the
narrow plank 10 the distance without one
glance behind. Never mind, lie would be
back in an hour at the fuTthest, and then
would make things right with him. So l
went back 10 the house and busted myself,
and watched the little clock with anxious
eyes. The hour passed, and still | was
alOne-anOther-it was dark, now. He had
never been so long before. There must
have been Jam and lots Of hard work to do
but surely, surely he would have been
back by now. The water was shut of from
the fume and al was safe until morning
why did he not come back?
l thought Of that horrible fume, reaching
lts slender length across Tavlnes hundreds
Of feet from the ground, with only 2 twelve
iuCL-wde plank to walk on, and only the
side Of the fume eighteen inches high 10
steady oneself by, no matter what might
happen. | thought OF II and the thought
made me sick and faint. And my husband
my good, patient loving husband-had
gone over that peTilOus road with my cruel
words ringing in his ears. l could bear it
no longer. Tlmid as l Was, l would rather
face tie darkness outside than my own
thoughts and f-aTs sitting there in the
house Throwing shawl over NY head
took Abner's pistol in 10y hand and started
out. 1t was very dark, but tie rain had not
begun as yet although the air was heavy
with moisture. Trembling, but TesOlute, !
hurried across the road and stepped up on
the narrow board down which my husband
had gone. l., whose unsteady nerves and
gddy head made me grow faint and dizzy
on the slightest proyOcatiOn, was going to
do what many strong men shrank from
walk the flume." Just before our house
my path lay close to the ground. but l
knew. only too well, how soOu the uneven
earth receded and left that narrow, Slip
perry plank up among the treet0ps. or,
worse yet, stretching across yaWniug CULTS
where the mountain streams tumbed nois-
lily over sharp stones and massive bOulders
hundreds Of feet below; and there a slip,
miSs'ep and death-and such a death-Was
certain.
Had Abner slipped or stumbled in such a
place? That deRdening fear made NE in
sensible almost to any other terror, and,
holding my lantern 10 front Of me that
might see the board and nothing else, l
walked steadily onward. Once my dress
caught upon bit Of loose wood on the side
OF the fume and pulled me back, but did
BOT lose my footing As l stopped to ua-
fasten it, however, / caught sideways
glimpse Of the white road, and saw that il
was far below, but l kept on. Soon
the top Of a tall redwood brushed my
feet l felt then that had the moon
shone out brightly so that l could not
help seeing around and beneath me, could
10 longer have kept upon that dizzy height.
But would not allow myself to pause. or
even to think Of the danger l was in Step
alter step, step after step, and then, once
more, the white road lay beside NE, silent
and deserted, winding Itself around the
cliff and losing Itself IN the sharp curve be-
yOnd. Past that curve / knew Law the
worst part Of my fearsOme i0urney-the
worst rayine on all Abner's section. ! had
often 70 ked across at the fume trembling,
as we drove by on the road, ana thought
how like a bit Of spiders web il see1nad
thrown across that dreadful chasm. And
here tonight, / was to walk across that
frai structure alone For an instant
faltered. and then, setting my teeth and
thinking the prayer / could not speak. I
went straight ahead. This was the last
rayine there was to cross, and the rest of
the section was easy walking, not over five
feet from the ground Ia any place, with
houses here and there as one comes nearer
the creek.
The mist had thickened until my lantern
only showed the board a little bit beyond
my feet. l held tight by the fume, bending
over to get frmer hold, and crept around: