Feliciana sentinel., 1892-10-08

among the hoary peaks, flows q brook
crystalline in it's purity and melodious
in. its movements, carrying sweetness
and verdure to the thirsty vegetation
below.
Let me take you to this valley, called
by it's people Gods country" and
show you some of it's beauties. And,
in order the better to view it, let me
conduct you to lofty point. Let us
ascend by way of Santa Anita canyon,
through alternating sage and man
zinita, to Wilson's peak, ten miles up
eue oiSrte mares. to one OF the nnest
natural ohservatories in the country, II
not in the world.
This is the scene, and there in the
valley, at La Puente, is the spot
whereon dwelt the heroic woman of
whose brave deed the following is
record.
In yon village some twenty years ago
lived Uncle Billy Madden, genial
country merchant. and his good wife,
a lady from Arkansas. of whom he was
ever ready to relate some humorously
turned anecdote or speak q word of
praise.
They had seen some of the rough side
of life together and. as Uncle Billy was
won't to boast. that Arkansaw wom-
an of his always kept things moving
along smoothly" She was born and
reared near the city of Little Rock and
came of n highly respectable family of
the middle class. of quite ample means,
and was fairly educated and possessed
many of the minor accomplishments.
The then young and somewhat ad-
venturous Bill Madden wandered rather
aimiessly through the states, having
left his home in Ohio with the half
formed intention of locating in some
new and unsettled portion of the coun-
try. in beating about he found himself
in Little Rock, where he met his "Ar-
kansaw Woman and married her
After quite an extended tour of the
west in search of n likely place in
which to build a home Uncle Billy
and his bride brought up in the San
Gabrielvalley at La Pueute.
After q short residence in the valley
the new couple combined their efforts
and means in starting little store for
general merchandise. Here they turned
their small stock of goods to gold, and.
renewing it constantly, went on gath
ering in the coin and enlarging their
store until it came to be noised about
that .'Uncle Billy (Which name he had
acquired soon after his arrival in the
valley through his fondness for chill
dren) and that Arkansaw woman of his
were getting rich.
The bulk of their trade was with the
Mexicans. who were in the valley,
among them being number of ugly.
customers of the Chavez stripe who
used to sometimes render the surround.
ing country, and particularly the "Old
nj I'm, ryfh l,,% 9, q
habitation for pcace-loving people
They would Eli up with "owadiente, ;
the native brandy, and bestriding thei1
bronchos dash through the highways
in a manner highly threatening to the
personal safety of any who might be
coming their way, yelling mean while
like demons and whirling their lasso.
about their heads until they whistleG
q shriu accompaniment to the uproar
According to Uncle Billy that Arkan
saw woman of his often grew uneasy il
the presence of these ruffians, and 4
was her firm conviction that sooner Of
later there would be trouble at L.
Puente. He would ridicule her fear,
and would try to persuade her out o
her notions" as he termed them, but
though she appeared to be calm for tn,
time, she resolved within herself to b,
ever on the alert for Mexican mischief
and her fears were not groundless.
One day q black-muzzled Mexican
entered the store, and glancing abou
in a 1istless way inquired the prices o
various articles. He seemed to hav
ample leisure, for, after making a few
trifling purchases. he hung about 70
several hours. exchanging at interval
. tsw words 10 Spanish with the store