River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1892-12-22

"A Z g n M0hu-
tains about thirty miles. as the crow
flies, or Is supposed TO fly, from salt
Lake City. the famous capital of the
MormOns-
Six years ago the residents Of Ian
ston's Glen were. without exception,
''Gentiles." as the nOn-members of the
Church of Latter-Day Saints" are
called, and they retain their slIepticism
as to things Mormon up to the present
day. ''The Glen" as the residents call
ii among themselves, is a small mining
town on the edge of a canyon, far be-
meath the depths of which rich silver
lode was discovered in 1881 by young
mining engineer named Frank Hobart,
who had been educated at the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania. in his native
city of Philadelphia, and who came
west to seek his fortune
Lanston's Glen was by no means an
inviting place. Huts of stone and
adobe, in comparison with which the
irregularly set and ragged army tents
were palatial, constituted the principal
abOdes of the inhabitants The Grand
Occidental hotel" owned and run" by
Capt Lanstou, was the most preten-
tiOus building in the place That IL had
grown. rather than been built from
any original design, was evident IN the
many little additions and wings of
stone AMI adobe, and even of canvas,
that had been added to it from time to
time.
A plain covered with dazzling ex-
panses of snow " ite alkali, inter
spersed here and there with patches of
acrid creosOte. and brittle. Olive-cOl-
ored sage-b brush. stretched away for
six miles on either hand to the mighty
mountain wall that appeared to shut
che strange place in from the outer
world
Although Frank Hobart, who was a
tall. handsome. modest fellow. hal dis
covered the mine that gave the place
an excuse for being. vet he declined 20
have it named after him. preferring
the name which was finally adopted
because Capt. Lanston's wife was the
first white woman who had ever set
foot there: though. encouraged by her
holiness. many of tire miners subse-
quently brought their wives from the
states.
Ella LanstOn was fifteen when she
accompanied her father and mother 70
the Glen, and from the very first her
fresh beauty and graceful ways. not TO
mention voice of phenomenal sweet
ness, won to her side even the rough
est of the miners, aud all the China
men. " no had been brought in as serv-
ants
Capt. Lanston had been a soldier.
and though. no doubt, a good one, he
was a rough, hardy man. more suited
20 shine in the camp than in the par
Tor, and his otherwise excellent wife
was much the same sort of a character.
Frank Hobart was ten years older
than Eli; not great disparity. to be
sure. but sufficient. in his modest opin-
ion. 20 preclude his thinking of the
..sage-brush BELLE" or ''sage-brush
nightingale" as some Of her more ro-
mantle admirers called her, in any
other way than as a charming child. in
the formation of whose character he
might have an influence for good. lie
boarded at the Grand Occidental hotel,
his position being that of mine superin-
tendeut for the company working the
property he had discovered. and this
gave him an excellent opportunity to
see much of the child, and to direct her
studies in his spare hours.
These relations between Frank Ho-
bart and lila continued for two vears.
she proving herself 10 be bright and
grateful pupil. and he manfully hiding
from her and the world the new and
powerful feeling that such association
had developed in his big. generous
heart BY the time she was seventeen,
Ella Lanston had become the toast OF
every mining camp 70 fifty miles
about. and more than one rich gallant
had laid his heart and his fortune at
her fset
Mrs. Lanstou, who had been a wife
since her sixteenth year, would have
insisted on her daughters marriage at
this time. had not Frank Hobart in
duced the parents 20 send her for two
years 20 the best young ladies' semi
nary at Denver
Frank Hobart E1Out a-married that
gal, if he'd Jest had tine eneek 10 tell
her that he loved her. as he most sar-
tiuly does: but, like blamed eejet. he
gets the Cap'n and Mrs Lanston ter
send Ella of ter school at the other
aide of the world When she comes