Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-05-07

'ErAMS that ever broke hearts
IVA Y for love on this CONT
nent. A story not I'M
like that OF the Acadian lovers and more pitt
full because it is matter of history, and no
element of fiction could make it more effect
ive."
1t was white-haired Uncle Zarah who spoke
half to himself, and seeming a story. 1 sus-
pended my writing and placed myself in a lis
tening attitude.
Strange, but have not thought Of Sister
Conception in twenty years. l guess. This seal
fisheries talk brings it all back though but
yesterday, l, a boy OF twenty, tramped into
San Francisco, footsore, heartsick, penniless
and hungry.
THE gold fever of 40 reached my quiet
Ohio home and against the earnest protests Of
my parents Joined party who were going to
the country where the waters wandered over
| sands of gold The real journey began at In
Dependence, Mo-, where we got wagons, oxen
and provisions and set out IN May OF lS49 to
cross the plains. In attempting to follow
the advice of some Indians and find at the
same time shorter route than that made by
the freiShters who carried overland to
the forts supplies for the government
troops trail which was devious and need
iessiy heightened, we got lost in the mountains,
we're snowbound, and, as o last resort, killed
our oxen and dogs to live upon. The last week
OF our struggle to find an outlet to the west we
had only the dried OK hides to chew. At last
In May of 1850, Just year from the time we
left Independence, we wandered into San
Francisco. There were but four of us left,
the other four We buried in the snow on the
divide We were scurvy lot, almost
naked and starved to skeletons.
IN THE HOSPITAL.
81 was ill long time after that terrible ex-
perence. l had never known what it was to
&c., ~av~
October, 1919, to May, 1850, experienced daily
and hourly the extremity of both. The day we
struck the town was picked up senseiess on
the street, and when l found myself three
weeks later was IN low cot, with spotless
sheets and counterpane, shut off from fifty
other cots by screens of white muslin, in a long
narrow room with walls and ceiling of white
canvas. had on a white night shirt and my
hands were SO painfully clean that my first
maud,in curiosity led me to examine them to
see If they were really fastened to me. Just
then woman came in and in the softest,
ers. she said In Spanish:
Ah, my young American is better. It is
good
Then she laid her hand on mine. The
whltest, prettlest, smallest hand ever saw OF
| woman, and on one finger cleaned a curious
Jewei-set antique ring. 1t was so long since l
had seen woman and this one seemed 80 alto
gether adorable that, with what feeble strength
possessed, drew her hand to my lips With
gentle smile the sister dropped the ivory
cruclfix held in her other hand and smoothed
back my hair. l was too weak to talk but to
look at her was food for nv starved heart,
She gave me some medicine, and then in Span sh
murnured a benediction and moved away
through the opening between the screens, pass
ing like CLEAN of sunshine down the long room.
She was ROBBED in white wool. About her waist
was a thick silver chain with long ends, to
which were attached several emblems beside
the crucifix. On her head was a cap of stiff
muslin faring like a sombrero, and sometimes
saw curis of snow-white hair peeping out.
Over all was an enveloping mantle of black
crepe. Her face was a poem which tried
vainly to read. She was evidently past middle
age. but there we're no lines on her clear,
pallld face, which was lighted by melancholy
black eyes, mirrors of soul from which pains
fiery furnace had burned all the dross.
I" She has history, was my half formed
thought as dropped off to sleep. Three weeks
longer l occupied that cot and three times
each day Sister Conception paused beside me
and cheered my homesck boyish heart. was
only twenty and looked even more youthful,
had been carefully reared and when my head
strong will led me to seek my fortunes in the
west knew literally nothing OF tho world or
its ways. l think Sister Conception understood
this and it made her even more tender to ME
than she would otherwise have been. repaid
her in alteration. If my strict old Presbyterian
father had known that said my prayers to
Sister Conception instead of directing them to
heaven and that Rugged to my heart little
cruclfix that she had given me his righteous
soul would have been consumed with wrath.
when was once more able TO be about Sis
ter Conception found employment for me and
aided me IN many ways during the two years
l remained in California, and when l left
there In 1852 on vessel that was going round
the Horn the deepest sorrow of my life seemed
to have come upon me, for had to bid Sister
Conception goodbye. My experience had been
dear one, for beside my illness. which left me
wreck OF my former self, all that had to
show for my mining experience of nearly
year was little package in my vest pocket
which contained the realization of my golden
dreams. There was just enough gold to make
my mother a handsome ring. Five years later
the last leaf i'll the romance was turned, Sister
Conception was dead. There must be many
people living who remember her graceful
form, gentle ways and sweet voice.
SISTER coNcEpcroN's STORY.
''Sister Conceptions full name was Dona Ma
ria de la Conception Marcia Arguello and she
was a native-born Californian, daughter of
Jose Dario Arguello, for many years command
ant OF the preside or fort which guarded the
entrance to the harbor of San Francisco, /
suppose she was about the first Amercan-born
woman to be captured by title, land it brought
her no moro happiness than comes to the av-
erage title seeker. for from the moment the
fled from her gay young heart
'Our seal islands were discovered by Geras-
sim Gavorlovick Pribylof, a master in the
Russian navy, in 1856. The seal fisheries
opened up new industry for the Cossacks
Furs were the currency of their nation. They
had been century in crossing the Ural noun
tains and bleak Siberia to Kamchatka, follow
ing the retreating sable. and then they deter
mined to brave the dangers OF the unknown
seas for the seal and otter, whose furs they
were learning to prize. Through terrible pri-
walton they established fur posts along the
the Alaskan coast, Kurile and Aleutian Islands,
and began the wholesale slaughter Of seals. In
1893, when the sea, catch was reported to
Russia growing less each season, that gov
eminent concluded to investigate its American
possessions.
COUNT REzANoFs EXPEDITION.
Count Nikolai Petrovich Rezanof, grand
chamberlain and favorite with the empress
and later with the emperor, was dispatched
with two ships on grand tour. He was to
proceed to Japan and China and fx up some
imperial treaties and return by way of Sitks
and the islands. In 1905 he got around to the
Pribylof Islands, and wrote his government of
the enormous number of seals he found there
He considered the seal industry to be a mine
OF inexhaustible wealth if only they were pro-
tected. He complained that at the time Of his
visit there were some twenty Boston ships,. in
tha v1ciUitv NJ tha fou hont rhi oh