Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1892-02-13
held pretty cheap by q life insurance
rompanv

''At last the mountains were passed.
and before Us stretched a broad, level,
grassy plain, and twenty miles away,
though the distance seemed much less.
az city half the size Of Boston, bat
whose site was on no map in existence.
md whose name probably not ter edu-
;ated men il this country had ever
heard. But that was forty years ago.
Of course thi1gs have changed since then.
sIlere my gulues sa1G ---i7y MS MS :casr
ne, and though | entreated their conf
oany to the city, they utterly refused. |
therefore set out alone.
You can imagine my desc lation at
being left, even by the desperate black
hued men who had been my companions
50 far. Even they had some sense OF
humanity in them, semc sympathy Tor
nv loneliness, though it was moody,
silent sympathy. But now | was alone,
a strange city that I did not know before
me. the Andes behinds me. II was
ever homesick in my life 1t was on that
morning. If | ever wished | were at
| home with a wife and children about me,
| that was the time AS I tramped on
! dreamed of all these things. | carefully
recalled all the young laiies of my ac-
luaintance, to see if any of them would
40 for a wife. Some were more or less
attractive, but there were many Difficult
| ties IN the way Of really marrying any
pne OF them. Aftcr;l time | turned from
l consideration Of the. individual female
to consideration Of the oncy question
That seemed less doubtful, for had be
gun to know my own powers and to
trust them. | then and there resolved
that ! would work no longer for another
master, but 90 into business for myself
when returned to San Francisco. had
q little capital laid by, and of course there
were many schemes for using it protitably
already formed in my mind. I may be
pardoned for saying that ,ny resolve was
carried out, though perhaps no: as HAD
| hoped.
cit was evening when I reached the
city, with its narrow streets and !,
leaf-thatched houses, rudely and weakly
built, but having some show of neatness
on the inside. All the buildings seemed
alike, and there were no stores or big
signs of hotels or restaurants The duskv.
half-savage people stared coldIy at me,
and made ne feel more alone than ever.
| wandered along, hoping to see a IA
miliar sign of some sort, at least some
show of decent nights lodging and a
good square meal. The tough looking
guides on the other side Of the<mount-
aims had robbed me Of most of my
money, but had a little left. Yet it was
growing dusk aud aid not know what
to do, for l could not speak the ordinary
patois Of the people to make any in
qulries.
''At last, however, my happy eyes saw
the Spanish word for Restaurant,
printed on a slip Of white paper with
lead pencil and stuck in a glass window.
Without ceremony entered. There was
a large room Of rough, plain boards, and
in the middle Of it one lonr table COW
cred with white Cloth. A. first
thought that there was no one present
But as grew, used to the faint H. rat
made ont the form Of a girl sitting 1T
the farther end of the table, with her
head burie in her arms. tapped on
the table to attract her attention, and she
quickly raised her head As welbas
could see l thought s"c As good-loo!.
ing ana young woman. | vaguely felt
happy and wondered what language she
spoke -ls revolvej in my mind the
possible methods of finding this ont, and
was about . begin WITH English and try
al. knew,I picked upan earthen' plate,
and as l toycd with it on the table il
NV embarrassment. | accidentally let i
fall to the floor. where 1t broke in sew
eral pieces, much to my astonishment.
At this the girl started quickly to her
feet in little alright, eAc'alming very