The morning call., 1893-04-23

followed by the report of pistol and the
reply of others and a wild surge of the
crowd through the doors were occurrences
too frequent to attract more than local
attention.
The old man elb0wed his way down the
crowded thOroughfare, peering into saloons
and lodging-houses, until he reached the
bank OF the Sacramento, along which were
m0Ored number of deeD-water vessels de-
serted by their crews. They were u novelty
to him, yet be scarcely noticed them, so
intently was he looking for his boy Sam.
Returning to Second street. he purchased a
large piece of fresh salmon, beefsteak
three or four Ioayes of bread, a few pounds
OF potatoes and some trities in the way of
luxuries.
Placing his purchases in a sack. which he
threw over his shoulder. he started up K
street. He limped slowly along, dropping
into public places. and eagerly scrutiniZing
the faces of passers. At length his wander
ing eyes fell upon an express wagon passing
up the street, with two bodies inclosed in
unstained board collins. As he thought of
Sam his knees trembled. aud he sat down in
doorway. "One was a sailor, who died of
cholera, and the other gambler, who was
shot in front of the Crescent City Hotel
yesterday" said one passer to another. The
old man overheard the remark and rose 10
his feet relieved, for he had for a moment
deemed it possible that the body of Sam
was in one of the collins.
L
Times, the first newspaper established in
Sacramento. He turned and looked at a
copy OF the paper OF that morning pasted
on the bulletin-buaTd. 1t was the first
newspaper he had seen since leaving indie
pendence, and dropping the sack at his
feet lie re enforced his eyes with q pair of
sDectscles and began 10 read it. He
learned that California had adopted a con-
stitution and was about to be admitted into
the Union as sovereign State; that the
m a h. b..a e. n
Lake in the spring had returned, and that
II was the general belief that no such lake
existed, as no one had succeeded in finding
it; that there had been an outbreak among
the Indians in the southern part of FL De-
rad0 County, aud that four miners had been
killed by the saVages on the Costumes
River; and that the last of the overland i'm
migrants had passed Mormon Station, on
the Carson River, and would probably
reach the Western slope without encounter
Ing snoWstOrm, as 1t was the opinion of
General Suffer that the approaching winter
would be backward aud open. 1t was fur
Their stated, although the information was
not new to him, that not less than 10 per
cent OF the overland immigration of that
year had died of cholera and other diseases
between the Missouri River and Sierra
Nevada Mountains, and that the roads
across the desert west of the sink of the
Humboldt were lined on both sides with
dead cattle and broken and abandoned
wagons.
Turning TO the local page he aseertaned
that the cholera still prevailed 10 some ex-
tent in the city. and that five persons had
Succumbed 10 the Destiience the day before
The ames of the victims were given, the
last OF which was that of Samuel GAYLORD of
Peoria, Illinois. As he read it CHASTITY
blur filmed his eyes, and the old man reeIed
and fell to the sidewalk. Kind hands raised
and placed him on a chair in the counting
room OF the Times, and swallow of mingled
u nj TOR e.,
ness. Looking into the sympathetic faces
around him he said in a choking voice:
THANK you, gentlemen. But am worn
and feeble from long trip across the palms.
and the shock was too much Tor me. [ ar
rived to-day, expectin' TO meet my bow, and
found out minute ago that he dice yester-
day. My God My G0dl How can | bear
it, and he bowed his gray head, while his
whole frame shiVered in an agony of
grief.
More eyes than his moistened at the sad
tale, and had gold been panaeea for the
affection under which he bent his hands
would have been filled with it. Asst was
conveyance was procured, and he was
taken ont to his wagon near the fort; and
when the sack of provisions had been
handed down TO Kitty, who had stepped
forward to receive it with face white with
apprehension, the stranger carelessly said,
as he drove away:
Il say, Miss, il you find anything In that
buy, you just keep it. 1t belongs 10 you"
Turning to Gaylord. who had taken n seat
in silence on the wagon-tOngue, and drawn
The little boy to his side, Kitty hastily ex-
claimed: Something has happened, pap
l know there hasi Now, what is il ?''
He could not summon courage to tell her
then. Better wait till tomorrow" he
thought. She's half starved, and needs
good meal or Two. Size wouldn't eat bite
or sleep wink Tonight il [ was to tell her
about Sam. So. he said. with an effort:
I'm awful worried, Kitty. I'm afraid
something has happened to Sam"
Then You haven't heard anything of
him 2" inquired Kitty, trying to read the old
mans face.
Didn't get sight of him anywhere" was
the eyaSye answer. but will find out
about him Tomorrow, perhaps. | didn't
have time to mako much of hunt. YOU
know, and the streets are jam full O. people.
Let's not borrow trouble. There's some