The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-04-30

| She took 1T and thanked me. II
thought I'd like to look ut it. I'm much
obliged. Goodnight
did not see her about the house next
morning. All the participants in the
wished-for neclstie party of the night
before had vanished. saw nothing of
the saddle-bags, SO concluded they had
taken them. / inquired for Miss Jessie,
and was told that She had gone off early
to drive up some cattle on the divide"
The Chinese cook provided me with a
scanty breakfast, and when the stage
came by mounted it with Il feeling of
ineXpressible relief. Half an hour later.
MS we rounded n curve in the road we
came face to face with less She was
mounted on vicious looking black
mustang, and gallopcd rapidly past. her
| bright curls streaming i'll the wind 1
had only time to raise my hat in re-
| Spouse to a smile of recognition. when
she passed, as then thought, out OF my
! life forever.
had been in the mines but short
time when l received the sad news of
my fathers death, accompanied by an
urgent request from my mother that
return home at once and take charge of
his business affairs This was incum-
IL.
within three months of the time of my
arrival in California I was again at
home, my gold-hunting fever slightly
abated, but still hoping to return to the
| Pacific coast; but circumstances com
bincd to prevent it.
Alice welcomed me with open arms.
She was intensely interested with nv
| California experience, and wished very
much to write to Jessie and thank her
| for liberating me from my dangerous
situation; but as did not know her adj
dress, She had to abandon the idea
| She died the second year after l re-
turned, leaving only my mother and
| myself. As She was averse to leaving
the old home, l remained there until
| her death, some twelve years later
| Then finding life intolerably monoton-
| Gus. arranged INV business, in which
| had been successful, so that could
leave for an indefinite time
felt a strong desire to revisit the
scenes of my early California experience,
and in due time found myself at -
| City. l decided to make the mountain
trip on horseback as of yore, so hired
| good horse, and one bright June morn.
ing started again over the almost for
| gotten mountain grades.
| About two o'clock overlook a heavily
laden wagon, drawn by six powerful
horses The suns rays were uncom-
fortably warm, the road was dusty.
Just ahead was the watering trough,
where the stranger overlook me SO long
ago.
| ~ hp cto ,x.t
siX-footer. He wore u blonde beard
and a SLOUGH hat, and walked beside
| the wheclers He had baclsnalee whip
looped about his shoulders, and every
now and then spoke cncouragingly to
the straining animals. AS we reached
the trough drew rein beside him. He
cased the horses back from heavy
pull, and answered my salutation pleas
antly. Something in the mans face
struck me as familiar.
He watercd his team, then produced
a flask, and invited me to smile" with
him. returned the compliment with
a cigar, and we entered into conversa-
ton. I Inquired Il he knew what had
become of the old man Brown, who
kept stopping-place over on the d.
vide years ago
He looked at me keenly a moment
"Oh, yes. The old buzzard Kicked the
bucket some time ago. Struck a good
mine and couldn't stand prosperity.
What's become of the girl? Banked if
know. Took her down to Frisco and
put her to school. Seems to me did
hear she married Tom Stewart, Browns
old partner, but he's gone up the flume
too, hear. Old place is gone to rack
nobody lives there now. Good stopping
| place about mile tile other side,
though. Stan up, Bclln'
/ rode on ahead, no longer puzzled as
| to where had met the stalwart driver,
for memory straightway carried ine
back to my acquaintance of fourteen
years before, who had so unccremoni-
ously deserted me that memora bic night
at old man Browns. He had changed
but little, while i, who was but boy
! then, was now bearded and bronZed,
and had no fear of being recognized.
] rode on, musing on the ups and
downs of life, and presently reached
the cross road. l found the old hos
tclry heap of ruins, the roof having
been crushed in some previous winter
by the weight of snow
After drifting aimlcssly round among
the mining towns of the Sierras for
some weeks, 1 went to San Francisco
One day while strolling on The beach by
the Cliff House. l came face to face
with IL beautiful woman who both in
tercstcd and puzzled me. She was tall
and well formed, with fine brown eyes,
and heavy coil OF dark auburn
hair. She was dressed in black, plainly
but with much distinction, and hnd