Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1894-02-10
An Earlier Bird.
BY CHARLES D. WILLARD.

dGsIAA Y first visit to the Golden
State took place a number
ggSSgSN of years ago, when I was
G&39S an inexperienced young
man of Is My home was in Cleve-
land, where my family had resided
many years. A trip to California.
In those days was looked upon as
great undertaking, and began to
talk it over with my numerous.
friends and relatives several weeks
before I set out. Presently / made
q remarkable discovery. It was
that every one Of these friends and
relatives had some acquaintance on
the Pacific coast, who would rejoice
at the opportunity to welcome me
afforded by letter Of introduction.
Now it happened that several years
before, had had little experience
with the practice Of making friends
by letter. When / went east to col
lege | carried notes to some people
in Boston and I am confident that
no explorer of the Arctic region ever
ENCOUNTERED lower temperature than
that which enyeloped my welcome.
As understand letter of introduce
ton, it is a sort of sight draft, friend
ship being the consideration, drawn
on your frieRd by the stranger, which
you are empowered to collect, if you
can. Your success depends upon
several things your friends credit
with the stranger, for one; the
strangers general solvency-that is,
his capacity friendship-for another,
and his opinion OF you as a collector
for another.
Well, when my friends began pre-
senting me with letters TO their
friends on the slope ] at first tried
by various evasions to get out of ac-
cepting them, but it would not work
and gradually the number of epistles
increased, until, By the time / was
ready to start / had bundle in my
hands which positively frightened
me. Finally depositing in a corner
of my trunk, took my departure.
There was crowd at the station
to see me off, and the last thing I
heard when the train started, was a
general cry of:
"Be sure and present my letter
to-n
Of course the request was super
fious-like most things said at part
ings-for the reason / had already
solemnly promised each one that /
would deliver his letter. In the
quiet solitude of the first days ride
I thought of the letters and the con-
temptation of what awaited me fairly
frightened me. Here was a lot of
people who knew nothing of me, nor
I of them. I was expected to hunt
them up, at great expense of time
and trouble and deliver them let
ter apiece all around, after the fash
ion of conscientious and impartial
mailman. But that was not all.
These letters practically involved q
demand, on my part, for attentions,
based on je-ne-sais-quoi relation
ship between the sender and the re
cipient. Being very young man,
I was somewhat sensitive on the
score of snubs, and saw them loom.
ing up in unlimited numbers through
out the whole situation. The Bos-
ton experience was liable to be re-
peated on a magnificent scale.
The second day out / became ac-
qEainted with my fellow passengers.
One of them, bright. young New
Yorker, by the name of Yelverton,
and NE would put in hours corvers-
ing together. He had visited the
coast before, and naturally, after
our acquaintance had progressed to
certain stage, I talked Of the sub
ject uppermost in my mind, and told
about the letters.
why, my dear fellow" he said,
" If you are going to undertake to
deliver those epistles, you have my
sympathy. Just now the very words
letter of Introduction are to the av-
erage Californian like a red rag to q
bull. They are hospitable people
but their good nature has been so
grossly imposed upon by horde Of
imposters and mountebanks that has
poured in since the building Of the
railroad, that it Is no longer easy
for stranger to get into their good
graces. The letter-of introduction
device has been worked until it ID
threadbare, and the man who offers
to present one risks an immediate
arrest from the police, or even Sc
verer treatment at the hands Of the
vigilance committee. !"
You brighten me-" said, 1how-
ever as my letters are all genuine,