Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-08-07
THE NEW BARNARD.

The NEW BARMAlD.
1t was in Maoriland in the sixties-that
Is, in the days when the diggers dreamed
not Of prohibition, and when one was
much more certain than now to get in a
mining town dram Of decent stuff inca
pable of blowing the cork out.
Plainly, there was something astir.
Everybody had on his best. A new bar
maid had arrived (there is no hope for the
wretches who would rob the diggers of
that comfort) at Widow Browns pub. In
twos threes or skies the whole place drop
ped in four or five times an hour to have
"another gaze"
She was the sole topic of conversation.
CANT she clean?' said one "That wur
a slashing feed we had today" said an.
other. "Best tucker ever struck, added
third, with furtive glance from beneath
the rim of hat that seemed intended as a
cover for his face.
BY the end of the week the newcomer
was no longer stranger Everybody
knew her. She was woman of over 30,
marvelously preserved. She had never
been married, though-well, she had been
queen Of many gold PUSHES.
The man who has spent quarter Of a
century In the Australian provinces has
seen ten civilizations, anyway. There Is
ground for belief that later civilizations
have degenerated.
The woman of today is not the cook of
the past There is an air Of cindered chops
about the present hapless creature. Today
too many matrons want their daughters to
play "the pianner" Too many mothers
wash the clothes and get the languid girls
to bring them in. Thus the man passing
by the clothes line is deceived. Therefore
our civilization Is comparable to needle
which has been too finely sharpened and
too much reduced at the sides. This re.
duction has been visible throughout Aus
tralia for 30 years past.
Now, the consequences Of this fatal re.
lapse Of woman are manifold and terrible.
The bad cook Is only slow murderess.
But there was grit in our barmaid. She
was none Of these. She could produce a
meal worthy of man, and digging breeds
men. She was tidy to a hair. She Was
trim as snug vessel, and she was hand
some.
OF course the whole district became In
fatuated with her. Diggers go that way.
They sit in the solitude Of their huts and
dream of the ideal In the guise of the
handiest flesh and blood substitute. In the
night it is their companion In this way
do single miners love million times-it
Is their polygamy. They love with dis
tant worshipful love-" the desire Of the
moth for the star"
They are pleased If she visits their claim
and watches the water flying from the
sluicing nozzle. They show her the rain.
bow under the Jet. They bring her mug.
gets. And il she speaks to them, be 1t only
"Good dayp' they fancy that their affec-
ton is making Roadway and rejoice in ev-
cry fiber of their being.
Out of her admirers the charner reduced
the cluster to two, and between these the
contest was terrible. They hung about the
place like unto dogs chained. She ran
against one or the other, or both each min.
ute. She spoke to them singly or in a pair
40 odd times an hour 1t was evident tc
the boys that something was looming uI
ahead.
The aspirants were named Louis and
Charles, both Frenchmen and over 40.
The worst of Frenchman Is that France
hangs like plumb bob before his nose,
and everything has to be regarded across
France. But the regard here was not Of
conceit-it was fury.
One night there was rumor that
Charles had struck "pile" in his claim.
People began to bet whether our ideal
would be Influenced by the find. 1t was
freely asserted that night would see 1t de-
cided.
| I was hot and restless during the even
ing, and went down to the SEQ beach,
| two miles distant sat on a log and
| smoked and let the sweet hum Of the Pa
| oifc eat Its way into my ears. This con
tent Of reverie surpasses the pleasure Of
| books, and Is the nearest approach to thu
pleasure Of gratified love which mind un
| distorted can discover on this crude planet
Suddenly saw figure streaming out
toward the sea. 1t was Louis.
"Don't be foolp' I said, as locked
my arm in his and led him away. He had
been rejected. Additional confirmation
was granted when the pair were seer
walking out for stroll on the morrow.
They were married. I didn't see thu
| wedding "a most informal transaction), al
| had all my work cut out to guard Louis
| May never again take such a contract!
Every wedding involves question O.
sentiment. One morning the HUSBAND
went to cut wood. He returned suddenly
and took a silent peep into his apartments
Then he stole of on tiptoe for his gun
| That is the other end Of the sentiment
When he returned, the room was empty
| the birds had fled.
And because he couldn't find anybody
to shoot he pinned away and grew silly
When left, the abandoned one had made
! his claim over to a stranger.
From that day the story Is blank. TIL,
denouement is unknown. But wherever
she is swear the scenes in the cupboard
will be capital. As said before, she was !,
! good cook. Some have thought that cook
cry Is a form of virtue. They erred. Vir
tue is form Of cookery. Sydney Bulls
tin.