The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1895-10-11

The hills and valleys about US were
| bright with flowers and foliage. little
rivulets of sparkling water crossed our
path, and no wooded park exists fairer or
| more beautiful than our road from Dutch
| Flat west
At Gold Run, Colfax, Clipper Gap or
New England Mills we did not stop, SIM
ply waving our caps at the telegraph OPP
orator in each station, which action they
| all seemed to understand, and diving into
their little stations touched the key and
told the cynics in Towles that the Inter
Ocean wheels had passed.
AT Auburn, about sixty miles from our
starting point that morning, we stopped
for dinner. 1t was the first good sized
town we had passed since leaving
| Iruckee, and when we dismOunted la
front of the wide verandas of the big
Freeman Hotel l really wished we had
stopped at some or the smaller towns.
Fashionably dressed ladies in light lawns
and ducks lounged in the shade. Ian
guidly accepting the earnest attentions OF
a dozen young men, perfect symphonies
III blue serge, white t1annels and suede
shoes, and AS We dismounted, dusty, dirty
and grimy, l wished that l was any
| where but in Auburn.
They must have known we were COM
ing. for half-dOZen calculated: Here
they areo' and all eyes turned on US.
My face grew red under the mud of per-
SEPARATION and dust, as / thought of that
halt-gray, half-black knickerbOcker leg
and our general appearances. But our
reception was not gagged by appear
ances just then, and we were made well
come. most welcome. The light-hearted
young people about us were visitors from
San Francisco and Sacramento, spending
a few days in Auburn, where at an alti-
tude OF ], 800 feet. the air was delightful
and balmy.
W. A. Freeman, the proprietor of the
hotel, took US in charge, placed room at
our service, and with allopathic doses Of
hot water and soap. applied externally,
we were soon able to enjoy sumptuous
dinner.
An hour spent in chatting with the
guests upon the verandas, and after a
| futile effort TO convince the hotel man
ager that we should pay for our accom-
modations, and We were up and away.
The good roads ended here for few
miles, and we were advised to take the
Central Pacific tracks once more. We did
So finding well-beaten little trail only
a few inches wide at one side of the
tracks, requiring steady hand to wheel
along and not dive over the EN- bank ment,
but plenty wide enough for us, with the
experience we had had in track riding.
IN THE FRUIT DISTRICT.
| Newcastle was the next place reached,
| and here we met the first evidences of the
great fruit belt we were approaching.
Huge warehouses built up alongside
numerous sidetracks were swarming
with men and boys packing and ioing the
yellow fruit cars, and from this direction
came the delicious odor OF peaches, plums
and grapes.
The operator was not visible at New
castle, so we dismounted a few moments
| until had found him, and asked that he
wire little Towles Of our arrival and de-
parture. This he did at once. Towles
answering Immediately that tie people
there were actually betting on our time
between stations. This was Interesting
and we determined that we would give
the people who took the short end good
run for their money, and started out at a
lively pace down the tracks.
Just as we pulled out of Newcastle the
local freight west bound) pulled in and
the engineer called to us to look out for
him on the sharp curves ahead. At
Penryn we only stopped long enough to
! take advantage OF gentleman's gener-
osity, who 'tiagged" us from string of
loading cars and filled the vacant spaces
| IN our valises and clothes with peaches.
Just as we left Penryn the train pulled
in; we laughed at the engineer and waved
him adieu. He did not catch up with us
At LOOMS and here we took to the road
|
then We did ride In earnest.
The road was level, hard, and, as Pro-
lessor Wilson had told US, regular
| record-breaker for fourteen miles. We
fairly made things hum through Rocklin
and Roseville, and not until we were at
the limits of Antelope did the engine OF
the local freight pass US. We had Kept
the lead for twenty-five miles and only
| gave up the chase when the roads grew
billy, with deep sand draws at the bot
tom Of each hill, which neoessitated
| walking.
The house at which we stopped for a
| drink in Antelope was we'll shaded with
large-leafed trees, and when the house,
| wife led us to the well to furnish us with
! fresh water, | noticed dark brown fruit
hanging from the branches OF these Pc
culiar trees. shaped somewhat like pears,
yet so lar different from anythingIwe had
ever seen that we asked what kind of
fruit it was. When the lady answered,
| Figs" and, plucking two, placed them
In our hands, we could scarcely believe
her. Real figs, not candied, not dried,
not even suggestion of mold or wormi-
| nesS-here was treat.
The housewife seemed TO share our de-
light aud surprise, for she plucked the
| luscious fruit and handed 1t to us until,
gorged, we cried enough. Since then we
have learned that TO enjoy figs one must
| not I'LL up on them at the first expert
| ence. We have not tasted them since.
THROUGH DIFFICULTIES TO SACRAMENTO.
An hour spent chatting with this good
hearted Eve, who generously fed us with
fruit equal to that pluck ed by the original
lady OF that name, and the long shadows
| cast by low-setting sun, warned US that
Sacramento still lay dozen miles west OF
US. so we thanked the lady and continued
| on our dusty way.
Eight miles from Antelope we passed a
lone sectiou-house called Arcade, aud
from then our troubles began. The road
was series of short hills, which, in the
darkness. as we drove over them, pro-
| duced the same gasping sensation as does
| the downward swoop of a swing. Miles
and miles of this road we covered with
out sign of Sacramento, and just as we
| were about to give up and ride back to
the tracks the tinkle Of bells was heard
and three cyclists met US at fork in the
road.
We hailed them with delight, and in
quired the way to Sacramento. Their
replies sounded something like What
relP' OF Chimmie Fadden. This was
very cheering, but auRered now, we
pushed along, determined to find the
town or search all night A faint glow
| in the sky finally located the city, and as
we were on the right road we advanced
| more rapidly. a new difficulty now pre-
sented itself We reached bridge with
the entrance securely barred and sign
reading, "Closed. Take the road to the
right" We did not know whether the
road to the right was ford or long cir
cuitous route, SO we decided to feel our
way across the bridge, which we did,
! finding it perfect in every way, and the
road beyond the same as we had left. One
thing most peculiar we had noticed-that
| In ~ a