Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1895-11-22

had broken down in this wild but wooded
defile of the Sierras, and he had peen
forced to winter encampment win
only a rude log-cabin for shelter, On the
very verge of the promised land. IN
able 10 enter it himself, he was never
theless able to assist the better equipped
teams that followed him with wood and
water. and a coarse forage gathered
from a sheltered slope OF w-ld oats.
This was the beginning of a rude sup
plv station" which afterward became SO
profitable that when spring came ana
Hays' team were sufficiently recruited
TO follow the food Of immigrating god
seekers to the placers and valleys, mere
seemed no occasion for it. His fortune
had been already found in the belt OF
arabic slope behind the wooded deil-e
and in the miraculously located colgne
oP vantage on what was now the great
highway of travel and the only oasis
and first relief of the weary journey.
The breaking down Of his own train at
that spot had not only been the saliva
tion OF those who found at Hays the
means of prosecuting the last part OF
their pilgrimage, but later provided the
equipment OF returning teams.
The first two years of this experience
had not been without hardship and dan
ger. He had been raided by Indians,
and besieged for three days III MS stock-
AIDED cabin; he had been invested py
wintry drifts of twenty feet OF snow
cut off equally from incoming teams from
the pass and the valley below. Dur
ing the second year his wife had jo!ne
him with four children, but whether the
enforced separation had dulled her con-
iuool affection, or whether she was
fempted by a natural feminine longing
for the land of promise beyond, she
sought it one morning with tasclnat-
ing teamster, leaving her two sons and
her two daughters behind her; two years
later the elder Of the daughters followed
the mothers previous example, with
such maidenly discretion, however, as
to forbear compromising herself by any
pr y;ous matrimonial formality what
ever. From that day Hays had no iur'
ther personal intercourse with the valley
beloY. He put up hotel mile away
from the farmhouse that he might nO'
have to dispense hospitality to his GUS
toners nor accept their near compan'
icnship. Always a severe Presbyterian
and an unconp-omising deacon OF g
far-scattered and scanty community
who occasionally held their serv'
ice in ono OF his barns, ht
grew more rigid, sectarian and narrov
day by day. He was feared. and, al
though neither respected nor loved, h''
domination and endurance were ac
cepted. A grim landlord, hard creditor
close e.flsted patron and smileles'
neichbor. who neither gambled mol
drank. "Old Hays" as he was called
while vet scarce fifty. lad few ac
cuaintances and fewer friends. There
we're those who believed that his domes
tic infelicitits S were the result OF hi;
unsvmpathetic nature; it never oc
curred TO any one (but himself, prob
ablyl that they might have been the
couse in those Sierran attitudes, aS
elsewhere, the belief in original sin
ropularly known as pure cussedness
dominated and overbore any consld
Grafton OF passive, impelling circum
stances or temptation, unless they haf
been actively demonstrated with re
volver. The passive expression o
barshness, suspicion, distrust, an'
moroseness was looked upon as inner
ent wickedness. IT,
The storm ragged violently as Hay
emerged from the last of long rang
Of outbuildings and sheds, and crosse
The open space between him and tn
farmbouse. Before he had reached IN
norch with its scant shelter, he ma
Numbered through snowdrift and lace
the full fury Of the storm. But the sno,
seemed to have glanced from bis hard