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

cesses by the feverish gold hunters. All
are deserted now, and the only value of
these cabins is the picturesque beauty
they have acquired with age and the
charm they give Iuxuriantly wild coun-
try. For miles we rolled along through
sylvan beauty, L alternately watching the
beauty and my refractory limb, and then
we suddenly crossed a tiny bridge which
spanned gulch, at the bottom of which
lay the ties and rails of railroad. Not
much Of a railroad, only little narrow
gauge. with rails hardly larger than those
used in aerial cash railroads in the stores
of Chicago and scarcely thirty inches
apart, the space between the rails being
more than recompensed for by the space
between the ties, which was about six
feet.
The questions Of where this railroad
could go, what its mission in life, and
solved, for putting and snorting,
whistling and screaming up through
the valley came the smallest service loco
motive l have ever seen, towing behind
it a drag" of fiat cars, empty of freight,
but laden with men carrying axes, saws,
and the various implements of wood
choppers. 1t was the enterprise Of a lum-
Der company, whose timber camps were
far back in the hills, miles from their
sawmills at Towles.
Just why that little locomotive should
have proceeded up that valley screaming
and bellringlng. when there was not
switch, crossing, or animal within miles,
L could never conceive, unless 1t was
filled with an idea of self-importance and
superiority often existing in human ma
chimes of comparative size and value.
The despoilers of the forest greeted us
with lusty cheers as we sped by. and
even the proud engineer deigned to toot
few extra toots when his attention was
called to the Inter- Ocean cyclists lar
above on the hillside. l was congratu-
lating myself that the left leg of my
knickerbockers was toward them when
we sighted a ranch just few rods down
the road.
WE LAY UP FOR REPAIRS.
That ranch was my salvation. 1 could
obtain needle and thread here and make
temporary repairs before entering Towles
and being subjected TO close scrutiny,
which, under present conditions, my raj
ment would not bear,
Accordingly when we reached the place
we dismounted. l hung my coat around
my limbs like kilt, tying the sleeves
about my waist to support the garment.
and fearlessly entered the gate.
The house was q pretty little white cot
tage, neatly fenced in with whitewashed
pickets, the front yard filled with bright
vari-colored flowers from the gate up to
the porch, upon which l sat while Mrs.
McIlrath explained TO the woman an
swering her call what had happened and
what was required to effect repairs.
The needle and thread were quickly
brought. but to my chagrin the woman
who brought them stayed with them, and
when Mrs. McIlrath placed me in a con-
venient position for sewing on the leg the
woman only smiled.
As l lay upon my back, one leg stuck
straight up IN the air. and gaZed at the
knickerbocker stump, pictures | have
seen of "a stitch In time saves nine' came
to my mind. and l, too. smiled, sadly, at
"the leg that was shorter than it really
ought TO be-"
1t took good half hour to sew that leg
on backwards, with the buckle on the in
side. with the bag of the knee at the back.
and then L was again myself. The con-
trast OF what had been the back OF my leg
against the soiled remnant of the front
was great. l had smeared oil, caught
dust and dirt, wiped my fountain pen on
the front of those lockers" and the
light-gray contrast of the comparatively
clean anterior part was in great evidence.
1t was only few miles into Towles, a
pretty little place with sawmills lu ber-
yards, and door, sash and blind factories
galore, and here we stopped for break
fast. Crowds of curious people sur
rounded our machines during our brief
stop, and when we told them we had
come from Cisco twenty-five miles, for
breakfast that morning, and intended to
eat supper at Sacramento eighty miles
vest that night, they grew incredulous
and declared II an impossibility for man
or woman to accomplish such feats over
poor roads. The operator at the Central
Pacific depot promised to check US off"
and bulletin the report from each town,
and as we departed the crowd was with
US in spirit, and no doubt felt as much in
terest III our progress on July Oath as
have any small hamlets since our start.
From Towles TO Alta we followed the
tracks. resuming the road at this point,
and passing through some Of the prettiest
of scenery. The air was much warmer,
ranches and fruit orchards began to be
numerous, and with great joy we realized
that soon we would enter the lower alti-
tudes of California, whore sunshine and
daylight are synonymous A few miles
around curves of well-shaded road, cut
into the very side of the mountain,
brought US to Dutch Flat, quite unim-
portant as town, but once the greatest
of all fields for hydraulic mining.
on INTO CALIFORNIA.
On around the curves we rolled. each
mile bringing us into more densely set
tied country, each mile bringing US into
a warmer climate.