The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25

NG;E4ELL on to half century ago was
@MAEo reused from an unsteady sleep by
MWEN loud, coarse voice which made an
unceremonious request on me to "git out.
Somewhat added in mental parlance, out
he went from the interior of a stagecoach
which had been brought to stand before a
respectable looking house, about the front
of which were some twenty-five men who
seemed to take a great interest in the en-
vironments. On realizing the fact of
being at the termination of q long stage
route and in response to INQUIRIES, he was
informed that he was in "Columby" In
the southern mines and in front of the
best hotel in southern Tuolumne.
This being the point where it was pro-
posed 10 tarry while the writer was duly
installed in his ne " home. and in time he
commenced series of Investigations into
the mineralogical, biological, meteorologi-
cal and botanical departments of nature,
for which work he was no better qualified
than scores of others
In course OF time, however, he became
quite familiar with matters connected
with these and other topics, including
considerable details of general personal
history. In fact he was pronounced by
the oracle of the town as being ''smart
chap" on the evidence of making cor
rect diagnosis of piece of dry sedimen-
tary clay, which said oracle presented to
him as test to measure his intellectual
development.
1t was impossible to ignore the splendid
climate and the sublime scenery of this
part of California. In wandering around
the circuit of few miles there was no end
to the intellectual least which greeted the
traveller Directly adjoining the suburb
of Colum bia to the south was nice fertile
plain OF over mile square, whose beauty
had fallen a victim to the pick and shovel,
for it mad been discovered that nature had
filed in this space with huge hmeston
bouIders and hidden them with deposit
OF auriferous gravel.
This latter com modify was being rapidly
transferred to fumes and carried down
the bed of an adjoining creek. the gold
being collected in the fumes. Thus this
once beautiful plain, stripped of all vege-
tation, became rough, naked field, with
cabins perehed here and there on the sur
face of large powders. On its southern
borders was the town of Springfield, from
the midst of which a schoolhouse and 4
church reared their pretentious spires.
In time it was discovered that the
foundation timbers of the church had
commeLced to decay, and the building be-
came unsafe for occupancy. A public
meeting was called under the prestige of
the Methodists. and it was resolved to
construct a new church of brick. A COM
mi:tee was appointed to attend to this
matter, and in due course of time new
church was constructed and handed over
to the congregation, with bill OF $1,000
deficiency in expenses There being no
urgency fund to draw from two venerable
elders OF the church became sponsors
therefor, and mutual satisfaction pre-
vailed.
a short distance from the church there
was neat cottage founded on a
horizontal surface of a large boulder
and occupied by the owner OF
the surrounding claim. He was the
fortunate possessor of a wife and five
children and a jealous member of this
church. Prosperity had gently smiled on
his daily toll and an atmosphere OF quiet
happiness seemed to rest about his home.
But the band sunshine of life is never
uniform. Fleeting clouds will sometimes
condense their unwelcome vapor on the
brightest mirror and storms spend their
force over beds of cherished flowers. Time
came when the bedrock was laid bare be-
tween the boulders and shovels scraped
over its petreous surface in vain.
Pick and pan lay idle by the cabin door,
and the music of turbid waters and stones