Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1896-04-18
TRIAL BY FIRE.

The major was one of the many we'll
born Eng lishmen who come to Califor-
MIA with younger sons portion and a
small monthly allowance and hope to
make a fortune on vineyard or wheat
tanch. The plan always looks feasible in
England, and the agent assures his vic
tim that the thousand pounds will buy
ten acre plot, plant vines, build de-
cent bungalow and tide the owner over
until the vines shall bear and bring him
harvest of good American gold.
The major was going the way of many
of his English friends. The 91 900 legacy
was gone, and the monthly allowance of
$50 (Which, viewed from distance,
seemed large) always grew painfully
small as it neared California and the
debts it was supposed to cover. The
majors little mountain vineyard had
been destroyed by phylloxera, and he
was living on the uncertain promise of
a number of green shoots, called, re-
spectfully, "the olive orchard" " But
the major was not unhappy. When he
was not tillinS the soil, he sat Oh his lit
tie veranda, with his brier wood pipe be-
tween his teeth and studied the long,
narrow, picturesque Napa valley far be-
low.
1t may be that the majors failure to
succeed in the grape business was not
the fault of the country, but that his
genial, impractical nature was the true
obstacle to success. The major was, in
fact, the most helpless Englishman who
ever came to California to take care of
himself. The poor fellow became so con-
vinced of this after short trial that he
engaged Il man to act as valet to him
self and incidentally cook the meals for
BOTH
The major was solitary bachelor
then. The gods alone know in what un-
propitious moment he picked up Pete to
hang about his neck, milestone of in
efficiency. Pete's poverty must have
been his recommendation and the ma
jor's poverty the excuse for keeping him.
Pete had about as much knowledge Of
laying out and caring for a man S ward
robe as the major had of running a
ranch. The consequence was that the
maj jOr often presented himself at his
friends houses in the most surprising
garb-a combination of white duck
trousers, black frock coat and russell
h 1nting boots being one of Pete's mas
terpieces. In his capacity as cook Pete
was not one whit more efficient and Of
ten suffered mental agony over the pom
derous directions of the majors French
cookbook, which were like the HERO
glyphics of the ancients to his clouded
intellect. Considering the diet of sour
bread and timed meats which Pete pro-
vided, it is only less than marvellous
that his benefactor was still alive
When the major married Ellie Smith,
pretty San Francisco girl, Pete was
promoted to be manager of the ranch
and expended his grooming talents ON
the pet mule. The majors wife was
"artiStic. She had studied sketching
and did some really clever bits. Her ad-
miring husband was sure that she pos
sessed the divine at1latus, and conse-
quently much time was devoted to art
and little time to ranching.
But this was not without protest from
one individual Not that he was disturb
ed by lack Of work, but poor Pete was
oftener than not the unwilling model
for Ellie's clever studies. One day Pete
posed for The Man With the Hoe His
temper was particularly tried ON that oc-
casion, for he had taken up his tool with
the honest intention of wedding the
primitive vegetable garden. Though he
had scudded through the back yard and
climbed the rear fence he had not count
ed on meeting his young mistress in the
barlyard. He began to wrestle with the
weeds and pretended not to see her. His
education, however, had not included
sight of Millet's picture, or he would
have fled down the mountain side in
utter despair.
"Stop, stop, Peter, right there Don't
move an inch" called the sweet voice
that drove him to madness. "Kenneth,
Ellie called to her husband, "look. Isn't
it wonderful? The lights, the pose, the
very landscape like
ll6 Mill w it1l lllo IlOe, SuOut0u
the major gleefully. "Pll get your
paints, Ellie. Hold on, Pete!" And be-
fore that honest son of toll had time to
collect his scattered senses, he found
himself posing i'll very uncomfortable
attitude, with the Napa valley lying at
his feet and the major RS familiar phrases
ringing in his ears-'fine pose-jolly
good subject-deliciou coloring."
After Pete had posed for hundred or
more indifferent works of art without
names, he began to think of desertiug
his master and leaving him to just and
awful fate. But this stupendous blow
was averted by the arrival of Brompton
Edwards, another Englishman, who had
come to learn practical ranching under
the direction of his fathers old friend,
the major.
After a week had been given up to
driving his protege about the valley and
introducing him to the English colony,
the major returned to his daily routine
of pruning olive trees and digging out
worm putpu proneyinac Ellie soon dic