The record-union., 1897-10-04
AN OREGON CITY EPISODE.
Not An Easy Matter to Tame the
Spirit of a Young Webfoot.

spirit OF a Dung weDIOOLs
Especial Correspondence of Record -Union,i
PORTLAND (Or.), Sept. 30-The fol-
lowing is a true account of an occur
renee which took place recently in the
little neighboring town of Oregon City,
and goes to show what sort of grit and
determination is embodied in some of
the native 'Webfoot" girls.
Kittie, the heroine of my story, was
the oldest of large family of children.
and lived with her parents on small
farm short distance above Oregon
City. Kittie was 10, pretty and well
developed for her age, and, in spite OF
her youthful years, had numerous ad-
mirers, but she would have none or
them, and treated them SO capriciously
that one by one they gradually drop
ped away-all but one, and he was
looked upon with favor by the girls
people because he had wealth But
Kittie regarded him with open dislike,
and was not slow about letting him
know it; BUT the ardent lover was all
undaunted and persisted in prosecuting
the girl with his unwelcome attentions.
Unlike the generality of girls, Kittie
was not touched by the dog-like at
tentions of her elderly admirer, who
was twice her age, and finally, when
they became positively beyond endur-
ance. she persuaded her parents to al
low her to go to Oregon City to work.
Here she secured a position in a board
ing-house where many OF the mill
hands lived, and soon became a prime
favorite among the rough, good-hearted
inmates of the house.
But poor Kittie's happiness was des-
tined to be of short duration Her
would be admirer did not like the idea
of his sweetheart being out of his sight,
and by dint of much persuasion finally
induced the girls mother to accom-
pany him to Oregon City for the express
purpose of taking the girl home. How
ever. the man had failed to take into
consideration the fact that kittie had
both a will and a temper of her own.
She told them that she was happy and
contented; that she was earning good
wages and moreover did not want to
get married. Threats and arguments
being of no avail, the mother took
things into her own hands, and going
to her daughters room proceeded to
pack up her belongings.
Meanwhile the news of this high
handed proceeding ran like wild fire
over the town; much Indignation was
expressed, but as no one seemed to
know just what to do, or how to act
in the matter, the weeping girl, who
had not yielded without a struggle, was
passively allowed to depart between the
triumphant mother and the obnoxious
lover.
By this time it was long past noon,
and at least two of the party were eX-
periencing the pangs of hunger, so they
stopped at farmhouse, and while the
farmers wife prepared the meal Kittie
sat dejectedly in the stuffy farmhouse
parlor, her mind busy with thoughts of
I escape. In less time than it takes to
write it she had her plan perfected and
put into instant execution, and when
the meal was finished and her captors
came to lead her away, 10! the bird
had f1owni Instantly the mother and
lover were in hot pursuit. There was
only one place she could have gone,
and that was to Oregon City, so in that
direction they retraced their weary
steps They were not wrong in their
conjecture. AS soon as the girl found
herself free, she headed directly for
the only place she cared to call home,
and breaking breathlessly into the
| boarding house told the astonished and
Indignant landlady her troubles.