Year: 1860

DEAR MAGGIE II was landlord of the
Universal World Hotel for three weeks, and
as have detailed portion of the incidents
which occurred there in Life on the Plains"
during the time


fed the hungry miner passing on his way,


And cheer his inner man, Pr0yiaed he could


PaH


will pass to other matters - (see Para.
disc Regained) BY that time the rains had
ceased long enough for the roads TO become
firm, when driving mp my cattle, which wels
at pasture about twelve miles below on the
plain, bid farewell to all my greatness"
and left the Universal World Hotel to take
care Of itself, which, batting the bacon and
hard bread, and slap jacks and moasses, it
could do aboutas well as if | had had the land.
lords boots on. By the way, speaking of
boots, bought a pair of coarse COW hide
ones while was at Mud Hill, (as we called
Oroville precinct) for which paid in good
gold dust twenty dollars | had sold many
as good in the States for two dollars. But
then on Mud Hill l was getting 81 % per
pound for hard bread, 81 per pound for su-
gar, So per gallon for molasses, So a gallon
foy vinegar, four bits per pound for flour,
IS per pound for saleratus, and so on, and
don really think my boots actually cost me
over 50 after all Six weeks from the time
left my camp at Bidwell's again took up
my quarters there, but the labors of keeping
"a hnfal or all uo for ah I
was taken down with neuralgia fever, and
for three weeks had occasional glimpscs of
the internal regions. In fact had rather
pass night on a whole hill of red ants (dont
read it aunts)than endurea week of neuralgia
While lay sick and helpless in my tent, the
rains came on again, and being too i'll to
think of anything but my bones, much of my
flour got damp and musty, my sugar resoly-
ed itself into its original syrup; my salt
changed itself into brine for pekling lizards
in the ground my Sal Eratus went to COL
rect the ascidities of the earth while my
blue mass, went in mass, to perform mass,
TO my liver; my quinuc was deposited in
the back of my own body and limbs, and my
opeii was devoted to shut ell so that when
got well there was not enough left of the
late landlord of the Universal World Hotel
for the Coyotes to quarrel over. While
lay sick heard that a new phase in mer-
camille transactions had taken place below
A report got into circulation "that whale
boats brought goods up to the mouth of the
Yuba and that supplies could be bought
from them nearly as cheap as in Sacramento
This was really a great and convenient com
mercial change, for it saved us fifty miles
down and fifty miles back, or an hundred
miles of travel, over dry and waterless plain
and it was hailed with pleasure 10y us that
supplies were so near. Although the rains
filled the sloughs, and streams, so that teams
could not pass, yet men, by wading and
swimming need not actually starve. | say
nothing of the frogs they might catch on the
passage. In a short time after, we heard that
a town had been laid out at the junction of
the Yuba with Feather, and that lots were
selling like hot cakes (slapjacks, suppose)
Il knew there would be town there" said
l with groan, 81 would go right down there
if it wasn't for this infernal-O-O," "and so
lay and fretted and finally had the consolG-
tion of knowing that if | was well | could
only reach the new town which they thought
was to be called Marysville by swimming
multitude of sloughs. had to give it up. and
when spring and health, and good roads
1ots bnI G., Iox-,,,1 e1
der purse, and circums ances forced me else
where You can see, Maggie, how Fortune
cheated me out of fortune 10y tripping up
my heels at a critical moment and forcing an
apothecory shop under my vest.


Had it not been for my sickness, the rains,
and a number of other things, at this very
moment should probably have owned the
st. Nicholas Hotel and Democrat office in
Marysville.


But, Maggie, to show you that "theres
many slip between the cup and lip" and
that belong to my fathers family, I'll cX-
emplify it by as;ory of my dear ancient Gov
ernor


lie could only drink cider with soda in it
to correct the acid. One morning he drew
a glass, warmed it nicely, and putting in the
soda, raised it to his lips, Just as the nerves
of his tongue were feeling the delicious effer-
vescing tingle of the fluid the bottom of the
tumbler fell out, and every drop ent out.
side of his throat instead Of inside. He had
without noticing it taken glass, the bottom
of which had been stuck together with put
ty. just so with me, Maggie, and so it has
been pretty much through life Just as soon
as think myself well stuck on, my bottom
falls out, and my cider is all spilled-Sho I!
During the winter | made arrangements for
mining up at, above, and around Stringtown,
and knowing the impossibility of looking af-
ter my cattle, resolved to take them below
and sell them with my wagon. In finding
my cattle there was one didn't find, he was
either lost, strayed, or stolen, and had but
three left, but neighbor of mine had the
good luck to have a single OK left, out OF a
team of four (the Others probably being in
company with my odd hero, and quite likely
adj of them doing some poor thief a good
turn in hauling his stolen wagon,) and he
waiting to sell his, yoked him with mine,
SO that between us we had full team. Well
we started and got along well enough, till
ave got within about two miles, or thereabout
of Marysyille, when we came to slough


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