Year: 1879




with an amused look at my wife, 'tho boy
was not young woman in disguise, if that's
what you're thinking. He was just poor,
weak, half-starved lad named Edwards l
fed and nursed him until he got Sam Chong
Sung to let him take up claim alongside a
Chinese camp promising to favor the China
man in a beef contract if he would be good to
the boy. l still continued to see great deal
of him"


"And did Edwards succeed Z"
"Yes, he got on. One day two Cinnamon
stole some of Sam Chong Sung's horses and
he offered four hundred dollars to Edwards if
he would go after the thieves and track them.
Edwards asked my advice, and l encouraged
him to go, telling him where l fancicd he
| would find the men. So he started in pursuit,
and | confess | missed him."


Again Joseph paused. We did not inter
rupt him.


"A man came to my fort one day who was
naked and starving. lie was bad-lookiug
fellow, very, but you will say man naturally
! doesl look bad when his clothesare nowhere and
| his bones protrude through his skin. | clothed
him, fed him, cared for him kindly until he
was able to travel, and then he went away
The next Sunday l was sitting outside my
fort, rs was customary on that leisure day,
reading some transations from the Greek
! poets-for | dare say you will remember
was never much of n hand at the original
when, CHANGING to look of my book, beheld
"A vision"


"A what z"


"A vision vision of a lovely woman
She was riding up the approach to my fort on
a fine horse, riding gracefully and slowly. as
if to give me time to get over my surprise
and believe | needed it, The picture she
made is in my mind now l see the very
flicker of the shadow and the sunlight across
the road, and the glitter of some steel that
fastened her horses trappings as he arched
his neck in impatence of her restraining
hand.-Are you tired, old friend Z"


Never less 30 in my life"


THAT vision, breaking in suddenly as it
did, upon my solitude, gave me the quc,r,st
sensations. | was just spell-bouud, Not 30
she Refining in her horse at my gate. she
squared round on her saddle and looked at
me, silently asking my assistance to dismount.
| helped her down, what else could do ?
and then, at her request, gently preferred,
went to put up and feed her horse. Had she
dropped from the clouds did not know


'Wen Z"


If you'll believe me, when l turned in
doors. my guest had got her habit of. Evil
IDENTIFY she meant to make herself at home.
A tall, young. beautiful, wel-dressed woman
Her eyes were large, black and melting her
hair was superb, her manner easy. She was
| hungry, she said would | give her some
thing to eat? And while | was making prep
arations to give her of my best, she read
aloud one Of the Greek uanslations, an ode
to Diana, commenting upon it herself That
she was Il woman of culture and education,
whatever might have brought her into her
into her present strange position, was obvi-
GUS. Well, now," continued Joseph, you
can guess whether young man, isolated on
the mountains, ruined by the grasshoppers
and Tilted by the girl of the Wallamet valley,
was bewdercd or not. Entertaining god
desses was not in my line


How long did she stay =


wait bit. What with reading and eat
ing, our acquaintance improved fast. She
offered to sing q song, and gave me Kate
Kearney.' | might have lost my head to her
perhaps TO say nothing of my heart, but for
| n certain inward latent doubt. did not care
TINT my girl should ride about, elegantly at
tired, on prancing horses, and drop down un-
expectodly on herInits Still. it was a pleas
ant feeling to find ones self near her and
certainly n novel one. | asked her history
and she told it to me. She was of good
New England family, reared in aflluence, well
educated and accomplished, but by freak of
fortune she had become reduced TO poverty
and exile from home


what was it, Joseph"


"Ah what indeed. The old story, | sup
pose, but did not AK her. She had made
her way to California, resolved to get on and
| get money and she had got it. She went
about from camp to camp with stationery and
various articles needed by the miners and
others, sold them these things, wrote letters
for them, sang to them, nursed them when
sick, and carried their letters express to San
Francisco to be posted. For all these services
she received large payments, and she had al
so had n good deal of rough gold given to her
as specimens. Did she like that kind of life
l asked her, 80 contrary to her early habits,
and she answered me quickly 1t is not
what we choose that we do in this world, but
what fate chooses for us. | have made
competency and gained rich and varied ex-
perience. Life is not what | once pictured it
would be, but am content She sighed AS
she said it and didn't believe in the con
tent -


"But what had brought her to you that
day."


"She had not told me herself then, but
presently | asked her / shall never forget
the smile with which she turned to answer.
1t pretty nigh disarmod me. We were sitting
pretty close too her flowing silk gown
touched my knees Altogether, began to
think of those useless pegs in my house down
in Rogue river valley. But what she said
pulled up my wandering thoughts and turned
them to present things. Shall you be sur
prised to hear that l came TO do you real
service Z" She asked. And she went on to
relate that, having had to pass the previous
night at place not many miles away, in a
house where the partitions were thin, she
had Glanced to overhear n plan for numbering
and robbing me, the viain-in-chief of the
plot being the starved and naked wretch
whom had sheltered and sent away rejoic-
ing not many days previously.


All in moment, while l was pOndering on
the doubtful problem of gratitude, fancy
came over me that she might not be telling
me the truth, that it might be just an excuse
got up to justify her own visit and | play
fully limited as much. "A woman does not
trihe with subjects like these, nor does she
deceive when she goes out of her way to do
service, she answered. I rode of from that
house the other way this morning. made
| long detour, and came here TO warn you.
And now that l have done it, if you will
please to get my horse, will ride away again.
All fair, that, l. full of thanks and repent
ance, asked her TO stay longer if she was not
perfectly rested but she declined, and
brought the steed round and helped her to
mount him. Once in the saddle her humOr
changed she smiled and reminded me that
had not been polite enough to invite her to
return. A week of reading, talking, riding,
trout-tishing and romancing up in those
splendid mountains would be very charming
perhaps she would come if l asked her"
And did you ask her p


II did not. A young man with a reputa-
tion to sustain up there in the mountains
couldn't invite young lady to stay a week
with him could he now?' cried Joseph,
quantity; which set us both laughing.
, $50 I parried the question as easily as
could, and she rode away. In going slowly
down the trail she turned and kissed her hand
, to me with a gracious sweetness. assure
you the struggle in my own mind was great
, at that moment and don't know whether
l have forgiven myself even yet for what
happened afterward."


"What did happen?"


''She came back again. She came back
again, and ] drove her away. That is,
, made the best excuses l could for not admit
ting her, saying we should perhaps have fight
, ing and murder and what not in my fort that
night, and it would be no place for a delicate
/ | lv bred woman The nrettv md modest Girl