Year: 1878

~ II III one OF Ile Wllu mining districts
of California that my little story opens
the place, cabin, made barely comfort
able by the united efforts of sister Dot
and myself.


We had come out with our father,
who was smitten with the gold fever
when it was at its height. A little
money had been left us-amounting i'm
all TO twenty-five hundred dollars.


Both Dot and / advised that the money
be put into small house then, with
no rent 10 pay, we could easily earn our
living. But some of our neighbors had
gone TO California, and written home
glowing accounts of the mines. One or
two of them had offered inducements to
father that looked safe, and were GER
tainly alluring.


We soon saw that papa had set his
mind on going, and we could not think
of letting him go alone, for he was
nearly sixty years of age, and far from
strong. We three had never been sep
arated, and after many consultations,
we decided to go with him, and make
his rough life as pleasant as possible.


1t was perilous and far from agree
able journey in those days, and besides,
it used up good deal of money. We
had been settled, after fashion, for a
month only, when papa was attacked by
fever, and in less than week was taken
by death.


Fancy, if you can, the dreary outlook
for us two girls, alone in a strange
countryside terrible heart-sickness, the
feeling that assailed us as we looked at
our little hoard of money left, hardly
more than enough to enable us to get
home.


l was only nineteen. Dot was twenty
one. Two or three of the miners offered
to help us on our journey if we decided
to returns


! left the decision with Dot, as we
talked it over-two girls Drawing the
terrors of that passage demonstrating
together in the door Of our little cabin.


The view from that door was magnifi-
cent; mountains, purple to their sum
mits, which were bathcd in crimson
sunlight; long stretches of splendor;
vegetation such as dwarfed the groves
and the fields of home by comparison


Can we stay and liver / asked.


" Yes, we can work. i can teach, and
wash, and cook. So can you. There'll
be plenty to do, and / am beginning to
love this place" So it was settled that
we should stay.


The miners in our quarter were
queer, rough set. One of the widest
of them had married a young Indian
girl and lived very happily with her
She was rather pretty, and presented
striking figure in her native dress, with
blanket worn like a shawl, and
br0ad-rimmed hat, with row of bright
feathers circling the crown, on her long,
straight, black tresses.


Her little child, not much over a year
old, was as pretty as fairy, very small
with lively brown eyes and curling
tresses. She was very proud of it, and
though the miners made fun Of Gordie's
wife at first, they had come to respect
her for her goodness, and to love the
baby.


We were sitting together one night,
talking over the past, when suddenly
the stiffness was broken by a horses
feet. Then came a rap at the door, and
an old man entered, whom they called
Shaggy Bill" because Of his long
picturesque white beard


"P I've come to see il ] can git one of
you 10 come up to Bear River Camp"
he said speaking rapidly and with feel
ing. "GOrdie's sick, and we can't do
nothin' with either him OF his wife. IL
wants woman there who can sense
something. I'm afraid GOrdie's got 10
die, and that woman is a wild 1niun,
hhAN NuUMEus


Dot looked at me. II was a strange
request Both of US shrank from going
but after a little consultation, we de-
cided TO 60 together.


" Just take my hoss, then. You know
him. He's as gentle az a kitten. The
sooner you're thar, the better"


Dot sprang on the horse from n rock
that stood by the door, and got on be-
hind her We had often ridden old
Black in this fashion, and ia less than
fifteen minutes, we stood at the bedside
Of poor GOrdie.


II was n homelike and cheerful place
for Gordie was a carpenter, and very i'm.
geniOus, and had fitted the little house
up quite tastefully. There were rock
hing-ehairs easy-chairs and tables all
Fcrude, but luxurious, compared with
our simple home-and the bed and the
baby crib fitted into the wall when It
was made up.


1t was rumored that Gordie did the
principal part Of the housework but