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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1881)
March, 1881. THE WEST SHORE. 73 Ha attend on fearful oath, and shrank trembling like a oowtrd that he wu before the girl's gleaming eyes, aa aha held her light aloft. . "1 know what you have lwu duiug, awl what it is for. Now, go to work and make it safe again. " I'll be damned if I do," growled Jaka. The only answer wu the eliok of a revolver that the little tlrm hand held ateadily enough. She knew how to ute it; Jake waa well aware of that. More than onoe he had aeen hr bring down her game, with a ikill that many an old hnnter might envy. "If thia fails, I have something elae at my belt. Do aa I tell yon, or I will kill yon aa I would a wild beast that threatened me." "She'd do it, the little 8panish devil" "I'm tempted to do it now" oliek. "Oh, how quickly I oould lend yon down there where von meant to aend Aim, I ean hardly keep from doing it, I hate yon ao but I'd eoorn to have such dirty blood on my hands. Mow, go to work." Stung through and through with her oon. tempt, 00 wed and unnerved by the threat that he knew were not idle ones, Jike aet about the work, and it was soon oompleted. "Now go borne!" she said sternly. There was no ohoiue but to obey, and, atill under oover of the girl's revolver, he went be fore her like a sulky oonviot driven to his cell, "I'll release you in the morning," she said, as she drove him into a sung out-building, and, fastening the door aceurely, left him to his meditations. The rain had oeased. Up through the green eanyona floated the mists of the morning, Tinged with rosy light, they sailed away through the blue ether. Up roes the sun, shining grandly on ths mountains, and through those floods of gold earns the Doctor, and Bat oaroling his gay song, proud as a troubadour home from ths war, going to kneel at his lady's feot "Ita colly, we're eava dat baby," ha eried, springing through the open door. "And how is Jake ? A bet he's ben mnat sick of lonesome widont me. Kh, where is he, dat Ja.k e f" be shouted. But Jake did not appear, "And then, Marie, my little one," he mur mured in his own language, that she hsd learned in ohildhood, "hast thou no smile for me? Those beautiful eyes, have they nothing to say to me thia morning? Tbey were so eloquent last night, my heart was aching with toy. Look at me Marie but thoo art pale, Wert thou troubled for me, my little love?" Swiftly the color rose to oheek and brow, slowly the long lashes were uplifted, and from dewy ayea and parted, rosy lips smiled the glad welooma home. Jake, juit then appearing at the door, saw it all, and with a stifled groan o iealous paaaion and defeat, ha turned aud lied, lalf blind with rage, he knew not where to get away from that maddening sight, that was all bis thought away to ths oaves of the moun tains wheie he oould crouch like a wounded wolf and bowl out bis despair. Crash I down through the treacherous bridge of pules and bark I Down, down the shuddering depths he whirled, and the stream, looming to bear snoh burden, hurled him aside upon the jigged rocks, where the long ferns trailed their broken plumes and the ivy wound ita poisonous bands. 'They'll never And me," he thought, "but it's right- its just It's what I waa goin' to do to him, curea-no, I can't dis eursin'," and, with bleeding, untaught hp, be tried to pray. "O Lord, I doot know bowl" be whisiwred faintly. "But didn't ha say forgive? What was it mother aeed to make tna say? 'Jl I ahoold die my soul to take Jesus'-sake.' " Ilia bead drooped lower, bis lips were still The water awept across bis breast, the long ferns, waving, brushed bis bleeding bands, and through the Corel branches the sunshine fell poo his ghastly face. ... "Jaka, my poor feller, look hope yots heyes yost ain't dead, don't It? Baprt, wake ep, mo ga," cried Bat in an agony of terror and compassion, aa with trembling hands ha dashed the water in his fsos and rubbed his hands, and from Jakea' pocket flask poured whisky down hi UirooL At lael Jake lowiy uuulueed hie eyes and feebly moved his lips. "Pat's right, by golly, swear if you want to, but keep your heyee hopeu) dat'U scare de dab ble when dey're shut, Now, how you tiuk I'll got you hout of dis? Here, emhraoe me, mo thtr; put you harms ron ma neck, eomm ra ta dose You are more heavy dan a blaokoak log, but keep to me now, hup wa go, Dere," laying hi burden safely on the bank, "you bet ter bath yourself in de stable next time, young feller." But Jake had fainted again, and Bat ran to the houa for help, "Yes, I meant to kill you, Bat, aa true aa yon live," said Jake, in his rlret penitence. "I'm sorry now, for you're a brick, and you deserve the girl; but I couldn't stay round, and see her smilin' like that on no man, not if he'd saved my life a hundred times) I might be tempted agin; it's in my nater, Bat. I'm a mean cuss, that's a tact: hut aa soon aa I'm on my plus agin, I'll git" And he did. And Maria and Bat were mar ried one day when father Shoridan came to cel ebrate mass in the little mountain chapel. The pineaand the waterfalls played the wedding march) and if the trees oould not quite banish the mourning from their voloes there is a litlls that ia sad iu everything) but the happy lovers heard only sounds of Joy, The Doottr waa there to kiss the bride, Bthy Fraser, oooing and crowing end waving her dim pled bands, and Mike and Kitty, all tearful and smiling and eloquent with Irish words ot bless ins and endearment. But to thia day. Bat cannot comprehend Jake'a malice, and aaya with puuled look, "I'll never touglil bo II none dat proppus. ' Julia II. a. ISugtia in t'tbtvary California. THE VALUE OK WHAT 18 LEFT. There always is something left. Ths tornado passes, and it is said only desolation remains. But it ia not true. There are fragments left there are foundations left) there are walls Infti the solid eaith remainsi there are living people lelt; there remain all ths oonmtlous out ol whiuh the wrecked village may be rebuililed and ro peopled. Reverse strip us of cspital.of estate, of home. W y, "there is nothing left." Hut it is not true) there is always something. Wa hav some clothing, we have soma bread i we have snnj friends) we have anme health and strength and Individual capacity! w havelnde atruotible resources within net there are aoins opportunities left) there are infinite poasikilitiee loft. Above ia the immutable heaven, beneath the stable globe) the divine providence i not missing, the divine love Is not diminished, Uul of the ruins of every autumn are mail ready the sproutiugs of very spring. The winter liee onld and black between) and from Deoeuiber to March. "The winter alone ia king, we aay.but it is not true. Then is no king but Ood; there is no sovereignty but Hi) then is no power that dots not serv IIim,absolutely and utterly, lie It ia who dividea the year into it four vari one parte, and sets these part together mosaic wise, to make perfrot beauty. lie it is who re joices not lee in all the beauties of th black and bleak and (reeling sreatber, than in the beauties of th spring and summer and autumn weather, which are easier to ns. If w were but strong enough, w oould sUnd np beeide ,. r i ll .1.-. I..: If: tl; mm, anq rejoice ia mti was rrjuiuaa mia, i? in ter is fearful only to those whom it can pinch and arippl and eruab. Ha who sen defy it rigors bean only music in all its blasts, see only beauty la all it snows; toys wun it ter rors as mother tigress with her cobs, aod fears not because then ia no reason to (ear. A BRIDAL ooottle from Washoe valley at break faat convened a follows t II i "Hbll I akin your pertaUr, honey V Hbei "No, thank you, dearie, I hav on already skua." SENSIBLE SOCIALS. It la to be regretted that people an not mon social;, that the long winter evonings an not improved mon generally in cur eouutry village by getting acquainted with our neighbors, by exchanging thoughts with them, and each add iug something to the common store. One gnat objection to the mon frequent exchange of hospitalities Is the amount ot labor It adda to the burdeaa ot th housekeeper the tired woman who would really be refreshed and brightened by interoouree with other mind who would bo lifted out of th tiresome routine of her every-dey work into an almost ideal region, But if with poor help, or possibly without any, she must be perplexed by the thought ol elaborate entertainment! she cannot enter with any sout or enjoyment into the visit, aud so th ohirf good to he derived from it i at onoe done away with. It is not right that 0 much should lie thought necessary a is almost invariably offered to guesta that ft tea should not be eoneidered onmplete without variety of meats, half a don kinds of oaks, and other things accordingly, An experiment triad In one of the large villagre iu this State is worthy of being reiieated site here. A number of ladles and gentlemen deliberated Upon thia subject, and at length resolved to see whit oould. be don. Then wen about 111 In all, and they agreed to meet one iu two weeks at each other's houses during ths winter. They wen to ooma to tea and aiend tha evening in reading, music or conversation, just aa each hostess should decree) a simple super waa to be served, Th bill of fan agreed upon wa whit or brown bread, tea or coffee (not both), on kind of oold meat, on kind of oake, cheeee or pickles, and some osnned fruit) each lady pledging herself not to offer anything more. The result was a series of axthetio teas, which wen ft delight to those who participated la them, and proved dearly tha possibility of being hospitebl without great weariuees of flesh, tUchrtnit. Won km as laviNTOk. It Is often loosely ssid by msn that woman never invmt anything. But women can be, and are, inventors, a I shown by th report of th I'atent ollloe for th put yar, when mon than 70 tieteute wn granted to women, an Increase of 10 over th previou year. Most of tha patent an for household articles, with whiuh they an moat familiar, and In which imprnvsnieiita would b suggested by daily use. The feminine mind is, u a rule, quicker than tha iiiaioolin niiudi It takes hints, and aeea defeats which would es cape tha average man's attention, particularly in all dnmeetia utensils, Th beginning of everything ie an Ideai but they who Have bleu are olteo inosahls of giving them material form. Women frequently carry tha germ of pstents in their heads, and eaua aoi rud machine containing tha germ to be constructed which serves their purpose. If they wen meu, they would, in all likelihood, hav applied for patent, and, in a proportion ol ease, have ob tained them. But woman seldom thiuks ol getting any prollt out of her Idea or from bar ordiuary labor; her w hoi and only aim being to leeseo tha trouble and (notion of her work. In many of th farm-hnqsee of the country, es pecially In thou of New England, divers lm provtmsnte hav been mail la culinary and other Utensil through th suggestions ol women suggestions thet should have ta pat ented. If women would Hi their minds to In ventions, it la entirely probable that they would distinguish themselves in that line far (hire theo.tnevbeveevr done hitherto. AT. Y.TImt. A OaRfON and a Provencal bragged to each other of th fertility uf their reemtiv coun tries. "At Bordeaux," said one, "if yon hap. pea to, drop match la Held, th neit; year yon will have then pin forest," "At Mar. eeille," cried the other, "if (you drop a' sus peader beckle, sight days after, yea will have there pair of ready aaad trousers."