USA > California > A picture of pioneer times in California, illustrated with anecdotes and stores taken from real life > Part 50
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And when he appears to me now, he always comes with the same look out of his eyes he had that morning, when I sat on the bank of the canal, pushing him back into the water every time he tried to scramble out, while crying for mercy until he could cry no more, and was dead. And then I laugh out loud in my sleep, as I did that morning when I flung him back for the last time, and that wakes me up. I wonder why such dreams come to me now, for I surely have a long career before me yet. Sailors say such dreams always come just before death to sea-faring men, but I am no superstitious fool to believe in such stuff as that. When I get to the bay, I will begin to put my plans in motion. There is no time to lose, for my boys are getting more and more unpopu- lar in San Francisco every day. De Forest goes to Oregon the day after to-morrow. Well, I will have to take his case into con- sideration, for the sooner she hears he is dead, the sooner she will be over it, for she loves the fellow as she loves her life. I can see that, though she does not perhaps know it herself, and fancies she loves no one but her mother and brother. I would just like to see her when she hears of it; that would pay me for having had to look on when De Forest kissed her the other night. Then the lion part of me will feel sorry for her, and I will com- fort her, and then I will press my suit, and I will take care that it will be of great advantage to Walter that she should marry me, and then her devotion to him will accomplish the rest. Then, as I before planned, her poor, dear brother will suddenly die, and the sails of the Blue Bell will be unfurled, and the proud Yan- kee bird, as I told Brown, will flutter its clipped wings around my feet on the quarter-deck, and John Ward will once more be Captain John Cameron Ward Lusk, on the great, wide ocean in- tended for men like me. Oh, yes; all this will I do. On ! on ! you miserable horse; I am in a hurry! Why have you not wings for such an occasion as this ?"
CHAPTER XIV.
JAMES DE FOREST AND MINNIE-THE COLONEL'S CATTLE.
When James De Forest left Walter's sick-room to let Ward take his place, he repaired to the sitting-room, and there com- menced walking up and down with an impatient, quick tread, as he said to himself :
" I cannot for the life of me see how it is that Walter has taken such a fancy to that man. I dislike to tell him what I think of him, lest he should misunderstand my motives, and think I was jealous on account of Minnie. Jealous, indeed ! If Minnie is the sort of girl that could ever be caught by that heartless fellow, then she is not the girl I take her for. I believe I will put Min- nie herself on her guard, and get her to talk to Walter. But, no; that will not do, either. How do I know but that she might misunderstand me ? No; I will just let the thing work out its own cure ; for I am satisfied that Minnie's own intelligence will guard her. As for me, there is one thing certain: If I do not marry Minnie, I never will marry any woman on earth. Yes ; that is a fixed fact. I wonder if she thinks anything about me more than as a sort of a brother ? I know she likes me as Wal- ter's friend, but that is not what I want. I want her to think of me as I do of her. I have a mind to come right out to her abont it ; but if I do, it will look as if I feared this fellow Ward; and then Walter is sick, and she is not fairly settled at home yet, and it would look as if I came down just to take her away from Wal- ter. No ; I will wait for a little time, until they are nicely set- tled down at home. Then I will come back, and have a plain talk with her and Walter both, which will decide if I am ever to be married or not." Then De Forest dropped into a deep reverie, and after a while he murmured : " I wonder if she has that rose- bud yet. I dislike to ask her, but I would like to know so much." Then he paused, and then added : " Yes ; every day of
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her life she grows more charming." Then another long pause comes, and then his thoughts appear in low, murmured words : " Oh, yes ; Fannie would do nicely for Walter ; she is so sweet, and so like Minnie." Then he walks very slowly, with his hands clasped behind his back, his head dropped forward, and a vision of a supremely happy day in the future is plainly before him. Minnie stands by his side, leaning on his arm. She is looking up with her sweetest smile, while she shows him the rose-bud. Then the scene runs on somewhat in confusion ; but in it is a church, an altar, white dresses, and orange-blossoms, a double marriage, a feast. All his senses are fascinated, and he does not see that Colonel Eaton and Minnie are standing in the doorway, looking and smiling at his deep, brown study. Minnie at length exclaims :
" James, what in the world are you dreaming of ? Just do tell us."
De Forest starts, looks up, and joins in a laugh with Minnie and Colonel Eaton.
" Oh, I will not tell you what I was thinking of; but I will just say that I take it as a good omen that it was you I first saw when I awoke from a pleasant day-dream."
The Colonel then explained that he had come for him to join them in a walk to look at some young cattle he had just imported from Kentucky. So, off they started, Minnie taking De Forest's arm without waiting to be asked.
Colonel Eaton, who remembered his own young days, very considerately, on some pretence, walked ahead, as he said to himself: " I see that poor fellow is badly in for it, and, to say the truth, I don't much blame him in this case. So, let him have a chance to tell her what he was thinking of in that brown study we aroused him from. I know without his telling me."
" Well, you won't tell me what you were thinking of that time ?" said Minnie, laughing; " but I suppose you were dreaming that Oregon was a great State, just admitted into the Union, and that you were elected her first Governor, and that all the people had assembled to see you inaugurated."
" No, no, Minnie; you do not guess one bit right," said James, catching up Minnie's laughing way; " for in my dream you were the Governor and the one all eyes were turned on."
" Ah, how was that ? Who else was there ?"
James dropped his voice lower, and said: "I was there, and Walter and Fannie Eaton were there."
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He felt Minnie's hand start as it rested on his arm. For a moment her eyes dropped, and she evidently had to make an effort to continue her sportive way of talking.
" Oh," she said, " that must have been a tame sort of day- dream. Why, if I was a man and wanted to indulge in a day- dream, I would fancy myself walking into the White House at Washington, with all the representatives of all the nations of the earth to see me take my seat as President of this great repub- lic. Or I would see myself a General at the head of a victori- ous army, with all the people crowding around to do me honor."
And then, without giving James time to say a word as a re- joinder, she withdrew her arm, and, running to where a bunch of beautiful California violets were blooming, she picked a hand- ful. Returning to De Forest, she selected one out of the bunch, and handed it to him, saying: "Take that; you know you once gave me a rose-bud; so you are repaid, and we are even now."
De Forest took it, and, not knowing exactly how to interpret the gift in the way it was given, said: " Well, I will take it, and if I lose, it I suppose the fate of the flowers will be exactly the same-"
" Oh, then you suspect that I lost your gift, I see. Can you think that I would treat a friend of Walter's that way ?"
" A friend of Walter's, " said De Forest, slowly. "Supposing Captain Ward, who is a friend of Walter's, you know, was to present you with a flower, would you take care of it?"
Minnie started at the sound of Ward's name, changed color slightly, and said: "Captain Ward will never give me a flower, or any other gift. There is no danger of that."
" Oh, but if he did, Minnie; for he looks to me as if he could command impudence for anything." De Forest spoke with a warmth that betrayed his dislike to Ward.
A shade of half-regret and perplexity passed over Minnie's face, as she said: " Oh, well, let us not talk of him; for, as you say, he is Walter's friend, and I do not know him much, and, most likely, never will."
James made no reply, but turned his eyes away from Minnie, as if struggling with some inward feeling. He let them rest for a moment on the violet in his hand. Then he drew out his pocket-book and placed it carefully between its leaves, saying, in a half-reproachful tone: " Well, Minnie, if that rose-bud had half the value for you that this violet now has for me, there is no danger that it would be lost."
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Colonel Eaton was now approaching, and Minnie, without speaking, hurriedly drew from her neck a gold locket, and, with the sweetest smile and a conscious blush, held it up to De Forest's eyes. It contained a miniature of Walter, and across the miniature lay the pressed rose-bud. Delighted, De Forest exclaimed:
" Oh, thank you, Minnie; thank you, from my inmost heart."
" Come, Miss Minnie; you are forgetting my cattle," said Colonel Eaton.
" Oh, no, Colonel; I assure you I could not do that; for handsome cattle always interest me very much."
As Minnie said this, she took the Colonel's arm. She seemed now in the most joyous spirits. Laughing and talking, she de- lighted the Colonel by asking him all sorts of questions about the cattle, and appeared deeply interested in everything relating to them. De Forest walked on with them, but seemed lost in his own thoughts, while his eyes were constantly on Minnie, and, undoubtedly, his day-dreams of orange-blossoms and white dresses had again taken possession of his mind, if one could judge from the happy expression of his countenance. Minnie's eyes would now and then meet his, notwithstanding that she seemed to be entirely engrossed in admiration of Colonel Eaton's Kentucky heifers. When they reached home, they found Mrs. Eaton and Fannie in the little sitting-room, who inquired how they had enjoyed themselves.
" Oh," said Minnie, " we had a delightful walk."
" Oh, yes," said Colonel Eaton; " of course Mr. De Forest had a most charming time; for I behaved myself well and kept out of the way, you know, for a long time."
Here Minnie blushed, and exclaimed:
" Oh, Colonel, you are too bad. The walk would have been nothing if you had not been there to tell us all about those handsome Kentucky cattle of yours; would it, James ?" she con- tinued, turning to De Forest.
" Cattle, Minnie ?" said James. " Why, did the Colonel show us cattle ?"
Now all laughed, including De Forest, and Minnie dashed up- stairs to see Walter.
The next day Walter was much improved; but it was some days before he could leave his room, and he did not find it hard to prevail on De Forest to defer his departure until then. These
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were days of unalloyed happiness to De Forest; for, although Minnie invariably avoided all private tête-à-têtes with him, yet her manner towards him was invariably kind, and when in his company she seemed always joyous and happy.
The first day Walter found himself able to leave his room, James De Forest bid them all farewell, promising to visit them again as soon as his business would permit. He parted with the Eatons as if they had been old friends. To Fannie he whis- pered :
" In your hands I leave my friend Walter; take care of him, Miss Fannie."
Fannie blushed, and was going to reply; but De Forest was gone.
Walter and Minnie remained four days more with their kind friends, and then they also took their leave. After a very pleas- ant trip to Minnie, they arrived safe in Walter's place of business in High Canyon. Mr. Hilton had a nice room prepared for Minnie, and had also procured the services of a widow who had, a few months before, lost her husband by a painful accident, while mining in that neighborhood. This lady was a Mrs. Swan, who proved to be a well-educated and sensible person, and an efficient assistant to Minnie, as well as a pleasant com- panion. So, dismissing the Chinaman, Minnie took full charge of the housekeeping, and was delighted with her new position.
Soon everything around the little cottage began to wear a new appearance, delightful to both Walter and Mr. Hilton. Fannie Eaton sent Minnie plants and cuttings from her own garden and from Smith's extensive gardens near the city of Sacramento. In two or three months, flowers bloomed for her, and the wild rose-bushes and other beautiful climbers she had planted around the cottage began to cover it over and make it look most charming. Minnie's wildest dreams of the pleasures of a mountain miner's life with Walter seemed now fulfilled. She reigned queen in that whole mining district. A smile won from her was more valued by many a young miner than a lucky day's work in the richest claim. While she was pleasant, cheerful and affable to all, without the least formality or affectation, she ever preserved that quiet dignity of manner that gives such a peculiar charm to the educated American girl. Her keen discernment recog- nized merit and worth in the persons introduced to her, as quickly in the rough garb of the practical miner as when pre-
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sented in a suit of the finest broadcloth. It is not surprising, then, that Minnie's popularity and power knew no limits in High Canyon and its neighborhood. At that time, in California, every revolver in the whole country was held by its owner at the command of the good and the virtuous pioneer women; for they were, in fact, half-worshiped, while those of the unfortunate class, as a rule, fell lower and became more degraded in Cali- fornia than perhaps in any other place in the world.
Minnie wrote long letters to her mother, giving her a descrip- tion of her mountain life, which showed her to be fully happy. Oh! it cannot be that her young, light heart, while now so joy- ous and full of wild happiness, is never warned nor visited by a presentiment of coming evil; or is there something that whispers to her when the sky of the future looks the clearest and the sun of to-day the brightest: " Minnie, be careful, prepare; for a storm is gathering for you to meet that will test your womanhood to its very center ?" Oh, yes; when we see her suddenly stop the gay song that ever cheers her in her daily duties, and look thoughtful and anxious, surely it must be that she has heard the warning whisper; because now her eyes are turned to the heavens above her, and that prayer of prayers taught by God Himself comes in low, sweet accents from her lips. Then courage seems to throw light at her feet, and with confidence she treads her way, while her joyous song is again resumed, and echoes and re-echoes from rock to rock, each vibration and new echo, like a joy of the past, growing sweeter and sweeter as it dies away in the distance.
CHAPTER XV.
PREPARING FOR SEA-CAPTAIN WARD AND BROWN.
When Captain Ward reached San Francisco, he found his gang a good deal demoralized by his absence. Many of them refused to attend the meetings of the gang, and carried on their depre- dations on the community on their individual responsibility and profit. Many had gone to the mines, where good opportunities always offered for stealing gold-dust. Scarcely a day passed that did not bring us accounts from some mining district of the sum- mary execution of a thief, or of a murderer and a thief both. This prompt action soon began to turn back the thieves to San Francisco. Ward saw his position, and understood that his time was short to complete his preparations and carry out his plans. So, after a consultation with Brown and Jack Lawson, he com- menced to select his crew for the Blue Bell, provision her for a long voyage, and put her in fighting trim in every respect. All this he did in a quiet way, using his own men, of course, to take the supplies to the bark, and no one seemed to observe him, or care to inquire into his business. Every one in those days was so intent on his own business or speculations that he paid but little attention to what bis neighbor was doing. Brown alone understood the part of his plan that related to Minnie, and, dis- liking it very much, he made one more effort to dissuade Ward from it; but he found him more determined than ever.
" I tell you, Brown," he said, " there is no use in your men- tioning the matter to me. I loved that girl before I saw her. Now that I have seen her, I love her ten times more. Yes ; I love her with fiercest passion, and yet I hate her with the most deadly hate. I cannot account for this myself, yet it is true. My fate is linked with her in some way, and when I am near her I see that she knows it ; for she shudders when I speak to her, and she never returns me a smile. No ; her eyes look almost defiant when I strive to draw one from her. Oh, yes; I both love and 35
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hate her ; and she shall be my wife and slave, or I will perish in the attempt !"
" Well, have your own way, then; but I have apprehensions in regard to the Lawsons. I see old Jack is delighted with your attention to Lizzie, and thinks you will surely marry her. When we were taking goods on board the bark the other day, I was sur- prised to see on board the lighter, one of those beautiful ladies' Chinese work-tables. I asked him what in the world he bought it for. 'That,' said he, with a grim smile, ' is for the Captain's wife. I will present it to her as the Blue Bell passes out to sea.' "
As Brown told this circumstance, Ward's face grew dark and serious. Then he said in a bitter, contemptuous tone:
" The old rascal fairly loves me, and, if he behaves himself, I will do well for this girl of his; but he must not put on any airs with me, or he will find his mistake; that is all."
" Well," said Brown, " how about De Forest ? He may be in your way far worse than Jack Lawson; for, if he undertakes to hunt up your history, San Francisco might become a little too warm a place for any of us gentlemen to reside in."
" Yes," said Ward, with a laugh; " other places might be more healthy for us; so I intend to save my friend De Forest all the trouble of making such useless inquiries as to my past history."
" Well, I thought you were to have attended to that matter long ago, Captain ?"
" Yes; the day I left Colonel Eaton's my intention was that he should never go back to Oregon; but, you see, he hung around Colonel Eaton's four days longer than he said he would, and in that way slipped through the city when 'Seagull Tim,' who had taken the job, was not expecting him. When I found this had happened, I thought at first I would send Tim after him to Oregon; but, on reflection, I thought there would be too much risk in that way of doing up the business, so I determined to wait until he came to California again, which he surely will do, from what Walter Wagner writes me. Then the job can be done under my own supervision, and there will be no risk or slip-up about it."
" I think you are right, Captain," said Brown; " for the least mistake might be fatal to us all."
" That is my view exactly, Brown; and, although I would like my little sweetheart to be thinking as soon as possible of the
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fellow, whenever she does think of him, as in his last box, yet prudence forbids me to be in too great haste."
" What did Wagner say in his letter, Captain ?"
" Oh, he is coming to it all right."
And, as Ward spoke, he took out of his pocket-book a letter, saying: "Here; I will read you the last part of it. He ad- dresses me. ' My very dear friend Ward,' and runs on to say:
I delayed answering your last letter until I had fully made up my mind in regard to your very liberal proposition. I can now say that, on mature deliberation, I have come to the conclusion to accept your offer, if we agree on minor details of the arrangement, of which I have but little doubt. I find it will be impossible for me to sever my connection with Mr. Hilton before the tenth of May, next. How will this suit Mr. Brown ? Please see him, and let me know if he can wait so long. If he can, I will go down to the Bay in the first part of February; then we can come to a complete understand- ing. My sister is well, and thanks you for your message. When I visit San Francisco, she will be with me as far as Colonel Eaton's, to whom she is anx- ious to pay a visit.
" So you see, Brown, all goes right, so far, with this confiding young gentleman. I forgot to tell you that I had a long talk with Sam Brannan, whose acquaintance I have been cultivating. It would make you laugh to hear him, he is so fierce on thieves. One would suppose Sam was a saint himself, and that he never had anything to do with gobbling up city property. He and some others are determined to organize a vigilance committee, to hunt out the Sydney thieves. I agreed with him, of course; and told him to put my name down for two hundred dollars, to help."
" Well, Captain, that may make things hot for us here yet; but what would poor Sam do if this vigilance committee, as soon as they got through hanging and banishing the small thieves, should take the bit in their mouth, and just turn around on the big thieves ? The hypocritical villains, who are a sort of legal robbers, as you may say; that nice little gang of delectable spirits, who, sitting in council as the city fathers, the guardians of the people, contrived, by cunningly-devised ordinances, to transfer the city money, by a hundred thousand at a blow, into their own pockets, and for their own aggrandizement despoil the city of her inheritance of real estate. Yes; where, then, would be many of the fellows, now calling for a vigilance committee, if that was to happen ?"
" In that respect you are right, Brown ; but that will not help
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us, you know. In fact, it will make it worse ; for these fellows raise the cry upon us to cover up their own work, and they will push it with zeal, you may be sure. So we have no time to lose in getting our fellows together, and making our final move."
" Well, Captain, if you were not fascinated by this Yankee girl, we could be off in a week."
" What is the use, Brown, in talking to me in that way ? My destiny, I tell you, is no ordinary one. As a wolf, I have planned and led on to murder and robbery on a small scale, and hunted down such small game as Lizzie Lawson in matters of love. But now, as a lion, I will take the broad ocean as my field, where I will plunder and murder as monarchs do. I will stand out boldly, with my bloody dagger in my hand, and call on all who dare to come and take me. And who will have the impudence to compare me with those low, mean, sneaking thieves who obtain seats in city councils and in legislative halls, by hypocritical and lying pretences, for no other purpose than to enrich themselves and their confederates by betraying every trust reposed in them ? These fellows profess honesty, and even talk and make speeches about religion and God, while living and acting just as much in defiance of all laws, either human or divine, as I do. They add hypocrisy to their villainy. I do not; and surely a girl of the noble stamp of Minnie Wagner, if compelled to choose between me and one of those sneaking thieves, would prefer the bold, acknowledged outlaw."
" Yes, Captain; I believe if compelled, as you say, she would take the bold villain before the sneaking thief. But the next question is, who is to compel Miss Minnie Wagner to choose the one or the other? I am satisfied that her clear judgment will enable her to avoid both; and I tell you that you are mistaken if you fancy that her brother will ever attempt to control her, for the fellow fairly worships the girl."
" No, Brown; I do not expect him to control her; and I tell you that I expect to put him in a position where disgrace will stare him in the face, and then I will go to Minnie myself, and I will offer to save him, if she will take me for her husband. Then my game is made; for she will sacrifice herself to save him."
" Well, Captain, if you can get him in that position, it will undoubtedly give you an immense power over him; but how you are to do that I cannot understand; for I can see that he is as
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watchful of his honor, in all respects, as a miser is of his gold."
" I know all that, Brown; but you shall see when the time comes. You have nothing in you but the wolf, and he is natur- ally cowardly, and no match for the wolf and the lion together, you know."
" Well, well, Captain; I don't care to have those sort of com- pliments; and, if I was inclined to pay them back, I would just tell you that sometimes it comes into my head that you are the child of the arch-fiend himself. Your appetite for villainy seems so exquisite, and you never seem to suffer from remorse; while I sometimes have turns in which I taste hell itself!"'
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