October 20, 1971 (12 pages)

a ees aiavas ta (Continued from last week) “There were many anxious consultations anent the situation. There was always the fear that his brain twist might take violent form, when he would do harm to himself and others. Treatment in an asylum was suggested, but the distressed wife could not bear the thought of this; travel and consultation with specialists was suggested as an alternative, but the burden of his care was too much to be borne by those who would be compelled to assume the guardianship; and it was finally agreed to remain at the camp, at least until the close of the season, in the meantime summoning an analyst and submitting the case to him for such treatment as might be determined upon, ' The hamlet sank into a prosperous and uneventful routine with hardly a ripple to disturb its placidity, Ruth, despite her angles and acidity, had a warm heart, and the latent intolerance with which she had at first accepted the intruders of her own sex, melted away as her sympathies were aroused by their affliction. j "They were trifling enough to insinuate that if we lost our power of speech it would please them; they don't like to be told of their faults and shortcomings. A man who couldn't talk, gracious! that is another thing, — if Mr. Potter lost his tongue, he'd lose me." This way of looking at it did not hinder her from putting the brighter side of it before Mrs, Wakefield, and this was done with a delicacy and tact that was surprising. The truth was, Mrs. Ruth was mellowing. The hurt her meanspirited husband had inflicted in so basely deserting her had been a deeprankling wound. She had been a good and industrious wife, so she thought, and did not comprehend but that was her full duty. The little thorns she had carried under her tongue, the multitude of sharp stabs she had dealt out to him in upbraiding him for his shiftlessness (that was her favorite word of reproach), like the continual dropping of water had at last worn him out, and he had fled. The City of Six had to her been a city ef refuge. If she was contentious, the men smoked their pipes and retreated out of earshot. Did she insist on that badge of servitude, that token of an effete and despised civilization, the "biled shirt," well, itwas only oneday in a week; and con_ sidering how consistently she looked after their creature comforts in other matters they could gracefully concede the point, After a time they came to take a certain pride in it; it was a distinction that set them apart from their less particular friends of neighboring camps; and the gibes and jeers of the Hepsidamers and the boys over on Kanaka Creek were borne with equanimity. Not by all, perhaps. It was asserted_ that some of the more cowardly ones kept a blue woolen shirt hidden out in the manzanita thickets and, when visiting neighboring towns, retired to the depths of the chaparral, shed the white and donned the blue again, changing on their return. After all, these concessions made for cleanlir>ss and for health and restraint, and kept The City of Six on a moral plane that was unique among its rivals, What perhaps contributed the most to sweeten Ruth's acerbity, besides the reflection that possibly her methods with her first husband had not been such as to insure full conjugal happiness, was her alter place in camp. Although her sway from the first had been supreme, still. her position to begin with had been a menial cne; she wasa hired domestic working for wages. This had not troubled her very much until it became known that Wakefield was to return with his family. She felt as if she could not brook a rival, certainly not a mistress, who would interfere in her duties, arrogating that right as the wife of one of the principal owners, Now, as the prospective wife of Tex, she stood on equal footing, and as Mrs. Wakefield had shown no desire to enter into any strife for master, there was no occassion for envy. or discord. Instead, her heart went out to the woman, and her active sympathy and practical way of meeting the situation went far to soften and console the afflicted wife. Her own wedding was set for no distant date, and both she and Tex were of the opinion that so long as the mine continued to pour out its golden stream it would be folly to abandon it for more uncertain investments. This decision had been reached after a liberal offer made by Brant to buy Tex's interest. The prospective marriage caused a mild anticipatory excitement in the camp, and there was a general understanding that the event was to be celebrated in a way that would do credit to all concerned, Rance, since the arrival of Mrs. Wakefield and Dot, had degenerated into a confirmed and contented idler. He had been a favorite with Ruth, primarily because no one could resist his coaxing ways and sunny disposition. He was a well-bred gentleman who did not need to assert it; his breeding was obvious and made itself manifest in kindly consideration for ‘The Cit others, However, he was a born rebel, and did not submit to all ofMrs. Ruth's regulations; but then he was so goodnatured, so humble in his chivalric deference to her sex, that she petted and pampered him, looked after his little comforts, and in her treatment contradicted all her precepts, This had not filled the void in Rance's life, He hankered after the flesh_pots of Egypt, the luxuries of civilization, He was a lover of nature and found much that was congenial inhis surroundings: the mountains appealed to him, the liberty of thought and action where every one was a law unto himself was not unpleasant; the insidious charm of climate was working insensibly in his veins, and he came back to it from his vacation almost reconciled to a continuance. PART XXIV Yet he had had a shock; the horrible scene to which he had been an involuntary witness — the murder of the Mexican woman by the mob — had filled his soul with disgust. He could not look down the mountain to the town without a sensation of loathing and hate for the savages who had committed the dastardly action, and he had religiously kept his vow not to put his foot again inside the limits of the place. The memory of the incident for a time was a nightmare to him, and he had about determined to take up his residence at San Francisco, when Wakefields' return, his sad condition, — and what was really the underlying-motive for the reconsideration, the discovery that the wife was a refined and attractive woman and the daughter a sweet bit of feminity just budding into womanhood, both needing in their perplexing situation the services and guidance of a disinterested friend, persuaded him to delay. He found it a pleasant task he had undertaken, and this was the deciding influence that led him to postpone his leavetaking and for a time devote himself to that duty. It was fortunate that Wakefield was so tractable;he really gave no trouble, followed when bidden, acquiesced in any suggestion, and was never more contented apparently than when wandering around the hills in company with Rance and Dot. His presence preserved the proprieties and yet was no hindrance to an intimacy that was soon established between the pair. Dot and Rance had agreed it was to be the ideal friendship, the mutual trust and confidence between congenial spirits — comrades as it were, for Dot had chosen her path, She was to be the © good angel of her stricken sire, his prop and shield; she looked ahead to long years of disinterested and loving service unless, happily, his restoration to sanity was accomplished. What nobler task, she asked Rance, than to give oneself to.such a duty? And he gravely -acquiesced, although perhaps he was not quite so sure of it. So they passed the happy hours away, loitering in the green woods and under the stately pines, those perfect days that Nature offers to those who attune themselves —— tin { = ee PPE EY bet eg fee haat Wie as

a ees aiavas ta (Continued from last week) “There were many anxious consultations anent the situation. There was always the fear that his brain twist might take violent form, when he would do harm to himself and others. Treatment in an asylum was suggested, but the distressed wife could not bear the thought of this; travel and consultation with specialists was suggested as an alternative, but the burden of his care was too much to be borne by those who would be compelled to assume the guardianship; and it was finally agreed to remain at the camp, at least until the close of the season, in the meantime summoning an analyst and submitting the case to him for such treatment as might be determined upon, ' The hamlet sank into a prosperous and uneventful routine with hardly a ripple to disturb its placidity, Ruth, despite her angles and acidity, had a warm heart, and the latent intolerance with which she had at first accepted the intruders of her own sex, melted away as her sympathies were aroused by their affliction. j "They were trifling enough to insinuate that if we lost our power of speech it would please them; they don't like to be told of their faults and shortcomings. A man who couldn't talk, gracious! that is another thing, — if Mr. Potter lost his tongue, he'd lose me." This way of looking at it did not hinder her from putting the brighter side of it before Mrs, Wakefield, and this was done with a delicacy and tact that was surprising. The truth was, Mrs. Ruth was mellowing. The hurt her meanspirited husband had inflicted in so basely deserting her had been a deeprankling wound. She had been a good and industrious wife, so she thought, and did not comprehend but that was her full duty. The little thorns she had carried under her tongue, the multitude of sharp stabs she had dealt out to him in upbraiding him for his shiftlessness (that was her favorite word of reproach), like the continual dropping of water had at last worn him out, and he had fled. The City of Six had to her been a city ef refuge. If she was contentious, the men smoked their pipes and retreated out of earshot. Did she insist on that badge of servitude, that token of an effete and despised civilization, the "biled shirt," well, itwas only oneday in a week; and con_ sidering how consistently she looked after their creature comforts in other matters they could gracefully concede the point, After a time they came to take a certain pride in it; it was a distinction that set them apart from their less particular friends of neighboring camps; and the gibes and jeers of the Hepsidamers and the boys over on Kanaka Creek were borne with equanimity. Not by all, perhaps. It was asserted_ that some of the more cowardly ones kept a blue woolen shirt hidden out in the manzanita thickets and, when visiting neighboring towns, retired to the depths of the chaparral, shed the white and donned the blue again, changing on their return. After all, these concessions made for cleanlir>ss and for health and restraint, and kept The City of Six on a moral plane that was unique among its rivals, What perhaps contributed the most to sweeten Ruth's acerbity, besides the reflection that possibly her methods with her first husband had not been such as to insure full conjugal happiness, was her alter place in camp. Although her sway from the first had been supreme, still. her position to begin with had been a menial cne; she wasa hired domestic working for wages. This had not troubled her very much until it became known that Wakefield was to return with his family. She felt as if she could not brook a rival, certainly not a mistress, who would interfere in her duties, arrogating that right as the wife of one of the principal owners, Now, as the prospective wife of Tex, she stood on equal footing, and as Mrs. Wakefield had shown no desire to enter into any strife for master, there was no occassion for envy. or discord. Instead, her heart

went out to the woman, and her active sympathy and practical way of meeting the situation went far to soften and console the afflicted wife. Her own wedding was set for no distant date, and both she and Tex were of the opinion that so long as the mine continued to pour out its golden stream it would be folly to abandon it for more uncertain investments. This decision had been reached after a liberal offer made by Brant to buy Tex's interest. The prospective marriage caused a mild anticipatory excitement in the camp, and there was a general understanding that the event was to be celebrated in a way that would do credit to all concerned, Rance, since the arrival of Mrs. Wakefield and Dot, had degenerated into a confirmed and contented idler. He had been a favorite with Ruth, primarily because no one could resist his coaxing ways and sunny disposition. He was a well-bred gentleman who did not need to assert it; his breeding was obvious and made itself manifest in kindly consideration for ‘The Cit others, However, he was a born rebel, and did not submit to all ofMrs. Ruth's regulations; but then he was so goodnatured, so humble in his chivalric deference to her sex, that she petted and pampered him, looked after his little comforts, and in her treatment contradicted all her precepts, This had not filled the void in Rance's life, He hankered after the flesh_pots of Egypt, the luxuries of civilization, He was a lover of nature and found much that was congenial inhis surroundings: the mountains appealed to him, the liberty of thought and action where every one was a law unto himself was not unpleasant; the insidious charm of climate was working insensibly in his veins, and he came back to it from his vacation almost reconciled to a continuance. PART XXIV Yet he had had a shock; the horrible scene to which he had been an involuntary witness — the murder of the Mexican woman by the mob — had filled his soul with disgust. He could not look down the mountain to the town without a sensation of loathing and hate for the savages who had committed the dastardly action, and he had religiously kept his vow not to put his foot again inside the limits of the place. The memory of the incident for a time was a nightmare to him, and he had about determined to take up his residence at San Francisco, when Wakefields' return, his sad condition, — and what was really the underlying-motive for the reconsideration, the discovery that the wife was a refined and attractive woman and the daughter a sweet bit of feminity just budding into womanhood, both needing in their perplexing situation the services and guidance of a disinterested friend, persuaded him to delay. He found it a pleasant task he had undertaken, and this was the deciding influence that led him to postpone his leavetaking and for a time devote himself to that duty. It was fortunate that Wakefield was so tractable;he really gave no trouble, followed when bidden, acquiesced in any suggestion, and was never more contented apparently than when wandering around the hills in company with Rance and Dot. His presence preserved the proprieties and yet was no hindrance to an intimacy that was soon established between the pair. Dot and Rance had agreed it was to be the ideal friendship, the mutual trust and confidence between congenial spirits — comrades as it were, for Dot had chosen her path, She was to be the © good angel of her stricken sire, his prop and shield; she looked ahead to long years of disinterested and loving service unless, happily, his restoration to sanity was accomplished. What nobler task, she asked Rance, than to give oneself to.such a duty? And he gravely -acquiesced, although perhaps he was not quite so sure of it. So they passed the happy hours away, loitering in the green woods and under the stately pines, those perfect days that Nature offers to those who attune themselves —— tin { = ee PPE EY bet eg fee haat Wie as