Rensselaer Union, Volume 1, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 June 1869 — Selected Miscellany. [ARTICLE]

Selected Miscellany.

-jwKeri* .. . wJS®S%lgflt,.jnelucltng the driver We han iSt sp'Vfceu,‘frying the pannage of the Iqpfasjx, sjfl'ep the jolting of the hagß/-- veh)ct*<mr.-the roughening road last poetical quotaSp* Tut'tall man flestde the Judge was ai?ean passed through the swayingrtUgp and hi« .head resting upon it—altogether a limp, helpless-looking object, «*• HwhaaMtaaged himself and been cut doWwjtoaoMte.* <he French lady on the baeft ’seas- Was'aeleep, too, yet in a halfoorisoirttrt propriety x>f Attitude, shown even taflthw-disposition of the handker chief WticltMe hsM-tOher forehead-and which batgHiy Veiled her face The ladv from 'Virginia Citv,' travelings with her husband; ha# MnJr shire lost all individu ality in a wildnoufqsion of ribbons; Veits, furs and*sHawls. There wh’ bq sound but the rattling of Wheels and the'drudi of rain upon the roof., the stage stopped and wn becwiid dHriily aware of voices. Thq. driver was yyiden/ly in the midst of 1 Wn’ mreltieig coll< qu v Vi th home one jrt ad !*^;TlMdyfM’VK' c K such fragments as “ bridge gune. t wen ty feet of water,' 1 “ can’t pa-s;’*»WM4o^h- > alonallya dtetiwguiohebfo' above the storm 'Then came a lulLjtfuLthe, musteriouß voice from the r-wmliDei XlAparting oJ f ' v- ; *: We caught a glimpse _of leaders as the vehicle slowly turned, of a horseman vanishiffJftßlfoligh the rain, find we were evidently on wur way toufn/gfes’. Who and where Was Higgles? The Judge, qu^MUioriUr>>did r ,nv» reqaembei the name, and Ae kjfeW'the' Cohut/y tflor' oughlyF’T'Phb''Washed* traveller thodght Miggles must keep a hotel. We.qnly knew that we were stopped by high water in front andmar, and "that Miggles was out rock of refuge, splashii g through a tangled'fiy’road, scarcely wide enougfl.for.lhe stage, and. we drew up before a barred* AnH boarded gate in a wide stone vtBUM fence about- eight feet hiihr EvidenEy. Miggles’, and evidently Miggles did not‘keep, a fiqfel. The dttvjai* ffotllolvn and tried the gate. It was securely locked “Miggles! O Miggles!” ~No aWWer. 1 — —: “ Migg-ells! You continued the driver with risingfj/ratS.' But norf pljrpainc from-the apparently insensate. Mirrlesy The Judge, who had finally •‘gm ftfc win Wow down, put his head out and propounded a series of questions, which if answered categorically would have undoubtedly 'elucidated the whole mystery, flip; j wflictr jhe driver evaded by replying that “If we didn’t want all night We had better out for Miggles." Bo we rosb dp aiid called on Miggles tn chorus. Then separately. And when we had finished, a Hibernian-feUow-pasrenger from the roof c illef Iforr “ Maygells!” whereat we all laughed. While we were laughingkhkirivM- cried' HBhotrf”' We liswwd. lTp-ow<- infinite amaze-, meat the ‘chorus of “Miggles ” was re peated from Ufa'other etale of tHe Wall, even " Extraordinary echo," said the Judge; “ Extraordinary d—d skuutl ” roared the driver, contemptuously. ‘lCome out of that. Micg'es, A*d-ib^w‘yourVlf! Be a man, Miggles!. pon.’t.htde in the dark; I wouldalv. If k;were.' you, Miggles,"! con-' tinued Yuba Bill, noy dtpupng alwut m an excess of fury. ■ “ MigidiC” ! cdntinutid the toioe, ho • man! Mt Myghalj f” said the the ’asperftfes of -the name m much a» possible. “ Consider .the inhospitably' of refusing shelter from the indleniMiey bQtho weather to helpless burst dPTiuglrteiV drownfed Ids voefc. Yuba Bill hesitated no longef, . Tailing a heavy stone from the roAd, “he. nattered down ttwpiter.'fflidj 'wtth the expressman, entered the encloswul .We followed. Nobody was to be sedp?' In the gathering darknMsydlJJratff e could distinguish that wiwifrtnlf^Jgariren—frpm’the rosi |j»inuUj “ " aAkedi shortly who feu ih e I‘ioneei Stage Oom:3£>&!£kM»Nr" trnny hfdn’t jmu better go lawk andjdl in th<&tffaqn at its eil WhdP’hetwalU, ewi ously yaperiff, and I > r i II gMPNWI t s Qlottif|Mtyat tetMj together into the room, afledfrftkb End expressman. v A

“Hello, be you MiggleatH«uid>Y«b» Bill to the solitary occupant, r • « > The figure neither spoka iDOR Stirred. Yuba Bill walked wrathfullyr toward it, md turned the eye of his coach lantern u non its face. I* was a man’s face, prematurely old and wrinkled, with very large eyes, in which there was that expression of perfectly gratuitous solemnity which | had sometimes seen in an Dyd'S- The large eyes wandered fropj Mpfs faqe.tb the lantern, and finally fixed Um'y: gaze on that luminous object, Tdrther recognition. -Ml* Bill restrained himself with an effort. “Miggles! be you deaf? You ain’t, dumb, anyhow, you know; ’ and Yuba Bill shook the. jnyenaate fig««rfeS'lftf shoulder. To oqf great dismay, as Brfl removed his hand, the venexMe stranger apparently collapsed—sinking into his size and an undistinguishable heap of sppeidingly at us, and hopelessly* rewriig front the contest The Judge now stepped forward, and we lifted the mysterious vibrato back into h a original position. Bill ‘Wat dismissed With the lantern to reconnoitre ont-‘ side) for it was evident that from the helplesshess of this solitary man there mbSt be attendants near at hand, and we all drew around the fire. The Judge,' #hd had regained bUAitthorWlwd hHd deVeirdoet his conversational amiability—standing "before us with his back to the hearth — charged us, as an imaginary jury, as fol lows:

} It is evident that ( either our distinguished friend here has reached that condition described by Shakspeare as “the sere and yellow leaf,’ or has suffered some premature abatement of his mental and physical faculties. Whether he is really the Miggles— f< Here he was Interrupted bv “ Miggles! O Miggles! Migglesv! Migl” and,in fact, the whole chorus of Miggles in vefyntuch the same key as it had once before delivered unto us. z We gazed at each other for a moment in some alarm. The Judge, tn particular, vacated his position quickly,'as the Voice seemed to come directly over his shoulder. The cause, however,"was soon discovered in a large magpie who was perched upon a shelf over tha fire-place, and who immediately relapsed into a sepulchral alienee, which contrasted singularly with his pre vious volubility. It was undoubtedly his voice tiMch we had heard in the toad and our friend in the chair was not responsible for the discourtesy. Yuba Bill, who re entered the room, after an unsuccessful search, was loth to accept the explanation and still eved the helpless sitter with sue picion. H > bad found a shed in which he had put up his horses —but he came bach 'dripping and akep’iqal. “T>ar aint no itjody but within ten miles ot tbe shanty, anS tint **r d—d old skeesicks knows it.”

But the faith of the majority proved to be sechrefy based. Bill had scarceh ceased growling, before we heard a quick :a»ep upon the porch, ths trailing of a wet sfkirt,' the *do t was flung open, and with a flash of white teeth, a sparkle o’ dark eyes and utter absence of ceremony or diffl lence, a young woman entered,“ shut the door, and, panting, leaned back against it. “ O, if you please. I’m Miggles 1” And this was Miggles I Tbis brighteyed. full throated young woman, whose wet gown of coarse blue stuff could not hide the beauty of the feminine curves to which it clung; from the chestnut crown of whose head—topped by a man’s oil-skin sou’wester—to -the little fleet and ankles—hidden somewhere-in the recesses of her boy’s brogans, all was grace—this was Miggles, laugUng at us, too, in the most airy, frank, off-hand manner Imaginable. “ You see. boys,” said she, quite but of breath, and holding one little hand against her side, quite unheeding the speechless discomfiture of our party, or the complete demoralization of Yuba Bill, whose feat pres had relaxed into an expression of gratuitous and imbecile cheerfhincss—- “ You see, boys, I was mor'n twp miles i>way when you passed down the road. I Ihoui’ht you might pull up here, sad so I ran the whole way, knowing nobody wa c at home but Jim—and-—and —I’m out of breath—that lets me out.” And here Miggles caught her dripping oil-skin hat from her head, with a mischievous swirl that scattered ashower of rain drops over us; attempted to put back her hair; dropped two hair-nfaos in the attempt; laughed, and sat down beside Yuba Bill, with her hands crossed lightly on her lap. The Judge recovered himself first, and essayed an extravagent compliment , “ I’ll trouble you for thatlhat. bar-pin,” baid Higgles, gravely, tfalf a-flozen hands were eagerly stretched forward; the missing hair-pin was restored, to, its fair owner; and Miggles, crossing the room, looked keenly in ths face of the invalid. The solemn eyes looted! JMTk »' hers,'with all expression we’'had "never seen and intelligencMeemed to strn|MH*fm k into lhe fnce Miggfl|BMPed again—it was a strfgularly el quemflWgh—and turned her black eyes And white teeth once more toward us. .«. “ This afflicted person is”— the Judge. ' “ Jim,” said Higgles. “Your father?” “ No.” “Brother?” ■ “ No.” ~ “ Husband ?” M'gglee darted a quick, half-defiant elance at the two lady passengers who T had noticed did not participate in the general masculine admiration of Miggles, and said, gravely: “No—it’s Jim.” There was an awkward pause. The lady passengers moved close ,t»< each r.other. The Washofi husband looked abstractedly at the fire; and the top rite tap irently. turned his eyes inward foju-aejr .support at this emergency. But M'gglee* laugh,.which wad yery Infectious, broke the silence. “ Come/ she said, briskly, you must be hungry.. Who’ll bear a ha ßheha h d*n n ofack of volunteers. momenta • Ynba Bill was - engaged Ifke* Caliban in bearing togs foftMs Mirondwr the axpreSSdan was grinding ktJKe'citi -the verandah; to my>elf the -arduous duty of slicing; hteon was assigned? san ; the Judge lenttteji man hi* gbod-hutnqrtd ‘and vaJusWa.counsel And when Miggles, assisted by the Judge and our- Hibernian .“deck passenger” set the table ‘WfirhaH the avMlable crocked., wb i iquite JnyoM, in spitfi of the rain lhat beat 1 Who wbWperedtogCtber in the corner, or ithe mtepfa WW tinfawd W wrtHeal and btaun m usrot.vdla

were papered with illustrated journals, arranged with feminine taste aml discrimination. The furniture was eitetopcrjted; and adapted from candle boxes and packing gases, and* Catered Wittt*gfiy caHdr< or the Skin of.Sbihe animal. (The -arm-Chalr pf the helpless. Jim .was-an ingenious va nation'of s’ flour barrel.' - There was neat*, neps Sfid ewn a taste, for to be.seen in the few details ol the long low room. think, owing to the rare |aqH of Miggies.in guiding the qqnyetfiation, asklng. aU.tbe. questions herself yet bearing throughout' a frankness that rejected the idea-of any conroalmeht oq’Her opn part.' So that we talked, pf durtelves, 6t opr proapSEtsf of the Journey; of the weather, of each mh er ~°f every thing but «n hosWhdhostess. It • tnnati> be- confessed that Miggips’ conversation was never elegant, rarely grammatical, and thst-at tims« she -uted expletives, the use of which had geaerally been yielded to our sex ’But they were delivered with such lighting upof 'teetn atid ’eyes, and ’were usually followed by a laugh—a lajughpe ulwr to Higgles—so frank and honest that. fr., seemed to clear the moral atmosphere. ‘ o<nce, during thp meal, we heard like the rubbing or a heavy body against the outer Wills of the house. This’ wes shortly followed by a scratching and aaiffling At the door. That's Joequin,” said Higgles, in -reply to our questioning glances;“ would you like to she him?” Before we could answer she had opened the a' half grown griz zly, who instantly raised himself bn his hauhchCs,’ with hiA firepaws hanging down in a pbpuWMtithfl# of iretfdieanoy, and looked at Higgles, with a very singular resemblance in liis manner to Yuba Bill. “That’s my WatctfMo%,” said Miggles in explanation. “O, he don’t bite,” she added, as the two la ly passengers fluttered into a corner. “ Does he. old Toppy !”—(the last remark being ad Jrsssed directly to the sagacious Jogqfiin) 7 1 tell you what, boys,” contiuue<L Mia. gles, afterttft Btet fed And tlosedlhadfiorj on (7>m Minor, “ You were in big luck i hAt Joaquin wasn’t hanging round When you dropped in to-night.” ’• r

“ Where was he?” asked the Judge. “ With me,” said Higgles. -“ Lord love you; he trots round with me nights like as if he was a man.” ' ’ We were silent for a few moments', and listened to the wind Perhaps we ail had' the same picture- before us—-of Miggles walking through the rainy woods, with her savage guardian at her side. The Jadge, I remember, "said about Una and her Ufrai'but’ Higgles' rec ived it as she did otheY compliments, with quiet gravity. Whether she was altogether unconscious of the admiratioa she excited -she could hardly hare-been oblivious it! - Yuba Bill’s adoration—l knew not; but her very frankneds suggested a- perlpci sexual equality that was cruelly humilfat mg to the younger members of our party. The incident ,qf the bear did not, add, anything in Higgles’ favor to the opinions of thou of her own sex who were present.. In fact, the repast over, a chillinesa gadi ated from the two lady passengers, that no pine boughs brought in by.Yubi BtU. and cast as a sacrifice upon the hearth could wholly overcodfo’* Higgles' Mi'll; and suddenly declaring that it was time to “turn in?’ offered to show the ladies to bed in an adjoining room. “ You, boys, will have to camp out here by the are as well as you can,” she added, “for thar aim but the one room.” Our sex—by which, my dear sir, lal lude, of course, to the stronger portion of humanity—has been generally relieved, from the imputation of curiosity, or a fondness for gossip. Yet lam constrained to say, that haidly had the d xi/ qlosefi oi? Miggles thahwscrowdid together, whis pering, snickering, smiling and exchang ng suspicions, surmises and a thousand speculationain regard to our pretty hunt ess and her singular c >mpaimm .1 fea< that we even hust led tha* imbecile para lytic, who sat like a voiceless Memnon ir. our midst, gaaing, with Uje terens infof ference of the past with his passionless eyes, upon our wordy ooancils. In the midst of bur exciting discussiofi the door opened again, and Higgles re enter* d. But not, apparently, the same Miggles who a few flours before Juul sashed upon us. Her eyes were aownCast, and as she hesitated for a moment oil the threshold with a blanket on her'arm, shfc seemed to nave leftbfeflifidltet thefrunkteark ssnest. which had chlrmea Ms a ntoment before - Coming into, the room, ifl'e tlrew a lovtstool brsiiie«i3p«w t "9’sdlair.Bkl.dosvn as we’re rather crek d'M; Ufrstoff here tordgflt,” took the invalid’s withered hand in het oMfb and turned-her eyes upon the dying fire. An instinctive fading that this was only premonitory to more con tidential relations, and perhaps some shame at qux previous curiosity, kept us silent The rain >tfll beat upon the roof; wandering gusts of wind stirred thembers into momentary.ty-igfltnw, until, in a lull of the Mfgiles sud detdy lifted unhet heacLard thrpjvihg net hair (wef ntr shou’deY, turned her face upon .U»e : • , w . “Is there any df you that knows mq?" , There was no reply.. everybody-had tbe right to know me. 1 kept tbe Bqjka tifilWP I <Mne to Jive with Jim. • JPhat’a mk years ago. Perhaps r The h di<c«nciKrtbd her: She turned her head to I the fire again, and it was some seconds be fore sbe again spoke, and then more rapidly. i > . “ Well, you y Jpi mutt have kndwnraffi »■ KRiete * n« grea l hand in both of heM te shedpoke—“ used to know mar if you-didn’t, and spent a. ' heap of money upon me. I reckon he •pent all he had. And one da,—it’s six years tgo thia winter—Jim came into my room, sat down on my sofa, like as HU of a heap, and neve? sqemed to know jiUhat ailed him The Wto« teme and •aides how it waiCaused All tupng of his a*ssft*aCw They advised me to mui<l him td FHuco to the hospital, f. r,he wu no. gwd to anyhSs“?t w’MfilXn t ’e’&fpeP niy busineM and bought this yfer be-

• 7, , -me*— ■ ..*■ travel, you tee, and:l-brought.my baby’ here” tyith » woman’s intuit!ve tact and poe-try,-sbe had as she spoke slowly shitted herboshton so as to bring the mute figure of the ruined -man between her and -hertn theeha’low behinddt —*»s if offered it aan'taolfapology for hfir attlfms. Silent and expresMo- less, it vet spoke for her; helpless, crushed and MniUatfWttfc'thexßtVirw tbunderbalV it still' stretched • an invisible arm around -itajr. Hidden In<he.darknessi but still holdtog his hand, she Went on : “ It* was a loti g tjidte fl-fort'T .could get the hapg of thuigii. about for I was used t 0 company and excitement. I could n> get any tfomatf lo flelp me, and a man fdursei’t trust; but wflat with tbe liidlfairs hereabout, who'd do odd jobs for me, and. having' everything sent from the North Fork, Jim fcnf i; niimage (p worry through. The doctor would run up from Sacramento once* th awhile. - He'd ask to see ’Higgles* baby? as’he called Jim, and When he d go away, he’d say, ,* Miggles ymi’re a trump—God bless you ;’ and it didn’t seem so lonely After that. But the last time he was here he fiid, as he opened the door to-go; ‘Do yoi»-know, Miggles, your baby will grow up to be a man yet and an'ttmbr tohis mother;. but not here, Higgles, not herel’ and I thought fle went fcww sad—and—and” —and here Higgles’voice and head were somehow both lost completely,lit,the shadow. r

“ The folks about here are very kind,’ said: Miggles, after a pause, coming a little into the liglt again. “ The men from the Fork used to hang around here, until they foetid they wasn’t wanted, and the women are kind—and don’t Call I was pretty Jqnflly pn|il I picked up Joaquin in the woods yonder one day, when he wasn’t "o high. aQ d taught him to beg for his dinner; and then thar’s Polly—that’s the magpie—she knows no end of tricks, and makes it quite sociable of evenings with her |alk, and sp I don’t feel like as I was ’he .only living, being about the ranch Anr Jim here,” said Miggles-, with her old i*us A again, and eqmtog 1 ou( quite into the i [relight, noys, you would admire to see how- much -he knows for a man like him. Sometimes I bring him flowers, ami he looks at ’em just as natura ae if be knew ’em; and times, when we’re sitting here alone, I read him those things on the wall; Why Lord!" said Miggles with her frank laugh, “ I’ve read him that whole side of’ the house this winter. There never was such a man for reading

“ Why?’ asked the Judge, “ do you not marry this man to whom you have devoted ydnt youthful life ?” V Well," you see,” said Miggles, “it would be playing it rather low down on ritn; to take advantage of his being so helpless;' And then, too, if we were man and wife, how, we’d botfl knowthat I was bound tq do what I do now of m> own >cci>r<l ” “But you are young* yet and attractive—’’ 9 it’s getting late,’’ said Miggles, grave ly, **and you’d better all turn to. Good night, boys;" and throwing,, tie blanket >v< r her. head, Higgles . laid herself down beside Jim’s chair, her-head pillowed on he low stool that hqld hts feet, and spoke no more. The fire slowly faded from the heArlh ; we each sought our blankets in silence; and, presently, theye Mas no sound in tbe long room hut thqpattering of the rain upon the roof, and the heavy breathing of the sleepers. , ‘ ' i ;“ It was »ea»iy morning when I awoke from a troubled dream. The storm had passed,._t.he stars were shining, and through the shutterless window the full uiodn tJ li£tog it»etf over the nolemi» pines wiihoUfllhMed into tbeTooth. It touched the lonely figure in tha ehair with an infinite c'lmpateion,. anfi stemed to baptize with a shining fl.iod tha lowly head of the •*rnhan whose hair, ah in the-sweet old story, bathed ths faet af.hiur she loved ,ft even leqt a kindly poetry-to the rugged rfutlippto' Yuba Bill,half reclining on his. elbowbetween them ants ms passengers, with savageiv-patient eves keeping watch and ward. And then I full asleep, and only wdkhMt broad day,-with Ytoa-811l standing over me, and “ All aboard” ring-ing-in my IsWk »r ; T: 2. Ooffee was waiting for us on the table, but Miggles was gone We wandered abotat the house and lingered long after tlie horses were harnessed,.but she did not return. It was evident that she wished to avoid a formal leave-taktosr, and. had go ‘ Ifcft us to depart as we had come. After we had helped the ladies into the coach, we returned to the house and solemnly shook hands with the paralytic Jim, as solemnly settling him back into position ifter eato hand shake. Then we looked for the last tithe around the long, low room,'at the itool where Miggles had sat, anij slowly took our seats in the waiting c iach. The whip cracked, and we were < fl’| , • ' ’. •' But as we reached the high r< ad Bill’s dexterous hamd the six horses back bn i heir haunches, and the Stage stopped with a jerk. FdT thete, <in a ilttTe eminence be side the road, stood Miggles, her hair th ing, her eyes sparkling, her white handkerchief waving, and her white tee’b , flsshjng a last “ good bye.” We waved oqr Hats in return. And then Yuba Bill, U if fearful of further fascination, madly IJtebeii his horses forward and we sank wack iu .our seats. We exchanged not a word until, we reached th« North Fork and toq ( »Uge'draw up ct the Indapend eupe Hi >use. Then, the Judge leading, we smikedtoto the bar-room and took our glasses at toe bar, k ‘*Are your glasses charged, gentle lent" said the Judge, solemnly taking off is white hat. bSB 1 -* to Migglex, Gon knows ?—owr