Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/290

 influences.

Letters from  home ! blessed be  letters  I  Though they come  travel-stained  from  a  voyage  of  seven thousand miles,  across  two  oceans  and  a  continent, they are  as  fresh  with  old  associations,  as  fragrant with sweet  reminiscences  as  if  penned  but  yesterday. How like  angels'  visits  they  come  at  steamer  intervals, and what  a  spell  their  presence  casts,  freighted  as  they are with  love  and  kind  greetings. Many a  time  have I sat  at  my  table,  far  into  the  night,  opening  one after another  from  a  pile  of  business  correspondence before me,  having  first  selected  and  placed  unopened on one  side,  yet  not  so  far  away  but  that  my  hungry eye could  rest  on  them,  all  that  breathed  of  tender memories and  pure  affection,  resolutely  holding  them there, the  best  for  the  last. There they  lay  filling the room  as  with  a  spiritual  attendance,  throwing their magic  influence  into  every  fibre  of  my  being,  and dimming with  moisture  the  eyes  that  would  not  cease to look  on  them. Then with  what  tremulously  sweet and bitter  emotions  T  would  take  them  up  and  break- ing the seals,  let  into  my  fluttering  heart  the  soothing stream of  mellow  memories,  drank  once  more  from the fountains  of  my  youth,  and  bathed  my  weary  soul in the  sacred  atmosphere  of  home. Sweet silent messages, whose  witching  presence  can  so  wean  our sordid vision  from  the  seducing  mirage  of  glittering dust !

An impecunious  discouraged  young  man  digging at Columbia,  who  had  found  his  friends  at  home  de- linquent in writing  to  him,  determined  to  bring  a  re- sponse if it  lay  in  the  power  of  ink  and  goose-quill. Accordingly he  seated  himself  and  wrote  three  or  four old gossips  asking  the  price  of  land,  and  stock,  what advantageous investments  offered,  what  a  fine  farm  of two  or  three  hundred  acres  could  be  purchased  for — since which  time  during  his  stay  in  California  there was not  a  mail  but  brought  him  letters.

The new  post-office  building,  now  in  the  autumn  of 1852  fronting  on  the  plaza,  and  extending  fr