Page:The Homes of the New World- Vol. III.djvu/283

Rh thoughts evidently directed to the world and its pleasures. This lady is nevertheless a widow after her third marriage, and the mother of twelve children, nine of whom are dead, and two married, and the grandmother of three grandchildren.

“And you got very well through all this?” said I with some surprise.

“Yes, indeed,” replied she, evidently well satisfied with herself and her own strength of mind.

“And you would not perhaps be unwilling to marry a fourth time?” said Mrs. W. H., a little curious as to the reply.

“Oh, no!” replied she calmly, “not if I could better myself by so doing.”

Miss Mac I. was so indignant at this that she could hardly restrain herself from breaking out upon her.

Among the gentlemen was a young Californian adventurer, just returned from the land of gold, and on his way back to his wife and his home, with divers lumps of gold, melted and unmelted, Californian ducats, and a white China silk shawl for his wife. He was a handsome young man, more of a dandy, and more childish than is usual for an American, but all suitable for a Californian adventurer. I wanted to know something about the country, and the people, and the way of life in California; about the Chinese and their social state, their mode of worship, &c. But the young man merely knew that he had with him many nuggets of gold, and a Chinese silk shawl for his wife.

This afternoon we went a little way inland, and saw a fine cotton plantation, beautifully situated upon a lofty terrace by the river. It belonged, as we were told, to a Mr. Valburg. I was particularly pleased with some of the slave-dwellings which I visited, and which bore evidence of a certain degree of prosperity, as did also the appearance of some of the slaves who had returned from labour.