A California Girl Part 11

"All right, Stella, get yourself ready and we will leave right away."

CHAPTER XIII.

RETURN OF BEN WEST.

About two months before Ben West returned to Orangeville, Mr. Hammond took a letter out of the Orangeville post-office, which read as follows:

"_Kohn & Kohn, Bankers and Brokers, Stillman Block._ "SAN FRANCISCO, April 7, 1899.

"_Harrison Hammond, Esq., "Orangeville, Calif._

"DEAR SIR: We have been instructed by Benj. West, Esq., one of the leading capitalists of the Klondike, to send you a draft for five hundred dollars, with a letter from that gentleman to you, both of which we have enclosed.

"Yours resp't'y, "KOHN & KOHN."

The letter from Ben West to Mr. Hammond was as follows:

"DAWSON CITY, KLONDIKE, Feb. 12, 1899.

"_H. Hammond, Esq., "Orangeville, Cal._

"FRIEND HAMMOND: After sending Julia the jewelry, I realized that I had got my foot in it, in this way: She thinks she must have a costly bridal outfit to match the jewelry. Now, I have written her that as we will be married in Orangeville, she need not get anything very extra fine; that what she thinks she may need in the way of costly dresses, she can get in San Francisco after we are married, but I realize she might like a few good clothes, so I send you five hundred dollars to buy her what she may need in that line, which I hope you will accept, as I know the income from a ranch cannot stand any such extravagance. You will receive the money from my brokers, Kohn & Kohn. Please keep this confidential and not let Julia know a word about it.

"Your friend, "BEN WEST."

After reading the letters Mr. Hammond had a good opportunity of talking the matter over with his wife, as Julia had gone out for the day.

They both took a sensible view of the matter and thought that under the circ.u.mstances it would be proper to accept the five hundred dollars, as Julia would wear the clothes as Ben West's wife, and said it was very thoughtful in him to send the money.

Mrs. Hammond said, as Julia was going to San Francisco as soon as she was married, she thought it would be best to go to Fresno and select her bridal trousseau there. Continuing, she said: "Julia knows you have money in the bank, but how much she has no idea; therefore, she will not suspect but you are paying for her bridal outfit yourself."

So Mrs. Hammond and Julia went to Fresno. On their return Julia seemed more than pleased with her purchases. It is not to be expected that each kind of garment that was bought will be mentioned here, neither will we go into a minute description of the amount of lace, embroidery, insertion and scallop work on the various garments.

In the four weeks previous to Julia's wedding day she had numerous callers to see her jewelry and her bridal trousseau.

The amount of close inspection, quick observation, speculative thought and general talk that was given to all articles pertaining to the bride's wardrobe and jewelry, if devoted to some of the serious social problems of the nation, would have settled them thoroughly for all time.

"Is it not strange," remarked Mr. Hammond one evening after some callers had gone and Julia had retired, "the amount of interest and thought people take in things that are really of so little consequence to them; but things which are of the greatest importance to their own welfare it is hard to get them to give two minutes' consideration to them? They want excitement, and love it a great deal more than an intelligent understanding of such issues as are to them of vital importance. For instance, government ownership of railroads, telegraphs and telephones to be operated at cost for the benefit of the people; the issuing and loaning of money by the government to the people, instead of by the banks to the people; also the adoption by the nation of the Initiative and Referendum."

Some of the elderly ladies in Orangeville who had lived in the east many years before coming to California, brought to Orangeville some of their old sayings, and one of these sayings began to float through the atmosphere of Orangeville and was whispered from one to another; namely, that Julia Hammond had fallen into a tub of b.u.t.ter. Now, on first hearing such a statement one would think a sad calamity had happened to the young lady, especially when taking into consideration that in a few weeks' time she expected to change her name. But upon making an examination of her wearing apparel, one saw no sign of such an accident, and when she appeared at the table in her elegant morning wrapper you could not see any grease spots on her well-fitting garment, and when you began to wonder what they could mean by saying that Julia Hammond had fallen into a tub of b.u.t.ter, you resolve you will make a further and closer scrutiny of that young lady's person. At last it begins to dawn upon your mind, for you notice that when she puts her elbow on the table and her hand up to the side of her face, your eyes are almost dazzled by seeing something on her finger which are brilliant stones set in gold.

When Julia Hammond appeared at the ball the other night, the main talk of the evening was about her diamond ring, her gold watch set with diamonds, and her elegant diamond necklace, making that swan-like neck simply superb.

As she drove her span of matched bays one morning she pa.s.sed two young men in a buggy. Then the following conversation took place between the men:

Fred said to Henry, who was a stranger in Orangeville and was making him a visit:

"Henry, just look at that in her back hair."

"That is just elegant," said Henry, as his eyes rested on a very rich gold hairpin set with diamonds which were sparkling in their beauty, as the rays of the sun brought out their brilliancy.

Fred said: "That's Julia Hammond, the bethrothed of Ben West, who went to the Klondike and struck it rich, having made a little over half a million dollars."

The last day Ben West was in Orangeville before leaving for the Klondike, he had a private talk with Mr. Hammond concerning Julia. Mr.

Hammond gave his consent and wished him prosperity. So it was arranged that, owing to the long and uncertain carrying of the mails out of the Klondike country, he would write a letter to Julia as if he had made a stake, and in the letter make her an offer of marriage, and give it to Mr. Hammond to hand to Julia when Mr. Hammond received word from Ben by telegram, saying, "Stake made, give the letter to Julia," and Mr.

Hammond was to wire Ben Julia's answer so he would not be kept long in a state of suspense. This was all carried out to the letter, and Ben West received a telegram which read: "Yes. Have written in full. Julia Hammond."

Continuing, Fred said: "When Ben West was in San Francisco on his way to the Klondike, he went into the store of Stein & Co., jewelers, and selected the jewelry he might want, should he make a stake. So when he received Julia's answer of acceptance he ordered by wire a diamond ring, a gold watch set in diamonds, a diamond necklace, and a gold hairpin set with diamonds. Stein & Co. sent them to Julia with Ben West's love.

He wired Kohn & Kohn, the bankers, to pay Stein & Co.

"Ben's mother said: 'Those jewels for that girl cost Ben twenty thousand dollars.'"

Henry said: "Just think of that fellow's luck. Some men are born rich, some acquire riches and some have riches thrust upon them."

Fred said: "Some men are lucky sure. There's Ben West, who is coming to Orangeville in a week. All the people will just go wild over him and lionize him. And won't Julia be sweet to him after giving her all that jewelry. They say, 'If you want honey you must have money.' Ben has got the money and now he is going to have the honey; and just think, in three weeks' time he is going to be married, going to have that pretty, handsome, fresh young girl all to himself. Isn't she a beauty! My! Ben will be in clover; he will have a picnic sure."

Henry said: "If I could be in Ben West's shoes for just two months, I would be willing to spend the balance of my life in h.e.l.l. I would have one comfort in thinking what a fine time I had had."

Fred said: "Ben West will be here to-morrow and he will take good care to see that not you nor any other man will be in his shoes for two months from the time he is married."

When Ben set his foot in Orangeville on his return from the Klondike, the news flew all over the locality, as if the wind had made it its mission to carry the intelligence all over the country into every home.

Those who knew him least were just as anxious to see him as those who had always known him. They did want to see, to talk to and shake hands with the lion of the day, the hero of the hour, the man whose name was in every one's mouth. If a man had arrived in Orangeville who had saved twenty persons from drowning, there would not have been half the desire to see him or hear him talk on how the persons were saved. Why, Ben West received nothing but one continued round of hearty hand-shaking and warm greetings, and his ears heard nothing but eulogies and encomiums and general admiration for the man who had made himself the owner of the two great idols that are worshipped by the Western world.

Ben West had got what most men are seeking but few finding. If you were in Orangeville you would be told that it was a Christian community; but if you squared them by the command given by Jesus, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven and its righteousness, and all these shall be added unto you," you would find them sadly wanting, for the Kingdom of Heaven is the last thing they want. It is, "These things which shall be added unto you" is what they want. For they want their heaven to be in the possession of things outside of themselves.

A great dance was given in honor of Orangeville's coming man.

Predictions were heard that it would not be long before he would be Governor of California, with a good show for a seat in the United States Senate.

Most of the people of Orangeville were great on dances. If they had a sociable it had to close with a dance; if a political meeting was held, they had a dance afterwards; a spelling bee wound up with a dance. If you would let them, they would dance after Sabbath School and preaching.

If you want a big crowd at a meeting, just give out there will be a dance at the close, and teams will come for miles from all over the country. Dance; why they want to dance all the time. They simply become intoxicated with dancing. There is no moderation about it. They leave the dance hall about four or five o'clock in the morning. Does that kind of recreation help them physically? How do they feel during the next day? Does it help them intellectually? Does it help them spiritually?

Then why pursue a course of recreation _so immoderately_ as to be detrimental to their highest interests?

When Mr. Hammond heard about the great dance that was coming off in honor of Ben West, he said it did seem to him as if a dance was the only thing the people of Orangeville could get up. He had never known them as a community to get up anything else but a dance, and yet, he said, there are some very fine people who attend these country dances. Persons of n.o.ble character, who live lives of self-denial in their homes and meet trials and misfortunes bravely and heroically, I am glad to say.

Julia did not attend the dance because it was too near her wedding day; but Ben West had a very enjoyable time, for the leading young ladies in Orangeville were delighted at having the opportunity of dancing once more with their old friend. But now a new interest had centered in him, in the fact of his being the rising man and soon to be married.

There was a very large crowd at the dance. A number came from Roseland; in fact, there were more than the hall could accommodate. There were a number of men wanting to see Ben West a few minutes on the side, to talk with him about what show there would be for them at the Klondike, as each of them wished to be successful like Ben West.

For three weeks previous to his being married, Ben did not know whether he was afoot or on horseback. What with the joy his father and mother manifested at having him back again in their home, and the real, sweet, loving and delightful hours he spent with Julia, who was free in her demonstrations of affection, he being so worthy of it.

At last that day which always seems so long in coming, but which always comes, came to Ben West and Julia Hammond. They had a quiet wedding in the morning; then came the wedding dinner, after which they went to Roseland, taking in the theater in the evening and stopping at the Arlington Hotel that night. The next day they took the Flyer for San Francisco. On arriving in that city they went to the Clifton Hotel. In the evening they attended the opera.

As Julia had never been to San Francisco, they decided to spend a week in sight-seeing. The second week they spent in looking at elegant houses. After looking round for six days they bought a mansion on Van Ness avenue for eighty thousand dollars. It originally cost one hundred and thirty thousand. Then, the third week they spent in selecting furniture, which cost them twenty thousand dollars. The fourth week they bought a fine matched team and a carriage, for which they paid fifteen hundred dollars, and kept them at a livery stable. They also purchased two bicycles and an automobile, and got three servants, a maid for Julia, a woman to do the housework, and a Chinese cook. All laundry work was done out of the house. The second month was spent in going to many interesting places outside of San Francisco as well as taking in more of the city. Everything so far had run very smoothly.

Then a conversation arose regarding what business Mr. West had better turn his attention to to occupy himself. After a little talk, Julia said: "You have now about four hundred thousand dollars. I do wish you could make it a million. How proud I should be of you, Ben, to have a millionaire for a husband. Just think what the people of Orangeville will say when they hear you have become a millionaire. Why, dear, I should just worship you to think that I had got a husband that was such a successful man as to make a million dollars in so short a time. When you become a millionaire, Ben, we will go to Europe in style, and what a gay time we will have in Paris, dear."