4 
and impressions of that short trip. 
It is as absolute a desert as Sa- 
harah—a great waste of dried up, 
burned up America. There is not a 
living green thing—just waste, sand, 
stones. Over it all the sun pours 
down in awful heat, blistering your 
lips, parching your skin and produc- 
ing the awful desert thirst. 
If it was this awful at 9 A. M., 
what would it be at 2 P. M,, I 
thought, and I had been told that the 
nights gave little relief, for after the 
stin had set the heat from the ground 
furnace rises in a vapor, and it is 
only for an hour or two in the early 
morning that the desert is fairly cool. 
We stopped for a few minutes to 
let tie team rest and I accidently put 
my hand on the wheel tire, and it 
burned like a hot iron, and the bar- 
rel of a gun that protruded from the 
wagon cover could no more be handl- 
ed than a red hot stove. 
it is said there are only two signs 
of life ever secn in this stretc2 of 
desert, the huge hairy tarantula and 
the rattlesnake—the only two living 
things that can stand the awful heat. 
| rode along the trail through this 
desert and thought back to the days 
of *49 when men, women and child- 
ren crossed it, crossed it after having 
driven the plodding ox teams hun- 
dreds of miles through semi-desert 
countries, crossed it with hardly a 
mouthful of food or a bucket of 
water. 
I sat in a sheltered rig with a full 
barrel of water by my side, with a 
half dozen bottles of lemon, with 
plenty of food and with a driver who 
had crossed many times and knew 
every inch of the way. 
And I concluded American sand 
had been pretty well bred out of me, 
or the lure of gold was mighty potent 
in the days of 409. 
These plains have been strewn with 
the skeletons of early day pioneers, 
It is a land of thirst and starvation. 
Rain seldom falls on the parched 
sands and the dry atmosphere is so 
clear one can easily see twenty or 
thirty miles ahead. 
The ranchman told me it was a lo- 
cality for wonderful mirages, and 
that he seldom crossed it that he did 
not see the “pictures.” He thought 
the atmospheric conditions were 
about right that day, and we would 
probably see the only free show in 
the California desert, 
But I think he had heard the train 
whistle, and were near a telegraph 
station. 
And when it slowed down, I bolt- 
ed and tore for the station. I yelled 
to the ranchman I was sick. I didn’t 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
explain, I just grabbed my suit case 
and bolted, and when the conductor 
helped me on he remarked I was 
lucky, as it was a chance stop. I had 
planned on two days and a night on 
the trip. I was turned over and well 
done in three hours. I thought I lik- 
ed deserts for a vacation trip, but I 
had never seen the real thing until 
I tried this California variety. 
Yet many men hunt it over every 
year, go out in search of the gold 
that all are satisfied is there. Few 
find it, and few get it afiter it is 
found. There must be water and 
men cannot live on gold. 
And even to this day men go out 
in this desert and never come back. 
Sand storms come up and smother 
them; and then there is that almost 
irresistible desert beckon to “come 
on” that takes many a prospector be- 
yond the distance of his water, and 
leaves his body to mumify or to feed 
the gaunt ravens that fly over the 
dead land. 
There is unquestionably great min- 
eral wealth hidden in these plains, 
BOSTON OPERA HOUSE 
The eleventh week of the season 
of the Boston Opera company will be 
opened on Monday, Feb. 2, with the 
usual double bill of “Cavalleria 
Rusticana,” and “I Pagliacci,” with 
casts of remarkable strength. The 
role of Santuzza will be taken for 
the first time here by Margarita 
D’Alvarez, Edoardo Ferrari-Fontana 
will assume the part of Turiddu for 
the first time. In the Leoncavalle 
opera, Alice Nielsen will make her 
second operatic appearance here this 
year in the role of Nedda. © 
On Wednesday night Rossini’s 
‘Barber of Seville” will be repeated 
with Alice Nielsen in the role of 
Rosina. 
The outstanding feature of the 
week, aside from the repetition of 
“Die Meistersinger” will be the first 
performance here this season of “La 
Gioconda,” which will be restored to 
the repertoire after three years, This 
DON’T NEGLECT YOUR WATCH 
A watch is the most delicate machine made and yet the most neglected. 
Most people do not realize that it needs occasional cleaning and oiling like 
any other machine, and therefore they force it to run longer than it should. 
If your watch has run longer than two years let us put it in order. 
F. S. Thompson, sJewe_er 
164 Main Street, Gloucester 
but nature protects them more sure- 
ly than a vault. 
It was only two years ago that a 
party of five went southward into the 
‘desert. Months after the body of one 
was found, by the side of a dead 
burro and in a sack were gold speci- 
mens almost. solid, 
Where the strike was made none 
have yet discovered, and the bodies 
of the rest of the party have never 
been found. Thirst undoubtedly 
caught them, they became separated, 
lost and died. 
Many a prospecting bunch has 
hunted the desert as far as water 
would allow them to go, but the 
strike that cost five men their lives is 
yet_a secret, 
Mexicans say God cursed the land 
and hid the gold because the Gringos 
robbed Mexico of the country, but 
history says this was a desert doing 
business long before Spain ever ced- 
ed any of it.. 
But it-is a cinch drouth will pro-- 
tect its gold for some time to come. 
performance will also signalize the 
last appearance this year of Mme. 
D’Alvarez, the wonderful contralto, 
who has truly been the sensation of 
the season. 
At the Saturday matinee, “Die 
Meistersinger” will be given its third 
hearing, under the leadership of 
Andre-Caplet. The cast will be largely 
as before. with the exception of the 
Walther. This role will be taken by 
Leon Laffitte, who is in every way - 
qualified to make an excellent Wal- 
ther. The Eva will be Frieda 
Hempel. ; 
On Saturday evening, “Lucia di 
Lammermoor” will be offered at popu- 
lar prices. The Donizzetti opera re- 
mains one of the most popular, as it 
is pehaps the most melodious, in the 
entire Italian repertoire. Evelyn 
Scotney will be the Lucia, Vincenzo 
Tanlongo the Edgardo, and Rodolfe 
Fornari the Ashton. Arnaido Schia- 
voni will direct, 
