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 butter. 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 butter, 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 passed 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."