ces were held out of doors in a beautiful glade, and
were conducted by the Rev. Dr. Gill. It was a most impressive scene.
This was the only death in La Gloria during the six months succeeding
the arrival of the first colonists. This low rate of mortality was the
more remarkable from the fact that a number of invalids came or were
brought into the colony during the winter. One day there came in from
the port a wagon bringing a woman who had been a paralytic for years,
and her sick husband, who had been unable to sit up for a long time.
They were from Kansas, and were accompanied by grown children and
friends. The colonists expected there would very soon be two deaths in
La Gloria, but the sick man, who was a mere skeleton, improved steadily
and in a few weeks was able to walk about the camp, while his paralytic
wife was no worse and was considered by the family to be slightly
better. Considering that the invalids were living in tents without
expert care, the man's recovery was hardly less than marvelous.

On April 2, work on the corduroy road to the port, which had been
suspended, was resumed under the capable supervision of D. E. Lowell.
Mr. Lowell proved to be the best roadmaker who had taken a hand at the
game up to that time, and, considering the little he had to do with,
accomplished a great deal. His workmen were from among the colonists and
he rarely had more than ten or twelve at a time, and usually less, but
in five or six weeks he had done much for the betterment of the highway.
No one realized better than Mr. Lowell that this was only a temporary
road, but it was the best to be had at the time. Later in the year, a
fine, permanent highway to the port was begun by Chief Engineer Kelly,
and when completed La Gloria's great drawback will be removed. Kelly's
is a substantial, rock-ballasted road, twelve feet wide, and graded two
feet above high-water mark. It will make La Gloria easy of access from
the coast.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XIV.

THE FIRST BALL IN LA GLORIA.

Meanwhile, the sale and allotment of plantations and town lots steadily
continued, until on April 9, six months from the day the surveyors began
their operations, about twelve thousand or fifteen thousand acres of
land had been allotted, besides nine hundred and thirty-three city lots.
Many of the lots had been cleared, and parts of some of the plantations.
Quite an amount of planting, in the aggregate, had been done.

The survey corp