The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1882-03-29
A YOUNG LAWYERS. ADVENTURE.

ANANS "NhthSAs
'Splendid, indeed"
"Crops growing fsely?'
"Yes, couldn't do better"
was sitting in a passenger coach on 8
Wisconsin railroad, one day, years ago,
when a good looking, pleasant-spoken man
came along, stopped at my seat; and the
above conversation took place, the latter part
of it after I had given him a part of my seat.
Now lam regarded as a social man. Like
ajoke, a good bit; and / think a sour, morose
man, who uses his tongue only when obliged
to, is bound to die Of some terrible disease,
and GO to come place Of red-ho t punishment.
On entering a railroad car | always look
about for q talkative man, and then get as
close to him as possible, and drain him dry,
If the journey is long enough.
And l want to state one thing more. Left
on orphan before / could realize the event
that made me one, | got kicked here and
cuffed there, and ''grew up between folks
as they say. I ought to have had, at the
time of which ! write, q pretty thorough
AuUWlCuk6 Va uliln 10tutCs o0u A0t0 OSOA
enabled 10 read in a mans face if he intended
me evil. / did not pride myself on being
over keen or extra sharp, but the knocking
around among strangers ought to give one
good experience.
Well, the stranger and l fell into an easy
train of conversation as we rode on together,
and in ten minutes l began to enjoy his COM
pary. He was a well-made fellow, finely
dressed, and he wore a fine watch and simon
pure diamond ring. l never saw q mar who
could talk so easily and SO pleasantly. l
seemed that he had but to open his mouth
and the words fel! right out.
I had travelled IN the South; so had he. l
had heard the loud roar of the Pacific; he
knew all about it. l had been up in a bal
loon, down in a mine; been blown up,
smashed up, and repaired again; my new
friend had experienced all these things, and
was waiting for something to turn up of a
more startling nature. We agreed on poll
tics, and l had never met such q railroad
companion.
- III" Jou CtOA q AAoA La aAouSA q
stranger to you ten minutes before, could
wrest from you secrets which you'd sworn
TO yourself not to reveal? We'll, he was just
snch a man. 1t was not long before he com
menced asking me questions. He did not
seem TO be try ing to quiz or draw me out,
but he asked mt questions in such q sly,
round. about way, that before I knew it l was
giving him my history.
was just at that time on the point Of be-
Ing admitted 10 the bar Of Wisconsin as a
student Of Law s. Law, Of Brisrville.
The firn were old lawyers, with q lucra.
tive practice, and it had been talked over
that in about a month | was to become the
&C., Of the firm. A year before, an old
farmer named Preston, down about four
miles from Grafton, had died, and his mat
ters had been put into the hands Of Law &
Law for settle ment. Preston had died rich.
He had money in tho bank. railroad stocks,
mortgages, ETC., and everything was settled
up to the satisfaction of the relict and the
fatherless.
About a year before his death, being short
for money and not wishing to sell anything
at sacrifice, Preston had given q mortgage
on his farm for s., 900 While the papers
read zone year from date" there was a yer
bal agreement that it should be lifted off any
day when Preston desired. A month after
when, having the money, he desired to clear
off the paper, the old money bags holding
it refused to disgorge, wishing to secure his
interest for q year.
| was on my way to ascertain the date of
expiration. A fire among our Office papers
had destroyed the memoranda, and l must
go down and get The date from Old Scrip.
who lives south Of Grafton about five miles.
The stranger had pumped ali this out Of me
10 ten minutes; and yet | never once sus-
pected that he was receiving information.
L am not positive" | added, ''but I am
pretty sure the Tins is The 13.h-Which would
be Tuesday"
And then your folks will SEMI down the
money and discharge the mortgage, Of
coarse p he inquired.
lob, yes. | should most likely bring it
down. | replied; and 1t never occurred to
me how itnprueent | was.
He turned the conversation into other
channels and did not once attempt to pump
me further. We got to Grafton at half pas,
ten. and to my surprise he announced that he
was to stop in the town on business for d few
days. / had not asked his name or vocation.
while he knew everything about me.
We Went to the hotel, had elmer, and then