The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1886-11-13
would pay me monthly, but he
usually gets tired of that.
NO,,1xy tho o<hor dow moc %bsrL

would pay me monthly, but he
usually gets tired of that.
"Only the other day ! was think
ing about how much l had made
out here, and how do you suppose
l stand? Well, l have doubled my
money, and l own ten or twelve OF
as good farms as there are in Dakota.
They need improving, of course,
but the land is all there, you bet.
Have any trouble with the set
tiers? Oh, yes; some, once in
while. They are poor lot, and
sometimes they come around and
beg pretty hard, but you've got to
shut down. You can't run a free
dispensary and a bank at the same
time. I'm out there to help those
who help themselves, do you see?
When they get where they can't
do that, why then it helps me.
Every once in a while men in my
business run across down-East
folks who get homesick out here.
Then you've got snap. Take a
down-easter who is homesick and
poor and discouraged, and he'll
give you his farm for enough to
get back East. / have only struck
two such cases, but l know bankers
who have had several. There is
nothing like being around when a
little money is needed. tell you
| have seen the time out here when
my $4,000 looked like million to
the majority of the people.
"Yes, l have had to take good
deal of junk in my day, some of it
stuff that l couldn't give away, but
l took just the same. wouldn't
be business to let 60 of anything
that you once got hold of. Proba-
bly, the funniest bargain that ever
made, though, was the one that
brought me that young lady in
there, my wife. She was out here
farming" as she calls it, though
she didn't know a harrow from a
feed-cutter. She was brave girl,
though. She had a little money
and paid for her farm, but she had
to 60 into debt for her house and
machinery. That's where got in
my work. When it came time for
her to make a payment she was
short, and so she came to me for
money. gave it to her and took
a mortgage on all her property, real
and personal. That is the kind of
deals | like to make. If you can
get one of those girls for customer
you are liable to have a farm after
awhile dirt cheap.
"Well, when the note fell due she
couldn't pay it, and l gave her an
extension at i2S6. / usually get ID
in euch emergencies, but took pity
on her. Then that came due, and
she had no money, and so ! fore
closed on her. That made her mad.
She wanted to make a compromise,
and after a while patched up a
bargain with her, but as / repented
of it, 1 told her the place and all
the things would have to be sold.
A friend Of mine bid them in for
about the sum of my claim, and
the girl got a notice to leave, which
she didn't do. Not much. She
just stayed there, and one day
when l rode out to see if she had
gone, she opened on me with a rifle,
calling me an old shark and thief.
When 1 tried to get some help from
the people round about they init
mated that they would see me
hanged first, and, by thunder, the
girl had me. She was in posses
sion, and there wasn't law enough
in that country to get her out.
$50 after a while / came to the
conclusion that / would have to
reason with her. 1t was getting
about time for me to climb out of
there, anyway, but l couldn't bear
the idea of losing the farm. Then
l got a man to negotiate with her
for an interview, and after while /
called on her, making myself as
agreeable as possible. The upshot
Of it was that l asked her to marry
me and she consented. I'm pretty
we'll satisfied with the deal, for, to
tell the truth, l would never have
got that farm if 1 hadn't taken her
along with it."