Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1886-01-30
Il EARLY DAYS.
Incidents of 1928 Both Seriously
and Humorously Treated.

SssbANiA&Ott VI SA1O lNXGns
OCEANS columns since the Old Settlers
reunion Of Dec. 81, last has n~ecessita,ed
the omission until now of Mr.. Brooke's
remarks anent pioneer days OH Devils
lake. 1t is a valuable contribution to
the history Of Ramsey county, and is
worth preserving:
Friends and FeAny Citizens: Sometime
ago l was indiscrete enough to promise
my friend Major Benham that I would
give a few of the early incidents of pio-
necr experience in this section, as for
some reason it IA thought that it might
a ID to its enjoyment; but under all the
circumstances l had concluded to aban-
don the idea. and had resolved, until a
few moments ago, not to say ANYTHING.
No mar likes to be laughed at. He may
smile and pretend that he enjoys it, but
his laugh sounds like the rattle of bones
IN a coffin and bears about the same re-
lation to true merriment that big Ike's"
voice would to the music of a nightin
gale, or the walblng Of a Parepa Rosa !
1t has a kind Of a '-never mind. I'll get
even with you" ring TO it, that chills the
blood Of the speaker and the smile that
plays across his face looks like the CLINT
ing Of an Arctic sun in the face of q
grizzly. The fact is that these little stories
Of mine, unlike the meat we had up
here in pioneer days, will not spoil from
keeping. They r not rel,shed when
fresh. l soon found Oh inquiry that i'll
attempted. to carry out the majors re.
quest I would have to do it "from afar
off," or transform myself into a peripa-
tetic John L. Sullivan and swear out u
hundred peace warrants. I concluded
MT to answer "Jim's" conumdrum in
nay own person, "Say, jedge, is 1t any
more harm to carry a ra~zor than a
jack knife?' q
The time has not come when al au-
thentic history of the "early pioneers"
can be written with safety, and looking
As ! do to the interest Of posterity, yours
l mean. l do not care to start a feud
which may be perpetuated to the re
motest generation Of the Benhams, Sim
rails, Hunts, Lamoreax, McClorys, Coy
kendalls, Bartons and the other no less
prominent members Of the "F. F. Rs"
first families Of Ramsey county. In
the winter Of 1872 I was seated in my Of
fee In Fargo when in on we'll poised
wing swept and swooped the bombshell
boreal and booming boomer, the unriv-
aled, unequalled and unconquerable
eagle Screamer' Of the pure, peerles,
and perennial -mpyrean Of the sapphire
spangled and bediAmoned dome Of Da.
kota skles-Col. Peter DOMAIN. He and |
had once been III love with one Of the
dark-haired damsels Of the sunny South
and the fact that she had showed her
Sense Ivy hooting both Of us and marry.
ing Il MA who did not scream" or 'g,
to Dakota" had established u sort of II
b md between uS-.bout the only bond OF
ourst that was good for anything-ofsym.
ptthy. He perched HIM +elf with one or
Two eloquent flaps Of his wing, smoo,hed
down his ruf1ed feathers and asked me
if l did not want my name added to the
hosts Of those "who had come up
through much tribulation" and had their
fortunes made by him in the great gold
e%n-yranaried, banana-belted northwest
I recorded my vote in the affirmative.
Well the upshot Of it all was that !
stored away my big trunk and bought 4
grip sack that was bigger than the shack
appropriated to my use on my arrival
and started for Ramsey county. am
here yet. ! have had a liberal share Of
the "tribulation,' but the fortune ii
still at the base Of the rainbow. I was 8
'"tenderfoot." At least 80 I was told anc
il believe it now. Nowadays when ! gaze
on my calloused bunioned and corn crib
bed pedestals Il hardly recognize ir
chem the tenderfect of thee years ago
Aid to think that the days Of my oil
grimage are not over.
I stopped in Larimore and Dough
from Goodhue = pair Of felt boots abou
three sizes to large, which gave me thu
appearance, with my dude pants on, o
"puss in boots." But Goodhue (uh,
could resist Goodhue?) said they were
perfect fit. I was a young Dakotan ant
had not Caught OH" to the "bluffinh
effect Of a good sized "roar!!" In tw,
weeks my o WAS in the heel and m,
heels were being trost-bitten through tn
holes with which I pulled them on, ant
their toes we're off in the perspective
. like one of Mellen's mounds. l used (,
81, in my shack with them ON and shoe
at the toes off on the prairie with a pis
toll for gophers! 1 had a pistol. VIVA
/ wanted with j. can't exactly remem
Der, but I was told that 1t was Fashion
able' up here and that l would not b
treated with respect i'll did not conform
my habits to those of the best society
l am sure, though, that after the olooJ
curdling stories I had heard down i
Fargo Of big Dam and Wolcott, that
any one had tackled me he would hay
ME with the response that u cousin q