San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-12-02
AFTER FORTY YEARS.

st was in the fall of AZ that three young
fellows left Rochester for the west, deter.
mined to hew out their fortunes or perish
in the attempt" said one of the party of
four or five who were gathered in the cabin
of a lake propeller, bound down, one
stormy night. One or two of the number
had stemmed the monotony and broken
the ice toward freer feeling by rehears-
ing some light anecdotes or "reminiscences,
when a gray haired rotund gentleman
ventured as above All attention was given
him, and he then continued:
AS was one of them will be more
personal and say that we were strong, well
built specimens Of manhood and had any
amount of grit, and we had also made up
our minds to I've fully independent of the
world and Of each other. We went TO-
gether from Buffalo to Detroit by boat
Arriving at Detroit and spending day or
two In looking about we then after con-
sultation concluded to part company and
zach 60 ia the direction he thought best.
This may seem rather queer, for young
men to start out together with common
interests and then to switch around and
20 it alone, but it was q freak Of young
minds It had something odd and TO
mantle about it that struck US favorably.
"Before parting we agreed to return to
our old home at Rochester in forty years,
if our lives were spared. This was putting
it long ways ahead. but this was only
another freak.
"Well, as before said, l am one Of the
three, and am now on my way to Roch-
ester in fulfillment of the agreement
made. don't know whether shall SEQ
the others or not. have never heard a
word from either Of them, and really do
not know whether to think they are dead
or alive"
While this was being said young man,
who had been trying to read by the dim,
pickering light, put aside his book and
strained eagerly to catch every word ut
tered by the story teller.
at might. in view Of this" continued
the man with gray hairs, "be interesting
to you, gentlemen, to have brief sketch
Of what has happened to me since that
time of my separation from my comrades
now almost forty years ago."
Eyes, yes let us have it" they all cried.
The old gentleman moved himself into a
more comfortable position, while the young
man edged himself little closer to the
group.
well, | struck straight north, took a
boat for Mackinaw and from there drifted
to Green Bay, Wis. There was nothing of
Green Bay then, but saw some good land,
and by wiggling around managed to get
hold of some Of it. then held on; it was
pretty hard work sometimes, but ! never
let that land go, and as result it is worth
many thousands of Uncle Sans big silver
dollars. But that is only on one line, and
is a little out of order started little
supply store in Green Bay when it first be-
gan to develop, and as ! was having mod
crate success | soon got me wife.
well we padded along without much
occurring until one day big fellow came
into my store, said he was a lumberman
and ordered a heavy bill of goods. He
then went out, and in a few hours returned
considerably intoxicated and wanted to
borrow SO | of course could not let him
have it. for | had not found time to look
up who my customer was, and feared he
might be trying to swindle me- Upon my
refusing his request he became very much
enraged, and commenced shooting at me
with big pistol he carried. In defense of
myself | seized a loaded gun that was
standing in a corner, and in the heat OF the
moment discharged it toward him, and
was Immediately Mortified to see him fall
and die at once.
well, to make a long story short, l was
exonerated from all guilt by the authori-
ties: and yet every little while heard
some one whisper and look or point to-
ward me. and it made me feel very uneasy.
So finally decided TO pull up stakes and
90 farther west About this time, how
ever, was drafted into the military serv-
ice-the war had just begun-and went
through the whole campaign, leaving be-
hind those two fingers holding up his
hand for inspection-"and bringing out
the long scar on the back of my head.
II then went west agaiu, picked up my