Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-06-04

THE LANDLORDS TRICK.
The average rainfall, which is really
the bette noir of the Pacific coast, is less
virulent perhaps at Townsend than else
where. While Dunganess has 90 inches.
Whatcom 2S Sarnish 30, Swinomish 80,
Stilhguamish 40 and Snohomish s.,
Port Townsend has but 16. Possibly
the names have something to do with it,
for these towns with Indian names, some
of them are cursed with rainfall which
would drive old Mr.. Mcintosh out of the
country. Take Squeamish, for instance,
and East Peritonitis, and Bomballa, and
Sweethomish, and Upper Steilacoomum-
brella, each of which has from 50 to 1G5
- inches of mean rainfall and nett moist
ure during the year, exclusive of dews.
Snow and hail rarely fall at Port Town
send and some years there are none at
all, and in summer she gets cool breeze
up the straits of San Juan de Fuca from
the ocean which makes Townsend much
cooler in summer than any of the other
sound cities. Port Townsend, as one APP
proaches it, reminds one-or, if there are
more than one, it may remind the whole
party-of Havre, France, Europe. The
beautiful and peaceful harbor, together
with the green terraced town, rising rap
idly from the ripping seas, like Undine
or Niobe or Mrs. James Brown Potter,
fresh from the bath-it is a beautiful
sight shall never forget how beauti
full Havre looked to mo on the morning
of my arrival there. l had ridden from
Southampton, which is located in Eng
.a.l
Harry by cultivated Americans from the
Little Big Horn mountains). 1t takes
eight long and nauseating hours to make
this trip via a sort of Fort Lee ferryboat
which gives the choppy channel chance
to assess the already depleted and de-
spoiled and depopulated land lubber at a
wonderful rate. The emerald hills of
Law bel Frawngs, as heard a scholarly
man from Pumpkin Buttes call it, ap-
peared before me and rose along with
other bric-a-brac in the bright sunlight
as our good ship Hoboken plowed the
waves. | stood forward of the after
hatch and abaft the purloin deck as my
whole past life came up before me.
Tears chased themselves and others down
my fluffy cheeks and fell with hot
spatter on the deck. But they were
tears of joy.
Though l was landing in strange
country whose language l could not
speak and had but 81 S5 in American
money and letter of credit which did
not know what to do with, was coming
to land-blessed land. In an hours time,
with returning hunger, had devastated
frio
soning had told me in broken English,
with great sorrow, how he had brother
who looked also like me, and he also
died few years ago-he and his tape
worm together They died in each
others arms, he said, and one grave now
holds them both. He then brought me
some more things to eat, and with
funny little bottle of mucilage added
another supplement to the bill.
Havre has green place in my MEM
DRY and warm, lower berth in my
heart. Twas there that with beautiful
courtesy the Credit Lyonnaise cashier
cashed my letter, simply requesting me
to remove my hat by way of identified
ton. Gazing ON my massive skull for
an instant, and placing his ear to it for
moment iii order to herr me think lit
tie, he turned to his escritoire and hand
ed me out hatful of shining Napo-
Icons.
But Townsend has the advantage OF
Havre in two respects. First, she has
in view in two different directions a
chain of beautiful snow capped noun
tains which just completes the picture,
and, second, she is less overrun with for
eigners than Havre. You hear the i'd
iomatic American tonGue almost con-
stantly at Port Townsend.
was there on Ali Fools day, as it is
called. The proprietor of the hotel was
working the cheerful little thread game,
which, as the reader knows, consists in
concealing in the coat pocket spool of
, white thread, the end OF the thread being
drawn out through the coat SO as to look
like a stray fragment, which some solicit
Gus friend generally tries to pick off.
After unreeling forty or fifty yards of it
he decides amid much merry laughter
that it is joke, and he buys large guam
titles of alcoholic stimulants for the
party, who fill the air with peal after
peal of more merry laughter.
But the landlord was not wholly sue
cessful Seven or eight times, after
waiting patiently for his chance, he sue
ceeded in getting various people to pick
this thread off, but the yard upon yard
that should have followed it did not
come. Finally, it leaked out that an
other humorist was carefully cutting the
thread every time so as to sell the land
lord, and then ''mine host" as l heard
him called once in a paper, threw away
the spool and casting aside all reserve
told each and every one to nominate his
favorite method of quenching his thirst,
and SO the day passed pleasantly and all
too soon with this merry band.
Washington is to be more greatly bene-
flied by her admission to the Union, per-
haps, than any other of the new states. !
will state my reasons. Ever since the or
ganization of our republican form of gov
eminent in this country the doubtful
state has been the recipient of all federal
favors, and to live in a doubtful state
and have a little influence have meant
immunity from hunger and the still more
painful calamity known as compulsory
perspiration. To live in q territory at