St. Paul daily globe., 1891-05-10
STORIES AND SKETCHES.


about the most laughable experience of
my life by the way, was in Winnipeg and the
| territory to the far west of that city. Let me
tell you about it. 1t was one of the antics of
the most erratic travelling men. He was a
| royal good fellow and genius in his way
full OF fun and extraordinary foibles. A
convivial spirit, he was not infrequen.ly
given to excesses. Well, one bright sunny
summer day met him standing in front of
his hotel, i'll Winnipeg, the picture of woe.
He'd been on 'tear-spent every farthing
he had-anu his house, Chicago concern,
had been apprised of his lark, and tele
gram had just been recei-ed by him peremp-
torily dIsmissing him from service.
In heavens name. how am / going to
get out of this blasted predieament?' he
asked.
II couldn't see, for had no means, and
! could loan him nothing / told him had
engaged to go with detachment of troops to
point some 200 miles to The west. While
we were talking a dapper sort OF man ap-
preached u.s. and inquired:
| Where can 1 find a man to drive an OK
| cart for trip across the prairies?''
m your man. cried my friend, and the
| gloomy cloud instantly passed from his face.
The man thought he was joking and so
| ala |. for that matter. but he insisted that he
was thoroughly in earnest. A bargain was
struck, and the journey was to be under
taken in the morning That was a coinci-
dence, as the troops started at the same time
and were going to the same point.
| Now for some Clothes said my friend
sententiously. i can't go in these fineres.'
Il studied moment and then told him I'd
arrange it. 1 took him down to the barracks
and there procured a uniform. He was of
small stature, and he selected British uni
form large enough for man twice his size.
In the morning he appeared at the appointed
| time Everything was in readiness mea1-
| while, but you ought to have seen the figure
| he cut 1t battles description. The helmet
was so large that it set down on his should
| ers his pant's legs were turned up at the bot
| tom and his red coat was so large that he ap-
/ peared lost in its ample folds. He declared
that he was ready, and the single OK, yoked
| to rickety, numbering cart, was brought up.
In the cart was coop of imported red
breasted black game cocks. 1t then de-
veloped that the proud birds were to
| be taken to a little Canadian town for a
cooking main. After receiving instructions,
| my friend mounted to the seat and started
| An hour or two after we overlook and passed
| MN. he was singing merrily as a lord and
| goading the OK along the best he could, and
| occasionally one of the cocks would join in
| with a lusty crow. We travelled along slowly
| it was mighty hot-until well into the after
! noon, and one of the officers of the detail and
L began to wonder how my friend was getting
on with the OK. Finally we halted and
waited. We waited long time and finally
we concluded there was trouble, and conse-
| quently rode back at sharp canter for sew
e-al miles. After awhile we could see some
object away i'll the distance on the prairie
We could see something red darting and
pVTatIOQ around tO
and as we drew nearer we discovered my
| friend running around the cart and
striking the air in most fran
tic way. lThe birds had escaped
from the cage, and he was trying in vain to
catch them. Imagine his predicament.
| Thirty miles from habitation, and a flock of
| game cocks on an open prairie. We con-
tinued to hurry up, but we were too late to
lend them any assistance. When we arrived
on the spot he had killed the last cock with a
club and thrown it into the coop. He then
resumed his seat and started the OK.
60 the divilsr he CALCULATED when he
saw us. They thought to fool me, but l
| guess they will go all right now.'
''It was really the funniest thing 1 ever
Witnessed concluded Mr.. Cowan.
One story leads to another with sequential
facility. and the above recital brings to mind
an auecdote that has been narrated concern-
ing Hon. John B. Brisbin. Mr.. Brisbin's
acumen, in the palmy days when he was the
reputed peer of any member of the bar was
often given appreciable zest by his inherent
! wit Two contemporary practitioners of the
! county court had essayed the solution of
| problem. 1t was purely question of opin-
iona question of Judgment The more they
argued the farther they drifted apart in their
| decision.
who is the ablest lawyer in st. Paul?' one
| had asked.
''Unquestonably, Judge Blank, >, the other
had replied with enthusiasm.
Not SO; | can name half dozen his SUI
perior. was the emphatic rejonder, and he
| proceeded with an exposition of his selection
of pre- eminents from the personnel of the
bar counting them off on his finger tips as
he called the names.
| And so the discussion waged with no in
| considerable warmth. Suddenly they saw
Mr.. Brisbin approaching wager was
made and Mr.. Brlsbin was the umpire
When appealed to for decision Mr. Brisbin
removed his hat and blandly said:
Really. gentlemen. my native modesty
forblds me, and it would be in bad taste for
! me to reply
| The point was obvious.
| -
One of the widest known LAWYERS of the
| state. especially outside of the Twin Cities is
ex-Mayor Pfau, of Mankato Naturally
bright and witty-quick to think and equally
| quick to act--his amusing and tart retorts in
the heat of controversies before the bench
would comprise an entertaining chapter. He
was once engaged in an important case in
| Mankato. and his adversary was no less
| parsonage than the redoubtable Daniel Buck.
| During the trial Mr.. Pfau's sallies became So
| exasperatlng to the more sedate counsel that
| Mr.. Buck lost self-control. Turning
| with savage CLEAN upon the
| diminutive form of his tormentor, (Mr
Pfau weighs about 120 pounds, while Mr.
| Bucks fighting weight is upwards of 20O) he
exclaimed with that ponderous energy with
which he was wont to awe his opponents
''See here my little man, if you don't be-
have yourself I'll pin back your ears and
| swallow your
"Ahl indeed was the quick rejoinder;
should you do So there would be more
brains in your stomach than there ever was
in your head! There is no great loss without
some small gain -
| 1t is needless to add that ii w:s a home
thrust and that it completely disconnected
| the ponderous statesman.
/
Hailing from thrifty little city not many
hundred miles from the capital often come
two somewhat illustrious lights of the Black
stonian school to mingle with the people of
| the metropolis Sedate, circumspect and
| temperate In the less classic shades OF their
home when here they do not object to an &C.
cssional frolic. A few days ago they were
| in st. Paul. After a night when joy had
been unconfned, they called upon local at
torney, Mr.. H., and invited him TO take
smile" They stepped down to the Ryan
dispensary. and, seated in one of the com
Portable booths whiled away pleasant hour
in social converse. Reverting to their ex-
perience of the previous night, Mr.. P. re-