Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-12-04
A WONDERFUL CAVE.
The Thin Man Was an Easy Winner with
This Story.


This Story.
''Speaking OF caves" said the thin
man, with Il large mouth and ears
that jutted far out over his shoulders,
u seen a cave once that beat any
cave l ever heard Of"
The drummer, who had himself
told very fair cave story, or at least
one that he thought was very fair
nodded to the thin man not to wait,
hut 20 on with his narrative.
1T was in a range Of mountains
raising, sharp out OF the level" con-
tinued the thin man earnestly. "and
opened In the face of a cliff pretty
much as you may have seen doors
opening into rock spring houses. We
had camped near the place and we
fixed torches and proceeded to 90 on
an exploring expedition. Just before
getting to the opening, that is about
a quarter of mile away, l noticed a
couple Of cattle going in and thought
1t was mighty strange. and went
ahead fast to see what it meant
When we got we'll inside and had our
torches burning, we found the finest
VIII tie roof over our heads ever seen,
but no cattle. ltwas like polished
crystal and only about six feet high.
The place spread out big very close
to the entrance, and while the roof
was white nearly everywhere, the
sides were mostly rocky and brown.
Running of from the main room of
the cave was dozens OF rooms or halls,
and into a number of them we went
for long distances, finding the roof
always white and shiny and the walls
dark and rocky. About mile in, we
run into another big room and in that
we found the two cattle We had saw
come in and there were TO- ty or fifty
more, all OF them licking away at the
walls In front, which here were not
rocky, but white. We were IN
narrow place and far enough away
from the cattle not to scare them,
and we hustled out OF there in
hurry, for we didn't want a stampede
and walkOver for the cattle. Them
cattle in there made us study awhile.
when we got to safe place, and l
Clipped off piece OF what l thought
was white quartz and tested it. 1t
wasn't quartz but it was salt, and
about as nice salt as ever seen.
Then we studied over that cave some
more.
''Bv gum, BILL" said I to my pard-
ner 'Chis Is salt cave and them
cattle are here for salt"
Bill was college graduate and
knowed good deal.
YES" said he, Il know it, and l
know from the geological formation
that this amt natural cave, but an
artificial one, and has been licked out
under this mountain and run off into
all these rooms and halls, miles and
miles OF them, by countless cattle in
countless years coming here to salt
themselves. Don't you see that the
roof is only high enough to be out OF
reach of their tongue, and how they
have licked it, and how they've kept
going ahead where the rock don't cut
the salt out as it does at the sides of
the cave:"
SPY gum, Bill" said l, you're
right; but how many years do you
calculate it took to do the job?"
The thin man gazed around on his
auditors inQuiringly.
''That was a poser for Bill" re-
sumed the thin man, land il any OF
you gentlemen can answer it III be
obliged to YOU"
In the midst of profound silence
the drummer got up and walked out
on the platform for more air, and
the thin man waited for somebody to
answer his question. Free Press.