The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1893-12-09
CAVE.
The Thin Man Was an Easy Winner
NTH This Story.

The Thin Man Was an Easy winner
With This Story.
Speaking Of caves said the thin
man, with Il large moth and ears that
jutted far out Over his shoulders, Il
seen a cave once that beat any cave
ever heard Of"
The drummer. who had himself told
4 very fair cave story, or ut least one
that he thought was very fair, nodded
TO the thin man not to wait. but to go
on with his narrative.
1T was in a: range of mountains riS-
ing sharp ont Of the level" continued
the thin man, earnestly, and opened in
have seen doors opening into rock
spring houses. We had camped near
the place, and we fixed torches and
proceeded to go an exploring expedition.
Just before getting to the opening,
that is about Il quarter Of a mile away,
| noticed a couple of cattle going i'll,
and. thought it was mighty strange,
and we went ahead fast to see what
it meant. When We got well inside
and had II torches burning, we found
the finest white roof Owe u heads
! ever seen, but no cautle. 1t was 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 off from the main roof of
the cav was dozens of rooms or halls.
and into Il number of them we went
for long distances, finding the roof al
ways white and shiny and the walls
dark and rocky. About Il mile in we
lun into another big room, and in that
we found the two cattle VIC had saw
come in, and there were forty or fifty
more, all Of them licking away the walls
in front, which here were net rocky,
but white. We were in a narrow place
and far enough away from the cattle
not to scare them, and we hustled out
Of there in Il hurry, for we didn't want
n stampede and a walkover for The cat
tic. Them cattle in there made us
study a while when we got out to a
| what l thought was white quartz. but
it was salt, and about as nice salt as
l ever seen. Thcn VIC studied over that
cave some o
"'By gum, Bill said l to my paru-
ner, this is a salt cave, and them cat
tie are here for salt
Bill was Il college graduate, and
knowed n good deal.
Yes said he, L know it, and ]
know from the geological formation
that this amt a natural cave, but an ar
tificial one, and has been licked 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
tongues, and how slick they have licked
it, and how they've kept going ahead
where the rock doesn't cut the salt out
as it does on the sides of the cave?
"'By gum, Bill said 1, you're right;
but how many years do you calculate
it took to do the job?'"
The thin man gaZed around on his
audience inquiringly.
THAT was a poser for Bill resumed
the thin man, land if any Of you gen
tlemen can answer it I'll be obliged to
you"
In the midst Of a profound silence
the drummer got up and walked out
on the platform for more air, and the
thin man waited for somebody to an
swer his questior.-Detroit Free Press.