The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1894-05-10
CATCHING 4 TRAIN.
Tc TRAVELLERS
s.riding Towards Fargo.

| DrdlIc Dl MI III Jdhptd
/ had left Fargo at five O'Clock in
the morning on one Of the two daily
trains westward, and had stopped at
/ Castleton, twenty miles from the
.Phoenix City Of the Northwest"
Thence | had tran ped back across the
praire two miles to see the Dalrvmple
farm, the greatest in the world-thirty
thousand acres under cultivation. By
nine O'Clock in the morning had seen
all there was to be seen in the process
of thrashing, and so retraced my steps
to Castleton.
At the station | was informed that
the next means OF getting back to Far
60 was by a freight train leaving at
about two O'Clock.
There are no art galleries OF cathe-
drals in CastletOn. There are a dozen
or two stores and IioleI. entered
the hotel with the air OF abandon and
general superintenoence usually ascrib-
ed to commercial travellers, sat down in
the Office and picked up day before
yesterdays St. Paul paper. An old
II IL Iirl-c =
sun reading the day before that's pa
per. He was evidently pioneer who
had so long been away from the more
civilized regions that he Jagged a little
in the history Of the world. However,
| was glad to see one guest, at least, III
the hotel among the wheat fields
By way of introducing myself to the
gentleman, | cracked a few Jokes on the
sleepiness Of the town and the dinginess
Of the hotel but little later realized
that my remarks were Ill directed, by
finding that he was proprietor Of the
establishment Never mind" thought
I, at Will be all right if take dinner
here" The old gentleman's face show
ed an animated interest as he informed
me, in response to question, that din
ner would be served at half-past twelve
was now wearied of reading stale
news SO went out and took five min
utes' walk to the end of the main street
and back. Next | bought a novel and
went out upon the prairie and spent a
couple Of hours reading. Killing time
/ in a Dakota town | found not to be so
exciting as the same occupation in Chi
cagO or London. About noon | wan
derej back to town and got strand
ed on some California fruit at q store.
| filled myself so completely with
grapes and peaches that | never once
thought Of dinner ut the hotel. The
old landlord must have been grieyOlls-
ly disappointed, but I dld not see him
again
/ talked with the clerk IN the store,
read some moro, and cursed the rail
road until nearly two o'clock. Then /
sauntered over u the station and, after
waiting a half hour for the train. i'll
quired Of the station agent as to what
time | could get away
He replied Not until Tic four
two o'clock was a way freight and had
been delayed, he explained.
| mOralized on the inconvenience OF
| travel in a new section Of the country,
and set about usin. up another two
hours. | found that l had somehow
cot some spots of wheel grease on my
clothes. and managed to spend q com
parativelv pleasant hour scrubbing out
the spots with naphtha at the town
drug store. Then ] read some more.
At four O'Clock | went over to the
station again. and finally plucked rp
courage to ask the rather irritable agent
about the train He deigned to tell
me- as if tired Of seeing me around.
that the train wouldn't be along until
| five. Now | had companion In my
misery, tor lady with two little girls
was waiting for the next train TO Far
go.
Our common annoyance served to
;ntrodrce us. and we talked of the har-
vesting and so on, I deriving some IN
formation. as she was a resident OF the
; A. f,-o O'clock the tram was