Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1896-01-13
The Man Who Came To
Town.

night With the rain. 1t first came
leaking through the roof about mid
night, and finding a convenient crease
IN his blankets, trickled slowly down
ward, until it awoke him with start.
BENG man of a few words, he simp-
~ gave grunt Of disgust, leaned
over to a corner of the diminutive
room, seized an umbrella, opened it,
thrust it accurately under the leak,
and calmly fell asleep again.
In the morning things were even in
worse state. The bed was a minia
ture island, the type cases half filled
with water, and the press, a foot
power affair, stood in damp corner
as if waiting to be resuscita ted from
its all night exposure. Even then,
Hank made no remark-his first act
after sitting up in his blankets being
to pull forth slowly a huge plug Of to-
bacco from his pocket, take a gener
Gus chew, and then, as if fortified
against all manner of disagreeable
to spring up and begin pu ting things
to rights.
There was a knock at the door.
"Come," he shouted, gruff1y; and
there appeared to view a little old
gentleman whose black frock- coat,
white collar, an unusual luxury in Lar
iat-and air Of quiet dignity accorded
we'll with his gray hair and NOUS
tache.
In eli rrI,t
air of diffidence, ''but this is the edit
Or Of the Exponent?'
Hank nodded.
81 am Con. Stemple," the old fellow
continued. affably, "and I am up here
on special business for the Black
Butte Cattle company. Now, to come
to the point, [ am very anxious to
have a special edition Of your paper
published today"
Hank kicked an empty tin can un-
der the press and looked hard at his
boots. People were wont to say that
he was a cautious man.
cit will pay" the cattle man con-
tinued; land this will give you some
idea of my wishes" He handed the
editor some pencil notes and new
greenback.
"Get the paper out by three o'clock
at the latest, and above all things
make it interesting"
''I'I do it," Hank replied, with Gus
tomary brevity; and then, with re-
newed energy, he resumed the reno
walton of the little one story shanty
which served as editorial office, press
room and home.
The old gentleman smiled to him
self as he trudged away-such pater-
nal benevolent smile as to seem al |
most out Of place in such an uncon-
ventional, wicked little frontier town |
as Lariat AS far as the eye could |
reach were to be seen the temporary
structures of canvas and tarred paper
which were the homes Of it's lnhablt-
ants. Up and down the railroad the
first-comers had pitched their tents,
and as the town grew rough streets
had been formed, ranging back to the
line of low hills at the east. Lariat
enjoyed the distinction of being at the
extreme end of the new railroad
which was rapidly pushing its way
through Wyoming towards the great
Northwest. Crouch's down the road,
had until recently enjoyed that hon
or But one fine morning after the
first train had push on to the pres
emit site of Lariat the Inhabitants Of
the older town had emigrated in a
body, and Crouch's was no more.
True to it's EDITORS promise, the
Exponent appeared at the time nam
ed, but not until Hank McDougall,
man in whose veins ran strain of
thrifty Scottish blood, had engaged in
several mysterious transactions with
certain property owners of Lariat,
whereby, in exchange for some ready
money that the editor had been saw
ing up for many day, the latter be-
came the owner of a considerable
strip of land along the railroad-an
acquisition afterwards explained by
the following announcement which
appeared in the Exponent:
awe take pleasure in announcing |
the arrival of Col. H. B. Stemple,
agent for, and prominent STOCKHOLM
er in, the Black Butte Cattle company.
This English syndicate having been
struck with the advantageous loca
ton Of Lariat, is contemplating the
erection Of stock yards in our city for
the shipment of cattle from the Pow
der River valley. It is needless to
comment upon the great influence
that this deal will have upon Lariat,
the star city of northwest Wyoming,