Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1896-07-10
issues should stay with the party even
though they do not approve the fnan-
cial plank, and attempt to pring the
party to their way of thinking.
a Rcminisccnce of Early Times.

In September, 1865, l was travelling
from Wadsworth on the Truckee to
Winnemucca on the Humboldt in the
young state of Nevada. At that time
the eastern terminus of the Central
Pacific railroad was at q place called
Strawberry Ranch. AS I remember ii
there we're but two buildings in the
place-a small station house and Il ho-
tel. The hotel was situated about a
hundred yards from the station on the
slope of the mountain. was about
the last passenger to leave the train.
On the way from the depot to the no
tel L came to where two ladies, and old
and IL middle-agcd n with two little
girls. were seated on a pile of lumber
by the side of. the trail. All were cry
ing bitterly. L stopped and inquired
the cause of their distress. By dint of
much persuasion l elected the follow
ing story: They were from Illinois on
their way to Oregon. AT this point
they expected to meet friends. but for
some reason they failed to appear, and
being out of funds in a strange coun-
try there was good reason fortheir dis
tress. Ipassed on to the hotel and
told the story of the old lady, her
daughter aud grandchildren. The
landlord directed his clerk to go down
and bring them up to breakfast. After
a long time he succeeded in getting
them as far as the veranda of the hotel
where they stopped and positively re-
fused to go any farther. But the land
lord was a western man with any
amount of the milk of human kind
ness in his makeup. He said, "Ill get
them in" and he did. He seated them
at his table and ordered the servants
to bring them the best in the house.
By this time 1--WE had finished our
breakfast and we're all-about fifty in
number-in the office. There was pres
ent an old gentleman who was called
colonel. Standing Mt the door of the
Office he took off his hat and dropping
in a twenty dollar gold piece, said,
Gentlemen, / pity this old lady and
these distressed ones this much. How
much does your hearts prompt you to
give?" And he started to pass his hat
around. But those western men did
not wait for the hat to come to them,
they went to it. Not a manof all those
fifty failed to respond. Then the old
colonel took the hat into the dining
room and poured into the old lady's
lap five hundred dollars in cleaning
gold. The old lady could only express
her thankfulness in Il copious flow of
tears.
We are again in the Office of the no.
tel. Again the old colonel is standing
in the doorway. his head is barred and
though twenty-eight years have come
and gone 1 "a see him as distinctly as
though it were yesterday. The great,
burly form, the high, broad brow, huge
white mustache and kindly smile that
was v present are fresh in my men,
DRY today. l even hear his voice and
feel again the charm of it's melody as
he said, Gentlemen, when you are TAX
ing your last look on earth this will be
n of your acts that you will be glad
to remember" A noble man and en-
gagged in a noble cause, that of stump
ing the state of Nevada for that cap
tain of captains, General Ulysses S.
Grant, for president of the United
States. M. L. X.