The Van Buren press., 1896-02-08
STEMBHE'S INVESTMENT.
BY CHARLES DUDLEY RHODES,


The town marshal, ex-officio editor
of the Lariat Exponent, afterwards
declared that his bad luck came that
night with the rain. 1t first came leak
ing through the roof about midnight,
and. finding a convenient crease in his
blankets, trickled slowly downward,
until it awoke him with a start. Be-
ing man of few words, he simply gave
9runt of disgust, leaned over to a cor
ner of the diminutive room, seized an
umbrella, opened it, thrust it accurate
ly under the leak, and calmly fell
asleep.
In the morning things were in even
a worse state. The bed was a minia-
ture Island, the 'type-cases were half
filled with water, and the press, foot
power affair, stood cheerlessly in a
damp corner as if waiting to be resus-
eitated from its all-night exposure.
Even then, Hank mGsle no remark
his first act after sitting up in his
blankets being to pull forth slowly a
huge plug of tobacco from his hip
pocket, take a generous chew, and then,
as if fortified against all manner of
disagreeable things, to spring up and
begin putting things to rights.
There was knock at the door,
Come" he shouted, grufly; and
there appeared to view little old gem
tleman whose black frock-coat, white
collar-an unusual luxury in Lariat-
and air of quiet dignity accorded well
with his gray hair and mustache.
"Pardon me-" he said, with slight
air of diffidence, 'but is this the editor
of the EXponent?'
Hank nodded.
81 am Col. Stemble," the little old
fellow continued, affably, "and | am
up here on special business Cor the
Black Butte Cattle company. Now, to
come to the point, am very anxious
to have special edition of your paper
published to-day" r..r
Hank kicked an empty tin can under
the press, and looked haEd at his boots.
People were won't to say that he was a
cautious man.
''It will pay" the cattle man con-
tinued; ''and this will give you some
idea of my wishes" He handed the
editor some pencil notes and new
greenback. t-I
"Get the paper out by three o'clock
at the latest, and above all things make
it interesting"
"Tll do it," Hank replied, with GUS
tomary brevity; and then, with renewed
energy, he resumed the renovation of
the little one-story shanty which
served as editorial Office, press-room
and home.
The old gentleman smiled to himself
as he trudged away-such paternal,
benevolent smile as to seem almost
out of place in such an unconventional
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 the inhabitants. 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 distinc-
ton of being the extreme end of the
new railroad which was rapidly push
ing its way through Wyoming towards
the great northwest. Crouch's, down
the road. had until recently enjoyed
that honor But one fine morning after
the first train had pushed on to the
present site of Lariat, the inhabitants
of the older town had emigrated in a
body, and Crouch's was no more.
True to the editors promise, the
Exponent appeared at the time named,
but not until Hank 0'Doughall, man
in whose veins ran a strain of thrifty
Scotch blood, had engaged in several
mysterious transactions with certain
property owners of Lariat, in exchange
for some ready money that the editor
had been boarding up for many day,
the latter became the owner of con-
siderable strip of land along the rail-
road-an acquisition afterwards eX-
planned by the following announce
ment which appeared in the Exponent:
eve take pleasure in announcing the
arrival of Col. c. IL. Stemble. agent for,
nnd prominent stakeholder in, the
Black Butte Cattle company. This
English syndicate, having been struck
with the advantageous location OF
Lariat, is contemplating the erection
of enormous So * yards in our city
for the shipment of cattle from the
Powder river valley. II is needless 10
comment upon the great influence that
I this deal win have upon Lariat, the
star city of northwest Wyoming, as
the Improvements viii amount TO al
least Si0OQo,s. etc.
It was an gerry quickly and amicably