Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1896-09-17

FDrraR or REPORTER AND FARaEE.
KIND SIR A contemplated journey by
! wagon across She country from Webster to the
far,famed ana picturesque Black Hills, a dis
tanee Of t32 miles, is very apt TO excite the
traveller with more than passing interest and
SO it was with me when ON May l. / was inform
ed that il agreeable to a certain contract / was
10 take q team and wagon and make all reason.
able haste
To the Land of Gold where, I've been told,
A job awaits my coming.
OF course. / accepted the situation, and after a
hasty preparation i had the team hitched and
myself seated in the amply provisioned wagon
at noon Thursday, May Z. A hearty shaking of
hands with the few friends who had gathered
about my prairie schooner to bid me good
bye and wish me a pleasant trip, after which a
few words spoken to the horses, punctuated
with the usual crack of the whip, and my jour
Eaey is begun! had beer solicited to keep a
Idiary, and tn 5ot down from day to day such
| sights and scenes as might be of interest, So
that at some future and convenient time ]
might transmit the same to the readers of your
popular family journal so, acting under the
suggestion given, / purchased a box Of 'earls
risers," a ten cent writing tablet, and a lead
pencil, and will leave the reader TO judge as to
the merits or demerits of this diary, after
having read it.
With my back turned toward the little city
which had been my home for more than ter
years, and whichI was now leaving behind in
the dime distance, for how long / knew not
perhaps forever. Is it strange that after climb
ing the bill that was to hide home and friend.
from view, / should rest the team and looL
around upon the panorama Of so many years
And Is 1t strange that a sort of quiverinr OF thu
muscles about the mouth together with 1
choking sensation in the throat should occur
You who read may be the judges.
The afternoon Of my first day out, I Travelled
in a south.westegly direction to the farm OF my
old friend, John w. Cook. He seemed pleased
81 inform me that had gone far enough foi
that day. and as a heavy thunderstorm wa.
brewing, he and his family rendered me a vel
come shelter for the night at their home. Thu.
it would look as though / had started on IN,
Journey under the auspices of good luck, for
was to have a nights lodging for myself anr
team, free, with meals thrown in. Scarcel,
had / the team unhitched and in the barn 'ert
the storm broke forth in all it's fury -fasl
succeededfias of lightning. peal after pea
of thunder seemed to shake the very earth. ant
dn dicush III uGtu vi more COfifnOrlDD, tnt
locality of the storm was visited with a torren
OF wine which threatened TO completely ami
hilate vegetation and sweep the house in which
/ had sought shelter clear of its foundation.
Morning dawned clear, calm, and beautiful
and Friday, May s, omened a model of spring
Bidding my host and hostess goodbye, 1 agair
resumed my way. The road over which l pass
ed was exceedingly muddy, making it necessar,
to drive slow and rest the team often. and wher
the evening was at hand | pulled ep at th,
hotel barn in the little town of Turton, situatt
in the jim river valley some fifty-four miles
from Webster. Here / was obliged to sit al
about all aight with a sick horse however, tn,
invalid improved as morning promised to usher
la another lovely day.
Bright and early I was hitched and on m,
WAY. with one horse pulling the load and the
sick one tied behind. In this way / moved on
hoping to reach Redield, thirty-seven mile.
distant. At noon / dined on canned fruit
crackers, and cheese, washed down with a bot
tie Of cold coffee: and after an hours rest
hitched upboth horses, but soon discovered
that the sicl, animal was 10th to tighten a tue
and again he was relegated to the rear of the
wagon, and old Barney kept on with the load
True 1t rs that Man knoweth not what a dag
may bring FORTH" Had / received the leasr
intimati0n of what was to happen me befor,
the closing of the third day OF my journey,
might have changed matters somewhat by flip
ping a copper at the forks of the road, thereby
changing the route that was fast leading me
on to the most embarrassing aud ludicroui
affair that ever befell me-. The ~fatalist would
no doubt, term it an ordinance of fate; the wac
might dub it aromance of the hired girl and .
tramp; but it looks to the Hired Man as tho
neither was correct. but that it was rather
more like one of those strange and unforeseen
occurrences, which when linked to Others forms
the history of a life.
On Town the road shacked old Barney Will
his burden. Up went M courage as ] rounded
an angle in the road and beheld the city o.
Redfeld in the distance. / halted for a few