Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1898-03-08
SOMETHING HAPPENED.
A Bit of Excitement in the Nevada
Desert.

The town of Calf, in the middle of the
Nevada desert, contains II houses, and you
step out of the First precinct of the First
ward into boundless alkali-covered space.
For two hours we had been lying on the
main track waiting for the engineer to find
out just what was the trouble with his loco;
motive and to remedy the disability, and
there was little prospect of resumption of
the journey short of half day of lingering.
Every passenger had already investigated
the half-acre of town at least six times, and
the delay was becoming so monotonous that
complaint rose and travelled in waves.
"For heavens sake!" cried a stout wine
dealer from California, doesn't anything
ever happen in such town as this? Can't
somebody think of something to do to pass
the time? What interesting occurrences
have you here, anyway" The last question
man, the only male adult resident in Gait
who was visible. among the IL or II women
and children gathered at the railroad tracks.
.'Don't nothin' much ever happen here"
said the local dweller: BLAINE it all, ev'ry
COINS on is up at Podiga,- the county seat,
where there's as many, as II houses. They've
got trial up there this week, an all our
men folks has been drawed on the jury.
that's why I'm the only one here. I'd
a gone. too, but I got sore knee, an the
sshurreff- wouldn't take me. Always my
luck. Never see nothin' nor have no ex.
perience. Them six men that went from
here'll come back an talk for two years
about bein'. on that jury: Plagued shame.
a man with sore knee'd make as good
teller TOR jury as anyone else"
!, ".Well, can't we get up fight or some
thing diyerting to pass time away?"
II amt agin fghtin', but don't fight only
easy. But Ben,s on the jury He'll come
back an blow about it, too. Dog him"
"pll give a dollar if you'll wrestle or run
anything!"
"Ain't never rassled with anybuddy but
Ben Hackbarth, cause I can throw him; an
Ben, an he's on the jury. Wisht was up
there havin experiences, too
'Well," desperately pursued the tired-out
passenger, isn't there something you can do
without Ben Hackbarth? Anything? Any.
thing, I say. IN make up purse Of $40 fov
''Mister, did you say slo?" one of tho
younger of the Outstanding women interrupt
ed. The wine dealer said EYES," and tbs
girl called the disappointed youth aside and
the two talked for few moments. The pro:
prietor of the lame knee then approached
the knot OF passengers and said
"We've decided we'll take you up, mister.
That is, if there's ary preacher with you
"Preacher? You bet your life! We've
got bshop!" yelled the New York business
man of berth 7. And he, rushed for the
sleeper, for he understood the purport Of
the remark of the Gait man.
.The idly is this here,"' said the latter
'FBen Hackbarth an me both been kind O.
tryin' around fer this young lady to marry
us, an Ben bein' k ind O. travelled an e1:
perienced man seemed like it'd be natcherl
fer n her TO-; to take him. as she told me in our
"He'd been as fur as Elko once" said the
girl
"But when you spoke of givin' $40 fer any
thing, from gittin' married to shootin' at a
mark, just so it was done right here and
now, she took notion"
'"Ten dollars is Sl0," said the girl, sue
cinctly.
The bishop was not averse to uniting two
loving hearts, and the whole train turned
out to celebrate the occasion. The marriage
took place on the rear platform of the sleep.
er, and some of the women passengers lent
festivities continued up to the time when the
engineer announced that he had patched the
defect in the locomotive and was ready to
proceed, and then the wine dealer took up q
fund for the new family. The conductor
even agreed to carry the couple on to the
next station for a bridal tour and the Pull
man conductor welcomed them to the fine
furnishings of his domain. The two left the
train at Ell Boco, being in sort of daze of
delight. The last observation we heard from
the bridegroom was this prophetic remark
"I'l bet when them six fellers git back
from Podiga they'll be sorry fer thinkin'
that nothin' ever happens at home. They'll
be sorry they was ever called onto that jury.
Especially" with grim smile, ben Hack
barth." -Chicago Record.