Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1899-10-27
4 TRAVELLING MANS
EXPERIENCE IN THE WEST.
"A New Yorker Grows ReminiS-
Z. cent in a West-BOund
!. Pullman.

Kollll0uIclI, you hHO" bOyS1 "tso -"
adept in the art of storytelling" an.
swered jovial John Randall, the wooden
goods man, to party OF fellow
t.Knights of the Grip" in the smoker of
a west-bound Pullman.
,.That'll do to tell a stranger or one
who doesn't know you, JacK,'' answer
ed one of the party.
ITO be candid with you, l have ex-
hausted my old stock, and have not
been out on this trip long enough to ac-
cumulate new supply"
"Bnt you've been making semi
annual trips across these plains and
through the west for a good many
years now and surely, you have met
with some experience worth repeat
ing.'
Il don't know but what l have. let
me see-yes. it was on one or my sum-
mer trips; the summer of 81. be-
lieve, that l met with an experience
that has played quite an important
part in my life land hope may continue
to do so, had inspected, carefully, the
packing of my trunks in the house in
New York." began Randall, land saw
that they were delivered to the depot
and properly checked. That night,
while wandering around in the depot,
l met George Scroggs, an intimate
friend of mine. who had come to say
farewell to an acquaintance of his. a
Miss Hamilton, who was bound for the
Rockies. in search of health.
Come into the ladies' room, Jack,
he said, and will introduce you; she
is accompanied only by her mother,
and perhaps you may be of assistance
to them enroute.'
I'm Difference to my friends wishes
1 submitted to the Formally of all in
PRODUCTION. The ladies informed me
that they were going over the Pennsyl.
vania system to Chicago, and thence
via the O. to Denver. l realized
hat was in for transfers, water for
the j. valid, and. other numerous So
called yallantries. more becoming to a
trained nurse, But as my mileage was
over the same routes could do nothing
but express my delight at having two
such pleasant travelling companions.
''Our journey across the country pro-
crossed quite favorably and all went
we'll until we left Kearney. One
doesn't dare raise the window for fear
of suffocation in deluge of sand, and
the atmosphere in o railway coach in
summer with the windows tightly clos
ed, is almost beyond human endurance.
We had not travelled more than fifty
miles when my charge began to suffer
from smothering spells and during one
of these, the labored coughing brought
on severe hemmorage, From pity or
some unaccountable source, I began to
realize that my interest. in this Miss
Hamilton was of that peculiar, indie
scribable kind that rapidly kindles a
flame of stronger feeling. Thus, my
increasing interest in her prompted me
make inquiries regarding her afflic-
ton. Her mother told me that she
mad left New York expecting to return
a corpse. The best and most celebrat-
ed specialists in the country had been
consulted and we're unanimous in the
opinion that she was in an advanced
stage of that dreaded disease, con-
sumption, by the ravages of which,
they informed her, one lung was en-
tirely consumed, Her only hope was
in prolonglng life for a few months,
and this could only be effected by a
sojourn in the mountains.
1--WE had travelled together for five
days, and when we reached Denver in
stead of parting with my friends at
that place accompanied them on to
Colorado Springs. couldn't tell you
how it happened, but in less than a
week, asked Miss Hamilton to be my
wife. She told me she could not listen
to me-that she like me very we'll and
all that but she would not reach he
hand out Of the grave to take mine. If
she ever was fortunate enough to re-
cover. she would be pleased to see me
again-hoped I would stop on my re-
turn trip, etc.
eff you do get we'll, may I hope
pleaded. Say, fellows, I never will for.
get the faint blush that mantled those
poor, faded cheeks when she whis-
pered, I guess so, Jack n
From that moment I made up my
mind that she would get we'll, if it
were in my power to effect such mir
acle.
II was in semi.happy... semi-discon-
ISOLATE state when 1 babe her good bye
and went to my hotel,5Is@ picked mp a
paper in an endeavor to distract my
mind and was gIancing oyer it's pages
when my eyes fell upon the advettise-
ment Of Dr. Rea of Louisville, KY,
who was sojournipg in Colorado
Springs at that time. Scanning his
advertisement closely, I noticed that
I lie made consumption and its kindred
diseases a speciality. I put the paper