The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-02-05

Col. Griggs in a holly contested game of
pinocle than to win a dozen game suppers
in a wager with club crony.
Dickens and Irving are his fayorite prose
writers; Holmes and John G. SAKE rank nexi
In his affection. He is an eager reader Of
history and biography, but haven't much
When zone tries to get at the dry facts of
the life Of Mr.. Foster-the kind that are
used in the sketches in the Congressional
Record and in preparing biographical mat
ter-there lis little that is remarkable or uI-
usually interesting. In his childhood and
early manhood he had omen Of the struggles
ham Lincoln or Horace Greeley. As kid"
at school he was nsither so good nor so bad
as to make a foundation for local history.
He was born Jan. q, 1887, at Belchertown.
ter who landed at Ipswich, Mass. in 1885.
His father, Samuel Foster, was a thrifty VII
lage merchant, and his mother was de-
scendant from the Gardner family, VINO came
over from England shortly after the landing
of the Mayfower. When Ii years or age
Mr.. Foster accompanied his parents to She
boygan Falls, Wis. where Ihis father. in
1850 secured land and b gan to clear 1t for
farm.
There was where Mr.. Foster as a boy got
his first experience in Jogging. Indians of
the breech-c.out variety were our neighbors,"
says Mr.. Foster. Later the paternal Foster
removed to Oswego. Kendall county. I'LL. and
again engaged in merchandising and in the
purchase of farm lands in Missouri and Iowa.
In 1855 Mr.. Foster and his brother resolved
to start out In life for themselves. Their
father gave them team and covered wagon
and emigrant fashion they started overland
for Pixies peak.
At Doniphan, Kan. they were obliged to
stop because of lack of money and poor for
age. When ready to proceed they were met
by returning argonauts, who reported the
Pixies peak excitement as having died out
and the roads as being well nigh impossible.
He here gave it up and turned back.
Out of money, and with only wagon to
sleep in, it was necessary to do something.
So he and his brother rented rsome corn land
In Kansas on shares and worked it until
fever and ague seized them. Then the
brother returned home, and Mr.. Foster
slipped over into Missouri and engaged TO
teach a country school near HarrisonvilIe.
first months $50 was the first money he
really ever earned. The school was sue
cess. For two terms there were no unruly
pupils, and Mr.. Foster has forgotten how he
spent the SIS. Then ambition seized him
the same that rspurred him on senateward
and he concluded there was something bet
ter in life for him than teaching school. He
walked 200 miles into Kansas co view some
land his father had traded for. This was
afterward traded for Iowa land and notes
were taken In exchange. Young Foster went
to Iowa 20 collect the notes and found them
absolutely worthless. He returned and made
the man In Kansas redeed the land to his
father.
On the return trip he experienced his first
financial difficulties. He started from Iowa
with $3.50 in his pocket. He e--rrsned his
situation to farmers en- route and secured
credit for food and lodging. The $50 was
reserved to pay ferryage across the river
Many of the farmers insisted on taking NO