The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-12-09
a MINNESOTA SKETCH.

We were rapidly nearing Red Wing and
your G l b e correspondent was admir-
ing from a window in the smoker, the
great Father of Waters, whose placid
bosom in the approaching twilight res
hected pa tches of orange gold. The sun
seemed to be disputing its passage over
the distant hills. and in It's enthusiasm
shot fire through the indolent gray clouds
ana enveloping mist until it seemed that
Olympus was making q pyrotechnical
display in honor OF some mundane preSi-
Dental candidate,
In the seat opposite sat an old man of
formidable aspect resembling some crude
earthen figure that lacks the requisite
polish and a thousand perfecting touches
to transform it into an ornament that
would meet the approval of a fiji &c
steele eye. His garments were careless1y
hung upon his gaunt frame, rather than
adjusted to it, and his unkempt hair,
buShy eyebrows. and rough, bearded face
diSdained all knowledge of the eiViliZing
effects of the brush and razor, and even
soap.
A psychologist who, perhaps, among the
mesnes of his metaphysics harbored n
modicun of sentiment, might have found
himself wondering if IN that glorious
autumn afternoon, the heart of the old
man did not mirror, like the waters of
the mighty river. the sunny patches OF
some romance or tender episode Of earlier
days.
Strange that although even the bleak
rocks and half denuded trees radiate
their appreciation Of g. bright day, some
species of men absorb its blessings as if
they constituted a dose Of medicinei
They are just as ascetic and disa greeabIe
as if the clouds were endeaVoring to
drown them. This man was obviously
one of those stole specimens.
4,,f< -,s.,1
trary. A little girl playing close by the
track caught his eye. and eraning his
neck in that direction he gazed after her
until she became g. small pink Speck in
the distance and gradually disappeared.
His gloomy cogftations seemed to be
somewhat mitigated by the appearance
of the little sunbonnet and pinafore, and
a look that in a come1ier face would have
been called a smile, swept his distorted
features, as he began a conversation
whose infection snacked of the lumber
camp
These parts look MATERIAL" constituted
his peroration.
do you think SOP" replied the per.
soE addressed, for want of a more op-
posite phrase.
t.Yaas. It's ben nigh onter ten year
sence left Minnesoty. Ben lunberin' In
Northern Michigan
Have you never been home on a
yIsit?'
Nav. The ole womern died and I
didn't keer to be hahoIdin to my darter
and her man even fur visit SO I've
ben stayin' away. although 1 often lowed
I'd like ter hev home.''
'"Then why don't you marry?'
The old man looked as surprised as if
he had suddenly been told that Bryan
and Mckinley were one and the same
man; then he began to laugh immoder-
ately-his naked gums yawning like those
of the NEUROLOGICAL monster, Charybodis
"Lawd! who'd hev an ole hene pile
Hike me-" he said, wiping MS eyes with
a dirty bandana. EFF my wife Caroline
ever saw me with another womern, her
ghost would keep us awake O. nights.
She wuz a powerful jealous critter and
deaperite scrapper. Il never dast get
married."
Have you no other children?"
The transient CLEAN of hilarity gave
place to a look of settled pain; the wrin-
kles and grooves seeming to be slowly
drawn to their accustomed l1gubrious
repose. as he continued:
WAL, l spose mebbe I hev q boy.
though I'm not sartin. He left home ten
year ago-went West. We had a tIisDrte
over money matters, and hot words WIZ
the outcome, and I up and ordered him
out o the house ana toe him never to
come back til he apolergizet ter ne
Soon as 1 got cooled doWa and studied
over the matter l realized he was in tho
right, but l waited fur him to Give in.
He WIZ allus easy to conquer. He never
apolerg1zed. He never come back
Where Is he now?'
My darteI got short letter fror, hi,y,
written from Colorado, Stain, that he
had been inYiggied inter goin, TO them
cussed Philippeens. Can't tell you how on
easy I've been ever sence Test STAYED
thar in Michigan a-sawin' wood. Though
darter KEEP a-writin' me ter come home.
Didn't keer whether skule KEEP or NOT.
and ! 'boozed' constable, too"
He stopped and reiighteg his corncot
pipe, then continued in more spirited
tones
IT 'spect I'd Be alvin thar yae &c q
hadn't ben fur the baby Barter wrote
few year ago and sad my son Hank
had got married. and they na.I Hectic
gal, and IT made me fel SO .iur1 orou5
l spent a two weeks salary ON the bows
They KEEP jollyin' me. and said they het
the folks would name her 'gutlcurs. or
'Peruna'-mebbe 'Castorfa, or some sicfI
Latin name.
Wal. what did they do but nane that
Kid Henrietta-my name bein' Horny?
Wal, Shook hands with myself arjn
and spent another weeks salary on rhe
boys In fact, / haven't done much
sence but blow myself on them blasted
boys; but I've done with EN- now"
The fishy eyes momentarily became