The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-09-24
WENT TO BIG HOLE
INSURANCE AGENT TELLS OF A
TRIP TO THE BASIN.
HE WAS STUCK DEEP IN MUD
Believes in Enterprise But Declares
He Will Do His Business Here
after Where There Are Good
Pavements.

II believe in enterprise all right"
said Mr.. Light at the Finlen this morn
ing as he turned to party Of friends
and brushed fieck from the lapel of
his coat 'but this insurance business
of mine once led me to press the limit
a little on reaching for the persimmon
on the high limb. I was down in Dill
lon about year ago trying to con-
vince the most of the population OF the
town that the uncertainty of life made
it imperative that each one should
take out policy in my company, when
bright young man conned me into
taking trip to the Big Hole Basin.
1.-THE picture my Dillon friend, Mr..
Hunt, drew Of the way people were suf-
fering for life insurance up in the Big
Hole moved me greatly. He declared
there were people over in that section
who had never felt the refining in
fluence of life insurance agents So
ciety and that the greenbacks down in
their cellars which they would dig up
cheerfully and hand over to me In ex-
change for big sheet of paper with
little printing and the great seal of my
company on it. All this looked good to
Mr.. Hunt tipped it off to me gently
that he would charge me only $40 day
for driving me over into the Basin did
not dampen my ardor. had spent half
life time talking insurance to men
who had heard my story ever since the
lisping period of their existence and I
thought it would be a pleasant change
to find a man who would grasp my
right hand and tell me that I was the
good thing he had been straining his
eyes to find for many moons.
Accordingly one fine morning found
myself seated beside Mr.. Hunt on a
blackboard while a pair Of mouse-col-
ored broncos pulled us towards the
promised land in the Big Hole. Things
went along swimingly for hours. In
fact nothing happened during the day
which was the source of much annoy
ance to me, but as it began to grow
dark I suspected that my driver did
not know as much about the trail in
the inky darkness as he might. l asked
him if he was sure that he was not Civ
ing me bum steer and he assured me
that he knew all about the road He
wanted to make a certain ranch house
near Polaris before stopping and on we
drove. For some time I was silent,
~ uot1AAo " lily pllOI " 6cI Tic Oul VI
what seemed to me to be an unpleasant
situation. Finally struck a match
and looked at my watch. It was mid
night. The cayotes We're bowling
around us and the roads We're muddy.
There was no light in sight. I knew
by this time that the youngster at my
side was clean off his trolley, but things
were becoming too serious for me to
tWit him about his mistakes. I leaned
my head down on my breast and was
just trying to think how on earth we
We're ever going to find those good pa
irons up in the Basin when the steeds
that We're hitched to our vehicle
floundered and apparently started to
leave us entirely. Almost at the same
moment the wheels sank and we found
ourselves mired down in marsh.
jumped to the ground, thinking I might
be able to help the horses out but in an
instant my feet We're far down in the
mud and my coattails were dragging
on the surface of the earth. yelled to
Hunt who had also gotten out of his
seat and found that he was about as
badly off as I was.
II floundered around and finally man
aged to get hold of one of the ponies.
I caught him by the ear and it seemed
" HE III Tic udIhucSS luuC lIdl Was
about the only part of hin that was
really above ground. How we ever got
out of that mire don't know, but do
know that about 1870 we We're again
seated on the blackboard, our clothes
covered with mud and the horses almost
exhausted. Fortunately Hunt got his
head again about this time and by
O'Clock we wheeled into the yard of
the ranch house for which he had been
looking. The man Of the house came
out with a shot gun when we yelled.
He was not accustomed to receiving
callers at 2 o'clock in the morning.
Hunt succeeded in explaining things
and we were allowed to remain until
morning. There was no use in turning
back at this stage Of the game and SO
the next day we hustled on towards the
Big Hole. I thought there might be a
fortunate ending to my journey after
all.
I'VE got up into the Basin district
without further drawbacks. but things
were little different there from what
they had been represented to me. I
think all the other life insurance agents
west of the Mississippi must have had
the same tip that had, for there had
been just twenty-five companies repre-
sented in the Basin within a month
before the time of my arrival there.
OF course Hunt affected to me much
surprised at the conditions as they APP
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