The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1903-03-19

ARCH 10, 1908.
Introduction he congratulated his new
acquaintance upon the fact that he was
q citizen of Kittles. He was so enthu-
siastic that the "citizen," who had
never given the matter a previous
thought, decided that Kittles was be-
coming important.
The Boomer was better dressed than
any gentleman in town; he even out
shone the occasional drummer who
passed that way. He not only looked
substantial, but fairly oozed prosperity,
which waited on the evening breeze
permeated to the fartherest part of
Kittles and such was its influence that
real estate advanced in price over night.
He was good times incarnate, and not
being selfish he distilled feeling of
prosperity and confidence that was
shared by every inhabitant before q
week had passed. He was an agitator,
but he agitated progress and for this
reason he became generally beloved. He
took quarters at the principal hotel
that he might be the first to grasp the
hand of the newcomer, and we must
give him credit for the fact that he al
ways created good impression and his
welcome to the stranger, cordial and
overdone tho it may have seemed, was
at heart sincere.
The next day the stranger occupies
the seat of honor in the Boomers car
riage and is shown the points OF inter-
est, consisting mainly of "sites" of fu-
ture improvements. Is it not true that
our impressions of town we visit for
the first time are formed by the sort
of people with whom we come in con-
tact? Hence the kindly attentions of
the Boomer combined with the memory
of his affable smile and potent hand
shake had much to do with the stran-
gers decision to sell out back east and
become resident of Kittles.
The Boomer organized the kittles'
Beard of Trade, hustled along the
building of schoolhouses, gave literally
to churches of all denominations. He in
jected new life into the city and county
officials, dug the mayor out of his hole
and made him assist in the welcoming
Of newcomers; he secured better rates
from the railroad, and ran excursion
trains to Kittles, filled with homeseekers
In fact he was doing again what he had
done dozen times before in the past
twenty years, putting heart and soul
aud every ounce of brain power he pos
sessed, into the upbuilding of town.
The fact that he was OVERRIDING matters
did not occur to him; he was large
man built on broad lines and dozen
defeats in the past had not shown him
that time alone can build a great city.
He was money-maker by nature and
in the great markets of the world he
could have made and kept an immense
fortune. AS it was, he had made and
lost dozen fortunes in twenty years
and was as hopeful and optimistic as
ever. His purse was always open to
any worthy object and he gave unstint-
edly when the welfare of Kittles was at
stake. When he arrived in town the
inhabitants did not know upon which
resource their future prosperity depend
ed; they were debating whether iron,
coal, gold, lumber, cattle, wool or wheat
would be their principal mainstay.
The Boomer made the mistake of
booming them all without proper in
vestigation. 1t was the old story of
too many irons III the fire and when the
end came he went down with the rest.
He was widely censured and the good
he had accomplished in the past was
forgotten in the ii ime of financial dis
aster. He was obliged to leave and
went into the British Columbian gold
fields.
Fifteen years have passed. Kittles
is enjoying substantial prosperity far
greater than the Boomer ever hoped
for. 1t did not come from the iron or
gold, but from the arid sagebrush land.
Irrigation has transformed the coun-
try. The iron smelter which laid idle
for many years is filed with active
workers, but you miss the grimy faces
and watery eyes of the iron workers,
for these men we see now are employed
in making boxes in which are sent to
market the thousands of tons of straw
berries, peaches and other fruits which
are making that section famous; and
the inhabitant with forty acres Of land