Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1903-08-07

N OF ES
PERSONS and THINGS
As Seen and Heard by Gath

save me, but really it was the best
sermon I have heard for q year. II
impressed me so much" Reader, die
you ever have the same experience
You hear a sermon, a lecture, 8
selection of classical music, you can
not produce either, you cannot recall
the details, but somehow they have
become a part Of yourself, and in
fuence your life, yet the original il
lost to you forever.
Proceedings of the commissioners
are usually dull reading, and the
student of human nature would find
little but dry bones among them.
Here, however, is an exception. A
family of nine children were commit
ted to the North Dakota orphan
society at the recent session. The
first was born May 4, 1889, and the
last March 90, 1908. Both parents
were dead. Here is certainly a record
that would tickle the disabilities of
u own Teddy. Here are. nine addi-
ton to the family albums in thir
teen years, eight months and twenty
two days. Nine helpless infants who
must take the charity of strangers for
the love of parents. The lesson is
easy.
Lawyers are funny things. Some
people hold their noses when n ap-
proaches, while others hold their
pocketbooks open. But the funniest
thing in some particulars that an
habitual court lounger sees is the
litigants. Many of them are men
with large business experience and
still larger capital, to whom the loss
or gain of the average suit in court
would not effect financially an toto.
Yet they are nervous, excited, pug
nacious. The scales of Justice are
poised, but sometimes it is
difficult to determine in advance
litigant will. be able to hteave
the greater weight. There is an un-
certainty, and it is this uncertainty
hat makes the study of the litigant
interesting. He is full of his case,
le talks it constantly, never sees the
'ther. side, is always going to win,
Ind if defeated, always has a reason
to give for it.
A philosophical farmer was discus
sing the prospective crops with the
yesterday, and said that the
average farmer would not only be
whole financially this year, but many |
If them would make. money besides.
The trouble u.s." said he, 'sthat the
farmers in this country have made so
much money in late years, that if
they do not pay half tie purchase
price on a quarter section of land
every year, they think they are fail
ing in business" That is the happy
fact. 1t does u very soul good to
see them prosperous, and if we could,
we ewould gladly help them make
profits, but they should not get
a chropic case Of concentrated blues
because for once:they may not be up
totRigh water mark.
I
The rainfall of, the last few days
has set the tenderfoot talking-like
the oldest citizen-about what this
country was a supposed to- be a gener-
alton ago. Gath can remember when
he read in q standard text book of the
time when a boy, that what now con-
stitutes the two Dakotas, Montana
and some adjacent territory, was a
cold, barren tract of land devoid Of
and uninhabitable. If the
spirit of that author could descend
upon the happy and prosperous homes
of our Ramsey county farmers, and
see the hustling city of Devils Lake
in the very heart of that desert he
he would probably want to
change his place Of abode and become
one of us.
~
81 have been advocating a city
directory for a long time,' said a
prominent business man this morning,
''but since you fellows are, publishing
the Daily Inter Ocean it is badly
necessary, al you seem to havesalmost
a complete directory in your aadver-
columns"
"How do. you like itg" asked
Gath.
. Sits just a hummer said he,
Sand the business people are certainly
to be congratulated on the representa-
ton which appears in the advertising
department"
~ 4
II want to come in and shake
hands to congratulate you ;on that
paper today" said a prominent
80 T.HtLL-Esa--H 10 IL