Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1903-04-02
A WEEPY BUSINESS,

A young mana nero youth--stin
within the enchanted circle OF years
where unreal things seem real and the
glitter of life is dazzling--sits weeping
day by day in n Boston garnet Now
and then he has half mind 10 give
the whole thing up, hen he goes to
the window and looks out while,
only to 40 back and weep And on
these sad days when the soddcn air
settles down like wet blanket, he
closes his window, goes down tho long,
steep, darkonod stairway into light,
still weeping He IL an artist; yes;
but an artist in horse.adish, He II ia
who supplies the hotels and restau.
rants with horseradsh~~rea horse,
Wdtsh not half turnip--and he who
serapes and CRATES horse.radish must
needs weep.
Up IN horseradish Kingdom the win.
dows are curtained with tho dust OF
time and the brown light peculiar to
the garnet sottens into mellow tone
the old rafters and shelves. Within
its old walls one expects To see man
as ancient as the color of tho walls
with light OF his eyes as dim as that
or the windows, Only short time
ago such one might have been seen
with head bowed with so years, aud
with hair n duh white, as though tho
dim light OF the attic had stained t..
For years and years he patiently
scrapod and ground, his patrons in.
creasing from few to many. One day
he began To speculate over helper.
Soon n boy was becoming n master In
horse-radish, and when the old man
died the young man held his secrets.
That IL how II Is that the young man,
after canvassing the hotels and restau.
rants each morning for orders, returns
to his attic to mediate and TO weep
az he CRATES on the eternal grind OF
life
Once the work was done by hand,
but increase In business has made I'M.
perative machine In the very apex
of tho roof, which can grind i50
pounds an hour, quantity which
hand, When the machine Is going full
blast on humid day this little peak
OF an attic becomes torture chamber
with the fumes, and there IA nothing
for II but to close the window, lock up,
and seek tho open, All our best horse.
radish comes from the middle west.
Perhaps its soil Is especially adapted
To horseradlsh. perhaps the central
state farmers are more skilful In cul.
turo. but this young merchant, though
blindfolded, can instantly tell II
piece comes from New England or the
west, The New England root does not
hold Its strength IA long. Horserad.
ish raising has become very profit.
able business In certain sections of tho
middle west. whose farmers realize as
high as $500 an acre from this crop.
The western hofaeradIsh root ls well
developed, with few pits while tho
wild horse.radish must be scraped by
hand with the right sort of knife.
Each morning. with wooden buck
ct on each arm. the horseradish mer-
while the orders OF private families are
delivered In glass One class OF Gus.
toners comes 10 him, men taking the
horseradlsh cure for rheumatism.
When sweet cider Is In season these
sufferers hobble up the stairs TO drink
deep Of cider In which horseradsh has
been mixed The horseradiah mer.
chant declares he is no medicine man,
but he says the men do say" II does
them good.
The busy months Of the horseraiish
grinder are those Of the oyster. Ev.
cry month with an "R" means horse.
radlsh, right in the center OF half
dozen choice blue points, with leo and
lemon. Trade Is dull IN the months
without tho "R." but, unlike most mer.
chants. II is only when trade Is lad
that the horseradish man ceases to
weep. "a