Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1904-01-06

that his sealskin ulster would have sold
for enough to pay the board of our en-
tire company for several months. Win
dus professed to have taken great
fancy to me, and we were soon on
terms of intimacy, as close as though
we had known each other for years.
Windus intimated that he was travel
ing through Canada in the interest of
syndicate organized for the purpose of
wiping out the so called beef trust in
the United States. At any rate he had
contracted in that neighbOrhood for
hundreds of cattle to be delivered dur
ing the following summer. He had
paid deposits in many instances, and
whatever doubt of his responsibility
the suspicious Manitobans may have
had was quickly dispelled by the
promptness with which the checks to
his order were cashed by the local
merchants. who were vastly impressed
by the name of the big packing firm
at the bottom Of the paper. Windus
had become exceedingly popular, al
though he had been in the town less
than ten days prior to the arrival of
our company.
ut was manifest at a glance that
this man was no dude. Aside from the
fact that he was particularly well built,
there was about his every step that in
defnable sinuousness which indicates
the man Of athletic training.
81 had lost all track of time. 1t had
not once occurred to me that had
neglected to engage board and that we
were advertised to give matinee at 2
o'clock. Some one started finally for
the door with the semiapologetic state
ment that while he disliked to leave so
jolly crowd he would be compelled to
do so. as his wife had made him prom
Use to be home sharp on time for din
ner. That lady. it developed wished
to get away promptly to attend to her
duties in connection with the fire com
pany entertainment Of the evening.
''That brought me to my senses-tem-
porarily. l had previously told Win
dus Of my connection with the theat-
rical crowd and. knowing that the
manager would not object to having a
man with real money around in case
of necessity, made bold to invite him
to meet me at the 'theater at half past
/ for the purpose of going back dur
ing the performance. He accepted the
invitation and in turn insisted that l
should be his guest at dinner, explain
ing that he had two very fair rooms
over the saloon.
'"The snow had begun to fall in
heavy fakes shortly after | reached
the place, and when we looked out the
ground was covered to the depth Of
several inches. l was convinced that
the combined opposition of Christmas
dinners and that spowstorm would eff
fectually destroy whatever possibilities
of good matinee had previously ex-
| listed. Then. too. the prospect of sub
stantial home cooked meal tempted
me, and yielded The other members
of the little group left after awhile,
and Windus and | got into an animal
ed discussion of the relative claims OF
| New York and Chicago to recognition
as the metropolis of the United States.
| We were becoming trif1e heated when
| the proprietor announced that dinner
| awaited us upstairs.
| "And what a dinner that was! A
! turkey which must have weighed IF
| teen pounds and was roasted to a turn
| lay in all his savory glory at one end
of the table. Celery and the other
regulation Christmas trimmings flank
ed his turkeyship. while from an adj
| joining room issued a pungent odor
| which told in unmiStakable terms that
we were to wind up with plum pud-
ding made by a person who understood
the connecting of this most important
| feature of q real Christmas blowout.
| Windus did the honors as If to the man
ner born, and, while ! protested that
he had helped me to more than could
| possibly dispose Of without the GER
! tainty of an after attack Of indiges-
ton, could not help admiring the
perspicacity which had enabled him to
! discern that l was a mighty hungry
man. I waited politely, though, must
confess, rather impatiently, for him to
help himself before beginning my at
tack upon the appetizing viands
"When he had served himself, rather
sparingly, as l thought. in view of the
elaborateness Of the repast. l grasped
my knife and fork, and cut off piece
of the breast. The juice actually fol-
| lowed the STEEL"
The first old man again paused Ev-
cry member Of the company sat up
straight and evinced the first acute in
terest in the narrative. One or two of
| the people stealthily brought out pack
ages containing dried-to-a-crisp sand
witches, struggled against the rules
from the table Of the hotel at the last
stand. 1t was manifest that the tale
was increasing rather than allaying the
dissatisfaction produced by the dismal
prospect ahead of us.
The first old man continued: eyes,
l was just about to take my first
mouthful of the turkey when the pro-