The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1906-11-29
HITS AND MRS.

Christopher Columbus was the great
est discovery of real estate the world
has ever known. As near as we can
learn from his folks he vas born in
Genoa in 1446. His father, who was a
poor wool-comber, saved his combings
and gave Chris a careful education.
He stood at the head of the class and
was always called on by the teacher to
answer difficult questions when, the
trustees visited the school. He had
| an irresistible inclination for the sea
and drank salt and water for break
fast instead of coffee, claiming it slim
ulated his thirst for navigation.
The details of his early life are
! somewhat confused and unsatisfactory
but it appears that he spent most of
his time working at his trade as a dis
coverer, looking around on the Medi-
terranean sea, hoping to find some.
thing that had been mislaid or strayed
from home. In 1470 he married the
! daughter Of B~artolommeo de Palestro,
| who left a woodshed full of discover
! ing tools and nautical instruments,
! and Columbus fused around with
| them until he became convinced that it
was time for him to push out and land
| something big.
He did not have money enough to go
on his own hook, and he finally in
duced Ferdinand and Isabella, being
at this time ~sovereigns OF Spain, to
grub stake him. He promised to give
them some town lots and a site for a
new thrown, and they fitted him out
with three small vessels and a crew of
men, and on Friday, August 3, 1892,
Columbus set sail from the port of Pa
los with the words ''high admiral
pinned to his hunting shirt by the king
and with a "Tom Moooe' cigar in his
mouth walked the deck of his ship
with a proud tread. But when twent-
y-one days had elapsed without the
sight of land the courage of the men
began to sink and they offered to
throw him overheard: the offer was
not accepted-which saved Columbus
life.
Columbus did his best to keep his
men in good spirit. He passed the
cigars around and promised them that
if they did not discover anything before
the end of the month that he would
turn around and try to find his way
home. He offered to give a first-class
prize to the nan who should first dis
cover land, and on the 18th of October
of the same year, a man in the head
boat won the prize, a dainty piece Of
hand-painted china filled with a l:
o'clock dinner.
!, 1t was the island of Guanahani.
which Columbus thought belonged tc
) Eastern Asia, and with this idea ii
) his mind he threw himself upon hif
knees and kissed it. the natives
gathered around him in establishment
and his men, heartily ashamed o
their disobedience, began begging hi
lfpardon and promised to stick by hin
in the future like poor relations. co
! lumbus planted the royal standard two
! feet deep and cautioned the natives tt
. water it and to be careful about pick
I ing the little standards until they wer
/ grown up.
) After sailing around for a while h
! discovered Cuba, and after establish
} ing a few rural routes went back t,
; Spain with a quit claim deed in hi
pocket for several sections of goo'
farming land. Court was in session
when he arrived home, and as a goo
many people were in from the countr,
J the day was made a legal holiday