Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1907-04-18

The vagaries and peculiarities Of
the Miseouri river continue to attract
the attention Of literary men and
afford fruitful subject for magazine
attention. La the April issue OF the
Amer Magazine, George Fitch, an
Illinois writer, has the following to
say, with much else in the same strain
There are rivers Of all lengths and
sizes and of all degrees of wetnees.
There are rivers with all eorts of
peculiarities and with widely varying
claims to fame. But there is only one
river with personality, habits, dis.
sipations, u sense OF humor and wo-
mans caprice, a river that goes travel
ing sidewise, that interferes In poll
tics, rearranges geography and dabblee
in real estate; river that plays hide
and seek With sou Today and tomorro~
follows you around like q pet dog With
IA dynamite cracker tied to his Tail.
That river is the Missouri.
Among the stories Mr.. Fitch tells il
the following:
This thing happened in Kansas
City not many years ago. A party Of
men owned strip OF land along the
Missouri river bank 1t was moi hand
some land, but it was valuable for
factory purposes They we're offered
portly prices for it, but held on.
Zone day they noticed that the strip
was getting emancipated. They held
a hurried diagnosis with surveyors
tape ana found that half Of it had
wasted away. The next year MALT OF
the remainder had gone.
"The men wanted to sell then, but
the market seemed remarkably slug
gish. The next year the river ale 40
vigorously that only tiny strip about
as wide "a piece Of baby ribbon was
left. The men were very mich de-
pressed.
Suddenly the land hogan TO in-
crease The Missouri had chosen the
late manufacturing si,e to deposit a
fine l6O acre farm IDon. which it had
fOreclOsed up the river Inside OF ak
months that strip OF land contained 200
acres The men were jubilant, but
still they would not sell. They want.
cd another 100 acres, they said. They
strOlied along the hank each day and
urged the river, in proprietary tnnes,
to build faster
Then the river changed its mind
once more and not only wiped out the
extra 100 acres, but the original lOC
acrcs, every foot of it, The next year
it built up 500 acres in the same spot
but they all belonged 10 the man who
owned the ground behind the original
plot. They have stayed there eveI
since, that is, up TO last reports. Fol
high financing and property juggling
the Missouri makes crooked lawye,
look like child. haze to think wha
II would do for man II 1t had per
s0nal friendship for him.
Pres. Roossvelt's Arbor Nay Proclanstio,
j ITO the School Children of The Unite,
| States.
'Arbor day (which means simply tire
day is now observed in every state il
} our union land mainly in the schools
AT various times, from January i
| December, but chiefly in this month o
! April. you give day or part of day t
( special exercises and perhaps 10 actua
. tree planting, in recognition Of the i'm
portance of trees to US as nation, an
, Of what they yield in adornment, CON
!. fort, and useful products to the cor
munities in which you live
n For the nation, as for the man
al woman and the boy Or girl, the road
3 success Is the right use Of whatwe ha,