Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-08-15
WHY THEY LEFT TOWN
Man and Wife From the CITY
Found Local People Clannish.
NONE OF NATIVES CALLED.

The Wife, Being a soeiabIe Body, Shed
Tears, and the Husband Advised His
Friends Never to Buy Property
There-An Opportunity Ignored.
Going to leave us?"
Il am-we are" replied the man to
whom the station agent had addressed
the question. Eyes, we are going to
move away"
"Sorry to lose you," said the agent.
The man had just bought railroad
tickets for himself and wife. Their
household furniture was being placed
In q freight cur down the side track.
The pretty little town In a lovely val
ley Of the central west had been their
home for four months.
Thought you folks had settled down
with us and intended to stay here"
said the agent.
Yes, so did l." replied the man.
"Look here, Jim," he continued, "you
have been quite friendly to me. and If
you like I'll tell you why we are
leaving this town. You are a young
man and o bachelor, and this is not
your native place, SO it won't give any
ofense IL I tell YOU"
"Why, don't you like this town."
"You bet I do-like it fine. So does
py wife. We both like the place, but
we are too lonesome here-that is, my
Wife is. Being a man, I can go around
and get acquainted and keep out Of
the blue dumps. Besides, 1 have work
enough to keep me busy. But the Hit
tie woman got SO lonely here that she
couldn't stand 1t, SO we are going back
to the city. My wife, you know, was
raised In q town about this size, SO it
is not the smallness Of the place that
counts; it's the chilliness."
"Pretty warm today"
"Oh, 1 don't mean the climate, Jim.
We've been living here four months.
We came down, as you know, intend
Ing to stay. We had picked out that
house on the hill yonder and were just
about to buy it last week and settle
down for good. But I went home one
evening last week to the rented house
where we have been living and found
my wife in tears. Now, she is a pretty
sensible woman and is not addicted to
salt, salt tears. 1 asked her what was
wrong. She said that since we came
here only one woman had called upon
her, and that woman is not a native Of
the valley; she comes from the other
part of the state. The fact is, Jim, the
people in this town-those who were
born and brought up here-don't seem
to want to fraternize with outsiders
who come in. They appear to be afraid
Of strangers"
Its too bad" said the agent.
Eyes, it is-too bad for the town. I
have often wondered why this place
didn't grow. I used to pass through
here frequently when 1 was on the
o and was attracted to the place
by the beauty Of the hills and the
pleasant little homes 1 saw. Then
we decided to locate, and 1 had in
mind half a dozen friends in the city
who also wanted to get into some
place like this. I felt sure that 1 could
induce most Of them to come down
here and buy property. All these facts
l told to q number of your citizens,
and the real estate men in particular
seemed highly pleased. But not one of
them, either as q matter Of business or
In mere human friendliness, seems to
have limited to his wife that she ought
to pay a social call on my wife and
make her feel that she was welcome III
the town. At any rate. not one of the
natives has called"
I'm sorry" said Jim.
80 am l." remarked the man out.
bodnd. But 1 don't purpose to make
my wife live in a place where the
women are SO inhospitable and un-
ne1ghborly. Some towns are this way,
though fortunately not many. Sufi-
Gent unto themselves are the people
thereof. Well, so be it. If this little
old burg likes to lag along and keep
a fence built Of icicles around itself
all right. There are others. We're go
ing to one of the others. And If you
ever happen around our way call and
see us. Goodby and good luck"
-
This little episode happened last
summer. The mar who did most of
the talking told the present writer
about 1t. He said that be could have
brought about the sale Of half q dozen
homes in the town to friends Of his If
he had remained. But he went back
to the city and gave that town such q
black eye in reputation that those fel.
lows now tell the story with loud
laughter every time they have an op
portunity.
There may or may not be a moral in
this little story. If there is a moral,
1t Is so plain that no billboards are
required to present it to the attention
Of those who may take heed and profit
by 1t.