The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-01-27

There were to be three of us in the
deal There was a young man from
Glaubus, Iowa, in Chicago running a
street car on the North Side. He had
been raised near Glaubus and his faith
er had owned a farm, but the old man
was no financier and sold off the place
bit by bit until all that was left was q
forty-acTe swamp-'Skunk swamp
! they called it, because Of the rank wa
ter-and when the old man died the
son came to Chicago to earn a living.
He brought along a flask of the swamp
water so that when he got homesick
he could take out the cork, smell it,
and he glad he was In Chicago instead
OF Oh the old place. Up in one corner
Of the swamp a spring welled up, and
that spring spouted Onotowatishik
water day and night, gallons and bar
Perkins the Great to know it's value.
Perkins. the Great to know it value.
Perkins smelled its value the first Whit
he got He had a rough map of Glau-
bus with the Skunk swamp off about a
mile to the west.
We patched up the deal the next day.
The young fellow was to have a quar-
ter interest because he put in the forty
acres, and Perkins put in his time and
talent for half the balance, and got
the remainder for my time and money.
We wanted the young fellow to take a
third interest and put in his time. too.
but he said that rather than go back
to the old place he would take a small
er share and get a job in some nice
sweet spot, like the stockyards or a
fertilizer factory. So Perkins and I
packed up and went out to Glaubus.
l did not wonder, when the train
pulled up at the Glaubus station. that
the place was a small, dilapidated VIII
lage, nor that the inhabitants wore q
careworn, hopeless expression. There
was too much Onotowatishka water in
the air. But Perkins glowed with joy.
Smell ft?" he asked eagerly. Great
ADJ You can't get away from it. You
can't forget IL. And look at this town.
Look at the bare walls! Not sign on
any Of theml Not a billboard In the
place. Not an adj Of any kind in sight.
Perkins, my boy. this is heaven for
you! This is pie and nuts"
1 must confess that was not so joy
Gus over the prospect. i began 10 tire
OF Onotowatishka water already: /
suggested TO Perkins that we ought to
have an agency in Chicago, and limited
that l knew all about running agencies
properly, but he said 1 would get used
TO the odor presently and in time come
to love 1t and to long for it when ]
was away from II. I told him that
doubtless ne was right, but that ]
thought it would do me good to 60
away before my love got too violent.
But Perkins never could see Joke, and
1t was wasted on him. He walked me
right out to the Swamp and stood there
an hour just watching the water bub-
bic up. 1t seemed 10 do him good
There was no shanty IN the village
good enough for our office, so that aft
ernoon We bought the vacant lot next
to the postoffice for s. and arranged
TO have building put up for our use
and then, as there was nothing else for
us to do until the next train came
along, Perkins sat around thinking
And something always happened when
Perkins thought.
in less than an hour Perkins set off
to find the mayor and the cOunciImen
and a notary public. He had a great
idea.
They had a park In Glaubus-a full
block Of weeds and rank growth-and
Perkins showed the mayor what a dis
grace that park was TO a town of the
size and beauty Of Glaubus. He said
there ought to be fountain and walks
ana benches where people could sit in
the evenings. The mayor allowed that
was so, but didn't see where the cash
was to come from.
Perkins told him. Here we are. he
SAID. two public spirited men come over
from Chicago to bottle I'D the old
skunk springs and make Glaubus IA
nous. Glaubus was to be our homo.
and already we had contracted for a
beautiful one-story building with a
dashboard front 20 make ii look like
two stories. II Glaubus treated as
right, we would treat Glaubus right.
Didn't the mayor want 10 help along
the city?
The mayor certainly did, IL he didn't
nave TO pay out nothin'
All right then. Perkins said. there
was that old Skunk Swamp. We were
going 10 bottle up lot of the wafer
that came out of the spring and shin II
away. and that would help to clean the
air, for the less water the less smell.
All Perkins wanted was TO have those
forty acres Of swamp that we owned
plotted as town lots and taken in as
the Glaubus Land & Improvement
company's addition to the town of
Glaubus. 1t would cost the village
nothing, and as fast as Perkins GOT
rid of the lots the village could assess
taxes on them, and the taxes would pay
for the park.
The mayor and the council didn't see
but what that was a square deal, so
they called a special meeting right
there and I'm half an hour we had the
whole thing under way.
But, Perky" / said, when we were
on the train hurrying back to Chicago.