The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-19

AX/ in the shade of giant sage w brush and, unfolding the last is L. sue of the Paint River Record, searched for his name in print. He found it among the personals.
 "Walter Stout of Oak Grove, Iowa, has purchased 16O acres of choice farming land on Paint River from the Smyth Land company and is about to settle in our midst Welcome to Wyoming, Walter. We need hustlers like you"
 Stout from his seat under the sage brush could look into the bed of Paint River, which should have rolled at hls feet, only 1t did not, because Paint River was quite dry. It was filled with huge mud-caked boulders, behind one of which the skeleton of a COW had lodged. A bor- der of driftwood high up on either bank showed, however, what Paint River could do when it had half a chance. Behind him stretched his 160 acres, the entire surface of which looked like macadam road before the stone crushed has passed over it. Stout twisted his lank body and looked at his farm, then he consulted the personal again, and mentally made a correction which in type would have read:
 .Welcome to Hell, Walter. We need hustlers like you.''
 Oh, he had been easy, the easiest mark that ever had listened to the silver tongue of land agent He had gazed at the 20-pound beet, which, in Wyoming, sold to the sugar-beet factory-still to be built at 5 cents a pound He had drunk in the stories of wheat at 80 cents a bushel and of gigantic potatoes selling at $l0 a hack, and eagerly bought 160 acres of land> he had never seen for $40 an acre. The only consolation he found in it all was that 20 other suckers, with homeseek- CTS tickets and green badges, had ar rived on the same train with them.
 He turned again to the colmns of the Paint River Record.
 For Sale: 10 tons of second crop all fafa, $S ton, delivered s. B. BATES.
 Public Sale: Saturday, Sept. 10th, 12 head of Hereford 2-year-old steers; 4 yearling heifers. s. B. BATES.
 Wanted: Pair of good work horses HOO to 12OO pounds. Must be sound.
 s. B. BATES.
 Strayed or Stolen: Bay mare. White star in forehead; branded SBB. Suitable reward. 5. B. BATES.
 
 Record impatiently. The needs of s. B.. Rates and the editorials outlining the dazzling future of the Paint River Val lev seemed to constitute the original mat -ter of the newspaper. Probably it was S B. Bates who had raised the 2O-pound heet which had lured him to his finan- ciaI destruction. A feeling of resentment against S. B. Bates began to rise in his bosom.
 Mechanically, Stout picked cactus thorn from the side of his shoe The thorn had been acting as sort of counter irritant to his mental soreness.
 Having extracted the cactus he watched with indifferent eyes a hay wagon and ifs load coming down the steep hill across the alleged river. In the bed of the river tbe team swerved. One of the front wheels rose on huge rock and the load of alfalfa promptly turned over entirely, burving the driver, who, with commend able presence of mind, clung to the lines and steadied the plunging horses. Stout slid down the bank and grabbed their heads.
 There came a violent unheaval and a finished and angry face appeared, then stout feminine body buttoned into tight hitting. basque. Another lunge and short denim skirt and a pair of mems high boots greeted MT. Stout's astonished eyes. The angry lady. her black hair bristllng with alfalfa straws, strode at once to the horses heads, and taking one or them firmly by the bit slapped him hrst on one cheek and then on the other
 'H you'll help me hist this wagon