Marble Hill press. (Marbel [sic] Hill, Mo.) 1881-1923, 1908-12-17
The Way They Do Things
"Out WeSt.'

DEAR EDITOR AND OLD ASSOCIATES:
Thinking that perhaps a brief insight
into the social life Of the west might in
terest some of my schoolmates and old
friends, shall give you few items con-
cerning a splendid banquet, which was
given in honor OF the young ladies by
the young men of Hotchkiss, Friday
evening, December 1, 1903.
This banquet is given semi annually.
Each young man who is invited must
bring his best lady friend, look his best
and be his best for the evening.
There was much hurrying and seurry-
ing during the days before the banquet
by the young men in their eager search
for the chest looking Young lady" who
would consent to be their partner for the
evening. Finally when the hour arrived
for the great occasion all the Young men
were present with the finest lot OF young
ladies one ever saw. This crowd repre-
scented almost every state in the union,
so you may feel assured we never lacked
for a subject to@talk about. The young
ladies looked very much like the young
Missouri "school marms' that our kind
editor so often tells us of.
There were thirty-tive couples present,
of whom tWeDtV-nin couples were
young ladies and gents. We gathered
in the large Masonic hall, which was
we'll lighted and beautifully decorated.
The professor Of the High school pre-
sided. He introduced to us the mayor
OF the town, George Duke, who made Us
a very interesting address, in which he
told how well pleased he was to see such
Il fine body OF young people present. He
said he could we'll remember the time
when there was not a young lady in this
whole valley and but few young men.
He came to this country in 1881 and
was one of the first white men to settle
here. He came here just as the Indians
were being moved out by the govern
ment. No surveys had yet been made
and he and his brothers staked out their
''squatter claims'' by stationing horse
men on the hills on either side of the
river. They just moved up the river and
took the best land. The country then
was perfect wilderness. No houses,
roads or cultivated lands.
Now this same land is covered with
comfortable homes fitted with electric
lights, fine orchards of fruit, good roads
over which we see the automobiles spin
ming every day. This same land to- day
sometimes sells for more than a thousand
dollars per acre. This wonderful change
has taken place in the short period of
only twenty seven years.
He told US they had waited from No
their mail from home. During all this
time they were without 'tstOre provis-
ions" or medicine.
Finally some more settlers came in
and among them was young lady. All
the young fellows of the valley were anx-
ious to wait on her. 1t seems that our
mayor had more sssand' than the others.
His only "store suit" was worn into
frazzles at the bottom of trousers. He
took them to a neighbor woman and had
her to mend them. She did so by bind
ing them with tape an inch and half
wide. They were returned late Satur-
day afternoon. He did not look at them
until Sunday morning after he had put
them on. Then, to his chagrin, he saw
they had a "puclzer" in them that made
them appear anything but "dressy."
He was not to be outdone, however, but
went to see the girl. AS soon as he had
entered the house he saw she was greatly
amused. He explained to her his ridic-
ulous predieament by telling her that
that was the latest style "back east" and
he was the first in the valley to take it