The Sauk Centre herald., 1909-08-05
HITS AND MRS

But as we had only shot one prairie
chicken that day, we were in no i'm
| mediate danger of running out of am
munition. We gave the chicken to
the liveryman, who said that he
would eat It alone; and we promised
Oh our return to bring him a goose
to give him a chance to invite the
neighbors. We saw number of
flocks cf wild geese on our ride that
afternoon. They seemed to be losing
ground rapidly, going upward and
westward, like a young man follow
ing Horace Greeley's advice.
After sundown, we asked a man,
who was unhitching four big horses
from plow, if he couldd tell us
where we could stay all night. We
hoped that he was looking for COM
pany, but he was not. He said that
his neighbor might have kept us if
his barn had not burned down, but
there was storekeeper a mile north
whose wife was a fine cook. 1t was
good place to stop, but lately they
had Geen selecting their guests. We
secured his permission to try the
storekeeper, and drove on. When
We arrived, the storekeeper was
weighing butter, and his clerk was
counting eggs. 1 spoke to the but
ter wagher about staying all night
saying that we were not very hun
Cry, but could eat anything. He de-
cliIed< our offer to stay with him,
very gracefully, but told us that a
farme., by the name of John Swan,
who Ayed one-half mile east, had the
biggest Darn in the township. He
was sure that we could stop At
Johns, and a man, who was wait
ing On himself out of cracker bar
rel, went outside to show us the light
in Mr.. Swans house. We reached
the place about s O'Clock, and found
Mr.. Swan preparing mess of shaw
ings for the morning fire. Seven
children answered the knock at the
door, and I'VE received a cordial well
come. Mr.. Swans heart was as big
as his barn, and his wife and chill
dren seemed glad to see u.s.. They
came lse1s' zumbrota, Mimi, the old
home .ot. my companion IL hunger,
and We were soon certain that we
had come to the right place.
After large breakfast the next
morning, which we had eaten with
the assistance of the Swan children
We started towards the goose coun-
try. Our road was so bad the next
morning, that we felt for it, and
then could not find it half of the
time. 1t was through a slough, and
our map showed church anchored
at one end of it. The church was
large, white and empty, and had been
struck by lightning, but the lightning
after ripping off a few shingles, had
evidently become discouraged, and
jumped into the slough, which sur
rounded the church. 1t might easily
have been a Baptist church, but there
was nothing on the church or the
| map to signify the denomination. At
noon, we arrived at Holt, village
of three buildings and two cows. The
mayor and postmaster and director
of a red barn, was seated on the
front steps of the hotel playing pok-
er with an ex-harvest hand with a
lame foot While the harvest hand
had a bad foot, he seemed to have
a good hand, and the mayors time
| was fully occupied and he told us
where to put our horses without turn
ing around, but before we had the
horses in the barn, he seemed to
be broke, for he joined us, and told
us not to use the mail carriers oats,
which we did not intend to, as they
were locked up with U. S. paddock.
While waiting for dinner, we visited
the postoffice, which occupied one end
of the store A patron of the office
came in, and inquired for his mail.
The P. M. looked in a cigar box,
and shook his head. The man SEEM
ed disappointed and bought an apple
to drown his sorrow. While he was
eating his apple, we inquired of him
regarding the roads. He told US
plainly that the roads from there
east, were bad enough to be in Jail;
ie our horses could swim we might
get around a ditching machine, which
had cut off the only road shown on
our map, and we would have to make
the next ten mile by guess and by
water. After dinner, we started out,
and it was pretty bad. The horses
got scared at the ditching machine
and ran away. The runaway saved
us, and we landed in cow pasture
where we met a man, who was
spearing around after his cattle From