The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-07-11
Travellers Tales

Everybody who goes to Bismarck and
stops at the Grand Pacific Hotel gets
to know Eddie Barrett sooner or later,
generally later, because he presides
over the office counter at night. Ed is
a prince of good fellows and has a host
of friends In Fargo. 1t used to be his
custom in the arly hours OF the morn
ing, just after the day man came on
duty, to go to the placid or otherwise
banks of the Missouri and take a dip.
According to story told by a traveller
who recently stopped at the hotel, this
practice has been stopped. One morn
Ing during the heated term Ed went to
the river and jumped in and was pad
ding about to his hearts content, when
a bevy of girls from the city came down
to the waters edge. They didn't know
neither could they have known, that
Eddie was in the water, but he knew
they were there, and If he was re-
ligious young man 1t might be said Of
him that he was clothed in nothing
excepting "the breastplate of righte-
BUSINESS" He kept still as mouse, but
it wasn't long until the girls espied
his clothing, which they Immediately
proceeded to inspect. AS they rumaged
away they found therein lock of hair
in fact there were three locks and
they were not OF the same color. One
Of the girls recognized one as hers and
another was sure one had come from
her head, but the other one couldn't
be identified. They ran UP and down
the waters edge until they discovered
the top of Mr.. Barrett's head, and then
they opened the seven Walls of wrath
on him and he was called a gay deceiv-
er and all manner of queer names, and
he couldn't say a word, excepting to
explain that a commercial man had
dropped an envelope and he had found
the locks therein. This was adding fuel
to the fire and they took his clothing
and that is why when the shades of
night were falling a man was seen
begging passerby to go to the hotel
and get him some clothing. He does
his bathing now in bathtub Of the
hotel and has determined that forever
after he will remain true to just one.
William Van Steimwher, one of the
heaviest landowners in and about
Hillsboro, Trail county, was in the city
Saturday, attending to business and
calling on his friends. He has in all
about 4,500 acres of land in that sec
ton of the state, and he makes his
home in the summer time there and in
the winter registers from Cincinnati.
In speaking Of the crop conditions to
The Forum, he said: I'VE will not
have half crop down our way, / am
sorry to say. From Hillsboro north
to Winnipeg everything lis as dead as
the proverbial mackerel. but south Of
our town 1t Is much better. but under
the most favorable weather we will not
get half a yield / want to say, though.
that this very dry and protracted spell
has demonstrated one thing, and that
is that the soil of the Red river valley
retains moisture longer than any other
land know of in the world 1t il won
derful Down four or f1ve inches you
can actually dig up mud. The wonder
full retentiveness of the soil Is simply
remarkable. I have been here during
the summer months for over twenty :,
four years and this season liz about the
dryest ever experienced. have gone
over the state quite good deal and
know that so far as early wheat is con-
cerned, we viii virtually have none.
He left for his home Saturday after
noon. He Is one or the best known
men Of the state Of Ohio and has very
large acquaintance in this state. for
each year his family spend the sum
nner in North Dakota. and he person
ally superintends the running Of his
different farms.