The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1910-08-24


snow. and | forgot that me and old
Idaho was on the outs.
Idaho says |. what kind Of a
book is yours ?"
Idaho must have forgot. too, for he
answered moderate, without any Sian
der or malignity.
Why says he, this here seems to
be q volume by Homer <. NJ"
Homer K. NJ whatY' / asks.
Why, just Homer e. NJ" says he.
/ You're a liar" says l, little riled
that Idaho should try to put me up a
tree. No man is going around signing
/ books with his initials. IL it's Homer
& NJ. Spoopendyke, or Homer K. M
McSWeeney. or Homer *. M. Jones,
why don't you say so like man in
stead of biting off the end of it like a
calf chewing off the tail Of shirt on
elothesline?"
i put It to you straight, Sandy
says Idaho. quiet. Its poem book"
says he, by Homer K. NJ. I couldn't
get color out Of it at first, but there's
a vein If you follow 1t up. | wouldn't
have missed this book for a pair Of
red blankets"
You're welcome to it, says I.
What you've got" says Idaho, ''is
statistics, the lowest grade of informa-
ton that exists. They'll poison your
mind. Give me old K. Ms system of
surmises. He seems to be a kind of a
wine agent His regular toast is
nothing doing and he seems to have
crouch, but he keeps 1t SO well lubri-
Gated with booze that his worst kicks
sound like an invitation to split a
quart But it's poetry" says Idaho
"and have sensations Of scorn for
that truck of yours that tries to con-
yey sense in feet and inches"
So that's the way me and Idaho had
IT. Day and night all the excitement
we got was studying our books. That
snowstorm sure fixed US with fine lot
of attachments apiece.
That spring me and Idaho struck
pay ore. 1t was habit Of ours to sell
| out quick and keep moving. We IN
loaded on our grubstaker for $1,000
apiece, and then we drifted down to
this little town of Rosa, on the Salmon
river, to rest up and get some human
grub and have our whiskers harvested.
Rosa was no mining camp. 1t laid
in the valley, and was as free of up
roar and pestilence as one Of them
rural towns In the country There was
II oh ~
bit In the enyirons. and me and Idaho
spent week riding on one of the cars,
dropping off of nights at the Sunset
View hotel. Being now well read as
well as travelled, we was soon pro re
nata with the best society in Rosa
ed up and high toned entertainments.
1t was at piano recital and quail eat
ing contest in the city hall, for the ben
eft Of the fire company, that me and
Idaho first met Mrs De Ormond Samp-
son. the queen of Rosa society.
Mrs. Sampson was a widow and own
ed the only two story house In town.
It was painted yellow. and whichever
way you looked from you could see 1t
as plain as egg on the chin Of an
O'Grady on a Friday. Twenty-Five
men In Rosa besides me and Idaho was
trying to stake claim on that yellow
house.
There was dance after the song
books and quail bones had been raked
out of the hail. Twenty three of the
bunch gaIloped over to Mrs. Sampson
and asked for dance. / sidestepped
the twostep and asked permission to
escort her home. That's where made
a hit
On the way home says she:
"Ain't the stars lovely and bright
tonight, Mr.. PrattY
"For the chance they've got" says
I, they're humping themselves in a
mighty creditable way. That big one
you see is $4,000, 100000 of miles dis
tant. 1t took thirty-six years for its
light to reach us. With an eighteen
foot telescope you can see 100000
of 'em, including them Of the thir-
teenth magnitude. which, IL one was to
go out now. you would keep on seeing
it for 2.70O years"
"Myl" says Mrs. Sampson. Il never
knew that before. How warm it is!
I'm as damp as can be from dancing
so much"
That's easy to account for" says l.
when you happen to know that you've
got 100000 sweat glands working
all at once. If every one of your
perspiratory ducts, which are a quar-
ter of an inch long, was placed end
to end they would reach distance Of
seven miles"
"Lawsy!" says Mrs. Sampson. ut
sounds Ike an irrigation ditch you was
describing. Mr.. Pratt. How do you
get all this knowledge of informa-
| tion?'
From observation, Mrs Sampson"
l tells her II keep my eyes open
when ! 60 about the world
Mr.. Pratt" says she, 81 always
| did admire man of education. There
| Gao 90 forr, SoLoIarc ouaopo tho con