The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1910-02-17
Letter from Montana.

"A Chinook. How tie hdS ENJOY
Themselves. Maine People in the West.
Concerning Currency Carrie Nation
Lectures in Bozeman.
Correspondence of The Republican Journal.]
BozEMAN, MONTANA, February 10, 1910.
A Chinook" in progress here today is
making the snow, disappear as if by
magic, and the sleighing about town will
suffer in consequence. There is more
snow in the valley than they have had
for years, and everybody, from ''the old
est inhabitant'' down, is predicting no
little trouble in the spring from freshets.
The children have made the most of the
snow, and while there are no hills worthy
of the name for coasting, and no place for
skating even equal in area to ''Kirby
Lake. at home, they manage to get
their fun in a different way, Pleasant
afternoons after school and on Saturdays
a chorus of merry screams and squeals
brings one to the windows to enjoy a
novel sight. Riding saddle horse bare
back, usually, is a youngster- equally
likely to be a boy or a girl-while at
tached to "tow-line' are from two to
four sleds, all with their full quotas of
occupants, and the shouts and laughter
as they whiz around corners and down
the streets tells plainly how thoroughly
this kind of sliding" is enjoyed. The
rider may be little girl on big, raw
boned "cayuse", or boy on a sturdy,
shaggy little pony, and the sleds may
number one or four, but always these
young people are having jolly time.
Even the children here seem to demand
their individual method of locomotion,
for those who haven't ponies and sleighs
have dog teams. All sorts and conditions
of dogs are pressed into service and they
seem to enjoy their duties as much as do
their small drivers. A tandem rig trot-
ting down Main street the other day
driven by two tiny boys attracted my
attention. The leader was a pug, fat
almost to the bursting point, and he was
followed by good sized collie, whose air
of boredom was tinged with a suggestion
that if he had to do this thing at all he
would do it we'll, and the two kept up
such pace that it was all their small
drivers could do to guide them safely
through the Main street traffic. There
are ponies galore here, too, and their
small owners who are fortunate enough
to own sleighs enjoy driving; if not. they
seem to get an equal amount of enjoy
ment out of riding.
Among the things to which the east
erner must accustom himself is that the
relative position of places is what counts,
and when people here talk about "back
east" they usually mean Chicago or st.
Paul. Maine means Glands end'' to
most people here; although there are
good many Maine people in this State.
My first caller, and neighbor, was a
lady who had come from Oakland, then
Waterville, over twenty years ago. Her
husband had been M. C. r. R. employee
and knew Mr.. Gardner of Citypoint
They had lived at Laurel, too, and there
had known the Coombs' from Waldo, and
also Bert Shorey, who now has one of
the handsomest houses in Billings, l am
told.
What was my surprise, to find the
other day, that Mr.. Tabor, the money
order clerk in the post Office, was
Maine man and had been in Belfast a
good many times. He was interested
to learn that the Crosby Inn, where he
had stayed, had gone up in smoke long
ago. We had very pleasant talk, and
in the course of it he said, "Why, l be-
lieve l had school-mate at Oak Grove
Seminary who lives in Belfast-Dins-
more was his name, Tom Dinsmore. "
He was interested to learn of Mr.. Dins-
more's new calendar plan, and 1 promis-
ed to take the dainty little pamphlet,
which we enjoyed reading at Christmas
time, down for his inspection. Mr.. Ia
Dor said that Mr.. Dinsmore was a great
a thlete in his school days, and told of
some instructions he gave him in the
gym at Oak Grove. He ended the little
an ecdote by saying, II suppose he has
forgotten all about me by now!''
We enjoyed little talk with another
Name man at the State Poultry Show
leld here last week-Dr. Lord, of Three
F orks, a son Of Hon. Henry Lord of Ban
COR, president of the board of trustees
If the University of Maine. DR.. Lord had
!, ONE up from Three Forks for the show,
and seemed as glad as we were to talk
With some one from "back home" His
resemblance to his father is striking,
and he promised to look US up the next
line he came to Bozeman.
Another thing the Fastener has to
earn is to get accustomed to the silver
money, for dollar bills are almost as
carce as the proverbial ''hen's teeth"
nd the unfortunate who has to break a
en- dollar bill is much more likely than
not to be presented with nine silver dol
ars. l saw ranchman in one of the
torres looking curiously at dollar bill
hat had been given him for change, and