Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1911-07-13

aAsa zaaaaHl
the old Methodist chapel on ST. Jo-
seph street ! knew this for d place
of town gossip. and hoped I might
hit upon something to AID me In my
srrand, which was no more than be-
gun. II seemed Entering the place
shortly before noon, made pretense
III reading. All the while with an eye
and an ear out for anything that
might happen.
AS stared III pretense ct the page
before me, ! fnmbled idly in a pocket,
with unthinking hand. and brought out
TO place before me on the table, an
object of which AZ first / was uncon-
scious--the little Indian blanket clasp.
~ II lay before me / felt seized Of a
sudden hatred for 1t. and let fall on
II heavy hand AS did SO, / heard
voice at my ear.
Mein Gott. man. do not! You
break It, surely
] started at this. I had not heard
any one approach. discovered now
that the speaker had taken seat
near me at the table, and could not
fail TO see this object which lay be-
fore me.
Il beg pardon" he said in broken
speech which showed his foreign
birth; but It iss so beautiful; to
break 1t iss wrong"
Something In his appearance and
speech fixed my attention. He was q
tall, bent man, perhaps sixty years Of
age. of gray hair and heard, with the
glasAes and the unmlstakable air of
the student. His stopped shoulders, his
weakened eye. his thin. blue-yeined
hand, the iron-gray hair standing like
. run above his forehead. marked him
not ~ one acquainted with a wild
life, but better fitted for other days
and scenes
] pushed the trinket along the table
towards him.
IT'S OF little value, 1 said, and is
always In the way when / would find
anything In my pocket.
But once some one bass made It:
once Il bass been value Tell me
where you get it?'
North Of the Platte. in our west
ern territories. said. II once traded
in that country"
You are Americana
Yes"
So. he said thoughffully $50 "A
great country. very great country.
Me, | also live In it,
.at1 ..rt.xt $500
''It ISIS iive years since cross the
Rockies.
You have crossed the Rockies?
envy you
You meesunderstand me. / live
west Of them for i've years. am now
come east.
You have been at Fort Vancouver"
He nodded Also to Fort Colville.
far north; also to what they call Cali
fornia, far south; and again to what
they may yet call Fort Victoria. |
haf seen many posts OF the Hudson
Bay Company
| was afraid my eyes showed my
interest; but he went on.
II hat been In the Columbia coun-
try. and in the willamette country,
where most of your Americans are
settled | know somewhat OF Callfor-
mia Mr. Howard, Of the Hudson Bay
Company, knows also Of the country
Of California He said to those Eng
Ilsh gentlemans ct our meeting last
night that England should hat some
thing To offset California on the west
coast: because. though Mexico claims
California. the Yankees really rule
there. and win rule there yet more.
He iss right: but they laughed 1T
him.
0h, think little viii come or all
this talk, 4 said carelessly 1T is
very far out to Oregon. Yet All the
time my heart was leaping SO he
had been there. at THAT very meeting
of which could learn nothing
You know not what you say. "A
thousand MEN came into Oregon last
year. 1t ISIS like one Of the great mi
kfations Of the peoples of Asia, or
Europe. say to YOU. It iss great