Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-10-18
BOOK REVIEW

Observation-Disclosures OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Ralph D. Harrison, in his forta COM
ing volume: "A Nomadic Journey, or,
One Thousand miles in a Prairie
Schooner gives an amusing anec-
dote of his encounter with a, Hoosier
farmer. He says:
Before US stretched beautifully
green bit of country, dotted here and
there with farm houses and grassy
meadows. On either side of the, road,
which was quite yellow with fine par
| ticles of sand, were fields of ripening
corn. enclosed by fences of ill-heWn
! wooden rails. Finding time hanging
heavily on our hands, one of US sug-
gested that We might turn this leisure
to account by br:ying some necessary
pre- ducts of the cuisine art. Accord
ingly, at the next farmhouse l sum-
moned all my intrepidity, and opening
the gate walked around to the side.
No sign of life was visible unless 1t
was the few scraggly ghosts of chick
ems VIII; CHI wallowed in the mire be-
hind the strands of dilapidated wire
fence in the rear of the yard, but at
length, in answer to repeated raps at
the rough door, l had the satisfaction
of seeing the tip of ragged curtain
| in window nearby raised slightly,
and a human eye appeared, as round
and unblinking an eye>as it has ever
been my fortune to see. It was rather
disconcerting, this sharp and prolong-
ed stare with which l was favored.
but I bore it unflinchingly, and even
attempted to conceal my knowledge
of the owners presence. At length,
with commendable caution, so bloody
are the times in which We live, and
so truculent was my appearance in
! those days. the door was opened a
| little and a tousled head emerged,
| to be followed by a dirty scrawny
NECK.
Were the eyes not so basilisk, pre-
Guiding all possibility of sleep ever
! visiting those piercing orbs, l would
venture guess that the owner was
fresh from the arms of Morpheus,
But it is inconceivable that so illus
trious parsonage as Morpheus should
ever stoo3 to cuddle in his soothing
embrace so altogether wide-awake and
suspicious a specimen as this.
Wa'al, came nasal challenge from
nowhere. what is it?'
The reception was so totally differ
ent from anything had imagined that
my subsequent confusion would have
engendered diotrust in more unsus-
pecting breast than this. Up to now,
l had seen nothing but a coarse red
,, face and an emaciated support for it,
but there was no suggestion OF gender
| in their appearance. Here my re-
Elective faculties interviewed, and the
very profusion of the tangled hemp
which surmounted the forehead an
swered the, question for itself. 1t
was a woman.
Madam" began in my most court
ly manner, but like a bomb came the
interruption.
what d'you want?"
"Can l buy a loaf of bread?" cried,
entrapped into plain speech. AS I
spoke l put my hand into my pocket
intending to dazzle her with the view
of bright coin which should be hers
in the event of our striking bargain.
Instantly the door smashed shut, I
heard a scampering of feet, and the
murder was frustrated. This clever
woman had interposed an effectual
barrier in the shape of heavy oak
door to the bullets from my hidden
pistol. Again the eye appeared at
the ragged curtain, and once more the
olfactory voice floated out upon the
air.
'Go away. Amt got none"
So this was the hospitable farmer
of whom we had heard so much. and
the tale of whose generosity had been
ceaselessly pounded into our ears for
months. l burst out laughing in spite
of my chagrin. Il theye were all like
this pleasant prospect we had ahead
of us.
1t is not my intention to deride the
Ind ana farmers, nor to exaggerate
their ignorance on certain subjects
in the least. l believe that as class
they are honest, prudent, generous and
industrious, yet truth compels me to
say that we received worse treatment
in our own home state than in any of
the five across which We journeyed.
POSSE SEEKS NEGRO
NECHE. N. D., Oct. 18-A negro
named Smith is at large in the timber
oif with 1onltv Shoriff