Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1914-02-18

in the shadows of the towering sleeps
which, rising sheer from it's shores,
lift their lofty SUBMITS like turrett-
ed castles, hundreds of feet above
the waters that lave their base In
cleaning white or sombre gray these
tessellated limestone walls break in
to slender columns like minarets of
a mosque surrounded by ancient bal
comics from which primordial peo-
pies may have been summoned to
prayer, or braves of the aborigines
called to battle with neighboring
tribes.
This prosperous borough Of the
north was at the period referred to
in the opening chapter of these his
toric records a mere frontier settle
ment quite on the borders of civiliza-
ton. A hardy pioneer with his new
ly welded wife, his way-worn team
of horses, his canvas-covered wagon
carrying but a meagre outfit of SIM
pie household effects and such crude
agricultural implements as might
not be dispensed with, in his brave
tendeavors to make a home for him
self and his companion, had pitched
his tent and picketed his horses in
the picturesque valley afore men
toned. Soon he was followed by
other enterprising outlanders,
through whose efforts the frontier
village appeared. OF dwellings at
that time the village could boast of
less than score, most of them plain
insignificant structures, such as
were common IN the earlier hamlets
of the west. There was one hotel,
the main part twenty by twenty-five,
] feet it was of logs, which were rudely
lathed and plastered.
On the west side of the edifice
there was lean-to which was in
tended to serve as means of in
creasing the entertaining capacity of
the hosiery. This lean-to bore over
it's south entrance the. augury,-"En-
tertainment for Man and Beast" in
rude characters which were deci-
phered by the hungry traveller with
considerable satisfaction, though it
must be conceded that he cared not
so much for what might be promised
on the outside as for what was really
provided on the inside; reasonable
thought which seldom met with dis
appointment for the Inequalities of
that old Winneshiek House were
very bountiful.
On the main thoroughfare of the
village there were two or three gen.
eral stores which dealt in all kinds
Of merchandise from a silk dress to
talIow-dip, not to overlook the wet
goods department which, not infre-
quentIy was deemed necessary adj
there was saw mill, grist mill,
a wagon and blacksmith shop, a
church with a basement which was
used for public school; it also serv-
ed as a room for debating societies,
and often spelling matches had taken
place there so that like the minister
who officiated in the pulpit, it's duties
were diversified and it's opportunities
for good many and great. There
were several other structures of var
ious sorts, nearly all of which were
used for Taudabie purposes. In the
passage of years most of these rud-
er structures have given place to
more pretending edifices, but tine old
church still remains quite as 1t APP
peared in the days of the pioneers.
"Ho. Jess! Ho. Jess. Jesse-e!
Jesse-e-er l wonder what has become
of the boy, / haint seen nothin' Of
him since breakfast, and here it is
nearly noon. Jesse-e! Jesse-e-e-e!"
again cried the woman at the top of
her voice; then in a lower tone con-
tinued-'he don't often go OIL any
where without .ettin' me know where
lhes a goin' to. Jess,-he's awful
good about that, an he's mighty
fine boy any way you look at it, he's
heap better than most boys Of his
age, there haint nothin' sneakin'
about Jesse ii l do say it. Now
there's Mis- Cobb's Jim-he haint a
bit like my Jesse, he's a sneakin',
good-for-nothin', deceivin young
rascal that never thinks nothin' OF
lettin' his poor sickly little mother
do the chores about the house such
as gettin' in the wood an water,
while he goes off fishin' or dom
somethin' worse Why it was only
day before yesterday l heern his
mother say to him. Jimmy dear"
says she, wont you please bring in
armful of wood, so as can git din
ner?" she says, an do you think he
done it, we'll, reckon not. I'm
blamed if the little skunk didn't all
to once begin to shake an dance
around the house like one all poses
sed jest like he was tuck sudden
with that there Saint Tituses dance
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