Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1914-03-04
quite as much satisfaction as the
other derived from his pipe.

other derived from his pipe.
The men were bosom friends and
boon companions. Much of their
time when they were not engaged in
daily duties was spent in each others
society. Thus, while others frequent
ly whiled away an evening at the
store talking over such general news
of the day as sifted through on the
stage from the east or such local hap
penings as formed pleasing subjects
of gossip, these two were there al
most every week night as regular as
the passage of time itself. One of
these men, whose name was Joseph
Benson Pettus, was a blacksmith,
and enjoyed the reputation of being
an excellent workman as well as an
honest man. The other, Stephen
Petrie, was employed at a mill which
was situated in a ravine across the
river, north of town, and had for its
motive power a mighty spring of
opalescent crystalline waters which
burst from a rocky foundation two
hundred feet above the river level.
Leaving these two cronies for the
time being in each others society at
the store, it becomes necessary to di-
rect the readers attention to the
movements of another individual
whose destiny it will be to take a
not unimportant part in the events
which are to follow.
Mr.. Frank Inness was young man
possessed of fondness for the life
of the frontiersman, he loved to hunt
and fish; above all things this Esauic
obsession actuated his daily life. 1t
was his meat and drink to roam the
forest-topped hills and valleys, which
on every side, hedged in the town
and stretched away in all directions
far and beyond the most distant sky
line viewed from the Hottest SUBMITS
OF the highest hills.
| Day after day, summer and win
ter, in all kinds of weather, with rife
on shoulder or fishing-rod In hand,
Inness might have been found in his
favorite occupation ranging the hills
in search of deer or wolf, or strolling
lazily along the shore-line OF the
river seeking for bass or pickerel, or
mayhap casting for trout in the
springfield streams adjacent to the
Oneota. 1t was afternoon of the jan
uary day referred to, that Inness had
his attention directed to point
across the river where in plain view
there stood a noble stag, apparently
unafraid, browsing from the brush
which, sheltered by high bluffs from
north-wind and snow drift afforded
the half famished animal much need
ed food. The hunter no sooner saw
the stag than he ran for his rifle and
utterly regardless of the piercing cold
fastened away after the deer. Before
| he could reach within rifle-shot how
ever, his presence was suspected by
the willy animal which cautiously
moved further on up stream evident
| y looking for an opening in the
bluffs where it might find a passage
up some ravine to safety.
The hunter pushed on in pursuit
as rapidly as circumstances would
admit of and might have obtained a
shot, but for an unlocked for obsta-
Gle which suddenly changed his
plans. He met with a decided set
back, which, while it left no perma-
nent physical impression upon his
person, did indeed have "a disturbing
influence upon his peace of mind for
some time afterward. He was incau-
tiously making his way through some
underbrush near cave in the bluffs
when he accidentally struck the lair
of one of those mephitine mustaloid
carnivore, which are possessed of very
large anal glands that secrete IL
auid of offensiove odor which the
creature is able to eject at will.
Unfortunately for the hunter, the
| little animal was not put in happy
state of mind by the unlocked for