Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1914-05-28
ONE BED FOR THE COURT.
1t Was a Big One, Though, and Held
All Its Numerous Members,

~ iNNiuSiOOS "CuIpStSs
The first courthouse of Henry
county. ILL.,, was u frame structure.
eight feet by fourteen. set in the
midst of an u%ninhabited prairie. But
as little villages began to spring up in
the county a lively contention for the
honor of being the county seat began.
Cambridge finally won, for it WAS
nearest the center of the county.
This was in the forties of the last
century. The first session of circuit
court was at hand and Cambridge was
on it's mettle to entertain the court
suitably. The difficulties to anything
but pioneer courage and r%esourceful-
ness would have seemed insuperable.
The village consisted of eight or ten
little dwellings,. a tiny general store. a
blacksmith shop and a carpenter shop.
The new courthouse was unfinished.
but would be used. as the session for
tunately fell in the summer.
Now the housewives laid their heads
together to contrive how the court
officials, %litigants and Witnesses
should be lodged and fed. There was
almost nothing that could be bought,
except sugar, molasses. tea. coffee and
flour. But they had an abundant sup
ply of yellow legged chickens. home
cured hams. milk, eggs, butter and
cream. as we'll as their vegetable gar
dens to draw Oh. There was no fresh
fruit. but they brought out their cher
ished stores of wild plum marmalade
and wild %crabapple preserves. Both
were made with molasses. and after
they had sufficient time to season We're
really delicious. Besides. the hillsideS
were pink with the beautiful wildwood
sorrel. the leaves Of which make de-
licious pies in skillful hands.
The village boosted one group Of
forest trees. a small grove of sugar
naples. half a mile away, and in their
shade Mr.. Atwater built Il long table
with sawhorses and boards. With the
combined stock Of table linen, crockery
and cutlery possessed by the house
wives the table was laid with sufi-
cient elegance. according to pioneer
standards. 1t was felt that the court
would be properly Toasted. but how
about lodging? That was the real diff
iculty. The tiny houses and their
beds were full to overlooking with
their proper inmates.
But there was the loft of the car
penter shop. The store had a whole
bolt Of unbleached muslin. 1t was
fp,r ;,+o lo,rfIc o~,oJ tn thn lorr+,
Of the loft and sewed together by
hand. of course.
Then the loft floor was covered deep
with nice clean Shavings. the immense
sheet laid over them and tackled to the
walls all the way round. On this
Brobdingnagian bed the court lay in
two rows. From the extra supply re-
quired for winter enough quilts We're
mustered to owe the sleeperS. AS for
pillows no II gave u thought to those
effeminate %,luXuries. The lawyers
might lay their heads on their saddle,
bags or their rolled up coats and he
thankful.
Thus was the circuit court sumptu
ously fed and sufficiently lodged
thanks to the ingenious women OF
Henry county.-Youth's Companion.
Might as Well Have Seen Him.
Awakening with Il bad headache tn,
morning after a banquet. Il suburban
dentist unused. not unpleasantly. OF
his last evenings spree. But suddenl,
his wife appeared and, advancing t.
his bedside. shouted historically:
You wretch! What will the neigh
bors say at your coming home drum
last night?"
"But, my dear. nobody saw me-" th,
dentist protested.
Nobody saw you. What if nobod.
did see you? You know well enough
they all heard the way l carried OF
when you got back.'-New'York Trib