The Ontario Argus. (Ontario, Or.) 1???-1947, 1916-09-07


sence OF twenty years. was in Jor-
dan Valley once more. AZ night
came on I sauntered all alone thru
the town. wanted to be alone. I
wanted TO see the changes that had
taken place. wanted TO look up
old landmarks. My thoughts we're
OF the past and with the past. Things
looked 30 different. Many OF the
old landmarks we're gone. New
things had taken their places.
listened for familiar voices but they
were hushed. some forever. A lone
someness crept over me: I felt like n
stranger In a strange land. II I had
only heard the crack OF n sIx-shooter.
or the yell OF n cowboy. would have
cried for Joy; but all was stlll, not n
sound was heard. In my wanderlngs
! landed behind the big hotel barn. |
was inspecting all that remained OF
J. Il. BaXter's old pioneer home. the
old stone chicken house. While |
was standing there In reverie there
pealed forth the sound OF piano.
The sound came from the direction
OF the Jordan Valley hotel. The sound
aroused me- "a dAncel" I said.
wonder who Is playing? Wonder
who IL there? believe Dan Conners.
Jonny Conners. George Speed, Tom
Mccain. the Mills family and all the
rest OF the families and all the old
cow-punchers must be there. I'll go
over and see and surprise them"
l went slowly over toward the ho-
tel. The plano still clanked away Il
was a funny tune, | never heard II
before In Jordan valley. The music
came by Jerks. few bars and than a
rest. another wild start. another Jerk.
another rest. whats the matter
18th the player?" thought. what
Is he trying to play? Where did I
ever hear such music before?" II
came to me like a flash. II know
where I heard II. In Chicago, on
State street."
New Dances Don't Make Hit.
remembered shipping horses TO
Chicago for the Jordan valley stock
men. remember sauntering down
State street one night and there II
heard that kind OF music. II was
ragtime. entered and there saw
Little Egypt" dancing the Hootehee
Cootchee. But l am here In good,
old Jordan valley, why have ragtime?
| quietly approached the window and
looked into the ballroom. There
was lot of young boys and girls
crowding around the plano player.
They all seemed TO have lots to say
to the musician. Every now and
then he would throw Tit and there
would peal forth a few bars of rag
time. His music came by starts,
jerks and fits. All of a sudden there
was a scattering from that piano. II
looked like a mustang had jumped in
tho CChNci VI Niidt doochhpiuBc anu
was dealing solar plexis blows in all
directions. was wrong again, The
pianist had bumped his back and was
clawing the keys for all he was worth.
The dance had started in earnest.
Every young man grabbed a partner.
Grabbed" is the right word. Every
young man threw a kink in his back
gave his shoulders another hitch and
bumped his back like a broneho
about TO buck. Then the couples
began to sway their bodies. The
young men put more humps in their
backs; now 1t seemed they were try
ing to unscrew themselves at the
waist. looked. watched, listen
ed. "That must be a prelude TO the
hootchie-cootchie?" l said to myself.
"How did this dance come here? Who
are those dancers? must be dream
ing. No, l am not.I left Jordan val
ley twenty-five years ago, then the
wild and woody west, now l come
back and it is civilized New people,
new Thoughts. new ways"
Country Gone TO Hell"
All saw there, recalled to me an