The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1916-04-14
THE HIRED MAN

to live up at Blessinger on the electric
line, and was the backbone of religion |
and righteousness in his neighbor-
hood tor many years, and who rarely |
ever jokcd any. He told me that one
time over in Umquah Valley in Calif@
ornia, a stranger passing through |
looking at the country, came upon a
house where very old man. perhaps
hundred. standing outside, was eat
ing bread and jelly, and was crying.
The stranger stopped and asked him
what was the matter. He said pa
Just slapped me just now and | jus,
don't like it a bit What did pa slap
you for, asked the stranger. Well, he
said. Il don't like to tell" Upon being
pressed for an answer. he stated that
he had had an argument with his
grandpa about something in ancient
days and that he had lost his self
control and had kicked his grandpa
Mr.. Landlord said this old man with
the bread and jelly was about a hun
dred. They have no budded fruit in
that part of Umquah Valley even to
this day, no movies-think of that,
would you. no movies. In religion
they know nothing at all about the
Higher Criticism, or Lower Criticism
for that matter. They live calmly and
virtuously, and no wonder they have
many men and women more than a
hundred. The Hired Man hasn't hat
ed so much to die, since he has been
redeemed, and knows that he will
even have better facilities for living in
the next life than he had to begin with
in this one.
The Hired Man with his wife went
over to Shoshone one afternoon re-
Gently and returned on the train reach
| ing Caldwell at 4 a. m. Our chair car
was pretty we'll filled with other poor
folks who could not stand the price of
a berth. Well, along about 3 a. m.
we took an inventory of the characters
in the car. We never said word to
them on the subject, but simply look
ed them over. Right across from us
was woman from whose kind sprung
that wicked mother-in-law joke, and
the only difference was that we did
not think there would be any joke
about this case. 1t would be the real
thing. Now we all know that there is
nothing but the jokes of fifteendol-
lar-the-week space writers in all this
mother-in-1aw stuff we see going the
Grounds, but in our chair car occupant
there would be no joke to it. A wo-
man sat further back with pretty nice
looking daughter, chip off the old
block. and we put them down as go
ing out about as far as Sumpter,
where the mother was going to work
in hotel while the daughter was go
ing to be clerk. A woman with three
tired and awfully sleepy children, we
had it, was going to take them to
Washington to live with an uncle, her
husband having died with typhoid or
lmountain fever near Losanimus, Colo
Irado. Of course all this we got just
from surmising. You can surmise
most anything of you turn your sur,
Imiser loose. A young man up ahead
was going to Canada, wife thought
from the cap in the rack above. A
woman with little tot, was going tc
Baker City to meet her husband
whom we surmised was working IN
livery stable and was most splendlc
provider for his little family. We hae
him down as a man who did not drink
or buy cigars, but was good judge O.
beef stock. A long man about sixty
who smoked far down in his char
and put his knees out against thu
chair before him and who snoret
loudly we surmised was uncle Pete
the much beloved and wooded brothe
, of daddy, and who had a great big
paper sack of gumdrops for about fiv'
husky tots in a family over abou
Yakima. One fellow had laid dow
!, flat on his back after taking off hi
/ coat and putting it over his face AM
!, lbreast, stuck his feet I'D high in tn
. corner of the car and was dead to TIL
: lworld. He had awfully large feet
, andwesurmised that the blood fioo'
| from them might cause trouble In tn
, mans head. An austere man wit
, lco1d steel eyes and brows worse thai
! Charles Dickens we were surprises
: | to find in the chair car among com
e mon folks, but we surmised mail
l that he had wormed himself in wit
e the directors of mining compan
e over about Rigby, California, and ha
c got the Job by contending. that tn
Z other fellow whom he displaced wa
y making his inspection trips cost IN
/ company too much. A beautiful
/ sweet face slept clamly and serenel!
S II was the face of young woman {
n about eighteen. 1t was very plan
4 according to our surmisers. that sh
e had finally got mammals consent to Z
/ out TO pendleton and marry there, II
1 stead of having Shad come back I
Aurora and marry in the old hom
The face was the very picture OF tru
Y and affection. lf Shad should to'
/. that girl, hope he never gets Chri
c tian burial. There was a woman wat
c two boys. and she was kind to then
:, patient, loving, yet how sad was h
y Our surmisers told us that Henry ha
{, died in Nebraska, and sisters hu
9. lband had sent her the money to con
c and live with Laura. Laura alwa,
II did get along we'll with this sister, ar
II now they weresto be companions on'
e more. although there was another s.
a ter that Laura did not fancy II
is elder of the two lads took after h
1, dead father, and mamma was Just
n little partial to him. the other be
d being mammals boy. A great big m;
k with an expressless face was goiI
n over to Redding, California, to t
e to break a will left by father and
70 rot ,e much of the property as pc