The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1919-02-28

warfare, that spelled dangling scain-
locks lurked ominously at my elbow
So near and real was the vision fancy
painted OF coppery. paint smeared.
biankefed savegery that felt Il leer.
ing over my shoulder. peering at me
with eyes of long ago athirst for
blood. Ny thoughts dwelf on a far
reaching world of mountain OF limit.
less, tsackiess. barren plain; OF
waste and glorious promises fuailied
In turn. A world tied up to a remote
civilization At the city OF Salt Lake
It's miles distant by a thread OF road
that curled as a refractory ribbon
across its length or stretched smooth
through the tedium OF weary miles.
Looking the length OF that ribbon
OF road | saw. even as my seatmate's
remote gaze saw. the connecting
link Twas but a light wagon drawn
by pair OF horses infintisimai al
most. as the grains of sand beneath
the wheels. A light wagon, a span OF
ponies, answering in lieu OF stage:
train, lone method of locomotion.
My eyes watched IL as II covered the
dust-soaked. weary miles, NV
thoughts OF helpless pity surrounded
1t. My throat ached in an effort to
cry out a warning appraising those
who came 80 confidently ON of the
fate which awaited them just ahead
In that sinister gulch OF granite
boulders and huge sage. One closed
eyes and yet saw: saw them fall vic
tins TO only the least fractional part
OF lawlessness Of man, who for the
will-o-the-wisp gold harassed and
murdered his fellow man: falling up-
on him unawares In the lonely places
or instigating undersigned murder
which still left his own Wild passions
of greed and visciousness unsated--
but rubbing elbow In close juxtapo-
sitfon to all this walked always the
sincerity and goodness of the torch.
bearers who unfalteringiy met the
underseryed death that stalked at
all times and in all man aer o. places.
Torch bearers who left n family
marked trail of true worth that
stretched bloody pleading. beckon-
ing length to those who came after.
demanding that they open up this
new-old land and call Il home. The
sincere. the beautiful. with goodiy
humor leavening the whole. was In
the then as IL Is In the now.
Not so very. very long ago some OF
the signs of the Old days were still
In evidence. as told by the "oId-tim.
er" and rs he spoke their quaint
phrasing one felt the spread of sun
shine over the land. Even az IL Is told
In the preserved note books OF a pio-
neer yesterday and Is retold In the
Montana history OF today, the old
timer told 1t. "Tu grass Hop Per dig.
ms 30 myle--kepe the Trale mex the
bluce.' and "Tu Jonni grants One
Hundred & twenti myle." The liter
acy of the above Is not fictional |
Grasshopper Diggings became and is |
the town OF Bannack. while Deer |
Lodge Is builded on "jonnI grants" i
ranch
Then. too. there was the original /
Passamari of Shoshone tongue. /
meaning Sinking Water. Spell the
Passamari Of the then and the Pab. |
simaroi OF the now. Which would /
you? As we of today know boundary
lines have changed so have many
things. The history OF all the years |
was in my seat mates face and 1
voice and HE told the surface things
but the seriousness of by gone days
was for another time. felt with re-
gret that this was so and was recall
ed TO the present by conductor Kav-
anagh picking up n tiny slip here and
here. a slip which marked ,the end
ing OF some ones journey. as he cali
I'd out. "Armstead! Armstead!"
! buttoned my coat, drew on my
gloves, returned the evening paper. L
Do you live here my seatmate in
,uired.
YES. | said.
Dead" echoed why II is the
most alive place you never lived In"
grinned. trust with commendabIe
iumor. Don't you know" I aserried.
that Armstead Is the Mother-Lode
rom which the prospects OF the G.
md 7. spring? Someday those pros
'ects may develop into veins Of far
eachlng values. The possibilities are
fery great. The surface showingg. ara
'ood but the main body Of ore carry
ng its rich stratas OF gold lie un-
ouched. dormant. awaiting the
hand of the now which
made possible the Mother.Lode.
When that day comes the proEpecior
VIII ind a mountain of wealth
aine.' As ! said. my seatmate was !
ruly courteous. He seemed 10 under. 9
tand my wiiIess words. :
Then. Have you lived here long,
e asked politely. y
Better than two years" answer !
d pridefully. Then for fear he might
hink Armstead boasted some sort OF :
anitarinm and had escaped, hast. !
q to add. "Mr. Martin has an auto Z
fage line which carries mail and .
from Afmstead 20 Salmon c
lternate train days" And ! forgot 20 G
ell him he carried them too. .
An automobile stage line into the u