The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1920-03-25
BY Wellington Napton


ais, having met with fair success il
days when three dollars to the pal
was considered pay dirt abandoned
their claim and pulled up stakes 70
the Big Hole basin, a high uplant
on the eastern watershed of thu
Rockies, it's uplist $3.50 feet aboV'
the sea.
Dry land it is, wrung out from al
inland sea in prehistoric times so re
mote the mind staggers in an at
tempt to reckon it. Through THU
land runs a clear mountain stream
dashing and ~splashing over boulderl
on it's way to join the opaque water!
of the Big Muddy. This virgin sol
was untrod save by the moccasin foo
of the Red Man, until the placer dig
gings were worked out to a great
extent and the placer miner turned
his attention to agricultural pur.
suits.
Miners Go Farming
Two miners, Harris and Bolt.
squatted on 100 acres, built comfort
able log cabins, were the first pre-
emptors and had the choice of land
to select from. They grew in opul-
ence as the wheels of time revolved
and the yearly addendum of young
stock grew into many herds on many
hills. These miners were boon COM
panions and were in the habit of
taking turns staying a part of the
time at each Others cabin in order
to somply with the law when it came
time to prove up title to their lands,
to keep n another company and
to break the "bloody monotony'' of
the semi-Arctic stiffness, as Harris
was wont to say.
The Ideal Life
When discussing other things, one
October night, the question arose
whether it was the ideal life for a
man to live alone, and be exempt
from the visiting of the stork or to
have a guardian angel preside yer
the household affairs; and after a
thorough argument pro and con, Bolt
chung with ~tenacity to the affirma-
tive side of the question and resolved
to take unto himself a helpmate.
He would rush into the matrimo-
NAL state, providing he could induce
some unsuspecting female to share
him the vicissitudes of ranch
life in the west. Harris suggested
that as neither he nor his partner
had left behind a sweetheart when
they started west, an advertisement
n some eastern newspaper was like
y to bring about the desired results,
and wrote the following notice, post
.ng it to an eastern paper for inser-
"To whom it may concern: Cor
re~spondence desired with a lady, not
over 80 years of age, must have some
knowledge of farm life and capable
of attending to the duties on a ranch.
Object, matrimony. Photographs to
be exchanged. Bolt"
A short time passed when a let
Ter was received addressed to Bolt,
punctuation and ortho-
as correct as a young lady's
for a position to teach,
with a photograph enclosed. After
it, Bolt turned to his part
ler and holding up the counterfeit
resentment remarked to Harris that
she looked like a "four time win
Why shouldn't he write and
ell the lady to stand not upon the
order of coming, but come at once?
This course vas finally agreed upon
md a missive was sent to ascertain
f a bargain could be struck and con-
ract entered into for better or for
worse, sight Unseen.
In due course a reply came an
bouncing that the writer would de-
,art the following week, destination
he Big Hole basin, with instruc-
ions to have some n meet her at
he stage station, some two miles
from Harris ranch, upon the
trivial of the stage coach. Harris
made all necessary preparations to
meet the coming bride. 1t had been
long since he had had the exquis-
tie pleasure of ~conversing, as he
ermed it, with a real lady, that his
expectations as to this particular one
pitched to the highest key, and
pictured in his minds eye what
he prospective future wife of his
Iosom friend and mining partner
would be.
Making all haste to meet her at
he station at the time when she
would arrive, he struck out on a pair
f skis of his own make, across the
now to the station, carrying on his
ack an extra pair of web shoes for
he lady, for the snow had fallen to
depth of three feet on the level
nd had formed a crust, making ski
ng the only way of travelling on foot.
The suns rays were dipping be-
ind the mountains when he reached
he station, but the lingering twi-
ight of this northern latitude glows
into the night, and he had no
ear of losing the trail on his return.
Her Arrival
The stage driver had changed
orses on the divide and from "a
Theeled coach to a wagon box on
oh sleds. When the Overland"
ulled up at the station, the Pilgrim
tady alighted and made inquiries for
rr. Bolt. Harris alighted and in
himself as Mr.. Bolts part
err, telling her that he was waiting
Dr. her coming and was ready to
Hot her to Bolts cabin, about two
lilies up the river beyond his own.
81 am pleased to meet you and
ccept with pleasure your kind of
sr," said the lady. Glow far is 1t
j, the ranch? Mr.. Bolt has written
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