Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1921-10-20

EQ. M. hl1nDdlI OIL LOS AuSSIOSs A6I14-
Y err of Clara Kimball Young, movie star,
received copy of The News in which
was reviewed the story of the cele-
, bration 90 years ago of the entrance
fof the first railway train into Bara-
, boo, and, writing to o. D. Branden-
burg about the matter, says:
''I most certainly do remember the
incident quite well. 1t was a most
momentous occasion to every inhabi-
tant of Baraboo, from the biggest big
bug of the town to the variest small
boy. | also recollect how, a few
months prior to the celebration, near
ly every boy in town often biked out
to Devils lake, and then on to the
big cut out toward the nose, where we
could watch the big steamsbovel at
work loading up the flatcars with dirt
for grading the tracks from Kirkland
around the lake.
with what boyish impatience did
we await the advent OF the chO-chOOs,
dividing our time between fishing for
rockbass and pumpkin seeds off the
rocks on the shore and running down
towards the cut whenever we heard
the train coming, to watch the Nn-
loading.
Lucky days for us,-summer. no
school, no work; that is, when we
could evade the eagle eye of dear old
dad and make our getaway after he
had set us at the disagreeable task of
hoeing corn or potatoes, picking
potatobugs or saving up the winters
supply of wood Those were i'm
. truth memorable, happy, eventful
days, and as I look back can call to
mind but one unhappy incident, and
that was on the day of the big celebra-
ton you write of. That to my bOyish
mind seemed little less than 2 trag-
edy.
"For several weeks l had been say
ing my pennies, and had accumulated
a dollar and a half. All this great
sum | invested in raw peanuts, intend
ing to make big stake at the cele-
bration by vending them at five cents
a sack I took them home and care
fully baked them in the oven Of the
kitchen stove, and I will say that they
were really we'll done, i'm fact, ex-
ceedingly palatable, so much SO that
my dear cid mother Il "a a har7 time
preventing me from eating UP all The
profits.
''WeH, after / had satiated myself.
partly so at least, I got to work and
wrapped them all up in small pack
ages (cornucopjas; we didn't have
sacks in those days.. This done,
placed them all in two market bas
kets and started for the south side
and Camps grove where the exer-
cises were to be held. With my two
heavy baskets I managed to get as
far as the residence Of Col d. K.
N0yes at the top of the hill. Tired
out, and warm with my exertion,
hailed a farmer who was going my
way and asked for ride. He very
kindly stopped, I climbed in the hind
end, and we proceeded on our way.
considered that I was very fortunate
to get the ride, but little did I know
what awaited me before I reached my
place of business. Well, everything
seemed rosy for awhile, We crossed
the bridge, went up the hill, and
turned into the lake road, at Gillum's,
and down as far as the old Maxwell
place Here I should have got out,
but seeing a crowd down at the
Crawford bridge, I concluded to ride
down there and thus make few
sales. We were just passing the old
Major Williams farm, when down
grade from the lake came the train.
The engineer opened up his whistle,
and the horses, unused to the strange
sound, Immediately ran away The
wagon hit a rock in the road and
dumped me out, but not my peanuts.
The team started for the crossing
after the train passed, and tore down
the road towards Greenfield. I picked
myself up from a mudpudd1e into
which | had rolled, more scared and
mussedeup than hurt, and followed af-
ter for a mile, until I was convinced
that l could never catch thems so
returned to the picnic minus my pea
nuts and money, plus lame leg and
the mussing up of my best Sunday go
connecting clothes.
81 will never forget the varied SEN
timents of my young friends and play
mates. Some laughed at my dis
heveled appearance and others we're
kind enough to sympathise with me.
Anyhow, after had cleaned myself
up bit I stayed to see the doin's,
and, although my days pleasure was
spoiled and my financial ambitions
jolted, I managed to get a little
fkick out of the day after all.
"a few days after I met the farmer
in town again and he turned over the
peanuts to me, but it was too late, for
the opportunity had passed, and also