Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1921-08-25

to see q woman and talk to her, and
we talked and talked until midnight,
after all the rest were asleep. She
let me hold the baby in my lap until
1t was put to bed. How good 1t felt
to have q little warm body in my
arms again and feel it breathing! In
all my life never saw q prettier
baby. 1t felt good to be In a real
house and sleep in a soft, warm bed
aud to eat jelly and cookies and fresh
meat and potatoes and bread and but
ter. Samson played for them and
kept them laughing with his stories
until bedtime They wouldn't take
a cent and gave us dozen eggs in
basket and a piece of venison when
we went away"
On a warm, bright day In tie sand
country they came to crude, half
finished, frame house at the edge Of
a wide clearing. The sand lay in
drifts OH one side of the road. It
had evidently moved in the last wind.
A sickly vegetation covered the field.
A ragged, barefOoted man and three
scrawny, ill-clad children stood in the
dooryard. 1t was noontime. A mon
grel dog, with BIT of the hound in
him, came bounding and barking to-
ward the wagon and pitched upon
Sambo and quickly got the worst of
1t. SambO, after much experience
In self-defense. had learned that the
best way out Of such trouble was to
seize leg and hang on. This he
did. The mongrel began to yelp. Sam
son lifted both dogs by the backs of
their necks, broke the hold Of Sambo
and tossed aside the mongrel, who
ran away whining.
THAT reminded me of bull that
tackled man over in Vermont" he
said. 'Tle man had club in his
hand. He. lodged and grabbed the
bulls tail and beat him all over the
lot. AS the bull roared, the man hol-
Tered: I'D like to know who began
this fuss anyway"
The stranger laughed.
us that your house" Samson said.
The man stepped nearer and an
swered in low, confidential tone:
"Say, mister. this is a combination
poorhouse and idiot asylum. I am
the idiot. These are the poor"
He pointed to the children.
"You don't talk like an idiot" said
Samson.
The man looked around and leaned
over the wheel as IL about to impart
secret.
"Say, I'll tell ye," he said in
low tone. "A real, flrst-class idiot
never does. You ought to see my
actions"
'1This land is an indication that
you're right" Samson laughed.
1T proves It," the stranger whis-
pered.
slave you any water llere?' Sam
son asked.
The stranger leaned nearer and
said in Lis most confidential tone. '@Say,
mister. it's about the best in the
United States. Right over yonder in
the edge O. the woods-a spring-cold
rs fce-Simon-pure water. Bout the
only thing this land'll raise is water"
This land looks to me about as
valuable as so much sheet ltghtnin'
and guess 1t can move just about
as quick" said Samson.
The stranger answered in q low
tone: "Say, I'll tell ye, it's wild
cow-don't stand still long 'nough to
give We time to git anything out Of
it. I've toiled and prayed. but it's
hard to get much out Of it."
"Praying won't do this land any
good" Samson answered. "What 1t
needs is manure and plenty of 1t.
You can't raise anything here but
heas. 1t isn't decent to expect God
to help run flea farm. He knows
too mucl, for that. and If you keep
it up He'll lose all respect for We. If
you were to buy another farm and
bring it here and put it down on