Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 March 1891 — Making a Bluff. [ARTICLE]

Making a Bluff.

At about noon, as I was journeying on horseback through North Dakota, I came along to a farm house which looked very dilapidated, but which might furnish a comfortable dinner, nevertheless. It seemed at first to be deserted, but after awhile a bare headed, coatless man answered my knocks and asked what was wanted. When I told him he replied: “Stranger, I’m sorry, but I can’t accommodate you. My wife is down with the chills.” “Too bad.” “And my oldest gal has got the jumping toothache. Just jumped her clean over a chair.” “That’s hard lines.” “And the other gal has bin in bed three weeks with a thorn in her foot.” “I’m sorry.” “And I’ve got my every-other-day ager shake on, or I would cook something for you myself.” “Things seem to be going hard with you,” I suggested. “You’ve hit it, stranger,” he said, as he sat down on the doorstep and indulged in a long shiver. “The land ain’t what I thought it was.” “No?” “And I’ve had three crops fail on me.” “Yes?” “And some of us have been sick every day since we came into the State. Barn burned up last month.” “Did, eh?” “And some one run off my horses and wagon last week. ” “I declare!” “And I’m dead broke and nothing in the house to eat except cornmeal.” “Well, well! Wern’t you discouraged ?” “Teeto tally.” “And why don’t you pull up stakes and leave ?” “That’sit, stranger, wliydou’t I? I know I orter, and the old woman says I orter, but I’m hangin’ on for a bluff. ” “How’s that?”

“Eastern man got a mortgage for 6800 on this outfit, which fcain’t worth S6OO, and Em hangin’ on to bluff him into giving me SSO more to vacate and travel. I’ve writ him if he won’t do it well all die in the house and haunt the ranch forever more, but he’s slow in making up his mind. Ever see a feller shake worse than Ido, stranger? It’s seven miles to the next house, end the old woman is hollering for water, and that jumping gal is jumping with another spell of toothache. Excuse haste, strarigef, and keep straight on, and jou’ll fetch up at Brown’s.”