| OCR Text |
Show HE RECALLS THE OMAiA YOUTHS Editor Standard: About one year ago there arrived in our midst a youth representing an eastern daily which had decided that Utah needed bopm ing. This youth rode in a $5,000 automobile auto-mobile driven by a ?10-a-day chauffeur chauf-feur and was accompanied by another anoth-er youth known as "the official photographer pho-tographer and editorial writer." Unlike young Locklnvar these youths came out of the east all the way from Omaha In the automobile and they had no sooner arrived than they began a hunt for boom material and funds. They hunted in pairs nnd no busi ness man who passed through tho ordeal or-deal of a "presentation of our proposition" propo-sition" will fall to remember it to his dying day He was generally left dazed daz-ed and with another stub In his check book. Noy. about this time a ccrtnin horticulturist hor-ticulturist received a call from tho hercinlofore mentioned youths who, after the usual "spiel," said to him: "We understand you have the finest fin-est orchard in the county located on the Sandridge. We want a photograph of that orchard. Our automobile is down at the door. Can ou go right out7" It lcoked like easy candy to tho horticulturist, so ho consented. Now, be it understood that a horticulturist must not bo confounded with an ag-riculturlst. ag-riculturlst. They are not the same. An agriculturist earns his money In the country and comes to town to spend It A horticulturist earns his money in town )md spendv it in tho country They started, tho Omaha youth driving driv-ing the machine. Crossing tho viaduct thoy climbed the hill into west Ogdcn and promptly came to grief orr a stretch of sandy road The big machine ma-chine kicked up a cloud of dust with its hind wheels but gained no ground. Then the youth shut off the power and turnod to the horticulturist and inquired coldly If he was not Justified in understanding that they were still within tho limits of Ogdcn City. Tho horticulturist, who had once been a member of tho city council, blushed slightly and replied. "Yes hut we are on a side street We thould keep to the right, past the can ning factory. If we want a good road ' Then the bucke.i the machine out of the sand and went around by the canning factor-,. "This Is what you call a good road, is It?" Inquired the Omaha lad, and there was no reply. Soon they crossed the old Short Line track and reached tho Hooper road. This thoroughfare was "full of hollows," caused by agriculturists hauling their crops to town. The ?5,-000 ?5,-000 automobile rocked like a ship at sea. The Omaha boy tore off his hat, his coat and vest and throw thorn on the floor of the machine Then he sworo Foftly and turned on the powerful force. They crossed the bumps in forty seconds, but while tho ordenl lasted it was like the effect produced b rattling a stick along a picket fence When they struck smooth sailing again, the Omaha Ikjv yelled to the horticulturist- "If that road was- In Nebraska your county commissioners would be lynched before morning. That's tho Nebraska plan. The result Is we have the finest roads In tho world." Just before reaching tho Denver & Rio Grande crossing they turned to the loft along a narrow lano which led to the Snndrldge. In less than 100 yards thoy were stalled in the sand. Tho youth stood up in the automobile automo-bile and swore strange and wlerd oaths Like Lars Porsenn. "By the nine gods he swore " Among other thlncs he demanded to know what In Pueblo Charley Rosewater meant by sending a decent white man awav out here to boom a country that did not have three miles of good roads together In, one place anywhere in tho stale. Tho official photographor and editorial edi-torial writer then laid down long strips of canvas In the road ahead of tho machine and tho Omaha boy tried the high gear and pnssed safely over. Next they crossed tho new" Short Line track and, promptly stranded in another snot of sand Then the Omaha Oma-ha lad blew up again He stood up and clawed his long hair with both hands. The horticulturist to encourage him said, "That's mv place just ahead, there on the top of tho hill " He replied, "I don't care anything about your old place That 5s the business of the official photographer and editorial writer What r want to know is whv thoy didn't cut Brlgham Young off from the church for bringing bring-ing the iMormons out here to this dad-binged dad-binged country whore they could Just as well have located In Omaha whore thev have good reads?" Thon they laid down tho strips of carpet agnin and advanced to tho foot of the sandridge Then the auto stuck onco more. The horticulturist said, "It's only a short walk Let's Jcave the machine here till we come back," "No'" shrieked tho Omaha yout "This machine has climbed cvry hill between Omaha and Ogdcn and it will climb this 'hill It I have to tear it down." Then they put chains on the wheols and tried It again. The machine ad vanced ten feet and stalled once moro The frantic driver felt of the hot tire and almost wept. "The Bee Is being Injured to the extent of .-$100 an hour, If you figure In mv salary, the chauffeur's salary and the salary of the official photographer photo-grapher and editorial writer and tho wenr and tear on those tires." Then they took off the chains and put on In their stead a horrible contraption con-traption thnt was studded with spikes six Inches long. Once moro thev tried the ascent nnd this time ho machine walked "stiff-legged" up the hill to the Dolnt where the firm gravcllv roads hegan. And they had also reached, the orchard. The official photographer set un his camen while ho went Into ccstocles over the magnlflclcnt view. The untamed youth from Omaha was Inconsolable. "Take it. away," he said, referring to the view. "This machine needs water." Then he got out a collapsible rubber bucket and carried water from an irrigation ir-rigation ditch which he poured down a pipe in tho front part of tho machine, ma-chine, hnving previously removed a copper cap therefrom. "When thoy had taken all the pictures pic-tures they wanted, they started for home via' Riverdale. On the way thoy encountered an irrigation ditch, a foot deep and twelve feet wide The photographer 60t up his cam era and took a picture of the water ditch with the big machine dashing through When they got safely across the photograp?ier stowed 'his apparatus away In its box again, whereupon the Omaha boy was discovered to be haying hay-ing an opeliptic fit. "What's tho matter?" asked the horticulturist. "What ails him now9" "Can't you sec7" replied the photographor pho-tographor sternly Ho has lost the cap off the top of tho water pipe " And it was even so Thoy all walkod back to the orchard and hunted around In tho tall grass for the copper cap. When they found It, the jouth from Omaha said to the horticulturist "I told you It would cost $10 to put your picture in tho paper and $15 for the picture of the orchard But that was before I saw the roads Now the price is Just doubled on both." They went back to tho auto and were soon at the top of the Riverdale dugway There they stopped and the Omaha boy said to tho official editorial editor-ial writer "Before I risk all our necks going down this dugway, I want to suggest some things If I die nnd you survive mo don't forget to mention that I died in a country where oven-prospect oven-prospect pleases and only the roads are vile " Then he polntod to the "spires or Ogdcn across tho river and said, "Look at that town of 25,000 peoole, and then look at those roads within a mile of the city limits Look at 'em," ho screamed. "Wherever there is n chance for a good road it's fenced up " "Here is a strip of land threo miles long and two miles Avlde within sight of that so-calloi city." he continued bitterly "Put this down for ear I'm not alive to remind you tomorrow And It Is tho greatest fruit belt in the state, with tho finest water supply In the Irrigated world, but it is impossible impos-sible to reach It now with an automobile, auto-mobile, or a loaded wagon No machine ma-chine but mine could eer have climbed that hill and 1 will never como back You can see for yourself there arc no auto tracks down this dugway. Hold tight" Then he juggled with the lovers and breathed one prayer, "Lord, have mercy on any teams that may be coming up this dugway!" Then they wont down the hill to Riverdale and back to Ogden. (Signed.) O. A. KENNEDY -t |
