"THAT MAN PARTRIDGE!" 71 



those present subscribed five dollars apiece for the 

 purpose. 



Thus it came about that on the 7th of January, 1905, 

 there stepped from the train at the C. P. R. depot in 

 Winnipeg a man who looked no different from any one 

 of a dozen other farmers who daily reached the city, 

 tanned of cheek and bright of eye. But his business in 

 town was of a very special nature. In his pocket was 

 a hundred dollars and the grip in his hand was packed 

 for a month's stay. 



It was a month of " cold shoulders " and patronizing 

 manners for E. A. Partridge. No band music was 

 played in his honor, no festive board was spread, nor 

 was he taken around and shown the sights of the city. 

 On the contrary, he was made to fed, like a spy in the 

 camp of an enemy ; for he found himself entirely with- 

 out status, the grain dealers recognizing him merely as 

 a farmers' representative, whatever that was. Even at 

 the office of the Chief Grain Inspector he was looked 

 upon as a man who was meddling with something 

 which he wasn't supposed to know anything about. 



Nevertheless, the Chief Inspector himself gave him 

 information at times and there were one or two others 

 who took the trouble to explain some things about 

 which he asked questions,. Among the latter was a 

 grain man by the name of Tom Coulter. For the most 

 part, however, the presence of the "farmers' repre- 

 sentative " at Winnipeg was looked upon as a joke ; so 

 that information as to the grain business became for 

 him largely a still hunt. He visited offices, listened to 

 how interviews were conducted over the telephone and 

 picked up whatever loose ends he could find to follow 

 up. 



