156 AT THE SIGN OF THE STOCK YARD INN 



that history and romance did not end with the days 

 of mail-clad warriors. There is material here for 

 books and books detailing splendid work in the 

 foundation and upbuilding of our western states. 

 We may call the massive frames upon the Sanctum 

 Sanctorum walls the "seats of the mighty." It is 

 there that we bow down more especially to the 

 creative genius of a glorious past. We know those 

 deities by their works and gladly render them our 

 homage. When we come into the baronial hall, 

 however, we stand in the presence of a later 

 generation. A few there are who had performed 

 their service to the state and to their fellowmen 

 before my day, but a large majority of these public- 

 spirited men were at one time very near and dear 

 to me. In my youth, in the sombre days when 

 help to me meant everything, these men were kind 

 and generous. When but a mere student of the 

 mysteries of which they were masters, trying to fit 

 myself to serve them, I had ever a welcome warm 

 and cordial at their firesides. They were among 

 the great men of the American cattle trade, men 

 of wealth or brains or both, and wisdom abode with 

 them. I grew up among these men, a few of whom 

 are still honored members of the communities in 

 which they reside, but with these exceptions they 



