The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1869-09-01
What a Couple of Brave Wisconsin
Girls Have Done.

In our rambles Cup the Chippewa,
a few days ago, we CHANGED upon a
husky, brown-faced girl blowing out
a twenty acre corn-feld. She was rig
ged in snuf-colored "bloomer," with
a straw hat, and good honest number
seven boots. There was no shame
about her. She was evidently all girl,
and working with will. She had been
in the field since morning, taking long
strides behind spirited horse, with
the lines thrown across her shoulder,
and both hands firmly at the plow. 1t
was just ttgood fun she said, to take
care of twenty acres, and away she
strode through the rows-turning
corners, kicking over sods, and never
thought of rest or "whoa," till the
dinner horns sounded across the field.
On inquiry, we learned that our
cornfield heroine was one of two New
Hampshire girls, who migrated with
their parents to Eau Claire some dozen
years ago. They had had little means,
but were of good working stock. They
bargained for quarter section of wild
land, and set about making a farm.
There were no boys in the family. The
girls were young, bright, healthy, and
full of pluck and vigor. Their moth
er dressed them in bloomers and gave
them their choice, indoors or out.
From the start they took the place of
the boys they were not afraid of dust
or sunshine; they never complained,
they never tired out; they seldom
missed q day from the fields through
all the season, from earliest spring to
latest autumn. As they grew older,
they grew tough and wiry, and were
alike ready at handling teams. break
ing colts, building bridges, opening
roads, fording creeks, clearing mea-
dows, loading hay binding grain OF
mounting a straw stack. In good
| seasons they cut eighty tons of hay
and eighty acres of grain. In rainy
seasons they had to bring out theff
hay "by hand" carrying it on poles.
knee deep, through sloughs and mar
shes. In winter they attended school
and took care of sixty head of cattle,
drawing hay from the swamps in the
coolest weather. They hired no help,
except in harvesting. They did
their own trading and marketing, and
could never be outwitted by any of
the store chaps at Eau Glare.
The girls are now Is and 20 years
of age, and have done more farming
than any two boys in the country.
Their father, beginning with nothing,
is now rich, with broad fields and
thousands of ready stamps, mostly
achieved through the grit and energy
of his daughters.
During the present season the girls
have ''let up little on their out-do. +
accomplishments, and are only cultivat-
ing twenty acres OF corn for their own
amusement. They have built them a
spacious residence. They attend balls
and parties, go tsouting, drive their
own teams, and occasionally give the
boys a chance to show their spunk
and gallantry. Of course snch girls
are objects of excitement and interest
in their neighborhood. They are
looked upon as "capital prizes" and
young fellows are ready to break their
necks for them. They are now in
their freshest bloom, with thoughts of
love and romance beginning to steal
about the back of neck and brains, and
what may seem strange, they are
neither coarse nor masculine in appear
ance they are simply round, spright-
ly, full-breasted girls, with resolution
in their eye, and plenty of good sense
in their heads.
1t may be interesting to female po-
liticians to know that these Chippewa
Valley girls never whine or deciaim
about their ''rights" or position. :"
They saw rough work to be done
work most needed in our Western
country-and asking odds of nobody,
they went in bravely on their muscle
and did it. They have made no noise
about it. They have not cacllled in
conventions They have never sat with
Miss Anthony or Lucy Stone Black
well. They have fairly won q much
higher seat among the queens of Am
erica Observation-Disclosures Wtseoosin.
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