Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-11-17

bottom us ever bore 4 heavy corn crop.
Yew'll get it chcap-halfpricc I'd say. and
that, mind ye. for sound land. not played
out The former owner losing his hair
through some pcsky Indians, his nephew,
who's Il town-brcd man, easy scared took
:, kinder dislike to the place. You, Mr..
Markham. don't look like the sort of lad to
dread Il muss with the Redskins, or to
sneak out of one. if it came to Il tussle.
It's only sleeping with one eye open, and
vew may do we'll at BIG Smoke"
And finding that the soil at this pictur-
esqucly named spot warranted the sheriff 5
praises of it. | became the proprietor OF
some nineteen hundred acres cf the United
States territory, ut Il price scarcely eX-
ceeding four hundred pounds sterling.
The Bluff, close to which stood the charred
ruins ofthe farmhouse. commanded an eX-
tcnsivc view of the rolling prairie, Il very
sea of grass, ard of the shining waters OF
the creek. There WAS Il tract of woodland
near the river, and some deep, rich land,
well adapted for growing, not merely
maize, but such profitable crops as maddei
and tobacco. | next made purchases OF
stores, stock and implements, being care
ful to keep some ready dollars in hand for
current expenses, hired some laborcrs, and
WAS fairly established as 4 Colorado farm
cr.
At first. allowing for i few disappoint-
mentS, | throve exceedingly. The frame
work house and out buildings which set
up in place of the old log cabin, in which
the former owner of the Bluff had been
content to dwell, cost me bat little; while
some empty flour casks, set on end, did
dutv rs chairs AMI Il couple Ot mattresses
made Il bed bv night and 4 sofa by day.
My old rifle and shot gun did yeoman' ;
service in filling the lardcr, for there were
rutllcd grouse and prairie hens to any
amount amongst the brnshwood. while
black tailed deer and wild turkeys were
plentiful within few miles of the bound
ary of my farm.
My nearest ncighborS We're two steady
going Germans. brothers. vino had trans
ported their plump w,v"s and haXen-
haired children, their plolghS. spinning
wheels, and bcc-hlvcs from some Saxon
Dorf to the territory of C0lorldo; and
/ these and the stalwart kcntuckian who
had established himself 4 league further
off. were disposed to be friendly and help
| full. so far a, advice and the loan of tools
and seeds went, to the new settler. Tough
/ NlSltOIS. Oh uupIDu> vi. NpiliNlliii'
dropped in upon me-knots of PROV llng
Reds kins, with their >quawS at their heel,
begging for food and tobacco, but witt
somewhat of suppressed menace in looR
and tone; boaStful, half-drunkcn white
men on horseback. who hourl>hci then
rcvolvers more than would have beer
pleasant to one of weak nerves. 1t tool
some tact and good humoreI iirmne>S t
! ! 4 htli
was fortunate enough to keep clear o
these brawl> that are the curse of Il semi
civilized society.
Nv main difficulty. rs always happens
was to procure and retain the nccessAr,
supply Of human labor Even high va
ges could not, in that queer corner 9
ChriStcndom, buy good service. 1--WE
idle Iri>hmen; a negro whose ban . wa
always twanging and .iinglinG beside III
kitchen fire. but who had, like mos
blacks, an aptitude for cooking; a raw
boned lad from Tennessee: and \ Wrlci
family. father mother and daughter, wcr
my farm hands. OF this motley crew tn
importations from the Principality wcr
by far the most orderly and industrious
and it was due to them that | WAS able t
Ieur poultry and make butter. both fowl
and dairy produce being especially proil
table 10 Wc-tern emigrant who c1
find {, market for such drlicacir>. NJ
chickens. butter and eggs, found a read
sale among the gold dirgers, some thirt
miles off, among the Usage Hills, the bin
SUBMITS of which loomei, i'll clear wcatl1
er, like 4 cloud on the horizon. Then m
WclciI folk sickcncd of the milk icvt
when often attacks new cOmcrS III IN
Pr.,i ic States, occl>ioned, II i supposed
bv the S,Iangc herbs and weeds that MN
rlc with the tall grass of the virgin pa
lures and soon after they We're stron
again, they left me- to better their cond
: ton in California, and | was fam 10 - o
rs best | might with my 'lIibcrnian allie
and the Young tcamstcr from tennessee
all three of whom are apt. on rccclNln
their warcS To take 4 three days ho!ld:l
and return whcn their dollars were spen
pallid and rcd-eyed, from the whl>kc
shops of the nearest township.
Still. was thriving, thanks to the trrti
ity of my land and to hard and vi gorot
. W ork, when suddenly heard ominous RI
: morS respecting the advances of u foe mor
dreaded than would have been 4 band ,
2 hostile Indians on the w:,rbaih. The l'
: Gusts. it WIS said. We're rtva| ing til
whole of the prairie country to the norll
west Many Il broad track has been lai
I waste. and many Il settler converted i'll
l day from 4 rich man to :, poor one; n'
d, was il long before WAS to have my exp,
5 rencrS Oh the subject. One day. rs | W.
: at work on :. wormwood fence. meant
l keen, the cattle from the loothsone voun
5 shoo.> of sprouting Indian corn, | saw
| thin cray line lappling the green of II
!. ilimitahle prairie. instantly ! called OF
{ the men, and in less than twenty minut,
1 a shallow trench Wa, dug. and filled vii
: pitch, tar, and rock oil, ready to be Xii
died at u word. Such precautions h:
II been taken, and in vain, on Il hundr,
Il wasted properties, but there WAS alwa
: the chance that some caprice or pan
< might scare away the locuSts from tie
l. course.
y The locusts held their course. stcalE,
rs Death, countless as the sands of t;
sea. MY puny fires were soon chok,
y with their blackenel bodies. and on lh,
. came pitless, mighty in their number
), sweeping my field, and meadows us wi
Ie ~ the mowers scythc. Before their sha
~ teeth fell every blade Of grass and whe;
and maize. tobacco and flax. until t
= ground was rs bare rs thre>hiny iioo
: bat, as if with Il cruel irony, they spar
'; the few poor rose trees in the tiny grad
>" that had cared for in the vague hope til
a. Edith, my own Edith, far off in Ham
* * shire. might hereafter be lis mistress.
- had. however. scanty time left to me
10 sentimental regrets. Substantial sorro'
forced themselves upon my notice. unit
J.. began to realize for the first time in +
oi life the tribulations of Job. Ny prom
II ing corn crop was gone; SO We're the Gro
,,o, TO of madder, flax. ana tob ,cco. Wor
l' than all, there was no grass on the strip
! prairics to feed my stock. My sheep die
Ia Ia My horned beasts growing desperate W
We hung ger. strayed off. loving into tn W
&c derness. My Etborer> mutinicd. Ra
they say, desert II fallen house; ANA Mi
X and Pat told me, civilly enough, Il
T. . They'd rather go; sure. they wtre
OF use." while the Young Tennessee teams
as contented himself with holding ont
er gaunt palm for what was due him. +
us dently they thought the boss" ruin'
as and the business would go up, AMI thu;