Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1875-12-30

limo TO a flame in the roof of a house, was
extinguished.
On the afternoon of the Oath, we bid adieu
to Helena. having accepted an invitation
Bro. A. +. Burns, first Master OF Prick
" Pear Grange, to accompany him to the,
valley and be present at the harvest feast TO
be given by that. Grange on the 10Th. Christ
inas-eve, spent in the midst OF the family OF
our friend, was very pleasant. A half dozen
happy children, talking of IN preparng Tor
Santa Claus; their fun and frolic on the
morrow, finding he had, sure enough passed
that way, reminded us torclbly OF the Gay
when We too were visited by the old man.
and set a trap at the great open chimney,
and watched, hoping to catch him as ne
came down, and plumber his store.
Bro. BIS rancho is located about the mid
die of the valley, seven miles from Helena,
and one mile from the Grange hall.
The valley is about twenty miles east ana
west and fifteen north and south, and is 4
pleasant place to live. 1t has a tirst-class
school, which is now in charge OF j. K.
Hapan. Lecturer Of Prickly Pear Grange;
also a Lyceum, lodge Of Good Impiars, a
new and c~ommodious Grange hall, ana a
Grange numbering seyenty-tive members.
There are miles Of pasture lands along the
foothills. that hedge the valley in from the
snowy ranges, affording ample range Tor
stock. There are hundreds Of acres OF agtl~
cultural land u%noccupied, and will likely re-
main so until some extensive enterprise is
set o N foot by which it can be watered, as
all the water at present available, is in use.
Saturday, the 25th, about l:3O P. NJ, we
repaired to the Grange hall for the purpose
of partaking Of the harvestfeast. a goodly
number We're already assembled, and con-
tinued to arrive until they numbered nearly
three hundred. The feast being public, a
great many who were not members of the
order were present, among whom were some
of the most prominent business men OF
Helena. The lower room had been cleared
of seats, and two tables forty feet long were
prepared for the reception of the substan-
tails, which were on hand in abundance.
While the sisters were busy arranging these
in proper shape, the guests amused them
selves admiring the building and gossiping
of the probabilities of the future. The
Brothers of the order repaired to the hall up
stairs and held a short session of the Grange.
Upon being prevailed upon to say something
for the good Of the Order, we made a brief
review of the benefits thus far, attained by
the Oranges of the Territory made men
ton Of its influence upon education, and
were followed by Judge Orr, in q short and
witty speech, referring to the duties of
farmers; prominent among which, he said,
was the education of their daughters to be-
lieye that it was respectable to marry farm
ers; that the city gentry, whose heads are
as soft as their hands, possessed no more of
the elements Of true manhood than do the
hardy, sun-browned young men who grow
up between the handles of the ploW-to
which we said amen-for had the farmers
thought Of this ten or twenty years ago, we
might not to-day, be enjoying the sweets of
b~achelorhood. The business Of the occasion
having been postponed for a special meeting
on the following Monday, the Grange closed
in due form. The feast being announced,
VIC ICllIllcu W tllc lOWGI IOOIIl. Liz GILL
dren were assembled at one table, and the
guests at'the other, each table being loaded
with the best the country affords. Good
bread and butter, chickens, turkeys, pies
and cakes of every yariety-golden, marble,
%cocoanut, jelly, lemon, vanilla, large, small,
trimmed and plain-and all cut. AS fast as
the supplies on the table disappeared, it was
replenished from we'll filled baskets and
boxes which were niled about the room.