Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-01-31
THE 87ex
OUT On THE PRAIRIE.

OUTON THE PRAIRIE.
The Experience ola St. Paul 1Vid0sU WN0
With Three Small Children Is Making a
Farm Home.
The following letter to the GLOBE is written
by widow lady who formerly resided in ST.
Paul, but who. finding her means insnilcisnttD
rear her family in the city, sought s.fasaa ION
the prairie. So 49,
To the Editor of the Globe n
STEVENS COUNTY, Mimi, Jan. Is, 1871 have
thought that it might be of interest to some
Of your readers to takea peep into the home Of
new frontier settler. So they while sitting
around their bright, comfortable coal fires, in
homes that scarcely breath of the bitter
north wind is allowed to enter, may imagine
low unfinished house 14x30, with basement
beneath, or, as the boys call it, "a dug out"
yet it is not properly of that sort, but we do
have them out here and people living in, them
too. But more of that, subsequently. At
present We will confne ourselves to our o,cn
home, for we can tell you more about that than
any other. Being on more intimate relations
wit its inmates, have, therefore, a better knowl-
edge of the general management of affairs in
side. In the first place, our house is built
simply of grooved siding, with shingled roof,
which for summer living was quite comfort
able. But as fall approached with its
piercing, chilling south winds, we were
minded, that soon from the north would come
breath that would chill the very blood in
our veins, and that preparations must be made
for his coming Therefore, did we set our
selves at work-am speaking for the boys now
Ito make ourselves as omfortable for the win
ter as possible. Then was a basement kitchen,
and cellar begun, thinking that down in the hole
we could stow away and so fortify ourselves
against any sort of weather.
So when digging was completed, to the near
est town we went, to purchased material for
building, and found that only green lumber
was to be had. that or none, SO that had to be
TAKEN and the kitchen went up, or rather down,
underground you know. All went we'll for
while, for the ice-king, 10th to shackIe US with
his glittering chain, withheld his icy letters for
many weeks, deluding us. with the thought
that we were to be spared the many discomforts
incident to winter on the prairie.
But at last he came, preceding Kriss Kringle
by several days, and to US it seemed, bringing
the frosts of several city winters, all bundled
together, for the walls of our sleeping room
which before had only gistened with icy cry
stalls, now were perfectly white. My youngest
boy OF ten years. said IN going up to bed with
him. on the night Of Jan. g Mother, it il
just like sleeping out doors only that the wind
does not blow on u.s." 1t did seem on that
night that the temperature might be that of
the north fr:gid zone, it thirty degrees
belo.7 zero reported. The flannel caps We wear
at nj .ht, which are made to fall well over the
forehead. al sure protection against cold were,
on the following morning, pendant with
icic.es-to say nothing of the condition of
flannel sheets and comfortables, which during
the night had come in contact with our breaths
but then those have to be dried every morning
around the fire, even when it is no colder than
at the present writing, the thermometer sixteen
hn|: IN n mr. a hri oh hoo ,fS
full day following. Now about this time, the
hoaria of which our kitchen had been built had
become so warped that it became necessary to
begin the work of stufing with rags all the
seams in the boards, or We would not be likely
to keep warm even in our. underground house,
for were there ever snch winds as those Of the
prairie, penetrating every nook, crevice and
flaw in the boards. and the nail heads. and even
pannels of the DOORS. white with frost. We
are never without decorations on our walls, ex-
cepting when the winds are in the south, then
we have ''dissolving views.''
The south winds are the hardest we have here.
though of course not the coldest, yet they are
cold enough in winter. A cord of wood must
be brought to the. door every month, Just to
keep the kitchen fire. going
With kitchen l2xl3, as large as any woman
| wants to keep clean, (and what woman does not
| want clean kitchen) and furniture consisting
of stove, seven chairs, table, closet for dishes
etc., sewing machine-and last though not
1east-a small mirror, for that you know is an
important piece Of furniture, in estimation of
woman. Also comfortable carpet to cover
the floor. Then there's the cellar adjoining tie
kitchen, being indispensable as a convenient
place for storage etc., and am glad to say con-
US through the winter, though not of our own
planting, for you will remember that we are q
new frontier settler.
Now "a 1 have opened the doors of my prairie
home, that you might get a view of the interior,
! will show you the exterior of some of the
homes of my neighbors. 1 will begin with
| what is called the dug-ou occupied by q young
couple, who not very long ago, started together
on their journey of life. 1t is a cellar without
boards even at the sides, only brown paper to
keep away the dampness. The roof is of boards
with dirt thrown on the top, taking the place
of shingles. Another family With means
limited like the rest of US, have house SO low
and unfinished that in the extreme heat of
summer it is almost intolerable. For winter
comfort. it is sodded at the sides and ends to
the very roof.
Now you may ask, is there not bright side
to your picture or is it all dark as you have
painted it. Well, if there is brighter side. it
must be the ''sunny side,'' that of the sRying
time, the days when the birds are back to
US, from their winter homes. Or, when the
work Of seeding and gardening is in operation.
Having come too late to experience that part of
AdIu Ill., cau sCdrCcly 10 IL tGQe justice 1t de-
serves. But surely, after being i'm prisoned in
ice and snow, may almost say one-half the
year, what can be more cheering than the
bright sunny spring days, with the chirping
and song of the birds, for if we have no
trees out here, they say we do have birds immune
cradle. When Tennyson said: SIN spring a
young mans fancy lightly turns to thoughts
of love- it must be he meant the love of nature,
for when is naSure as lovely as in spring time.
Then why may not a woman 8 thoughts turn in
that direction as well. But I am depressing.
My own introduction into this, to me, very new
life, was the most unfavored time of the year the
month of July, when musquitos were the thick
est, Aeas the sprighttiest. The frat night of nv
arrival it seemed to me those blood -thirsty in
scots had not had where-with to satisfy their
appetites for whole month, so ravenous were
they-and yet enticingly sweet were their
songs that it was o'clock the following morn
ing before closed my eyes to sleep. will only
say about the flea, I was only too glad to fee
away to my own home beside which, there is
no lake, the sands of which they say are full of
them. But to me it seems more probable, that
those animals that frequent their waters are
the fullest, and so bring them to our homes, to
30 torture US poor mortals that we cannot sleep
l am sure. if had to live six months beside
lake, at the expiration of that time would he
ready for 81. Peter, for who can retain her
senses, that cannot sleep?
JENNA.
LIFE ON THE FRONTIER.
Te Dokko~ M