The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-06-19

4
horses shoulders, finding in omen snaces
ounches OF wild Strawberries, or soaring
on Its hidden nest hypocritcal prairie
men, That pretended to have a broken
hmb until she could lure follower to a
sa1e distance from her eggs, when she
would sail up, the ablest bird in the air.
AT evening they watched from their
door the long-legged sandhin cranes
dancing beside a distant slew. These
1neulUatlVe birds seemed to relax them
serves by stepping French four with
much precision and enjoyment. 1t was
IKE watching some weird pantomime
OF masked humans; they chasseed,
they crossed and recrossed, they prom
enaded In couples, and gravely took po-
sltlon again. Dusk hid them and their
Voudou-like performances beside the
lagoon, and the cryof the small prairie
Won could be heard afar off, for sound
has miraculous scope there, reminding
the farmer to "pound " his flock well.
- couldn't think what Thomas meant"
said an elder resident to the farmers
wife, "when he wrote back to me before
L came here that he had to pound the
sheep every night. Thinks 1, what
can the poor inoffensive things do to
need poundin'P We never use stock in
that way in Ohio But when found
he meant shut 'em up in pen, 'Laws!'
says L, why couldn't you say penP'"
From the earth all around at intervals
rose rumbling, suction-like sound, as
if whole bevies of village wives under
ground-in some buried prehistoric
town-were taxing the village pump for
water; this was the thunder-pumper or
pull-goose's vesper note, or perhaps his
way OF talking over the events of the
day with the mate of his ground nest.
Earlier corners in the houses dotted
here and there began to notice the young
farmer. They reported with scorn that
he carried an umbrella and wore gloves
when he plowed. One prairie-breaker
allowed him just year to get out of
there. The first neighbors who came
to call also experienced injury from the
afternoon costumes, the fair collars, cuffs
and ribbons, of the farmers "wimmin-
folks" Solitary life and the ague
tended at that time to make lovely
woman forget her charms. Though the
strangers received advances with great
cordiality, they were so sharp a rebuke
to the hideously-covered residents that
one young woman went home declaring
she was ''just as good as any body, any
how," and q great deal more which
proved her chagrin. Few were the
years during which this farmers wife
made trouble with her trousseau. When
that was gone her purchases were long
confined to the nearest village store,
seven miles off, where the United States
mail was delivered by hack twice a
week; and the stock in this emporium
was not calculated to stimulate vanity.
But even hired man, the first taken in
to their service, felt himself called upon
to put down such sumptuousness of ap-
parel; though his right to seat at table
with the family was not contested, and
ne used every thing about the house with
the cheerful readiness of master, there
We're things he disapproved of, and he
left: he said, Nobody needn't expect
him to stand that there silk Dress"
Still, the prairie-dwellers, once YOU
enter their confidence, are the kindest of
people. They saw this college-student
stay and raise very tolerable crop of
sod corn, and his wimmin-folks show
human kindness through their superior
habits. So Sunday after Sunday strange
vehicles were unhitched in his BARNARD.
Every body visited on Sunday. Not that
they held the day in disrespect; it was
their period, their breathing-point, after
the commas of busy, monotonous week
days. They saw no better way to spend
it than to put their chairs into the lum-
Der wagon and themselves into clean
linen and open prairie to see these or
those folks. 1t was no uncommon thing
for a housewife, who had toiled slav.
ishly in her limited n1enGge all week, to
cook huge Sunday dinner, and boast
afterward how many "tablefuls" she
entertained. After this sacred hospi-
tally was dispensed the men wandered
to the barn whiting, or pasture ward
to examine the surface-wells and make
NEUROLOGICAL bets about stock; while
the women clustered Gin different bed
rooms, talking about their babies and
examining with innocent freedom their
hostess's shelves and wardrobe.
Very seldom some preacher came
along and held forth in the school-house.
If the weather was clement, he drew all
the ends OF the plain to him: the yard
was surrounded with wagons, and the
school-house overlooked with all the
beauty, fashion and manly worth within
radius of twenty miles. School-houses
had as distinct names as theaters in
city. One was the "Fidelity," another
the "Woodbox," a third 'sHope," be-
sides the numberless ones taking name
from the nearest family, with whom the
teacher was expected to board. The
preacher might be some enthusiastic di-
vinity-student exploring the prairies, but
he was usually that tireless itinerant who
is forever carrying into waste places
rude apostolic grace and speech. After
service the greater part of the congrega-
ton was separated into huge fragments
and each piloted away to dinner by the
nearest dwelling friends.
Itwas on one of these after-service &C.
casions that the farmers family found
themselves in the domicile of Christian
Decker. This excellent descendant of
Holland peasantry had been on the
ground long enough to raise large
family, principally sons, and toebecome
what his neighbors termed "well fixed"
He had house of several rooms,
barn, besides rail stables rooted with