The Republican journal., 1881-06-09
The Blizzard.


prairie schooner, driving the mall herds
of cattle belonging to her brother in
law. The roads were little muddy in
some places-there had been a rain the
night before-but she was tired of riding
in the wagon and walking rested her. She
formed part of the procession going
West. 1t was long one, scattering
over miles and miles of country mule
teams, OK teams, lean teams, fat teams,
all heading toward the land of promise,
the West. They were going in bands Of
two, three or four families, and again one
family alone. Some of them were me-
chanics who knew nothing of farming and
just as little of the land thay were going
to and the spot on which they would
stop. Others were farmers who had
sold out comfortable homes to 60 West
and buy more land. In Susans part of
the procession were two families, her
sister Mary with her husband. Thomas
Smith, and their son Adolphus, or Dolph,
and Cyrus Holman with his old mother.
Susan trudged along, driving the cattle
before her. Far and wide, as great dis
tance as she could see, was the green
country dotted with its comfortable
white farmhouses and large.barns. She
thought it a fine country, indeed, and
wondered how soon they were to stop,
not knowing they We're to travel more
than l0CAmiles yet, for Susan was an igno-
rant young woman, with small knowledge
OF geography, and was not quite certain
whether Dakota was a country in the
State of Minnesota OF the reverse.
Suddenly, as she walked along, she
came in full sight Of a town set in among
the blutfs-a neat, prosperous, busy town,
with a great many brick houses and green
trees. She called to Dolph to come and
drive the cattle, and got into the wagon
she did not want to go through the town
on foot. The town was full of people,
farm wagons were standing close together
down both sides OF the main street, and
the white tops of the prairie schooners
like their own were visible here and
there. They stopped at grocery to buy
some necessary articles Of food and then
they went on. They came to Il tall, red
brick schoolhouse. 1t was recess and the
children played about in the yard, 50 many
OF them, Susan had never seen 50 many
together in her life. The teachers were
standing in the broad doorway, and away
up IN the third story was one with a
pretty, girlish face, watering some plants
in the window. She looked wonderfully
stylish to Susan's eyes and she looked
upon them as being very wealthy and i'm
Dolph stopped to gather the seeds that
had fallen from the maple trees around
the large yard. They wanted them to
plant on the treeless prairies where they
were going. The boys on the playground
rather resented it as an infringement of
their rights, but through wholesome
feeling OF awe for the principal who was
watching them they confined themselves
mostly to mutterings of discomfort among
themselves; one Of the most defiant how
ever, telling the men to "G'way and let
them things be-" and muttering to COM
panien, aye can git fifty cents a peck for
them seeds downtown, an | want to go
to the circus" Presently the bell rang
from the tower, and the children and
teachers disappeared in the house, while
the men came back with their baskets of
seeds and the wagons logged along.
On and on they went, camping at night
by some spring or small lake and travel
ling days, till the comfortable farmhouses
had disappeared, the small towns were
things of the past, except here and there
one on the line of the railroad. There
was no trees, either, only prairie and grass
and grass and prairie, with now and then
an alkali sink, Or some new settlers
shanty, or dugout. They began to look
about for place to stop and to inquire of
every man they saw, and they were few
indeed, If there was vacant land near
there. 1t all looked vacant enough. One
day they met man going back the way
they had come, and across the top of his
schooner was painted in large letters
Coin home tew my wife's foalkes."
"Better turn about" he told them, 'I've
been IN this blasted country nigh month
and there amt tree nor shrub to break
the monotony except here and there a
house and you need microscope tew see
that. Look at my animiles, they was
good and fat when | come out here, but
you'd have teW swingem twice tew make
shadder and be mighty quick about it
or the sun'd shine through"
Not an encouraging report, but they
persevered, and finally settled down,
where, besides the two little houses they
built with lumber purchased of the rail-
road company, there was only one house
IN sight and that also a very small one.
But they were near the railroad, that was
a great gain, and they went vigorously to
work to break what they could and pre-
pare for winter. 1t was slow work, but
trusting to the long, warm fall, of which
they had been assured by older settlers in
one place and another on their journey,
they expected to be ready for the cold
winter.
But one day near the middle of Octo-
Der it grew suddenly cold, the wind be-
gan to blow and the snow to fall, and in
a day and night the whole country was
covered. "There is drift 300 feet long
and twenty deep on the track east OF
here" the operator in the little depot told
Mr.. Smith when he went to make in
quiries day or two later. 81 don't know
how it is further west; the lines are all
down and | can't get word, but there
won't be train here for a week, | pre-
sume." That was encouraging, certainly,
when everything provisions, wood and
all-depended on that train. The cattle
had very poor accommodations, almost
none, in fact. There had been no straw
to make sheds, as on an older farm, and
the small amount ofwild hay, which spread
on the few poles formed roof was little
protection. Smith and his son Dolph
shoveled path to where the poor crea-
lures stood huddled together, each trying
to crowd into the center of the group to
protect himself from the bitter wind that
drove the snow in binding clouds across