The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1882-12-14

A young woman was one day riding
with her two little boys in the same car
with me. Her tired and discouraged man.
ner moved my sympathy. At first /
talked to her boys, and then to her. and
said they would soon be men and be q
support and comfort to her. eyes" she
replied, "and l have two girls" "That
is better yet," said l. with your four
children, it will not be long before you
will have all the help you need" With
half sad assent she added, II have five
dead" She went on to say she had
married at sixteen, had come there and
lived in "dug-out" ever since. She had
had nine children, and was only thirty
one years old. She had worked out-of-
doors and in the house, and, as she said,
'had an awful hard time" She said her
husband was a good man, and helped her
all he could, but he had to work hard,
too. When the farm was fenced they
had to get better house. With an
evident desire to leave better impress
sion on my mind, she said: I'VE never
suffer for anything. We always have
all the milk and cream we want. We
raise great many chickens, aud we
never cell one, and chickens are good
whether You roast EN-, or stew EN-, or
broil 'em, and the broth is good for
children" to all of which l assented so
far as food was concerned. But the word
soul that looked out from the discour.
aged eyes of this woman, old before her
time, told how greatly she needed the
things that do not perish with the using.
She was representative of many others.
At one place we found young comedy
woman, u college graduate, with two
small children, cooking for eighteen
men. besides those who came as tran.
sient travellers. She had but two rooms
below and two above. She did the fam
lily sewing, was county superintendent
Of schools, and with Brave courage looked
for better times.
Another young woman. also college
graduate, was established in Q sod house
seven miles from any other dwelling.
She lined the whole with white cotton
cloth, put in her piano and kept up her
studies; and this year, seven years from
the time she took up her abode there,
she attended the teachers institute of
her county and was the soul of it. She
presided 1t the organ, made speeches,
and good ones, and kept her children
with her. as she had no one with whom
to leave them. Nebraska is dotted all
over with such women. In spite OF
draw backs, which those in older states
cant comprehend, these women are
planting the finest civilization in the far
west.
There is q great deal of wealth in Ne
braska farms, cattle, sheep, horses and
hogs. There are fine houses in the
cities, but not Queen Anne" any
where. The sod houses in the Swede
settlements have shinggle roofs and
brick chimneys. Elsewhere these houses
are ell of sod piled up solid, and they
are said to be warm in winter and cool
in summer. Most Of the houses back
on the prairie are small, with one or two
rooms. You will pass hundred houses
of one story, with NO possibility Of
chambers, to one with even attic room.
In every settlement there is school
house and one or more churches, with as
| fine and Intelligent men and women as
you will find anywhere. They are try
ing to settle the question whether men
shall continue to govern women without
their consent. The motto Of Nebraska
is Equality before law Women's
journal.