The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1884-08-13
Taxing The Neither Awav.

Taxing The Neither Away.
A young man writes the Sun for it's ad.
vice on question of vital importance
and the advice ia chcerfully given He
says:
"My brother and myself have quar-.
ter section of land in Dakota, and We
have been out there and brokena part oi
it, built a sod house, and expect to remove
out there this fall. We need somebody
to keep house for us, and our mother has
offered to 90 with us. l think she has
offered to 60 more from a feeling of duty
to her two sons, than from any desire to
encounter the hardships Of pioneer life,
and We don't know whether it would be
right to take her out there, and have de-
cided to leave it to you. Our sister, who
is married and living at Monroe, wants
mother to live with her, and thinks it is
not the duty of lady sixty-five years old
to go. Our father is buried here, and
every Sunday mother goes to the cemc-
terry and places flowers on his grave. |
am engaged to be married to a Young
lady, hut time is not set, though probably
we shall he married within year or
two. do not like to ask girl who has
always lived in this county, and enjoyed
society, to marry me and 60 away of to
the frontier. What would you do about
! mOther.?'
Well, to make long story short, we
would cut our right arm off at the shOul-
der before we would take mother away
from the hallOwed associations Of home,
and transport her gray hairs t" Il sod
house in Dakota, four miles from the near
est neighbcr. Let her stay with your sis
ter, and You two boys go out there, keep
old "bach," raise big crops for a couple of
years, and when some eastern cap,talist
comes along who wants to own the earth
sell the farm to him for ten or fifteen dol
lars an acre, with the crops OH the ground.
and then You come back and marry the
girl and settle down in old Green county
Or, if you have got tu have housekccl@r,
hire one, or marry your girl now. II
would be better for the girl to put in
couple of years out there, helping y"n
make, money than to take the old mother
The mother has had her share Of pioneer
life before you were born, has helped t"
raise the family of children SO they can
take care of themselves, and in her old
age it would be cruel to cause her to EN-
dure hardships that almost killed her
When she was young. She may smile at
your ambitions, and tell you she will go
with you to the ends of the earth, and
you may think she wants to 60, but boy,
that grave of your dead father in Green
county contains large part of her dear
heart, and if you take her away from its
vicinity there will be great lump OF lead
in the heart case. She will strive to make
you boys happy away out on that prairie,
and will endure the billiards of summer
and winter and not complain, but if you
watch her when she receives letters from
the old hone you will see great tears in
her eyes, and she would give all the world
to 20 back, though she will never men,
ton it to you. During the long months
ofwinter, when your sod house iscovered
with snow, and it is a struggle with you
all between life and death from freezing
she will try to brighten your sinking spr-
wnen the winters gone, but II you should
saw to her, Mother, we will sell the farm
and 90 back home," you would see her
face brighten and look to you again as it
did when she stood over your cradle, and
Won were a little child. Her heart is
bound up in you, and she would g" with
YOU. but the hallowed spot where rest all
that is mortal of your father, and the
home where your sisters children delight
to welcome grandma, is the place for her.
and if you 60 west you must leave her
here. write to her often, and come back
as soon as possible. Do not deceive yo"r-
self by the idea that she wants to 90
Her love for you would prompt her TO
die for you if necessary, and very likely
she would, if you took her away ont
there. Dakota is a grand place for young
men and young women to go to get texpe'
rience and make some money. They
learn to take responsibilities and bear
them nobly. they enjoy health that is
brought to them by labor in the pure air,
hut the old fathers and mothers in Israel
want more shade than can be found in a
treeless territory, and home surroundings
chat cannot be found in . sod house, the
sun knows many cases where old fathers
and mothers have been transported from
this State ofloveliness the Far West, VINO
| have been brought back on trains where
hearses instead of omnibuses met them
at the depot, and cases where old hearts
have yearned for the old home until tbey
almost broke: and while would advise
bows who are able, to go west and become
4 men. it would more strongly advise the
bows to leave the old folks where they
have raised families, where they kno"
|. all the people and are loved and respect
:. ed. where children adore them, neigh
bors are ever ready to sympsthlze VIII
them in sorrow, and lend helping hand
in sickness. By all means, boy, leave
the old mother with your sister, and sht
will live ten years longer than she wou't
on that Dakota farm, and when yo'
|, come back, bronzed and grown mani,
and strong, and her sweet face greet'
YOU, and her trembling hand is placed II
YOURS and she shows how proud she
j of you, you will be glad Of this advice
she will be glad of it, and your sister an
the grandchildren will be happier tina
!, grandma remained at home, and whel
YOU all 90 to the cemetery and stan'
: around the grave of the father, yon VII
feel that he who is in heaven is b'ess'n
. YOU for not taking the mamma ava,
That is all, boy. You can 60 to Dako
ia now.
:, Men and Soil