The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-04-09
HILDA'S STORY.

l have a friend who lives IN Dakota,
and raises in that remarkable territory
some of the finest wheat that is raised in
the world. Part of the winter of 1882 he
spent in the East. and often came to my
rooms, where we enjoyed many Il pleas
ant hour together. During these inter-
views | learned many interesting facts
connected with the everyday experiences
of settlers in the West.
One incident in his frontier life amused
me very much. and | will repeat it, us
nearly as possible in his own words,
for the benefit of the C1mpunion rcadeis.
"My next ncighbors." he said. '.arc a
young Norwegian and his wife. The
man, whose name is Pete Nelson. i>about
thirty years old: tall, broad-Shouldcrcd
and good-naturcd. His wife. 1Iilda. is
several years Younger, a bright, smiling
woman, and full of life.
''Somctimcs. after work for the day
was done, | used to walk over to Neil
sons and sit on the bench outside the
house, and chat with him for half an hour.
The house itself is Il small affair. of the
class known in that part of the country
as 'shantics.' 1t IS tight-boardcd and
banked up about the sides, and is proba-
bly, warm and cosy even in our bittercSt
winters. Pete had set out Il few trees in
front of the shanty-clms and cottonwood
and had built a little arbor over the
door. under which the bench was placed.
There were a few flowers III boxes near
bv, and an old yellow cat was almost
always stretched out at full length in the
doorway. 1t is a pleasant, homc-likc lit
tie place.
"a few rods from the house was Il
STRAW barn. with Il heavy log frame,
that Pete had built. 1t was completely
buried in a mountain of straw. One
evening, after | had become quiet at
home with my ncighbors, | vcnturcd to
say:
"'Well. Pete, suppose you became
acquainted with your wife in Norway!
Perhaps you have known each other
since you were childrcn.
"Pctc was smoking his long pipe. lie
did not reply, but laughed quietly. |
glanced at his wife and saw that she was
Smiling, and had roguish light in her
eve as She looked at her husband.
This excited my curiosity. and said
to her, How is 1t, Mrs. Nelson: Have
YOU known Pete since he was a little
boy?
":Oh no.
"sThcn YOU came over on the steamer
together from NorwayH
"'Oh no. and she laughed outright.
"'Did you meet him on his way out
West9
"'No, no, no.
"'You must have found him here,
waiting for you. then,' l continued
laughing.
@sNo, he not here when I come, she
said. as she walked over to where Pete
was sitting and sat down on the ground
at his feet. Shall I tell, PctcF she
asked, looking archly into his face. -,
"Pete kept on smoking, but nodded
good humoredly.
q ellis wife laid her hand or his knee
and for a moment was thoughtful n
quiet. Perhaps she was getting together
her somewhat scanty collection of Eng
lish words.
"'WeH,' she said at last again, look
ing into Pete's face and smiling, / come
to here with my farder and my mutter
and my sisters. My fardcr take quarter
section, and then he say:
Hilda, you take quarter section,
too. You more old than twenty-one."
"Rather a frank confession, Thought
but she evidently had no sensitiveness
about her age, and went n