Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-11-07
4 BRAVE GIRLS LUCK.
TURNING FARMER AND WORKING
FOR HONEST INDEPENDENCE.
Prairie Fires Sweep Away Every
thing Except the Faithful Lover.
Who Arrives just in Time.

prairie fires, which have brought desola-
| ton and poverty to hundreds in this Sec
| ton, brought husband to one Young
woman. A year ago last spring Fannie
| Jordan took up farm of 100 acres, about
| nine miles north of here, and struck out
| for herself. She came to Dakota from HI
| inois, though she was born in the East
Not much was known about her for several
months, as she was shy and retiring, but
when she finally became acquainted with
her neighbors they discovered that the girl
had the real mettle in her, and predicted
that she would be rich before she was 80
Though far from muscular, Fannie was the
picture of health and she easily carried off
the palm as the best-looking girl farmer in
the county. Like the majority of her sis
ters she had
NO TINE TO DEVOTE TO TIE GALLANrs
OF the neighborhood, and for a year and a
half she led hard grinding existence.
practising the closest economy, and work
ing from early morning until late at night.
Some of her friends finally discovered that
the girl had history, as many such heroic
adventures in this country have She had
lived in comfortable circumstances in a
lOI III IlllIlOiS lOWH uillll lue ueaCn OF her
father revealed the fact that he had lost not
only his own property, but trust fund
belonging to a relative not yet of age, by his
fatal propensity for specializing in the Chi
cago grain market. The girl felt her posi-
ton keenly, and, though she had expected
soon to be married, she resOlutely turned
from her lover and sought the far West.
She had read of the success achieved by
young women as farmers in this vicinity,
and persuading her mother that this was
their only hope of regaining their indie
pendence, and at the same time making
good the deficit of their husband and
father, the two converted what little prop
erty they had into cash, and came here.
Before their departure
THE GIRL ABsoLvED THE YOUNG MAN
From his pledges, but in answer to his re-
peated requests gave him some slight hope
that at a distant day, if he still remained
OF the same mind, she might consider q
proposition from him. Under these cir
cumstances the work of breaking and work
ing farm in a new country was begun.
The first year Fannie and her mother
had no help, and they did not succeed in
raising much. Not more than quarter of
their land was under cultivation, and the
crops were poor indeed. This year, with
the assistance of boy, they did better.
They got more than half of the farm in
wheat, and the crop was an exceptionally
good one. Besides this, they had fruitful
garden, from which they supplied their
own wants and derived a small revenue
Their wheat, on which they had already
borrowed money, was to have been thrashed
about two weeks ago, but the machine did
not arrive and it remained in great stacks
near their barn. Figuring on the results of
their two years work, mother and daugb
ter found that there was a chance that this
years crop would clear them of debt. and
that with one or two more favorable sea
sons they would be able to see the results
of their toll in hard cash.
THE PRAIeIE FIRE WAS DANGER
Which they had not taken into considera-
ton. When Fannie heard that fires were
reported at distance, she ran burrows
around her buildings and wheat stacks,
and in other ways prepared for the vista
ton Her neighbors did the same, and
when the fires appeared near at hand
nearly everybody went out to fight them.
Fannie's mother remained at home when
the girl was gone on these errands. On
returning to her place one evening last
week, the young woman found fires In her ,
way, and being forced to make a long
detour, it was dark before she came to
point where she could see her farm. The
fires were raging fiercelv, and she made I'D
her mind that her farm was threatened. If
not already burned over. Somebody had
set back fires, with the intention of stop
ping the cOn1agration, and this was the
result. As fast as her weary and trembling
limbs could carry her the girl dashed on,
and few steps more sutficed to convince
her that her home and everything that it
contained was lost. When she arrived at
the place the house was in ruins, the barn
was ready to fall, and the great wheat
stacks were glowing heaps of embers. The
earth was hot under her feet, and the air
almost sitting. She called for her mother.
and called again. No one answered. She
became sick with fear and foreboding, and
thought of flight, but there was no place to
which she could go for help.
THE FIRES WERE ALL AROUND HER.
Making the heavens lurid and the air
heavy, and so, in the presence of her
crushing disaster, the girl sat down and
wept All night long she sat by the ruins
of her home, and when the morning light
appeared she made careful search for
her mother. She was not in the ruins of
the house, and the girl breathed easier, but
in the ashes of the barn the old lady's
charred remains were found. She had
evidently gone there after doing all in her
power to save the place, for the purpose of
taking the horse and making her escape,
but, overcome with the heat, or possibly
unable to manage the beast, both had
persisted together
Fannie's mother was buried on Sunday
by the neighbors, most of whom, like the
girl, had lost nearly everything. What
was to be done nobody knew. Where all
We're penniless and wretched there was no
advice that could be followed, and all
seemed
STUNNED BY THE CALAMITY
Which had come upon them. On Tues
day Fannie visited her farm for the last
time intending to leave that day for the
railroad, and seek assistance, she knew not
what or of whom Her poverty was alb
solute. Her debts were greater than her
equity in the land. Everything that she
had on earth was DESTROYED except the
clothing that she wore. She stood by the
ruined home and looked out for miles on
biackened prairie. The sky was overcast
with leaden clouds, and the wind blew crisp
and cold from the north. Above and be-
low everything was dark, but the somber
view was not backer than her own future.
She buried her face in her hands and
turned from the desolate scene just in time
to hear the clatter of hoofs on the road
way, and looking up the girl saw the fellow
from Illinois whom she had left in despair
eighteen months ago. He rode up to her
jumped from his horse, and addressed her
quietly.
SHE HAD LITTLE To SAY,
And there was not much that he could
say, as his appearance caused fresh flood
of tears to flow. He told her that ne mad
read of her mothers death and of their
losses by fire. and had come by the first
train in the hope that he could be of
service to her. He would do anything that
she said. He had money and time. II
she wanted to rebuild he would stay and
boss the job. If she wanted to go back to
Illinois he would go with her, and they
could settle the matters up here at their
leisure. IF she disliked him and wanted
him to clear out he would do that too. but
to tell the truth, he said, he wanted her,
and he believed and hoped she wanted
him now. He looked around on the
waste and the girl raised her evas