Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-07-27

will keep at it, and there are those who
suspect that before long somebody will
come whose suit will not be in vain.
Up near Blunt there are two young SIS
tiers, not more than 80 years old. who own
and work a farm of 100 acres. They
went on their claim before there was q
building of any kind there. taking a tent
along to live in. and with The assistance of
carpenter for few days they built their
house and sheds and made ready for farm
ing operations. These girls came from
an illinois town, where they had heard
stories of the productiveness and cheap
ness of Dakota lands. and. having no near
relatives to oppose them. they struck out
to make their fortune. During the first
year they had pretty hard time of it.
They were healthy, but not robust, and a
great deal of the work that they had to do
would have tried the strongest man sorely,
Their capital was small, and they did not
realize enough the first year to pay their
own expenses, but Deighbors took an in
terest in them, and the assistance which
they rendered carried them through. After
that they prospered. and every year now
they do better than the year before.
When saw these girls last, about two
months age, they were resting after hard
DAVIS work in the field. Except that their
hands were hard and brown. they appeared
like any other young women whom one
might meet save possibly that they were
fresher, healthier, and brighter. They
both declared that nothing could induce
them to leave their farm. and that no prop
osition for life OF idleness and luxury in
a city would have any alurements to
them. ! suggested the ever present topic
OF matrimony, when one of them. the
younger, replied with a good deal of
spirit:
That is what the men are always talk
ing about. We've heard precious little
else since we came here. | remember
once crushing young fellow who was
out here. looking tor place to settle he
said. He had been following me around
about half the day, and along toward even
ing, as was doing some chores at the
barn, he grew sentimental. and proposed
to me right there. pretended to be aw
fully busy, and said:
Just give me boost with this bag of
corn, do. Pleasure first, business after
ward
"He never returned to the subject, nor
did |. There have been others Just like
him, and we have found that the best way
is to Just pass them off. They get over it
right away. and if it don't hurt them any
more than it does us. no harm is done.
There is one point, though, on which my
sister and | agreed. We realize well
enough that the time may come when it
will be best for us to be married. This
life is not all pleasant by any means, .but
there is one supreme satisfaction about it.
We are now Independent. and whatever
course we pursue will be followed because
we want to follow it, and not because we
have to. Any two young men who think
they are coming out here to settle down
on one farm are going to find out their
mistake. We have figured the whole
thing out, and our terms are fixed, if we
have to wait till we're 40 years old. We
have 200 acres of good land, and when
we marry there must be two more 200
acre lots with ours. Now, | call that
fair proposition, and any way it is the
only one that we'll ever accept
There are great many of these young
and enterprising women in this Territory.
and nearly all of them are doing we'll.
They are highly respected by all. and any
one who was guilty of offering them any
atfront would find Dakota, big as it is. too
small to hold him As far as heard from.
not one of them was ever annoyed by any
thing more serious than the repeated Of
fers of marriage. which may be consider
ed inevitable, perhaps, in society large
ly made up of single men, and who, after
all, are said to be no drawback to the
Territory.-N. Y. Sun.
Sperial Nutirfs.