Daily Honolulu press. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1886, 1886-03-20
THE GIRL FARMER.


desolation and poverty to hundreds in
this section. brought husband to one
young woman. A year ago last spring
Fannie Jordon took up farm Of 100
acres, about nine miles north of here, and
struck out for herself She came to
Dakota from Illinois, though she was
born in the cast Not much was known
about her for several months as she was
shy and retiring, but when she finally be-
came acquainted with her neighbors thoy
discovered that the girl had the real mett.e
In her and predicted that she would be
rich before she was TO-
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 ma
Jority of her sisters she had no time to
devote to the gallants of the Deighbor-
hood, and for year and half she led
hard grinding existence. practicing the
closest economy and working from early
morning until late at night
Some Of her friends finally discovered
that the girl had a history. as many such
heroic adventures in this country have
She had lived in comfortable circum-
stances in a rural Illinois town until the
death Of her father revealed the
fact that he had lost not only
his own property, but trust fund be
longing to a relative not yet of age, by
his fatal propensity for specializing
felt her position keenly. and though she
had expected soon to be married she reso-
lutely turned from her lover and sought
the far west
she had read of the success achieved
by young women as farmers In this vicin-
ity; and. persuading her mother that this
was the 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
property they had into cash and came
here Before their departure the girl ab.
solved the young man from his pledges,
but in answer to his repeated requests
gave him some slight hope that at a dis
tant day. IL he still remained of the same
mind, she might consider proposition
from him. Under these circumstances
the work Of breaking and working farm
In 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 ex-
ceptionally good one Besides this they
had fruitful garden, from which they
supplied their own wants and derived
small revenue Their wheat on which
they had already borrowed money, was to
have been thrashed in short time
but the machine did not arrive, and it re-
manned in great stacks near their barn.
Figuring on the results of their two years.
work, mother and daughter found that
there was chance that this years crop
N1,f nf oh nd hat
with one or two more favorable seasons
they would be able to see the results of
their toll in hard cash.
The prairie fire was danger which
they had not taken into consideration
When Fannie heard that fires were re-
ported 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 re-
Gently the young woman found fires In her
way, and being forced to make long de-
tour it was dark before she
came to point where she could
see her farm The fires were rag
ing fiercely. and she made up her
mind that her farm was threatened, if
not already burned over somebody had
set back fires. with the intention of stop
ping the confagration, and this was the
result. AS fast as her weary and trem-
bling limbs could carry her the girl
dashed on, and few steps more sufiiced
TO convince her that her home and every
thing that 1t contained was lost
When she arrived at the place the house
was in ruins, the barn was ready to fall,
and the great wheats stacks were glowing
heaps of embers. The earth was hot un.
der 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 fight; 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 pur-
pose OF taking the horse and making her
escape; but overcome with the heat or
possibly unable to manage the beast, both
had persisted together.
Fapnies mother was buried by the
neghbors, most of whom, like the
girl. had lost nearly everything. What
was to be done nobody knew Where
all were penniless and wretched there
was no advice that could be followed
and all seemed stunned by the calamity
which had come upon them. Then
Fannie visited her farm for the first time
intending to leave that day for the rail
road, and seek assistance, she knew not
what or Of whom. Her poverty was
absolute. 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 blackened prairies The sky was over
cast with leaden clouds. and the wind blew
crisp and cold from the north Above
and below everything was dark, but the
somber view was not blacker 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
roadway. and. looking up. the girl saw
the fellow from Illinois whom she had
left 10 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.
j.. 4 1. -.