Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1888-12-04
I.s,tsr from s. D NebrAska.

A fec years .so he old settlers IA this
vicinity o's.nir.d a. ola S-';lsf.' Club
They -sr. % meet annually 10 some
grove. have muse. speeches. etc. pc
nc dinnsr and good time sensr.lly !
attended ore Of their meeting. add found
II quite entertaining The Old Nsbrss.
k.n.. II they Did no, literally shoulder
the sruieh asd .so~ hos hslds -sr,
-on.~ induls,d A. considerable lsns,h
in rsninisosness o. their pionesnns days.
some q -hich may b. Of intsrrs, 20 The
reader, q The D,moerat
Mo-, q tLs.s early settlers -eni on 10
sovsrnnsnt lsnds "Homesieadsrs" s,n-
orally hsvs bard iins. in The start. fo'
The rs.on that 20 May q them 10 their
e.s,rnss. 70 avail thsms,lve. Of Unels
sam. sif,. DO 40; prUpsrly estimate the
coat Of getting ne- farm Ia running
order. Their slender means give out
befor, they can sf5rd them living and
then come. necessarily . ,isht pinch.
-hsn, . lady -ho bad been through
the ordeal sp,ly s1pr--sed ii. they doa'i
really hv--tisy 80 sTsseis alosg
No, . fs- % ihsss odd Nsbnsksns
seemed 20 have bad nors OF les sIpsri.
spoe q tbs ",qassring .lons One
Of the ,pssksr. told u. o. time-ii -as
in the Early par, o. The ssoond season.
-hsn the ~olf .esmsd % stand ~ bis
very door They bad yearly reached toe
bottom q their -four barrel. ard. With
no monsy IN bis poCk,i, 90 prodses Of
the farm 10 turn ID. DO chances fof OBJ
t.inins -Ork. 10 credit =, he stores
Which -sre sixteen miles s.Ay. ~hs,
vi. 20 b. done he frankly Owned
that in hi. psIplsNiiy, be sootied a, his
-ifs, sIbor,siion ''io trus, the Lord
/. sheer nonsense: ba, a. II 10 Justify
her greater faith In q bsnisnaai Provi-
dsnee, about that time one q The settlers
came 10 him 10 -, If | remember
nshily-.ome fence posi. from the banks
Of the creek dividins hi. place. provided
he you'd take his pay fof them IN -four
one cd settler brought us = relic q
early days. al old coffee mill .o0ui ,-io-
the siIe % an ordinary ons-1n historic
mill. since Il ksd served a. the oaly
"m.ks-hift" Zoe . sris, mill for many
mile. .ro1nd People came long dis-
i.nee. 70 grind lAbOriO1sly Nth IL .
bu.hsl or too Of corn. In connection
With this. one man told - boz. having
Away. besn sI,r.ysgsn,ly fond Of corn
cakes. be got b. an fOr once -hsn be
and hi. ~ifs had literally nothing else 10
e., for q considerable length Of time.
Nor -u !, any light JOB, be assured u'.
simply 70 prepare the meal for the cakes,
By that primitive method
Corn -ss sometimes only twelve and q
half esnts per bashsl. -hieh scarcely
paid the CO., Of hsalins sixteen o. twenty
miles. especially before there ~srs any
bridge. ever the creeks. Lumber ~.
very dear and mus, Be hauled long
di.,abos consequently the poorer ooe.
-.r, obliged 10 live at frat in dusou,s OF
sod houses. and those Who could afford
20 build generally eon,sn,sd thsm'slve.
Nth hsvins psrlor. kitchen and bed
room al in one. One lady assured me
Il give the statement on Der authority
-,ha, Der house YES % small she Posi-
lively bad TO 70 out Of doors 10 turn
arOand! Probably il -ss about this
time that some traveller in the State re-
ported that there -ss plenty Of room IN
Nsbr.sks bat IL -as mostly outside OF
the houses
No, the least Of their trials -as an
occasional s'Indisn scare for the Indians
were not far of. one woman -ho !.
still living In this region Gas ooee taken
captive BY them; bat failed to Learn
much TO my r,sre,-hO- she -As treated
by them or boz rescued. Az . general
thing. perhaps. Their. was more scare
than hur, inflicted by these unvelenme
visitors bat the scare vas bad enough
Then sfter . -hile. When prospects
had brightsned. there came the grass
hopper plague sweeping like . great
cloud over the land. and leaving not
green thing behind We, no,-ith''and-
ing the los.ss and dis,resses !, sntail-d,
SOM old Nsbr.skans say the grass
hopper year" -ss not. on the whole.
bed thins Cor the State. since II welded
Out !, soms MEASURE. the "uihing aud