The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-07-05
CHAPTER VI.
SEGINNING A NEW HOME.

journey.
CHAPTER VI.
BEGINNING NEW HOME.
Arriving ut their destination each
head OF a family selected his claim and
at once began the work Of erecting
shelter.
John Parsons and Bill Richie selected
claims near TO, though not adjoining.
each other, for the country here is
more broken than on tho SuscOl Ranch,
much of it being unfit for farming or
even for fruit growing; and very few
quarter sections can be found lying
wholly in valley.
Generally, if the sguatter could get q
claim, one-half of which was in the val
ley, he was well contented to take the
remainder upon the broken lands lying
upon the bluffs.
Such 4 claim was that which John
and Martha Parsons, assisted by Eras-
tus, selected.
1.-The boy has been faithful said
John to his wife. Il don't know what
you and the girls would have done but
for him, crossin' the plains, an | mean
to do the square thing by him if ever we
do get ahead bit. Besides, the grit
which he showed back at the other
place ought to entitle him TO hcv his
| advice axed, if only for good manners
sake; specially if it is anything in
which he is interested
And thereafter nothing of importance
to the family was ever fully decided
upon until Erastus had been given an
opportunity to express an opinion Of its
wisdom or feasibility.
The valley in which most of our pill.
grms had sought homes was scarcely
more than quarter of a mile wide; the
stream which watered it keeping nearer
| to the bluffs upon the right side the
| greater part of the way, but occasion
! ally curving outward, near to or past
the center of this level strip Of ground
between the hills.
Where the stream made one of its
curves. leaving between its channel and
the bluff handsome piece of ground Of
| perhaps twenty-five acres, which was
| slight, higher than the rest of the val
ley. and SO not likely to be overlooked
by the water during the winter freshet,
and near to the bluff. which sloped back
gradually for some distance. did John
Parsons begin the erection Of his humble
| home.
Material for building was scarce and
high. Lumber could have been OBJ.
tanned had the settlers possessed the
means of paving for it; but, lacking
this. they were obliged to do the bes1
they could with material furnished By
nature upon or near the spot. Som,
dug into the sides of the hills, thus Sc
curing the walls for three sides of thei
dwellings,, the roof and front being o
such bits of lumber as they had brough
with them or could purchase; in some
instances the rude front being Of lum
Der which had once composed dry
goods boxes and in which the clothin.
or furniture of the owners had beef
brought from the States.
Mr.. Parsons and Erastus, in prefer
ence to this style Of half dug-out, dc
cided to build of logs, but to Obtain
these they were obliged TO 60 severa
miles further into the hills and snak
down the bodies of small spruce trees
This took much time and hard work
but willing hands made light of it, an,
three weeks from the day Of arrival tn,
family moved into their new house.
There was but one room, and that no
large; and the floor was the earth
smoothed and beaten down. Their
were two doors, with a window upol
either side: the latter taken from tn
cottage in the Suscol Ranch ant
brought through in the wagon with tn
bedding carefully packed about them
The furniture consisted of some rougl
shelves in one corner sufficient to hol,
few pieces of crockery in daily use.
. table, several chairs and two beds
which, with the stove, SO filled the sin
gle apartment that there was no room
for another bed, even if they had pc.
sessed it; and for the time Erastus slep
in the covered wagon, for which Their
! was little present use, and later on upol
bunk on the dirty floor OF the shanty
1t was very far from being as com
Portable as the cottage back on the Sus
col Ranch, and as for elegance or effor
ut responsibility" it made none what
ever; was, in fact. rs much below tn
log house "back in the States whic
the family had left rs the Suscol cottag
had been above it in that regard, an
!, this thought kept coming to John Pal
; sons, and causing him twinges of pal
all the time they were at work on il
but once fairly domiciled beneath hi
, own roof. poor though he was, with hi
family about him, and with the Cheerful
voice of his wife ever bidding him tax
courage, he soon ceased to dwell upo
i. his disappointment; or at least to max
), mention of it.
! The first thing to be done after til
shanty was up and the family safcl
sheltered was the securing of provende
, for the teams; for while domestic an
' mails will live all winter on what the
can pick, and in ordinary seasons com
| through in good condition; yet the
a can not do this if required to work, an
y our friends had sod to break for ne,
seasons crop. So they set about gait
. ering the wild grasses which grow wit
> wonderful luxuriance during the rain
months, burn yellow and brown whe
!, the dry season comes on, curing rs pc
a fect)y where they grow as by the pr
= cess of hay-making pursued in countri'
! which lack the pure dry atmosphere
a the Pacific Coast.
: ITO BE CONTINUED.
n The qualifications of q melodran
2 atist, asserts a play-writer, are -