Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-06-20

the lawr broke in Ben, and sailed in.
They tangled, an in about two minutes
Mizzury found he'd made mistake. Fer
a while lowed Ben d drive his head
into the ground. Then, after tunkin'
him around awhile, Ben sat on him.
Whose claims this nOwP says Ben.
'Yore title to it pears to be a mighty
strong one, says Mizzury. A little later
had his team hitched to his
wagin, an was Il eatin' his johnny-cake
as he driv away"
As has been said, it seemed as if Ben
Fargo's claim was being jumped with
regularity that was only equaled by that
with which Fargo speedily removed the
jumpers. There were several reasons for
this frequent jumping. One was that the
claim was one of the most desirable in
the county, and also one of the easiest to
jump. 1t was handy to New Boston and
to the grass-fringed road that led thereto.
Then, too, its champion but partially
complied with the law for such cases
made and provided. During the greater
part of the time he did not visit the
claim at all, except when there was an
other jumper to eject. He had made
none of the Improvements that the law
required. Even the ''shack" cabin upon
it had been erected by one misguided
claim-jumper, who had been speedily and
forcibly elected by Fargo, who had re-
tanned the cabin for his trouble But in
spite of the continued jumping, Ben
Fargo continued to hold the claim against
all comers. He was not a quarrelsome
person, but simply chose the easier of the
two ways of retaining possession of the
claim.
Claim-jumping consists in moving on
to the claim of some one who has not yet
secured from the Government title to
the land. The legal measures then in
stituted by the jumper drag their slow
way along for an indefinite period after
that, and the costs go on piling up in
way that makes the existence of so many
lawyers in the newer States possible.
Then, if the jumper can prove that the
jumped has not complied with all of the
requirements of the Government, the
right to remain, and finally deed of the
land, are given to him. If he fails, he
gets nothing but an opportunity to pay
the small mountain of costs, while the
other regains possession of his claim.
That is the painfully slow legal way, and
one that Ben Fargo never employed.
Mr.. Ben Fargo, returning to New Bos-
ton the day following the one upon which
the news had reached the settlement, be-
came aware that his claim had been
jumped long before he reached it. The
presence of the old linch-pin wagon and
rickerty mules told him that.
"Well," he said, half aloud, ~ am in
something of a hurry to get to New Bos-
ton, but l reckon 1 can spare time to
kinder start this jumper on his way.
Not overly well fixed" he commented,
as he left the road and drew nearer.
"Wagon don't look safe, and the mules
seem mighty rickety. But they brought
the jumper here, and they've got to
Hello there!"
The presence of the object that he had
almost ridden over surprised him good
deal more than did the presence of the
jumper. 1t was merely little grave,
roughly rounded up in the midst of the
long prairie grass. The clods of the
ragged little mound showed that it had
been there only short while. Sun and
rain had not begun to pulverize them. A
tattered little prairie rosebush had been
planted at the head of the tiny mound.
The tips of its leaves had withered, and
the blossoms it had borne at transplanting
were yellow and shriveled; but one small
bud had opened that morning, and the
ragged little flower, striving its best to
be bright and pure, lay on one of the
rough black clods of the ragged little
grave.
"Baby!" Fargo muttered.
At that moment woman left the shack
and came toward the grave. In her hanC
she bore cup of water. Her eyes were
swollen with crying. Fargo gave a star
of surprise as he saw her face. Scarcely
glancing at him, she returned his brie
salutation and bent and watered tht
ragged little rosebush.
"Your baby?" Fargo asked presently
feeling awkwardly that he ought to sa,
something.
eyes, the woman answered, ,chokingly
"She was all l had-all l had! And nov
She"
And she flung herself prone on tn
grave, as if to embrace the little mound
and sobbed aloud.
Fargo looked uncomfortable. "Noy
don't cry so! I-you-where's you
husband? In the shack?" he blurted.
"No"-lifting her face from the clods
'He died four weeks ago, and with M
few belongings in the old wagon starte
on the long journey back to the dear oil
home State. The baby-well, I dug tn
little grave myself. I had no coffin, n
money to buy one, and I buried her i
her little white night-gown." A tea
dropped on the blossom of the ragge
little rose. ''I cannot go on yet-yet
And oh it seems as if never could g
on and leave my baby here alone in th
midst of the prairie! Maybe the owne
of this claim would not object if live
in the shack little while, till-till-
Fargo squirmed about uneasily in h
g saddle. ''Then, after little time,
suppose I must start back toward the ol
G Indiana home and leave my baby hel
iu-"
t "What part of Indiana7" Fargo blurtet
t champion County. The little eros
road villsUe below Fountainyille OH