The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1889-10-25

his horse as a su%re-footed traveller, but
somehow forgot to say anything in
praise of his helpmeet. 1t wa no 20,
however; the other man, who went by
the name of Punt, seemed pretty we'll
posted as to the qualifications of the
woman in question, Finally he sad:
IN tell you'un wal I'll do. You kin
then do it OF we'll quit talkin', FL
take that boss, that pair yaller houn's,
an them eight sheep to boot, an / won't
take any less and with that he turned
as if to walk away.
''Hol' on!" said Punt, .'Ill do it, by
c%rackery, but it's a tough bargain"
When the purchaser of the snappy
looking little woman sent her to get
the horse. which had been tied to a tree
in the woods, the latter said to her pur-
chaser: you'll hev a hot time, | low.
That woman hez got the temper of the
devil, an she'll allus let you'un kno'
she's round"
Il kno' how to tend to that business,
Punt. She'un IL be quiet as a pet lam;
in two days or thar'll be trouble"
What the result of this trade was !
never learned, as i never saw n of the
people after that day, except the young
man Blodgett and his new helpmeet.
AS they lived several miles away in the
direction of Ithe mountain through
which l had to pass to get out of that
country, ! rode along with them, and,
finding could do no better, accepted
their hospitality for the night,
Blodgett seemed a good sort of a fell
low, easy, good-natnred, but ignorant.
His new spouse was a woman of % or %,
somewhat ~good-looking, as good looks
went in that section. Her face was
more intelligent than any l had seen,
and she seemed pleased over the result
OF the trade. With all my powers OF
penetration l failed to find any repug-
nance or horror over the affair, either
with her or any one connected with it.
They seemed to take it as a legitimate
transaction, and | could only account
for it on the ground of utter ignorance
of the law, either %statutary or moral.
The custom of trading wives among
these people seemed as old and we'll
founded as is the everyday and every
where habit of trading in ordinary arti-
cles of barter.
We arrived at %Blodgett's house OF
cabin early in the evening and the
home life of the new feminine head OF
the family began without a ripple or oh.
lection on the part of the Blodgett
juniors, of whom there were four.
Mrs. Blodgett, the latest, was a pretty
fair cook and took to the latest stage OF
family affairs as naturally as if she had
raised the family herself.
Blodgett, | must admit, seemed a
pleasant sort of fellow, ready to give
his guest the best he had and to assist
them in any n possible. The
evening meal over, | retired to bed in
II corner of the room-the cabin con,
sisted of one only-and fell ASLEEP
almost immediately. In the morning
left, and before noon | had ridden
through the gap and down the mountain
side into another county and among
another, and, to all appearance a ditfc..
ent people.
When | told them what I had seen
they showed no surprise; in fact, almost
everybody appeared to know more about
1t than | knew myself. They stated
that the section through which 1 had
just come had been settled generations
since by a peculiar class of people who
were widely different in their modes
and habits from the settlers of othel
parts of the state, and that their pecu
liarities grew up with them. Thu
country was too wild and opportunitie!
for communication too scarce to invit,
settlement from the outside world, con
~sequcntly the people were left severed,
alone. being seldom disturbed ever by
passing traveller like myself.