Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1890-01-09
THE LOST RICE.
How a Serious Breach Was Almost Made
Before the Thief Was Pound.

How a Serious Breach was Almost Made
Before the Thief Was Pound.
Among the earlier settlers Of Draper,
Canada. were three young men and
their newly married wives, who had
journcyea thither in company from
one OF tie eastern counties.
In order 10 gain time for their work
of clearing land, the young men
erected but one log house the first
year. and three small families inhab-
tied it in common.
Among the parting gifts from her
friends in the east that one of the
young wives. whom we will call
Mary. had received was a six pound
box Of nce. Ii was regarded as a rare
delicacy and treasured accordingly.
At rare intervals only did Mary cook
little OF the rice. but she always gave
some 10 Ter friends.
The precious box was kept on a shelf
near the caves of the rude cabin.
But during the autumn the young
housekeeper began TO notice with won
der that her rice was niysteriously
disappearing. At first she dismissed
the thought that one of her friends
and cabin mates was robbing her. and
kept the matter quite 10 herself; but
when she found that more of il was
gone, she told her husband.
The young man adviced silence and
discreet observation; but in another
week the last of the rice had disap-
peared from the box. Then Mary,
with the empty box in her hand, openly
accused the other young wives of hav-
ing robbed her.
The charge was promptly and in
dignantly denied. Angry words fol-
lowed. The harmony OF that small
cabin was rudely broken up. The hus-
bands became involved in the quarrel,
and even grew at variance with their
own wives.
Hitherto, the .hree erls, for they
were scarcely more, had been bosom
friends; now, after a violent quarrel,
they settled into sullen enmity. refus-
ing TO speak, or even look at each
other. Such a state of things in a
small cabin could not be tolerated.
After two days the families deter
mined TO separate at once and for
ever.
Two OF the young men took their
axes and stalked forth to fell trees and
chop logs for new houses, each upon
his own land.
While one Of them was thus en-
gagged, he chanced to cut a partially
hollow beech. To his astonishment
several grains of rice fell out, and upon
fitting up the log and pounding upon
it with his ak, long, white stream of
rice trickled out in heap upon the
ground!
1t was all there-more than quart Of
i'll With disconnected CHECKER, lit
tie chipmunk ran out at hole farther
along the tree trunk
The matter was plain enough now.
The roguish squirrel, coming in at
the chinks beneath the caves of the
cabin, had transferred the rice TO his
own hoard. Quickly taking in the true
situation, the young pioneer stuck his
axe in the log and walked back TO the
cabin.
Mary" he said, grimly, ''if you
want 10 see who stole your rice, come
out here"
After a moment Of surprise and hes
itation, she followed him, as did also
the two other young women who had
overheard the words-the first which
had been spoken in the cabin that
morning.
There's your rice and there's the
thief, sitting on that stump yonder,"
said the young farmer. when they
reached the beech log. only 70
think that we should have been 20 ssl
by the ears by a little rogue Of q squir-
relf" he continued.
The two accused young women burs1
out laughing, but Mary shed bitter
tears of modification.
She gathered up the rice, and hav.
ing carefully washed il, cooked Il I'll
that day a. q peace offering for IL
foolish haste with which she had ~
lowed herself 10 suspect her frisndA
The new cabins were NOT built H.
fAll, and this was the only quarrel
which ever occurred bsswesu -
H. =