Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1891-12-25
OUR "SQUATTER" DAYS.

living in a sort OF pioneer fashion
while trying to make successful bus
iness newly started by himself.
We had lately come from New York.
where we had friends and good homo
and lots Of comfort and many luxuries.
But Philip, my dear husband. wasn't
satisfied with our easy life there. He
was too proud to be we'll paid clerk
in my fathers thriving store, and he
even foolishly imagined that he owed
his position more to charity on account
Of his marrying me than to the real
merits he possessed.
Besides he was ambitious to be rich
and his own master. SO neither he nor
myself took much pleasure in our hap
Ply circumstances. We wanted to
jump from the frying pan into the
fire. though we didn't think 80, and.
soon after a couple OF years spent
in discomfort as to our future we de-
termined to 'go West and grow up
with the country"
l was a strong, brave and energetic
young woman when we reached the
wild western town where we located
and looked upon tho hardships we
were undergoing before we became
wealthy and great as very romantic
and delightful.
And so did Philip. Although he
was ever careful not to mako my bur-
den heavy he never spared himself In
the big undertaking before us. But
his business didn't grow fast enough
to suit his high aspirations and he was
continually looking out for some new
scheme for making money.
One night, after baby was asleep
and we sat costly before the fire. he
told me Of some immense salt mead
ows still further West which the gov
eminent was dividing into large tracts
and giving them to settlers. Now, :"
he said with beamlng face. 'if we
should locate on one of these tracts
before they are taken and live there
for few years, we could then be the
owners OF property that will certainly
become very valuable in time, as the
country grows in its neighborhood.
Then we can sell out and go back to
Now York with fortune"
~ / had discouraged the idea then
l know he would have dropped It.
But l was even more sanguine OF the
results than he, and fell in with the
scheme at once only advising that we
should hold on to our present bust
ness. too. and endeavor to run both,
which he gladly agreed to.
In months time he had his shanty
erected on our salt marsh tract and
thither we went with the necessary
household effects in a prairie wagon,
baby and ALL
The weather was warm and beauti-
full when our hopeful little family of
squatters arrived on our domain.
which was to be our fortune and the
rough and rather frail log cabin looked
like palace to my ambitious and ro-
mantle eyes
Twas in the center of our big tract
and the saline deposit covering the
marsh for miles and miles glistened
and sparkled in the bright sunlight
like the first light fall OF snow used to
when on the green meadows about the
old homestead in our native eastern
state.
Not another domicile but our own
could we see, nor hill, nor even
bit OF woods. All was a wide, dreary.
dead level-white mostly with salty
scum and black and bare in spots with
what looked like dried mud, such as
the bottom of pond 6iscloses when
the water is drawn off.
Not u sign nor a sound of life save
the dismal croaking OF the lonely frogs
was there to our knowledge for many
miles around. We were in a desert
uninhabitable apparently for man and
beast, sure to starve If our supplies
were not often renewed, with no pro-
lection from the deadly tornadoes in
summer and the forty degree below
zero billiards. in the winter save our
little mud-plastered log shanty. What
place for IL woman and baby.
But the prospective fortune we would
have to travel home with. and the
glory of doing something heroic for
husband and baby braced me up and
with a merry shout | took possession
OF our now home in the saline desert
and commenced housekeeping in
very primitive style.
| was cheerful and made no end of
fun over everything, for | knew il |
showed the white feather then Philip
would quickly have given up the tract
to take me back TO civilization.
of course we never expected to be-
come permanent residents OF the place
nor even stay there the year through,
only be there off and on for awhile,
just long enough to secure the title
and sell out when the boom came-for
salt 1t may have been sharp practice
on our part against the government,
but ] wasn't then enough OF a politi-
clan to know it-and Philip never
told me.
Running our two businesses necessi-
tated frequent travels back and forth
for Philip but as there couldn't be
the least danger OF me being iiscov-
cred alone in such desolate and I'M
inviting desert wasn't bit afraid or,
at least, / pretended l wasn't.
In fact insisted that Philip would
himself attend to the other business
and not leave it in charge oil a partner
who might be neglectful or dishonest
as my husband calculated to do when
we started on our grand way of MAX
ing our fortune.
1t was early in the autumn when
Philip left me for the last time ere
winter The next trip | was to 90
and not return till spring following.
While he WAS absent the rainy season
cot in. rather earlier than we expected