Nevada County picayune., 1891-11-05
TEDDY'S WINDMILL.

TEDDYS WINDMILL.
 When Teddy Andrews said he was going to build windmill, no one be- lieyed him. Not that he was un- truthful, but he always had so many plans that it would have taken a standing army of men, the wealth of a Rothschild, and unlimited execu- tive ability to have carried them out, and Teddy possessed none of these.
 Teddy was the only son of a wealthy and straight-laccd old gen. tleman in an eastern city; and when in the excess of his fun and spirits he carried his mischief little too far and became involved in some trouble in his college, the wrath of his father knew no bounds. To him spade was spade, and college scrape a college scrape, and dis honor to himself and to his family. In vain did Teddy plead that it was a mere frolie in vain did the too hasty professor try to appease the wrath which he had called down on his favorite pupil. The edict had gone forth: No more college rows to bring disgrace upon their home. Laurence must go to Dakota and take up a claim there.
 Poor boy, he wished so often that his mother might have lived another year to see him graduate; now he felt glad that she had been spared the bitter disappointment of seeing him disgraced and humbled, and that by his own father; for were not the faculty more than willing that he should return!
 So with brave face but heavy heart he bade good-by to his chums and his hopes at the same time, and started for the far west. How well he remembered the story of Hiawa- tha; he and his mother used to read it together when he was lad, and now he was going himself to the land of the Dakotahs did she know about It, he wondered.
 It was in May that he came, re member. and the sight of his hand some young face did everyone good. We were motley crowd, we early Dakota settlers; there were men of all sorts-practical men, college men, unlcttered mcn-good and kind for the most part; and the courteous good morning." the hearty hello" the drawling "howdy," or the brisk Indian "how," told care fuI observer whether the speaker was from the east, south or west. Some had come for health, some for change and some to make money. myself, a broken down clergyman little bur dened with worldly goods, and whose treasure, if any, was laid up in heaven. had come for all three. There were but few women among us-the sod-houses, shanties and few com forts not warranting our bringing our dear ones to share them with us.
 The most of us had pre-empted our claims to live for six months upon each quarter section of land we took up; at the end of this term we could buy the land of the govern ment, or by remaining for five years upon it, it would become our proper ty without paying other price than the penalty of the lonsome, dreary farm life, in a trecless country whose summers are burning hot and winters bitter cold and where one neigh Dor lives mile away,
 l think after the first few weeks most of Us planned to pay for our land at the end of six months.
 Teddy Andrews took up his clam in May. Part of ms land was cov- cred by one end of a little lake, whose existence was not recognized by the government survey of some wears before, hence it had a sprnng- |up-in-a-night sort of reputation of which Teddy was very proud. lhls lake had been bordered hy a thin fringe of timber, but seeming sort of public property, the trees had, with one solitary exception, been cut down and carried away. This being the only one for miles around, and
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