Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1891-11-12

Pap, LIN thnk1n maybe yer q DesC |
cult the claim an save fussin'. Thet |
Hines is de5p'rate man"
eyes, ] low he is, but aim ter make |
him heap more desp'rater afore quit !
this hyer claim I've como SO fur ter git" !
repliod Hamlet, spreading molasses on
his cornbread, aud eating his coarse fare
with keen relish.
ii reckon it would DO kinder hard fur
me ter leave the claim now tibet I've
been settin' such store on havin' home
Of orr own, after Twin On a rented place
SC long. It's Il rnisAsy purity place hyer,
pap. an I'm gittin' t. he'd ter Twin hyer
already" said the girl, as she gazed
about her.
The large drygoods box which served
them as table, and ut which they now
sat, was placed just outside of the dug
out door, and where they could com
mand an uninterrupted view of the sur
rounding country for miles away. 1t
was a wild but beautiful view indeed.
Miles and miles of trackless prairies,
clothed in richest green and rarest wild
flowers, sloped gently away, until the
eve encountered line of timber, firing
ing some stream in the distance. The
warm amber Of glorious sunrise bur-
nished the landscape and increased its
natural loveliness to a great degree.
On some Of the little ''swells' in the
plain focks Of cattle and ponies of all
colors could be seen grazing on the be-
dewed grass Of early morning, while a
/ spiral wreath of blue smoke here and
-. 81. - a1At IE-G ( ~
and appearing afar off, marked the loca-
! ton Of II settlers cabin.
| 1t Was the Kansas of nature, before
the settlers had turned her broad acres
into the fertile fields of corn and wheat,
Bs tao traveller sees them today.
saint it purity, papt' asked the girl,
too deeply lost in admiration of the scene
to eat.
I TOO purity ter be scarf from by low
down critter like that sneakin' Hines"
answered Hamlet, finishing his coffee
and rising from the table.
"No, Nancy" he said, after pause,
81 think you an me an our traps Will
'bide hyer at the dugout spell spite o
that varinint's threats. His talks too
thin fur me ter swaller. Ee just aims
ter scar Inc OFF Their claim, but he'll be
plumb disappointed, low. Nancy. yer
KIN jest go erhead an fix up Their dugout
ter suit yerself, while hammer up some
kind O brush shed fur the beasts. We'll
not spare ther time ter ask Hines eff he's
VilIiu'."
So saying. Adam Hamlet took spade
aud AK aud walked u short distance down
wide rayine, where he found a load Of
poies and heavier timber which TX Pen
der had cut and har ed from the woods
but had not used. With this timber he
began the construction Of a rude shed,
which would serve as a shelter for the
animals when itst0rmad.
While Hamlet worked away on his
shed down the hollow Nancy was not
idle Sne WAS s..illful housekeeper,
and she had soon put the Gugout through
process Of compisCe renovation. The
underground apartment was not very
generous in It's dimensions, but their
household goods We're not very nulneT-
Gus, and there were but two persons to
become inmates Of it, 81 they could
easily MANAGE to exist there until >hev
We're able to build more comfortable
quarters. How many Of our brave
pioneer folk like them have patiently
borne with hardslips and Ived i'll dug
outs or unco'nfortGbiy cranped and
wretched cabins, that the Up,GMed plai-
ries might be reclaimed from tie savage
ard the wilderness, auQ made. after
many struggles, fruitful and fitted 10
the needs OF civilized Humanity. They
are real benefactOrs, a. the WJ-ld owes
them 81 ch a great debt Of gratitude that
Will never oereueemed But tleir deeds
of vaor and noble sacrifices are reCoria !
on the scroll of history, and we cannot
utterly ignore them, should we have the
disposition to do SO.
Before night Hamlet had his shed
compieted. even to covering one side and
the end and top with brush and dead
sunhower stalks gathered from the IA
vine: and Nancy had made the GugouC
a habitable as twas possible to make it..
They had received 10 visits thar day
from any Of their distant neigh0ors, and
had almost forgotten Dick Hines
threats, when Nancy, who had been
down to the creek for II bucket of water,
heard through the darkness of the night
} the rapid approach of several h0rsomen.
There was no moon yet, 80 she could dis
tinguiah nothing in tho starlight but
, several dark forms, waose horses We're
bearing them with mad speed onward
toward the lonely dr out.
She bent her hCld in listening atti-
tude, for she was certain that So had
heard one OF them laugh in a gruG voice,
But she could hear no words, only TIC
, swish, swish Of the horses feet as then
riders urged them over the prairie. She
strove again to pierce the intervening
, space with her clear hazel eyes. but sht
, could not mako out the shadowy forms
What does it mean? Who kin il be
cavortin' round over the prairiosf" she
asked herself.
, Suddenly she remembered Dick Hines
unpleasant visit Of the evening before
and leaving her bucket, she ran swiftly
up the grass grown path to the dugout
before which she had lett her father seat