Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1892-12-14

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What pint atr yer atn,tn' fur, stran-
CERT"
The period of the early settlement of
Kansas is replete with excitement and
interest to the lover Of history. When
the question as to whether Kansas was
to be free or slave state was left to
the people settling within her borders,
there was wild inrushing of souls from
both north and south, bringing with
them their strongest sectional preju-
dices. Each element was aggressively
determined to establish political suprem-
acy on those untamed prairies Of the
buffalo and the Indian, and when those
feelings, so widely different, clashed, as
a natural consequence bloodshed result
ed, and Kansas was given title, not of
her own choosing, "Bloody."
After the war, in the latter part Of the
sixties, a great influx of immigration set
into Kansas. These settlers came from
many different states, and were more the
true homeseekers, in the broad sense of
the term, than the classes first referred
to in this tale.
1t was ballny spring day in 1883 that
large, heavily loaded wagon, covered
with thick canvas and drawn by an i'll
matched team, moved slowly along the
old military road, about thirty-five miles
south of Fort Scott The "off horse"
was large, bony black, while his mate
was a rough coated, jaded looking gray
mule, whose appearance might have sug-
gested service in the days of Methuselah.
The spring seat of the "prairie schoon-
er" was occupied by as oddly an assorted
pair as the team which drew them south
ward over the billowy plain.
The driver, Adam Hamlet, was man
about forty.tive years of age. He was
hunchback, his body thick set and his
legs diminutive in size and length. His
broad though misshapen shoulders sup
ported large head, covered with red
dish brown hair; his eyes looked like two
bright blue beads, while his mouth sug-
gested humming birds nest in thick
ct, all but hidden as it was in the bushy
growth of whiskers that fortified the en-
tire lower part of his face. His clothing
was made of coarse jeans, and his feet
were incased in rusty, cowhide boots,
one of which he had elevated upon the
dashboard.
The mans companion, the sole one
who had shared his long travels in the
covered wagon, was his daughter Nancy,
a tall, slender girl of eighteen, in whose
pretty pink cheeks, hazel eyes and dark
tresses could be traced strong resem-
blance to the mother who had been left
behind in little country graveyard.
The Hamlets were originally from
Tennessee, but for the past five or six
years had been living near relatives in
that part of Illinois which is locally
designated as Egypt But the death
of his two youngest children, followed
soon by the wife, made him dissatisfied
with the locality, and putting his only
remaining child, Nancy, with their
lighter household goods, into the wagon,
he had set his face westward with the
purpose to take up "the burden of life
again" out In Kansas.
Before leaving Egypt" Adam Hamlet
had met claim holder who was home
sick, and desired to sell or trade his prai-
rie land in the wild west. BY turning
over a few head of cattle Hamlet came
into possession of claim which he had
never seen-a very unbusinesslike way
of doing things; but as oil his neighbors
vouched for the mans honesty Hamlet
decided to run the risk.
With explicit directions from the pre-
vious owner, the settler was now on his
way to the southeastern part of the state,
where the claim was located.
Hamlet was of a most genial disposi-
ton, despite his somewhat unfavorable
appearance, and as they journeyed over
the seemingly endless plains the girls
eyes would ever and again turn toward
her deformed parent, and rest upon him
with an expression of protective tender
ness and the utmost ilial affection.
"We KANT reach the claim tonight,
pap, I reckon" she remarked, after
silence.
"No, reckon we KANT, Nancy" he
answered, looking before them down the
road. 1--WE must be nigh erbout thirty
mile yit from ther claim, ef I Eain't
missed my calkerlations.
"Yes, an Pete and Molly ac's as eff
they was jest erbout tuckered out"
Nancy said pityingly.
eyes, low they air"
"Bein' as we KANT git to Deer creek
tonight, we best 80 into camp airly, an
give the beasts good rest" said the girl.
eyes, we will, Nancy. Yer see that
patch O timber lyin' erhead O usT
jest over Pete's right carr
eyes; thet's the patch. low We'll
find creek thar, an wood ter cook our
supper by. Well camp thar"
They drove along in silence for some
time, during which the girls intelligent
hazel eyes were kept busy observing the
strange forms Of nature around them.
The prairies were covered with car
pet Of tender green grass, enstarred
thickly with deer tongues and other wild
flowers which accompany the renewal Of
the year in Kansas. Yellow breasted
larks sang blithe welcomes to the new
corners from some dead indigo or iron
weed hard by the roadside, while red
birds darted like flame across their
way, and perched OH a last years sun
flower stalk, trilling notes of sllvery
sweetness Occasionally a huge jack
rabbit would 60 leaping away with erect
ears across the rolling plain, and coyotes
might be seen lowering along the brow
of ravine bowling dislnally.
"It's plumb wild lookin' out hyer in
Kansas, amt it, pap!" the girl remarked.
ayes, I'm erfeard, too, yer goin' ter
git powerful honesick out hyer,' an
swered Adam Hamlet.
"No, l amt aimin' to git holnesickr
pap. It'll be plumb different, know.
from livin' ermong friends; but we've
come out hyer to make us home of our
own, an / amt goin' to git holnesick.'
And she set her lips firmly, as was Nancy
Hamlet's habit when summoning her
forces of resolution.
"God bless. yer, Nancy! Yer brave
one, an don't know how I'd ever git
erlong without yer" said Adam in II
fond tone.
"Jest SEQ the posies an' the purity birds.
hain't goin' to be without friends with
such company as them to cheer Inc out
hyer," she said in cheerful voice.
That evening they encamped Oh the
banks of small, thinly wooded stream.
While Hamlet attended to the tired
team Nancy gathered some dry twigs-
with which she soon had Il fire started.
Then she put on larger sticks, and when
she had secured good bed of Goals She
went to the stream, filled the tea kettle
with water and fixed it to boil. This
done, she went to the larder in the
wagon, cut several slices of bacon, pre-
pared large pan Of fresh biscuits and
,u,, 4;ff;,,, nrorN5 Gnr ro,np fra 1ikn 81