The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1892-02-11
ON A SALT MARSH.
Experience While Occupying
Government Land.


Some years ago my husband, baby
and were in, one of the far western
states living in sort of pioneer FASH
ion while trying to make successful a
business newly started by himself.
We had lately come from New York,
'wfere we had friends and good home
AMI lots of comfort and many luxuries.
Rut Philip, my dear husband, wasn't
satisfied with our easy life there. lie
was too proud to be merely well-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
-pt circumstances. We wanted to jump
from the frying pan into the fire,
though wesdidn,t think so, and soon,
after couple of years spent in discon-
tent as to our future, we determined to
go west and grow up with the coun-
try.
was a strong. brave and energetic
Young woman when we reached the
wild western town where we. located,
and looked upon the 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 make my burden
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 cozily before the fire, he told me
further west which the government
was dividing into large tracts and Civ
ing them to settlers. "Now." he said,
with beaming face. '.if we should To-
'ate 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 Deighborhood. Then we
can sell out and go back to New York
with fortune"
If | had discouraged the idea then !
know he would have dropped=it.
But |, 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
ihither we went with the necessary
h9nSchold effects in a prairie wagon,
baby and all.
The. weather was warm and beau
ttul when our hopeful little family of
s1uatters arrived on our dominion,
which was to be our fortune: and the
rongh and rather frail log cabin looked
like palace to my ambitious and ro-
mantic eyes
Twas in the, center of cur big tract,
and the saline deposit, covering the
miles and miles, giistened
and sparkled in the bright sunlight
like the first light fall of snow used to
WRen on the green meadows about the
old homestead in om native eastern
state
Not another domicile but ou- own
could we see, nor a hill, nor even bit
Of woods. All Was wide, dreary, dead
level white mostly with salty scum and
hack and bare lin spots with what
l'1fified like dried mud. snch as the bot
tour~ef n pond discloses when the water
is drawn off s
Not sign nor sound Of life save
'tt,e dismal croakings of the lonely frogs
tyas there to our knowledge for many
miles around.
We We're in "a desert uninhabitable
apparently for man or beast, sure to
.i'irve if our supplies were not often
renewed; with no protection from the
deadly tornadoes in summer and the
tort ACKNOWLEDGMENT billiards in
the winter saveour little mud-plastered
To- shanty
What place for woman and a
baby "A
But the prospective fortunew we would
Aayc to travel home with, and the
gio@ of doing something heroic for
= husband and babe, praced me up, and
W'tlla1 merry shout took possession
as our new home in the saline desert
= and commenced housekeeping in very
primitive style. er rs
was cheerful and made no end of
i'm over every thing, for ! knew II l
showed the white feather then Philip
would quickly have given up the tract
10 take me back to civilization.
OF course we never expected to be-
e9me permanent residents Of the place
'i9r even stay there the year through,
eply be there off and on for awhile,
lilst long enough to secure the title and
= ont when the boom came-for salt.
Emay have been sharp practice on
9ssssss.-part against the government but |
wasn't then enough Of q politician to
know it-and Philip never told me.
INNING cur two businesses necessi-
!. lated frequent travels back and forth
= ior Philip, but as there couldn't be the
ieas' danger Of me being discovered
a'2oe IN such desolate and uninviting
'Ns'rt wasn't bit afraid or, at least,
pfetepe "a ! wasn't