The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-03-30
A RACE FOR A CLAIM.
How q Bright Wheelman Beat Old
Man Turpit.

A trunk full of books and n bicycle
made rather queer outfit to start Il
farm with, but they were all had
when settled in the jim River
valley. OF course did not buy them
for that purpose, but. 1 happened to
have them, and not much else, when 1
left school and went west for my
health.
That country. was just beginning to
attract settlers then, and liking the
looks of the level prairies clad in
mat of "blue-joint" as tall as mans
head, l lost no time i'll filing pre-
cmption on the best quarter section 1
could find. l had my pick for miles
up and down the river when l filed in
August, but before winter settlers
came in with rush and sod shanties
and dugouts dotted the prairie in all
directions, Still there was plenty Of
land, and nearly every settler filed his
presumption on one quarter while he
reserved another one hundred and
sixty acres adjoining to be taken as
homestead after he had lived on his
presumption the six months required
by law before he could 'prove up"
which was necessary before filing
homestead.
1t was too late in the season for
breaking" when l reached Dakota,
and as l should have little use for a
team before the next spring, ! thought
it wise not to have any live stock to
feed during the long winter. The idea
of 4 man running farm with Il
bicycle was very amusing to some of
my neighbors. My bookish notions,
too, were not considered good form
among pioneer people, and soon be-
came known far and wide as "that
college dude with wheel" This
amused rather than annoyed me. for 1
got along very nicely and derived no
end of practical use and enjoyment
from both books and wheel. l built
sod shanty like the rest, hired
neighbor to haul stove and n
quantity of provisions from the near
est town, and began keeping house.
Once or twice a week 1 wheeled
twenty miles to this Same town for my
mail. An old stage road running up
and down the river passed within one
hundred yards of my door. and no.
where in the world, | think, was there
SNSl Il lASI AOdt lOI NlICcllllH. 1LSTC
were no ruts, no mud or stones, or
sand--nothing but two broad paths, as
smooth almost as an asphalt pave
mcnt, and as sprinSy and noisclcss as
only a track made of tall grass pounded
down into n tough firm sod can be.
Wagon wheels did not cut through
and make Il narrow rut, but played
here and there over breath of two
feet or more on each side of 4 slim
strip of standing blue joint"
Coming back from town one day q
gruif old fellow who held Il claim Il
mile north of mine-"old man Turpit"
everyone called him came up behind
me with lively team of four-year-
olds. / never liked the old chap any
too well, and it was plain that he had
nothing but contempt for me and nv
mount.
why don't yc give that thing away
and git yc boss O. some account?" he
called out as he ratified up.
"Oh, this suits me very WE'LL" l re-
piled, banteringly. Il like Il horse
that doesn't eat hay and oats. you
know"
The old man gave sniff of con-
eSHiPC, Civ pOPPiiH VIC whip over Ills
colts. cut out into the tall grass to pass
me. But somehow he didn't get past,
though he whipped and shouted till
the air was fairly blue; and when 1
whirled in at my place and raised my
cap to him rs he raced past, lie was so
mad that he wouldn't even look that
way.
There were two fine manifestations
lying along the bank of the river be-
tween my claim and that of my neigh
Dor, Hans Larson, u big-hcartcd, big.
listed Norwegian with whom / often
changed work. Turpit never sired of
chatting him for changing work with
that soft-handcd dude" but Hans
only laughed good naturally at the
suggestion that was getting the long
end OF the bargain. lie could easily do
ns much work as two like me-
Dots all rightv he would say.
Hell make dat opp some oddcr way
some times"
Hans and meant to take these two
quarters as hoEcstcads, but we could
not prove up on our precmption before
the breaking season the following
spring, and as settlers came flocking
in we began to fear that some one
MIGHT lct nhoo1 Cf ms frbora ,,,oo No