Griggs courier., 1895-09-06
N SPITE OF HARpsH,ps.

Happy Family Of Pioneers In . Lenely
Region Of tho Northwest.
We often hear of the hardships of
the pioneers who established them.
selves and stayed in the wilderness a
century and more ago, said a young
man who has passed good part of his
vacations in the woods, but don't be.
lieve that the American pioneers had
much harder time than the poor
Scandinavian people are having in
some of the remote districts Of the
northwest now. Let me give you a
case IN point, which is only one of
many.
Once was up in the extreme north.
ern part of Minnesota, just along the
Manitoba line. We had quite q party,
and on the day of my story we were
trying to find location for . camp
which would be beyond all civiliza-
tion. We travelled all one day over q
rough prairie country, and beyond a
few well-painted Chippewas, who had
been into the settlement to draw their
rations. we saw no one. Along toward
evening we struck . faint trail, and,
following it for awhile, came sudden
~ upon lonely cabin which stood be-
hind a clump of quaking ash trees In
the doorway of the cabin. sitting on
the low sill, were two of the chubbiest
tow-headed children you ever saw.
When our teams came into view they
made q dive for the interior of the
cabin, and when we came up no one
was visible. One of our teamsters
cvHnlro SvrnASch L
strange word of greeting. At that
comely, red-cheeked and very blonde
young woman came timidly to the
door, and behind her and hanging ON
to her dress for dear life were her chill.
dren. She said her husband was work.
ing at Stephen-it was just one hun.
dred miles west-and he had been
away for six weeks. Meanwhile she
and the children were getting along
as well rs they could. She was smil.
ing by .his time. and she laughed
when asked if she wasn't afraid. Ono
of the party looked into the cabin,
which had only one room, and saw
that the stock of provisions con.
sisted of some flour and two
big cheeses, nearly eighteen inches
in diameter. That was all they
had. as sure as I'm sitting here. We
tried to understand it all. but it was
pretty hard to do. There she was-a
woman who could speak no English
whatever-with her two children, in az
wild country as one ever saw. The
Indians were the least menace, for
there are more horse-thieving whites
4 .kc <1noy 1o
then think of her husband hundred
miles away working at harvesting on
a big wheat farm! 1t was q curious
family life, to say the least. Now, Il
suppose that in a few years more that
man will own fine farm, and his wife
will be speaking good English, and the
children will be thorough little Amer.
leans. At all events, they deserve such
good fortune, for know that no pio.
neer Of early New York, Ohio or Iii.
nois had harder life than that-no,
not even with the Indians about.
That brave little woman! can see
her now. As she stood smiling and
watching us we began our march again.
I'll never forget her. nor will I ever for.
get how hard time some people have
in getting on in this world. That night
we went into camp about two miles
from her cabin. We heard the wolves
bowling each night and we saw plenty
of game. but every day or two one OF
more of us would swing round toward
the cabin to see If our pioneers were
all right. I've never been back to that
region, but I'll bet something that IL
one hunted that family up they would
be found in a better house. which con.
tanned more to eat, another child or
two perhaps, and that the mother
would have the same smile.-N. Y.
Sun.