The Lafayette gazette., 1895-11-16


bus what can repair the damage
bedi b,it there was little sleep thu:
tight for the settlers. The wind
still blew relentlessly and without dis
crimtnation. Every thing In its course
was doomed.
The next morning revealed q scene OF
desolat;on not easily described: All
night long the burning wind Had com
Leaves OF the corn instead Of glistening
in the sun were brown, and ratified
against their stalks as if dried in q
kiln. The injury done to the pastures.
though less obvious, was no less COM
plete. Hungry cattle were already
circling around the parched field In
search of fresh feed, and anaing none.
dence Of the completeness of the ruin
wrought. Everything in the garden
was totally destroyed. The little trees,
which had been planted the first sum-
mer, were brown as in autumn. Set
tiers who had been there long enough
to have small fruit trees beg:r ming to
bear found the apples half baked on
the trees. Nowhere could there be
found any sign of vegeta bic life. In
every direction the outlook was hope
less. Plainly there wac nothing for
man or beast to subsist upon the rest
of tho summer or the cotainK winter.
What to do was the one engross:ng
question, and for it there was no an.
swer. Stock must be disposed ct at
once. but where were the buyers? The
horses-could it not be that such a
team could be given away? Yet no
one could take them. Must shey be
shot to keep them from starving? But
how could the farm ever be worked
without them? Such were the ques-
SSNr4A h ! H.
household at every turn. but the chief
question, after all. was what to do
with themselves They had no friends
in the east, as many had, to whom they
could go for support. If they had,
they had no money to go with, neither
could they stay where they were with
nothing to live upon.
But that was not all. The capitalist,
to whom they were to have made .
fnal payn ent this autumn, and then
prove up their land, would have them
in his power. He might foreclose, and
they would n OF only he left penniless
but would lose their farm and what
money they had already paid. Lools
which way they might, there wns no
ray OF light or hope.
About eleven o'clock John came rum
ming in with scared look. ''Mr.
Brown is coming. ! can see his buggy
down the lane now.'
Hcaven help uS!' said the father,
fairly grooming with distress No one
else said word. AS the dreaded Wis
itor neared the house Harry went out
to hitch the horse, and Mr.. Brown en-
tered.
''Good morning, Mr.. Carter:'
''Morning,' was the only response.
''rhtngs look pretty bad to-day.
don't they?' 49,. .s.s -
Couldn't be worse" replied Mr..
Carter.
''Crops all spilled, reclson?"
''All gone"
Nothing surer; and they say it's
that way all over the country said
Mr.. Brown.
''The poorhouse won't hold US all, :"
was the only reply.
You haven't much prospect of pay
ing up that little balance on the note
this fall as can see''
Not a cent said Mr.. Carter, as a
vision flashed across his mind Of their
little effects set out upon the treeless
prairie, while they
II kinder thought that was the
shape things We're in, and I thought
might as we'll come around this morn
ing and tell you--'' Here their hearts
fairly stopped beating while Whiting
to hear what they knew was to be
their doom.
1T does look pretty tough We've
never had tho hot wind since came