The Van Buren press., 1895-02-09
A RACE FOR A CLAIM.
How q Bright Wheelman Beat Old
Man Turpit.

How a Bright Wheelman Beat Old
Man Turpit.
A trunk full of books and bicycle
made rather queer outfit to start a
farm with, but they were all had
when l settled in the Jim River
valley. OF course did not buy them
for that purpose, but l happened to
have them. and not much else, when
left school and went west for nv
health.
That country was just beginning to
attract settlers then, and liking the
looks OF the level prairies clad in n
mat of "blue-joint" as tall as mans
head, lost no time in filing pre-
emption on the best quarter section
could find. l had my pick for miles
up and down the river when fled 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
preemption on one quarter while he
reserved another one hundred and
sixty acres adjoining to be taken as a
homestead after he had lived on his
preemption the six months required
by law before he could ''prove up"
which was necessary before filing q
homestead.
1t was too late in the season for
-. r nnl
and as should have little use for n
team before the next spring, thought
1t wise not to have any live stock to
feed during the long winter. The idea
of man running farm with q
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 a wheel" This
amused rather than annoyed me. for l
got along very nicely and derived no
end of practical use and enjoyment
from both books and wheel. built Q
sod shanty like the rest, hired Q
neighbor to haul stove and .
quantity of provisions from the near
est town, and began keeping house.
Once or twice week l 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 mo-
where in the world, think, was there
ever finer road for wheeling. There
were no ruts, no mud or stones, or
sand-nothing but two broad paths, as
smooth almost as an asphalt pave
ment, and as springy and noiseless as
oplya a track made Of tall grass pounded
down into tough, firm sod can be.
Wagon wheels did not cut through
and make a narrow rut, but played
here and there over breath of two
feet or more OH each side Of slim
strip of standing "blue-joint"
Coming back from town one day
grutf old fellow who held q claim
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 my
mount
why don't ye give that thing away
and git ye hoss o some account2" he
called out as he ratified up.
''Oh, this suits me very well," re-
piled, banteringly. II like a horse
that doesn't eat hay and oats, you
know"
The old man gave sniff of con-
tempt, and popping the whip over his
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
whirled in at my place and raised my
cap to him as he raced past, he was SO
mad that he wouldn't even look that
way.
There were two fine quarter-sections
lying along the bank of the river be-
tween my claim and that of my neigh.
Dor, Hans Larson, big-hearted, big
tisted Norwegian with whom l often
changed work. Turpit never tired OF
chatting him for changing work with
'sthat soft-handed dude,' but Hans
only laughed good naturedly at the
suggestion that was getting the long
end of the bargain. He could easily dc
as much work as two like me.
Dots oil rightw he would say.
He'll make dat opp some odder way
sometimes"
Hans and meant to take these two
quarters as hoLlesteads, but we could
not prove up ON our preemption before
the breaking season the following
spring, and as settlers came flockinR
in we began to fear that some one
might get ahead of us. There was nc
law. save an unwritten one that had
been quite generally respected, enti
tling q settler to hold claim like this
to which he had no shadow of title
While claims were plenty, no land
seeker cared to incur the enmity o.
his new neighbors by Jumping one O
this sort; but when the good land wai