Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1897-06-04

LIGHTS AND SHADOWS
or Fall River County as Seen by an In
terestetl Observation-Disclosures of
County Life Presented.
EDITOR STAR: After riding over
greater portion of this county and hav-
ing visited more than three-fourths of
its farmers am pleased to chronicle
the fact that we have as excellent.
whole-souled, hospits BILE and indus
trious people as any state or county
can boast; although my business among
them when made known was not such
as to wreathe their sturdy counten-
ances with smiles, yet was invariably
received with that gentlemanly and
lady-like courtesy and hospitality
which is characteristic of western farm
ers. All of which I highly appreciate
and will ever feel thankful for.
There are many who deserve great
credit for their pluck, energy and de-
termination to remain after their many
trials. reverses and misfortunes caused
by short and frequently entire failure
of crops, loss of stock for want of feed,
sickness and often deaths in families,
etc. Truly we have IL good and de
serving people and it is to be hoped
that kind Heaven will smile upon them
this year with a copons supply of rain
fall. Ii so, there will bo u happy. con-
tented people in Fail River county. but
it it continues hot and dry am afraid
many will abandon their ranches and
the now pretty and attractive homes
will dwindle into the shades and
! shadows of some portion OF the coun-
ty.
Inc s;ddest sight in my travel is the
deserted log cabin. 1t stands alone
on the gumbo, surrounded by atmc :
pherc and allSali. The mud that once
/ filled the cracks between the logs has
dropped out and the winds use the
fallen monarchs of the forest for harp
.ings; tine tune that results has ell
the cheerfnlness of a funeral dirge.
From the sod that covers the roof the
sunilowers are beginning to grow Al.
when they are i'll full bloom the roof
VII be one mass OF gold. This will he
The only percep,joie Indication of
wealth. An old pulley bangles from,
Il rusty hook over the ,iclapidatei we'll.
This we'll. by the way, is rather inter
csting, though | doubt il its contents
were ever hailed as Il treasure as that
of t!ie "Old Oasen Bucket" for when
water is first taken from it it battles
every chemist who attempts an analysis
of it. but after being chemically
treated it becomes volatile and resam-
bles sour milk. IN the rear of the
shack and SO close you can roll into it
is the ''cyclone CELLAR" hole in the
sround large enough to accommodate
Il whole family. This is utilized when
the summer zephyrs are playfully toss
ing, COWS, flat cars and other light
movable through the air.
Then there is the corral and the long
low COW sheds, now rootless and ten
antless. What hopes, what ambitions.
what energies have been born and have
died here. a man and a woman, born
into the world through no choice of
their own, have lived and loved and
died here; here she came with the
bloom of youth upon her check, and he
with the warm blood of hope coul sing
F! through his veins. Together they
builded the little home and struggled
for existence. Here she felt the tiny
arms of her tirst-born about her neck
and it's warm face against her bosom;
here she saw it fade away aud die, like
the green-corn shoot before the hot
breath of the wind, and together they
laid it away beneath the doorstep, he
digging the little grave while she sewed
the tiny shroud. Here, too, the unan-
swerable cry of hunger from the other
little ones burned into their hearts as
the sun burned into the flesh; here he
toiled hopefully on, looking year by
year for the heavens to send their
blessed moisture. Here he saw his
flower and it's blossoms taken from
him by the One who gave them; here
at last he bitches the two remaining.
half-de horses to the wagon and
with farewell look and last tear,
4 turned his back upon ii all and started
out again broken an alone. The de-
serted log cabin is the only remaining
link between the pioneer days of the
. past and the civilization of the pres
| emf.
Frequently you will see it within the
corporate limits of some village, or
standing deso]ate and alone on a
stretch of country that wiser people
have left for the cattle. On all sides of
i it, perhaps. are prosperous farms,
but the deserted log cabin stands as a
monument to the error of some one