Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-12-30
A JULES 0BsTInacY.
AND HOW IT LED TO A MARRIAGE.

About two miles from my house. or
my Dakota wheat farm, stands one
tall, lonely tree. 1t Is the only object
In sight that breaks the low horizon
and for many long mile, north, south
east or west, no other tree can be
found. 1t stands just on the high bani
OF Smoky river, which goes curline
and winding across the country east.
ward, and close beside it stands Chris
Tronsen's log house, built of logs
brought down the river in the sprina
time from the North.
One day, early last spring. had
been to the next town to get an iron
bolt made at the blacksmith's, to -e.
place one that had been broken the
day before, and was riding home. M,
mule was Looping at a good rate alonc
the road which followed the river
And as we reached Chris's log house
which had just been newly white
washed outside, / saw Chris sittins
calmly on the door step, while Lolita
MS wife. was lifting the heavy harness
and throwing it on to "Yack," their old
white mule.
Chris must be either sick or very
!azy' said to myself, ito sit and let
MS wife harness the mules" | did
not know much about Chris then. bu,
giving him the benefit of the doubt,
shouted, in passing:
''Sick, Chris?'
Chris shook his head in what
tnought was rather sheepish way
and Lolita looked over her should ar
and laughed.
In the hurry of the days work tbIs
occurrence slipped from nv mind Rut
some time afterward, when | han
pened to pass their place again. I saw
Lotta out in the fields driving tho
mules, which were fastened To The
seeder This in itself would have no,
peen surprising, for the Norwegian
women in the Territory. with their
vigorous frame and robust health
cI.en work with their husbands at the
outdoor labor. But saw great. robust
Cnris himself pairing potatoes outside
the door. And just as rose into vi,,v
from below the river-bank. he caueb,
up MS pan and slipped into the hons,
NO doubt he is lazy, good-for-
nothing fellow" said to myself "wb,
mas a thrifty, energetic WIFE, And SO
ne sits down and does her light WORK
while she is out sowing the wheat. II
might not have bad result if he couId
De harnessed up with one of the mules
Tor day, and made to work under the
whip"
After that I saw Chris himself NJ
work in the field several times Ru,
one evening week or two later.
passed there again. The mules wers
fastened outside the straw barn. The
ground had been very wet for two ~
tnree days past, and of course tbo
mules legs were fairly coated with
sticky mud, which had partially dried
On. Lolita was hard at work over m j,
old white mule, scrubbing and rubbing
scraping and brushing and currying
as IL her life depended upon her sue.
cess. And there, on an overturned bar.
rel, sat Chris, much as his ease caJm,y
smoking his pipe, and looking COMMA
Gently on. l remembered what I had
said to myself before about his laz,.
ness, and now / added:
Il will just stop for a few minutes
and see IL the presence of a stranger
won't shame the fellow into taking of
his coat and going to work in his wife.s
place."
30 tied my mule to a ring at the
corner of the house, and walked over
to where Chris was sitting. He looked
up and smiled, and said "Good-even.
ing with the same sheepish expression
had noticed before. And Lotta
paused for a moment and stood up her
face glowing with the exertion. and
laughed thought she would have
done better to give her husband a good
shakfng,-and said Il was very warm
Ihen she went to work again. to get
through, so she said, before dark. Blu,
do my best. l could not lead the con.
versation to any explanation of the
strange state of affairs, and Chris
showed no disposition to take hold q,
the work himself
When Ii was dark, Lolita led the five
mules to their stalls, and then at las,
Chris condescended to rise and fasteu
the barn door. was sure by their man.
ner. and by Chris expression when the
subject was preached, that either he
was outrageously lazy, or there was
some odd explanation of his wife's do.
Ing so much Of his hard work, while
he sat idle. So took pains, as I me,
one neighbor and another here and
there about town, to make INQUIRIES
about Chris. And with one accord they
all gave the same answer.
Had Chris Tronsen a good repu.
tation?"
Yves. very good"
WAC he industrious and steady?"
"As Woodworking and steady as any
man in town"
Did he treat his wife kindly?"
There could be no doubt of IL. He
was as kind-hearted as he was hard.
working
Then why" I would ask myself
was his wife always blowing. or rub.
hing down mules. while he looked on
and did nothingw
This all happened In the spring and
.aarly summer. But II is only ebout a