Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-07-04
Ruth 5 Celebration.
(By Charles Moreau Harger9

4
'spect we've got ter stand it."
I'm sorry l come out here-an'
wouldn't If that teacher hadn't talked
so nice ter me-"
There's lots o nice grass an things
like that" suggested Ruth, looking up
from her dishwashing.
But there ain't no trees-its just
prairie, prairie, fer as we kin see."
"Mebbe that's bettern havin' so
many buildin's you can't see ut all,
like 1t is in tn city"
The two waits from the great me-
tropolis who had found home with
the kind-hearted settler and his wife
were not yet entirely in sympathy
with their surroundings and it was
real grievance when ON the following
morning, the dawn of the day on
which the children had been accus-
toned to parades, music, fireworks
and excitement, Mr.. and Mrs. jerks
drove away across the plain toward
the county seat, score of miles dis.
tant.
The morning passed slowly Once
they thought they heard the booming
of Independence Day cannont but it
was only the guns of some hunters
who We're bagging the whirring prai
rie chicken II mile away.
After dinner they went to their own
little room in the upper floor of the
settlers tiny cabin and lounged on the
rude bed. They seemed so insignif
cant In the midst of the great expanse
of prairie that they could not bear to
look out of the window and door
downstairs.
"Oh, it's lonesome, Lettie," and
Ruth buried her face in u pillow, sob
bing.
why do we have so hard time
In the world?" replied the other, as
suming the air of an experienced
woman that sat oddly on her 11-year
old features.
Ruth lay very still a long, long
time and then Lettie pulled from
a ragged satchel raggeder volume
and began reading, stumbling little
now and them, but conveying with
fair success the gist of the miraculous
adventures. 1t was "Alice in Wonder.
land" and Ruth dried her eyes. Her
Imagination followed the stories OF
chessmen and rabbits until the rude
room seemed verltable garden and
Lettie and herself fairies possessed
of delightful powers.
Suddenly there was a noise of hoofs
outside, and with thrill of fright
the two came back to earth again.
What is it?' whispered Ruth.
"Horses-no, there's men talkin'"
Cautiously they crept toward the
calico-curtalned window, and drawing
back corner of the cloth peered out
into the sunlight flooded prairie re-
gion.
Two heavily bearded men, mounted
on sturdy ponies, were ut the well
close to the house. They were talk
Ing and the conversation carried on
while the horses drank could easily
be distinguished.
9TH entry on tn land runs out to-
day, l tell YOU" declared one, IAN
then tn land belongs ter whoever gets
It."
"An' what about tn railroad?'
9TH roads dead sure goin' to run
through tn claim. l got 1t from one
of tn engineers what knows. an 1t
will make tn land worth thousands
where it's now worth only hundreds"
Whats tn use talkin'; they'll sure
protect it."
mo they won't" with increasing
emphasis. They've gone away, an
If we're on hand at 9 o'clock, when the
time expires, we can hustle an break
out the rest o tn twenty acres an
It'll be ours"
| The horses heads We're raised by
jerks on the bride reins and side by
side the men rode away.
What does he mean?" asked Let
tie, puzzled.
'Why, / don't exactly understan',
but it's when settlers takes up land
they has to plow twenty acres in so
long er else tn land is tn govern
ment's again an anybody else can
have it."
Mighty poor rule, l should think"
replied Lettie. "Sposln' man would
forget it?"
"Well, someone has, an these men,
clalm-jumpers they call 'em, are goin'
to get 1t. l don't think it's fair N.Y.
self, but it's the law"
The riders had become two bobbing
specks far out toward the horizon line
of the prairie and the girls returned
to their reading
Somehow it had lost interest after
the visit of the strangers and they
soon went down stairs and sitting In
the low doorway watched the sun
flowers nod and sway in the furnace.
heated south wind that raced over the
plain,
Suddenly Ruth spoke "uow much