Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-03-03
ELSA.
BY z. II. King.

IT WAS in December that Mrs. Olson
broke her leg, and sent for Elsa to
come home. My children cried when
she climbed into her fathers wagon
and numbered off behind the slow
footed oxen. Neither she nor they
thought then that those same oxen
would furnish the occasion for an ex-
hibition of bravery and good sense of
which anyone might be proud.
If Elsa had not had such cheerful
soul she would have cried too, for she
knew there was not one comfortable
thing about her fathers house.
She knew there was only one living
room, and that it had only one window
in it. She knew that the little, sod sum-
mer kitchen leaked like a sieve. She
knew that to get down cellar for pota-
toes she would have to lift up trap
door in the floor. and drop herself down
like a spider, and that the getting out of
this hole was not unlike the getting out
of good many other 'hoIes," good
deal harder work than the getting in.
She knew that she could throw a cat
through the little sod stable where the
oxen lived.
things were, she always found some
thing to be thankful for.
She used to tell me how glad she
was that their one window looked
south and their one door looked east;
for in winter, when they had to have
the door shut, the window was just
right for all the sunshine. In the SOM
mer when the window must be shaded
because of the heat, and the door must
stand open for light, how nice that it
was on the cool side of the house! She
was glad their cellar wasn't deep, for
how could she get out of it if it were!
And how much better TO have it under
their7 one warm room, even if she did
have to move the table every time she
dropped herself down into it; for, as it
was, nothing ever froze there. She
was so glad that TIE floor of their sod
kitchen sloped SO that the water, which
ran through the roof, would all run out
away from their living-room. How bad
it would be if it ran into the house in
stead of out!
But even her bright nature failed to
find much cause for gratitude when she
remembered the oxen in their ram
shackle shed. She had the kindest
heart in the world, and to see helpless
creature neglected gave her the keenest
misery. But she used to say that she
was glad her father had oxen instead of
horses; for horses needed so much more
care and food and shelter. Oxen could
live around the straw stack half the
winter.
So she went home that December
day, sorry to leave her comfortable
quarters and my loving children, but
willing and glad to make life little
easier for her mother, and with never
thought except to do cheerfully what
ever her hand should find to do.
In Il few weeks very strange thing
happened. 1t rained. Now the "old-
est inhabitant" had almost II never known
rain to fall in North Dakota in January.
But there had been great many mild
days, and when at last the rain fell
straight down, softly and quietly, with
out any wind, just as it used to do
back east" we all forgot that we
were in the land and season of biz
Yards.
Eisa's father decided to go up to
town with one of his neighbors. He
thought he would be back by four
o'clock. but, if he were not. his H.
year-old son Olaf was to shovel out the
stable so that the oxen could be shut
in if it turned cold. Now Olaf and lbs
father were as like as two peas. Each
would work like a beaver at the thing
he enjoyed doing, Olaf at wood-cary-
ing and his father at the violin. and
forget all about the empty manger and
broken door hinges. If Elsa had been
20 instead of 16 she would have perhaps
taken account of her brothers nature.
and followed Myles Standish's advice:
If you want anything well done, do it
yourself" But she was only lust be-
ginning to learn the lessons of life: so
after her father had gone she tidied up
the house, put out all her pans and ket-
ties and tubs to catch soft water, filed
the stove with Ignite coal, nursed and
syatered the little myrtle-tree, which
her mother had brought with her from
Norway. got their simple dinner of flax
brod and coffee, and then concluded to
go to one of the neighbors. about two
miles away, 70 borrow Q certain pat