The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-05
PHIL DEMENT'S "HIGHBACK."
nv JOHN boyd CLARKE.

Dotted over the great grain prairies OF
Upper Minnesota arc many little communi-
ties Of Imprinted plank cottages, or even
of "sod" houses. whose inhabitants possess
more of the characteristics Of the old-time
s.Yankee" than the present occupants OF
our New England homesteads- And the
season for tbs is plain. These western
Yankees are Lneal descendants OF our best
Puritan stock and in migrating TO their
prairie homes from the rugged New Eng
land hill farms, took the peculiarties and
homeIy virtues of their ancestors VITA
them. Boston culture" has been filtered
over the New England farmsteads and the
old-time Yankee. OF the old-fashioned yam
kee community is an impossbihty in the
East.
But these Westerners display the indus
try and frugality of their ancestors. They
are a heard working people whose pleas
llres come laboriOusly. For eight months
in the year it is a tug with nature for the
necessities and a few of the luxuries of
life. the other four months they are snow
bound 1t is IN this season. when the
snow maniles the praiTies and the ice kins
letters the water courses, however, that
the Minnesota boys and girls find most OF
their pleasures.
IL is in winter that school keeps and
some of the pupils are well-grown youths
and maidens. Here is little time for cd
ucation during The rest of the year ana
the ambitious are not ashamed TO show
their anxiety for book learning" The
echoolhouse. usually in the center Of the
widely scattered community, is the head
quarters for all junketings and frolics. If
the schoolna ster happens to be unsteady
inclined so much the better. There is Al
once a singing school established for one
evening in The week.
Several years ago in community OF
this kind, known as Sassafras Bottoms,
the young people formed a singing club
which met at the schoolhouse on Friday
evenings. The people of the Bottoms
made up a typical Minnesotian community
there were none very rich and few very
Door The young people had an met each
other in the common school-that great
Ieveler Of class distinclion-and there were
few clicues.
There was one family-a recent acqui-
eition to the Bottoms-whch was rather
an exception TO this, however. They had
lived some years down st. Paul way, in
much more thickiy settled part of the
state, and were inclined TO look down a.
little upon their new neighbors. Especial
~ was this true of the son and daugh-
ter. Hiram Ball was a little spink-and-
span fellow, with dark complexion and
eyes and hair as black as coal. He was
very gallant with the ladies, and was in
clined to snub some of the boys i'm a
way which they could not resent except
ing in their hearts His sister Mira was
a pretty little brunette, but she, like her
brother had such an exalted opinion of
her own importance that she was not very
popular. In fact, the coming of the Balls
to Sassafras Bottoms was the sowing of
discord in the social life of the community
The winter of which / write began with
a good fall of snow the day before Thanks
giving, and at once the boys got out their
sleighs and planned TO take the girls to
ride. There We're all sorts and conditions
of sleighs. from the woodsled with a car
rage seat affixed and the ordinary "pung'
to Phil Dement'S old-fashioned high
back" Phil bennett was the acknowledge
ed leader among the young fellows of the
Bottoms, and 1t was considered something
of an honor among the girls to be invited
20 share his sleigh TO and from singing
school. The old highback-a huge box af-
fair, which had often held a merry party
of six quite comfortably-was an institu-
ton in the bennett family. 1t had be-
longed to Phifs great-uncle, and Phil
patched and painted it every fall with a
sort of veneraton.
Phil was a merry good-tempered fell
low, and, as / have limited, the girls of his
acquaintance were glad 20 go sleighng
with him. But for two or three winters
past there had been fewer frolics in the
old highback. Phil had seemed to prefer
taking one young lady at a time and
that fortunate person was always the
same-the doctors daughter, Myrtle
Kemp. Other girls who may have secret
ly set their caps at the big, good-nat-
ured young farmer, had to turn their
eyes elsewhere perforce.
Hiram Ball happened TO pass the Den
nett place the morning after the first snow
fall, and saw Phirs box sleigh in the yard
Hello, Dennetti" he exclaimed
''Where'd you get that ark?"
Don't you like the looks of it?" queried
Phil coolly.
1T looks like a relic of the mound
builders said Hiram, with laugh
Don't s'pose your sister would care to
go sleighing with me, eh?" responded
Phil.
well, hardly-in that thing"
IAN right; shan't ask her, them
Say, you don't really mean to say that
you'd ask girl to go to ride with you in
that?' demanded Hi, confdentiany.
Phil looked at him calmly. but with
spark of fire in his eye. IF you wait till
Friday night, you'll see the incest girl in
these bottoms riding in it," he said. "Myr-
tie Kemp, mean"
The shot told, for it was an open secret
that Phil was not the only fellow who
worshiped at the shrine of the doctors
daughter
Myrtle Kemp was almost the only girl in
the neighborhood whom Miss Bah put her
self out 10 become friendly with, and it
was whispered that that was entirely for
her brothers sake. Most OF the young men
of the Bottoms had long since decided that
Phil had outclassed them in Myrties favor,
but Hiram Ball was bound by no such be-
lief. In truth, although Phil had made
up his mind regarding Myrtle, he was not
at all sure that she had made up her mind
regarding him; and the poor fellow did not
dare risL coming to the issue with the doc
tors daughter.
Most of the boys were too busy making
all secure about the farmsteads for the
winter chat first fan of snow had come
little unexpectedly TO do much sleighmg
previous to the night of the singing club.
The heavy wagons and woodsleds had by
that time, beaten a very fair path in the
snow Phil had not seen Myrtle, but il
was guile understood between them that
he was always to stop for her on his way