The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-29
Llke David and Jonathan.

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This Is the storyGof the affection OLA
feminine David and iona than. Long before
the Southern Pacific railroad had its
tire elk laid across Etfle continent. before
Nevada became a. state, Hannah Clapp
came to Carson City with friends who
went to Nevada as to a wild, barren
wilderness, where there was money to be
made and privations to be endured
Through a mutual friend she heard of
Eliza Babeock, aegirf FROM Maine, then
living in Oakland. 50 na "a short corre-
spondence betWeefr the strangers a part
nership was agreed upon. The Maine girl
came to Carson, sana She and the. young
pioneer who hadt been 9before her started
the Sierra senfina ryai1ongo before there
was public sefraolqin the state. &
But in hese days of higher education
I doubt. whether the Sierra seminary
would be accredited But there isn't
school in the. world that. holds such
record as this poor little pioneer semi
nary.
+ For you see, It was conducted on such
unbusinesslike lines. The teachers seem
ed to think it their affair to comfort and
strengthen and uphold and love, ds well
as TO teaoh You can't begin to name
[ the prominent men and cultured women
in ! Nevada and California who learned
what books and these two women had to
teach ttli
..+Its was a home said an important
alumni Y tThey tooisusssi INTO heidA very
hearts. w e. weren' Is. NV were their
own children T7sze.s
eff you can imagine, IS, said an exc.
Nevadan,z HAY. its would feel to come
clear across the <pIafIfs fresh from college,
into a wild, little mining town out in
the West If you can imag how ones
peculiarities and ones little efforts at
civilized living were rtdieuled. If you can,
imagine how sensitive. and resentful one
is when he's young and how easy 1t was
to get into q fight in young Nevada, then
you can understand how 1 felt when I
found myself in Jail after a shooting
scrape, and Miss Clapp came to me, like
the man she is, bailed me out and took
me home to nurse my wounds
IF you were a man. said another man
who Is a grandfather now, .sand drink
had taken such a hold on you that there
was no resisting; and If q, woman, plucky,
strcng, self-reliant, hauled you up out
of the gutter and took you into her spot
less, old maids home and kept you there
I'll you were fit to live as es-man you'd
loalize how wes whos did not go to school
at the Sierra seminary, learned more
than Berkeley itself can teach.
Nature Intended Miss Babcoek for a
typical creature of the rgentler sex. Yet,
so strong was herifaith, so unlimited her
head of the family, that she seconded
every plan. no matter how unconven-
ticnal, that ripenedl ia the head of this
woman, who Wassjay new woman before
the term was invented.
Witness the building Of the fence
around the state capitol at Carson, New,
thai enduring monument to the business
capacity Of Miss Babeock's husband.
1t was during Gev! Bradley term that
Nevada decided That she. could afford to
Tut high IRON Hfepee, mounted on a
stone coping. aroandHthe capitol Plans
and OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES drawn up and
bids: were adeertisedesf5r. The foremost
and the richest firms IL Nevada and Cali
fornia put in bids sna tit1'afly, for the state
is a. generous employer. When the time
came to open the bids there was. one sign
ed Fl. X. Clapp. 1t. was the lowest bid
and 1t was awarded the contract.
81 never had built a fence, an iron
one chuckled Miss Clapp when telling
the story, though since then I have put
up wooden ones with my own hands. But
I had recently come into possession Of in
formation about the cost of iron fencing.
I knew that these great contractors
would expect to make $1,000 or $4,000 at
least out of the contract. A thousand
would satisfy me if I could make that
out of it
She did She hired men and put them
to work. In the morning after she had
MIXED half dozen cows and helped her
mate and eoworker to. put the house in
order, the two devoted themselves to
Their protested understanding. After
school was over Miss Babcock turned her
attention to domestic affairs. After
school Miss Clapp drew on her stout.
thick boots, donned a long, warm ulster
pulled down over her eyes a small, soft
Wcoen round hat and went off to work
For two or three hours daily Carsonites
could see this woman contractor-who
had never before (and who has not since)
undertaken misunderstanding about
the capitol in all sorts of weather over
seeing her men. esiIi
When darkness 1can1e and work for the
day was over Contractor Clapp trudged
sturdily homewardG b
"I Think she wotrtd say, musingly, in
talking over her dabors with her wifely
conidant, 81 think fhatll be pretty
good fence"
And it was. 1t fs. In fact; for the per-
scnal conscientious supervision of
Builder and Contractor Clapp is to be