The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-12-04

They are Woodworking people whose
pleasures come laboriously. For eight
months in the year it is tug with ma
ture for the necessities and few of
the luXuries of life. The other four
months they are snow bound. 1t Is in
this season, when the snow nantes
the prairies and the ice king letters
the water courses, however, that the
Minnesota boys and girls find most of
their pleasures.
1t is in winter that "school keeps"
and some of the pupils are well grown
youths and maidens. There is little
time for education during the rest Of
the year, and the ambitious are not
ashamed to show their anxiety for
'book learning" The schoolhouse, usu-
ally in the center Of the widely scat
tered community, is the headquarters
Tor all junketings and frolics. If the
schoolmaster happens to be unsteady
inclined, so much the better. There is
at 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 singing club
which met at the schoolhouse on Fri
day evenings. The people of the Bot
toms made up typical Minnesotian
COMMUNICATIVE were none very rich
and few very poor. The young people
had all met each other In the common
school, that great leyeler Of class dis
tinction, and there were few cliques.
There was one family. recent ac-
QUESTION to the Bottoms, which was
rather an exception to this, however.
They had lived some years down st.
Paul way in much more thickly set
tied part of the state and were inclined
to look down little upon their new
neighbors. Especially was this true of
the son and daughter. Hiram Ball was
little spick and span fellow, with
dark complexion and eyes and hair as
black as coal. He was very gallant
with the ladies and was inclined to
snub some of the boys in a way which
they could not resent excepting 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 good fall of snow the day be-
fore Thanksgiving, and at once the
boys got out their sleighs and planned
to take the girls to ride. There were
all sorts and conditions of sleighs,
from the wood sled with q carriage
seat affixed and the ordinary ''pung' to
Phil benefits old fashioned "high-
back" Phil bennett was the acknowl-
edged leader among the young fellows
OF the Bottoms, and it was considered
something of an honor among the girls
to be invited to share his sleigh to and
from singing school, The old highback,
q huge box affair which had often held
merry party of six quite comfortably,
was an institution in the bennett fam
lily. 1t had belonged to Pills great
uncle, and Phil patched and painted it
every fall with a sort of veneration.
Phil was merry, good tempered fel.
low, and, as | have limited, the girls of
his acquaintance were glad to go
sleighing with him. But for two or
three winters past there had been few
er frolics in the old highback. Phil had
seemed to prefer taking one young
lady at time, and that fortunate per-
son was always the same-the Doctors
daughter, Myrtle Kemp. Other girls
who may have secretly ''set their caps"
at the big, good natured young farmer
had to turn their eyes elsewhere per-
force.
Hiram Ball happened to pass the
bennett place the morning after the
first snowfall and saw Pills box sleigh
in the yard.
Hello, Dennettw he exclaimed.
"Where'd you get that ark?"
Don't you like the looks of it?"
queried Phil coolly.
'It looks like relic of the mound
builders" said Hi, with a laugh.
Don't s'pose your sister would care
to go sleighing with me, eh?' respond.
ed Phil.
"Well, hardly-in that thing"
"All right; | shan't ask her, them
"Say, you don't really mean to say
that you'd ask a girl to go to ride with
you in that?" demanded Hi confidenl
TALLY.
Phil looked at him calmly, but with
spark of fire in his eye. ST you wait
till Friday night, you'll see the incest
girl in these bottoms riding In it," he
said. Myrtle Kemp, I mean"
The shot told, for it was an open Sc
cret 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 nsighborhood whom Miss
Rall NIT HERSELF ollt To haonna friandlu