The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-05-02
HER sroRY 4 So on.
an liliaots Giyrs Terrib,s Expesisnee IN q
Dakofa Dag-onL

Webster street depot the other
day bright intelligent-looling Young
woman with a pretty. girlish face, sur
rounded by mass Of dark clustering
hair, descended from the platform Of the
rear coach. She was about the medium
height. and rather slight, but the nat
ural comeliness Of herown form was con
cealed in a sort of jacket made of I'M
tanned sheepskins, which she wore over
a dress Of some dark material. Her
head was covered by a iaunty little fox
skin cap, while her feet were encased
in coarse leather moccasins.
Notwithstanding her uncouth exte-
rior, there was an air Of culture and re-
finement-a certain indescribable some
thing about her walk and manner
which spoke Of better days and showed
she was not in harmony with her attire
gentleman and his wife who live on
Thirteenth street chanced to be in the
room at the time, and to them the
stranger told this pitiful story a tale
so full Of rare dramatic incidents as to
read almost like q romance
Her name, she said, was Margaret
Conner, and her home was at Rockford,
H., where she had lived from child
hood. Her father was dead aud she
had supported her mother her little
brother, and herself by teaching in the
public schools. About year ago her
mother died. and Miss Conner aud her
brother, Willie, who was now a lad Of
16, finding themselves alone in the
world, sold their little homestead, and
with their worldly effects emigrated to
Dakota, with a view to taking up tim
Der claim and going to farming They
settled on Turtle Creek, in Sphinx
County, about twenty miles south OF
Redfeld.
Going into a new country, and being
ignorant Of its ways they found it nee
essary to buy many thiagi, the need Of
which they had not anticipated, and
they saw with alarm their little stock Of
money dwindliDg rapidly away under
these repeated drains. The neighbors
we're kind, in their rough way, and lent
willing hands to give the young people
a start A warm sod house for them-
selves, and outhouses for the stock we're
built, the requisite number Of trees
we're planted, the stubborn prairie
broken, and the spring sowing done.
The story, at this point, is so full Of
startling incidents that it is best told in
Miss Corners own words.
The crops, said she, as every one
knows, on account Of the prolonged
: droughts in the South and West, were
a total failure, and all that we had tc
show for our hard summers work was .
few bushels Of wheat and corn, hardly
enough to furnish rs for the winter.
Well, the fall dragged on into win
ter, and Christmas, the season Of glad
tidings and good cheer found US re
duced to our last bushel Of grain
: What we should do when that was gone
was problem beyond our power Il
solve Oh, the gloom and terror O.
! those long winter nights. without fue
4 and without lightl For hours ant
+ hours we would lay, huddled in eacl
t others arms listening to the howlingo o
5 the wolves and the shrioks Of the TEN
| pest as it whirled about our cabin door
+ About this time, she continued
< her voice choking with a sch, poo
e Willie took sick and died, and then
y seemed as if my cup Of sorrow was ful
< to the brim, and thought for time
e should 60 mad, from the very horror 0
7 my situation. There I was. alone Will
4 my dead brother, in the midst Of des
T. olate Dakota prairie, without the bares
, necessities Of life and not a friend o
, neighbor within ten miles. clearl
I saw that / could no longer renal
7 where was. for to do SO was to perish
s and my only hope was to get TO Red
fed, and there by interesting the rail
b road officials in my story obtain trans
n portation to my friends in nlinoi.
il Slowly and sadly dug hole in th
l. hard ground Of our cabin floor and lai
(. poor Willie away, aud after kissing hi
sweet pale face many times / covere
the body with the cold frosty earth an
- left him.
Then collecting a few thing in
little hand bag. bade a long farewell
to the home which had been the seen
Of so much sorrow. and started on M
Il journey for Redfeld, ia the face OF
n bowling blizzard The wind bie'
I against me and bnfeted me s
that I could hardly walk the snow ben
/. with binding force into my eyes an
ears, so that often I could not see th
n road At all
Nevertheless. headed on. plungin
fhrou0h SNOW drifts mn ~ mv vsai4l