The courier., 1901-08-24
THB COURIER
ONE OF THE NORTH MEN.
KATHARINE MELICK.l
For The Courier.

I 1o ooot buu Woet VI Iuc "to0ouft
stretched alike long levels OF grass land.
where scattered lines OF rounded trees
mark out blue. misty streams. But q
certain rswness in the keener wind, q
gaunt, upgainly newness in the sweep
ing forms. q tenser sternpess in the
dusty burrows that follow the plow.
mark the Platte country. II the blood
Of that old var-horse, James Matthia.
son. was quickened at the fine range Of
upward billowing lines,-aIl simmer
ing, unbroken sod,-that Of Eliza Ann
was not. Her eyes searched the round.
vast disc to the horizon circle. and sick
ened for the shadow OF the pines. When
at last the grey wagon stood still. and q
half. dozen spades waited for the break
ing-plow to cut slices OF turf for the par
sons house. Eliza felt disnally that the
black earth closing over her head must
shut out forever all the life she had
known.
Adah and Zillsh had no thoughts Of
grave. as they tugged Charles and John
and James over the stiff buffalo grass to
find the pink fistfulls Of buffalo peas.
lying lavishly spread in the sun.
you'll get your dresses all dirty"
the mother called from the wagon-can-
vas flap, but fortunately the twins did
not hear. They went on further, up
softly risi6g swells Of dewy fresh sod,
covered, as it seemed to their wagon
weary eyes. with wonderful single stars
OF lilies. low in the grass, with pink sor-
rel and fuzzy strawberry blossoms, and
long.thrusted yellow flowers that would
be marvelously fine strung on thread.
There were grey, cottony tuft clusters.
fiat on the ground like cats paws, and
great dark violets, like pansies. and
wind-rocked blooms, blue and white.
with anemone faces. Most strange Of
all, there were flower petals on the grass
blades thems elves. here and there little
grass tufts with starry pointed heads
atop, yellow and white and blue.
The "grass flowers" are the sweetest
gift of the prairie-the most direct ex-
preston Of its wild bounty. that scatter
even on our sand-hills where trees are
but wands, profusion Of lilies and roses.
short -stemmed. close to the sod-thst
winding myriads Of deep-running roots
thread through as they go down for wa
ter, water that Eliza saw the need Of, and
moaned. thinking Of washing day, with
the nearest we'll mile away. But the
twins cheerfully filled their last clean
aprons with grass flowers and sorrel and
buffalo peas, all dropping in the SUD,
and hurried to the wagon, with rare
collection of grass stains on their fingers
and frocks.
Before those green stains faded from
the fore shortening skirts of the twins
for butter was no commodity to be vast
ed for laundry purposes-the wealth Of
the prairie had turned to dust. The
lines OF redeemed. broken sod crumbled
away in fierce August, with the raw.
ished native growth, and those hspless
exotics-potatoes and wheat-withered.
Walking from point to point of his
scorched circuit, the "prairie preacher
found similes for the fires Of eternal
punishment, and felt his impoverished
blood thrill with the great struggle for
life. He saw the prairie schooners, one
by one, spread their white sails; he
tramped by weedy tracts Of desolation.
whose fringe Of stunted boxelders about
the black mound of a forsaken sod
shanty told the story Of defeat.
At home, while the twins twisted al.