Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1902-05-08

HOW JASON WON 4 HOME.

JdbOu WukWD u1u Wileu aA VI 1ss
life on little mountain farm in East
Tennessee. cuillvating a forty-acre Of
stony land and making mocnshins
whisky. The revenue officers had rem
dered unsafe the latter occupation and
on Jason Wilkins 50th birthday he an
nounced to his wife and daughter Car
oline that he was going to pull up
stakes and move
1t was evident that the old man re-
garded his half-century on earth as =
failure, since he had SO little to show
for his work.
He had read on the patent side of Z
weekly newspaper that reached him as
a sample copy that some untenanted
land was to be opened to settlement in
the Indian country. There he would
60 and build up new home in a new
country. His wife and daughter were
willing, 80 the old mountaineer dis
posed Of his forty acres Of rocks and
WORKOUT soil and with his family jour-
neyed In a covered wagon to the In
dian lands. They struck camp on the
border, awaiting the opening day
that Is, the day officially prescribed by
the president when homeseekers were
to make the mad rush for homes. The
wilkins family was IN camp three
weeks before the opening day, sur
rounded by a cosmopolitan aggrega-
ton Of humanity bent on common
purpose-the winning Of home.
The wilkins camp was soon the
most popular along the border, for the
old mountaineer was a most interest
ing character, and bis daughter, Caro-
line, just turning into womanhood, was
easily the most attractive girl any
where along the prairie. Her rosy
cheeks had never felt the touch Of face
powder or paint and she could ride
the widest horse on the border or
shoot rife as accurately as any
plainsman.
Old man Wilkins had the correct I'M
Outstanding Of the word sooner" as
It is interpreted in new countries
where the government has new land
to give away. He knew that it meant
one who ventures prematurely into the
promised land. Every day he strolled
along the dividing line as closely to the
Eldorado as the patrol Of United States
soldiers would permit. Wistfully he
gazed across and at last determined
that on the opening day he would run
for 4 certain quarter-section fringed
by heavy growth Of sunfowers, but
little more than half q mile from the
line. Government officers announced
that at high noon on certain day the
signal for the rush would be given and
that signal was to be a volley fired
from carbines in the hands Of soldiers.
The morning Of the eventful day
found Jason wilkins out Of bed at 1
o'clock. He could hardly walt for
noon 1t meant 50 much to him. He
was there to win a home. The old
mans wife and daughter were equally
anxious.
At II o'clock the man from the Ten
nessee mountains was charging up and
down the dividing line on a big black
horse-an animal he had secured by
trading a Kansas man less preten-
tious horse, with a key Of moonshine
whisky to boot. Caroline and her
mother remained in their tent a few
hundred yards distant.
A newspaper correspondent and his
staff artist stopped at the Wilkins tent
to get a feature for their story Of
homeseeking on the border. They
asked Caroline to Pose for a picture,
rifle in hand, for her reputation us an
expert rife shot had spread every
where. This mountain girl amid prai-
RE surroundings blushed and then con-
scented. She picked her rifle up as q
child handles a toy. The artist
stretched his tab Of blank paper out
before him.
Put your finger on the trigger; It
will be more lifelike," suggested the
correspondent.
Either by force Of habit or by reason
Of daring impulse Caroline pulled the
trigger too hard. The rife was dis
charged In the air. Jason wilkins, rid
Ing impatiently on the very edge Of the
dead-line, heard the sharp report He
thought 1t was the signal to 90. He