Omaha daily bee., 1902-09-28
STORY OF A NEBRASKA NOVEL
Out Of the West BY Elisabeth Higgins
Deals with the Drsuth Years.
REALISTIC SKETCH OF THE DARK DAYS
HerO Becomes = PopuIist and n Con-
gresham and IL Finally saved
Through His wife's Good
influence.

0ne Of the books issued his month is
out OF the West" by Elizabeth Higgins.
the pen name Of Mrs. Florence E. sulli-
van. 1t is an epoch-making book, mas
much as 1t marks the beginning Of a local
literature for Nebraska.
Elizabeth Higgins was born twenty eight
years ago at Columbus, Platte county, Ne
braska; and It is this town which is said
to be graphically described by her as Co
lumbia Junction" as It was In the days o.
her girlhood. Most of her life has been
spent on the plains Of Nebraska, and only
Tor the last three years has she been a
resident of the national capital. Her
father, Judge Higgins, was called to the
bench, and was a man of influence in the
democratic party. She is an alumnus Of
st. Xavier's convent, in ottawa, III. She
taught for some time in a country school
near Columbus, but deserted that to fol-
low her strong literary bent. and gradually
found her way into the Omaha papers. But
she did not take kindly to newspaper work.
and soon turned her back on. Journalism
for the more congenial pursuit Of writing
fiction. She IL at present a resident Of
Washington, her husband being the corre-
spondent Of the Chicago Chronicle.
1t is a novel with a purpose, and is es-
pecially interesting and absorbing because
OF the fact that II is the hrst novel that has
taken into account the conditions that gave
rise to the populist movement, and which
gives a faithful picture Of life in many OF
the small towns in the west as they were
during what is known as the "drouth pc
Rod"
Hero and His object.
The story begins with the coming Of the
hero, Frank Field. to Nebraska. Field is
a VOunRa man 0f n1aaafpU and affrontgva
personality, who. is sent west by his father.
a wealthy New Yorker, to take charge Of
his elevators at Columbia Junction. His
father pursues this course as a last means
OF getting his son started in life, and as
a punishment for youthful follies. Field
loved the metropolis, and It is no wonder
he became restless, hopeless and dlscour-
aged In a town that, as the reader first sees
1t, even he begins to doubt IL anything good
can come out OF the "deadest town be-
tween Omaha and Ogden" Here is the
town:
lit is the crossing Of two railroads on a
western prairie. 1t is three miserable,
struggling streets, two grain elevators and
a few hundred frame houses. Columbia
Junction lies on the sandy banks Of empty
Pewanee creek. II Is the county seat nj
Owanee county and one OF the few towns
of the plains that has never known a boom.
Older than Omaha-it was in it's dwarfed
maturity before Denver was known-Co-
lumbia Junction slowly goes its dead ex-
istence. By it stretches the long. tuft-
covered groove that was the Mormon trail
when the settlers Of Owanee county waxed
afluent through tribute upon Brighamite
and gold seeker; the days when they sold
hot water at 10 cents a quart. But Column
bia Junction seems doomed to remain a
Village while pauV taWnz with tha{r hOopna
are spreading over the prairies."
Heroine Has II Mission.
He soon rallies himself and makes the
best he can of the situation, entering, to a
limited extent, into such amusements as
the village affords. He is the catch" OF
the town, very popular. and it is only nat
ural he should have a little affair with the
town firt.
The heroine Of the book is Edith Hull, a
Colorado woman who is a strong advocate
Of the populist cause. She is called the
Colorado Joan of Are and this is her pic
ture as Field first saw her standing on the
platform before a Columbia Junction audi
ence: "She was a small, big-eyed creature
with tiny white hands that never seemed al
rest. She had a head of tawny curling hair
and a voice that carried like the ring OF q
small silver bell. As some quality In
blank verse makes II poetry, so the music
in Edith's speaking made 1t singing. Frank
could not take his eyes from her face,
Eagerly his ears drank in every word she
uttered. Each time she paused for breath
the cadence Of her voice noated upon the
air like the dying tones OF a hushing bell
1t was indeed a Joan of Arc who stood
before the people"
Not only did she hold him spellbound
but in his desire to become better &C.
quainted with her he travels to the next
town TO hear her lecture there. He re.
turns home, but is restless and unsettled
Learning she is to lecture in the southern
part Of the state. he journeys there. Blu
every effort by him to know her better 1,
gently but firmly turned down by Edith
she being welded to her work" Ther
comes the drouth and the condition Of tn,
men employed by him occupies his time
The author says:
"Tha year was filled with days that triet
the hearts OF men. Those were days will