Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-07-08

people among them. AS to age, most of
them appeared to be in the thirties full Of
life and ambition Two women, the wives
OF brothers. were to leave the train at my
own destination. Between them they had
six small children. Some older ones had
gone on with their fathers. These two
sisters-in-law tucked away their three
children apiece, removing six pairs Of
brand new shoes from the tired little feet
and in the morning washed and brushed
and shod their little groups till they looked
almost as clean as when they started. The
children were being good" in the hope
of seeing papa" soon. and hearing him
told how good they had been.
one OF the fathers met them at the sta
ton with a 12-year-old son, and they all
spent the night in town. The temperature
dropped, and the wind rose. In the morn
ing the sun shone but the wind continued,
a terrible wind from the west. that sent
the sand cutting into peoples faces. Such
winds / have encountered i'm Egypt. and
there one must lie down and cover his
head, but the prairie grass covers most of
| the earth in Nebraska. and only the road
and the exposed sand slopes afford portable
material for the pitiless wind. This Is
enough, however, and the west wind was
driving II against the window panes with
/ most unpleasant rattle.
Just as we were sitting down 20 breakfast
| two wagons hove in sight, each one filled
| high with furniture each OF them having
hooked behind It a carriage. The first
wagon was driven by the man whom had
seen on the platform and the other by the
l2-year-old lad. In the single carriage bc-
1 hind the first wagon were three little tots
! tucked in to protect them from the wind
In the double carriage behind the second
wagon rode the two young mothers with
the three youngest children.
On the breakfast table was a dish OF
bananas and another OF oranges. l cap
tured both and met my little friends at the
| road. Each chubby little one went on CON
tentedly eating banana and holding ar
orange for some bhssful future, and the
two young mothers tied their own sunbon
nets closer and hid their babies from IN,
sand.
Pioneer HardshIpS.
Who shall tell the story--it is recorde,
only in heaven-of the hardships OF pionee
life as they are and have been felt by deli
cate women? Who can tell what It one
meant OF isolation and privation and peril
These two young mothers were good, typi
cal American women. intelligent. modest
finely educated. At this minute as l writ
3 they are facing that sand blast shelterin
< their children, depressing their own home
y sickness, cheering each other and lookin
? forward through the driving dust to a Wis
= ioa OF home and love. OF such sort wer
2 our own mothers, and their mothers an
$ those Of the Mayhower. The Mayfowe
r held no stouter, more WomAnly souls tina
l. those two women setting their faces agains
l. the hot sand. Among the youngsters wa
e a lad OF about years old, who. filled wit
y the love Of adventure and the promise @
e joys unknown, came gladly to me and cor
= tentedly explored the car vestibule an
n the water tank at which the train stopped
Z and went back reluctantly TO his mother
r He gladly recognised me this morning an