Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-12-12
CIIApTER l.

ENHI III INT wv II lPNtl Ol III
SSsTTS' n Dakota prairie. for the su
'sssssstsSs5.J mach, dyed by the frosts u,
the early autumn, covered its sides lik,
a cloth whose upper folds were throw
far over the Drinks Of the winding IA
vine and, southwark. half way TO tht
new cottonwood shack of the Lancas
tiers. Near it. 4 dark band against thu
flaming shrub stretched the plowe.
strip, narrow but widening with each
Slow circuit of the team rs the virgin
grass grown land was turned by til,
mold board to prepare for the corn
planting of the coming spring
The sun, just risen, shonc co,dly up
on the plain. and wind, bearing VIII
IT hint Of raw weather and whir.iu.
snow, swept down the Missouri VALLEY
from the north, uarshaiing its front
hosts of Cabling ducks and honkiHg
geese that We're taking noisy hich.
from q region soon to be buried and
already bleak. Yet, with all the chill
in the air, Bon and Betty, the mules
steamed as they toiled to and fro and
lolled ont their tongues with the
warmth OF their work and the effort Of
keeping straight in the furrOW. and
DallaS following IN their wake with
the reins about her shoulders and the
horns of the plow in steadying grasp.
took off her SLOUGH hat at the turnings
to bare her damp forehead. drew the
sleeve Of her close fitting Jersey across
her face every few moments. and at
last, to aid her in king better prog
ress, as well as to cool her ankles.
brought the bottom of her skirt
through the waistbaui front and back
and walked In her red flame! petit
coat AS she Travelled she looked sky
ward occasionally with troubled face
and, resting but seldom, urged the
team forward. Clear weather and sun
shine would not long continue, and the
first field on the claim must be turned
up and we'll narrowed before the open
ing Of winter.
Come, Ben. come" she called coax
ingly to the nigh mule. IF you don I
dig in now, how d you expect to have
anything to eat next winter? Betty,
Betty, don't let Ben do 1t all; I'm
talking TO you too. Come along, come
along"
Ben and Betty, lean and gray with
age, bent willingly to their labor at
the sound Of her voice. Their harness
es creaked a HOMOGENEOUS complaint
with their renewed efforts; the Golfer
came whining behind them. AS Dal-
las gently slapped the lines along their
backs now and then to emphasize her
command clouds of dust which had
been gathered as mud in the buffalo
wallow where they went each evening
TO roll assembled and We're blown away.
Faithfully they pulled, not even lift
ing an eyelid or tapping an ear in
protest when Simon, the stray year
ling bull that had adopted the claim
as its home and tagged Dallas every
where, beloved about their straining
and impeded their way.
Flowing was strange work to the pa
tient mules and to the girl who was
guiding them To her the level prairie,
rank with goldenrod, pink lowered
smartweed and purple aster, was II
land of wondrous growth, For twenty
years her home had been an arid mesa
far to the south, where her father
captained the carctakers of spur
railroad track The most western sta
ton house in Texas, standing amid
thorny mesquite was her birthplace
and that OF her sister Marylyn. The
gray plateau across which the embank-
ment led was their playground. There
they grew to W0manhood under the
careful guidance Of their frail north
ern boon mother
And then two casualties, coming
close upon each other, had suddenly
changed their life. Their father was
brought home one night so manned
and crushed 10y the wheels of fiat
car that he could never hope to take
up his work again, and while he lay.
bandaGed ana broken, lighting to keep
the soul In his crippled body, their
mother bravely yielded her life to n
lingering illness.
Many months later, when Evan Ian
casters wounds were at last healed.
Ben and Betty were unhitched from
dirt laden scraper on the siding and