Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-11-06
CHAPTER I.

\
 gash in the brown level of the ysssS-sSSs Dakota prairie, for the SUI iasAS mach, dyed by the frosts of the early autumn, covered its sides like q cloth whose upper folds were thrown far over the brinks of the winding "a vine and, southward, half way to the new cottonwood shack of the Lancas- ters. Near it, a dark band against the strip, narrow, but widening with each slow circuit of the team as the virgin grass grown land was turned by the mold board to prepare for the corn planting of the coming spring.
 The sun, just risen, shone coldly up on the plain, and a wind, bearing with it hint of raw weather and whirling snow, swept down the Missouri valley from the north, marshaling its front hosts of gabbling ducks and honking geese that were taking noisy flight from region soon to be buried and already bleak. Yet with all the chill in the air, Ben and Betty, the mules, steamed as they toiled to and fro and lOled out 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 blow in steadying grasp, took off her slouch 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 making better prog resS, as well as to cool her ankles. brought the bottom of her skirt through the waiStband front and back and walked in her red flannel 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 well narrowed before the open ing of winter.
 Come. Ben, come" she called coax ingly to the nigh mule. If you don't dig in now. how q you expect to have anything to eat next winter? Betty, Betty, don't let Ben do it 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 creakcd n monotOnOus complaint with their renewed efforts; the cOlter came whining behind them. AS Dal- las gently slapped the lines along their backs now and then 10 emphasize her command clouds of dust which had been gathNred as mud in the buffalo wallow where they went each evening to roll ascended and were blown away. Faithfully they pulled. not even lift ing an eycIid or Tapping an ear in protest when Simon. the stray year ling bull that had adopted the claim as it's home and tagged Dallas every where. beloved about their stTaining legs or loitered at their very noses 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 martwecd and purple aster. was q land of wOndrous growth For twenty years her home had been an arid mesa far to the south. where her father explained the caretakers Of q spur railroad track The most western sta tion house in Texas. standing amid tho-ny mesquite. was her birthplace and that of her sister Marylyn- The gray plateau across which tho emhank- ment led was their playground There they grew tO wOmanlOOzi under the careful guidance of their frail north ern bon mother.
 And then two casualties. coming close upon each other. had suddenly changed their life Their father was brought hone OIse night s0 mzfmed and crUsbed hy the ubeeis O< a fat car that he could never h07e to take up his work again. and whiie he lay. i'auds1etl and b-oEeH. fighting t0 keep the sozl ia his criTT5eI tosiy- their notbsr h-avely yielslesi her life to q IinEerfnz H5uess-
 Many ES1ths Iztsr. wien Evan Ian casters wounds were at Last bezled,