The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-09-16
A CALIFORNIA LETTER
An Interesting Narrative of the Mar.
riage Of Miss May Skinner Form
erly Of Mitchell.
erly Of Mitchell.

Will find check for renewal for one
year.
We are still interested in the
Mitchell Capital, the country and
people it tells us about, especially
our old neighbors or what remains
of them. Quite a number of them
are on this side of the Rockies, here
and there, Chasing their ~fayorite
phantoms".
We noticed in your newspaper that
many school teachers, graduates and
business people have gone out and
taken homesteads. Were you to ask
one of them how to raise a hill Of
beans 1 presume the answer would
be, why take it by the top and
pull Of course" That was the class
who first settled Dawson county and
whose sweethearts were loan agents
where partnerships among themselves
were not found.
The word homestead is full of
mystery to every one of Uncle Sans
legal heirs to a steady home. He
wonders what there is in it for him
whether it be fortune, noteriety, ro-
nance, or the hardest pull of all his
place to set down and dream dreams
that no mortal dared to dream be-
FORE" The native trees of South Da-
kota-cotonwoods, elms, boxelders
etc. when found here still retain their
old home habits. The people from
good old South Dakota do the same.
Miss May Skinner, a graduate of
Mitchell high school, D. w. student,
also of Yankton college, graduate of
the State University of Vermillion,
we'll known Dawson county school
teacher and later a teacher in the
public schools of Spokane, Wash, re-
signed her position where she was
commanding a high salary to take
a homestead neal Entiat. A tall,
strong, fine looking stranger by the
name of Mr.. Almer Rhodes took the
quarter section adjoining because he
had a right to 1t and it gave him
something amusing to do.
May caused to be erected-not a
little sod shanty on the plains" but
a good plank cabin in the grove on
the hill" She bought a pony to ride
to a neighbours for milk and butter
The pony was lonely SO May thought
1t needed a COW for company. May
was lonely so she got a cat to come
and live with her. The stranger was
lonely. SO he went yer to see Mays
cat. BY caressing it, the beautiful
creature became hypnotized, and fol-
lowed him home. Being an honest
mar he felt 1t to be his duty to re-
turn that cat every day and dropsit
gently on Mays door step. There
never was any resentment or revenge
in Mays heart but she felt keenly
the loss of the cats affection and
when her brother, Arthur, also a
graduate of the above named insti-
tutions of learning and Dawson coun-
ty school teacher-got married and
we'll settled on his valuable fruit
ranch at Kennewick, Wash, she in
sisted that her mother should live
with her. OF course she came and
after a time this in her W words
in a recent letter to a friend, is what
happened at the home of the bride
in the New Oklahoma. I relate it to
you in confidence, hoping that if you
have space you will do it up in your
paper and not say a thing about it to
anybody:
"You will want to hear about
Mays marriage which occurred July
LIST, IL a. M, on a mountain top, if
teen miles from any town and yet
there were about sixty we'll dressed
and intelligent guests. May wore a
dress Of blue and white silk. Mr..
and Mrs. Sage were there, also her
sister, Maud McVay, who was brides
maid. An evergreen bower was made !
against Mays cabin and under the
pines. Carpeting was laid from the
door to the altar in the primeval for
est, the church not made with hands.
The carpeting was edged with small
branches of evergreens and there
were many floral decorations every
where in sight.
"Miss McVay and Mr.. Johnston
walked first, then May and MI.
Rhodes, then his father and 1. The
guests grouped themselves about.
MI. Sage played the wedding march.
The ceremony was beautiful-ring
service etc. A long table, beautifully
decorated with flowers. was spread
under the great pine trees nearby and