The Detroit times., 1910-11-24
By Z. C. RODGERS.
Copyright. 1910. by the Newspaper
Enterprise Association.


Copyright. 1910. by the Newspaper
Enterprise Association.)
In a coy little hcme way out on the
Dakota plains. in what was. until re-
Gently. the Standing Rock Indian reser-
walton, the happIest and most thankful
girl I'm dozen states lis eating a Thanks
giving lazy dinner of baked potatoes,
bread. coffee and maybe venison II some
kindly Indian is lucky in bringing down
n deer.
Slim fare, you say? Why, no. It's
truly n bountiful spread All the dainty
eatablcs Of ransacked world couldn't
look more appetizing 10 Jane Ferguson,
ex-school teacher and novice homestead
ton of really ine land.
Eating Il 1rst real Thanksgiving din
ner In wind swept shack in these
meal Il regular feast. No dinner down
east, where Jane taught the sixth
grade. ever looked half so tempting.
To begin rightly, we must go back;
and provider for Jane and mother,
taught school, down east" Mother
was too dear legacy To be pushed
aside for any matrimonial prospect.
times when IN = lonesome mood Jane
dreamed Of cher future" And there
were dreams-cr Nightmares. rather-of
a time VIXEN the decree should go out;
too OLD the school needs younger ana
wiser head
Try as Jane ard mother could. they
never seemed to get ahead. There was
the winter wher mother was i'll, when
bills piled UP So rapidly that several
summer vacations were spent Keeping
books in not, stuffv offices. 1t was the
very old and oft-repeated story OF poor
gentility."
Just as she hlo fallen into the rut Of
sticking 10 things as they are, her slen-
der resources permitted the first real
Nnga lVfV IA los n nd ~ nF
went to the Seattle fair. II was n mag
nificent tour Of America for them. They
were, in tact. travelling In q foreign
country: Of al the vastness and gran
deur of the west they knew little, they
had but faint idea of the transmissis-
sippi empire. They. knew more about
Rome ana Paris and Switzerland.
That was when Jane first met the
Man from Omaha. He was very. at
tentive 10 mother That was why Jane
liked the tau. btnad-shouldered western
"Oh, now lovely IL must be to live
here" she enthusiastically cried as
their Pullman rolled past the thousands
OF new farms
And most or the land was given
away" ne observed.
ooh, YOU don't mean that II was given
these farmers for nothing at all?"
We'll I guess they did pay n few
ton just about as much as the home
stcader has to pay now"
"Now If ] were a man, I'd" began
Jane positively
You don't have to be a man to get
government land" replied the MA n
from Omaha" Then he told her all
about the Dakota reservation openings
and how To- get claim there
An idaa was born then. II grew and
developed II called for Jane with a
promised reward which far exceeded
something worth lighting for. planning
for something substantial and real-land.
her land her hcme. her future.
Nights wee scent i'm discussing the
Idea with mother. for hours they bent
their heads over maps and glowing de-
scriptlons or the new country. She
drew nearer the idea when she again
spent her vacation In the west: this time
Il meant n trip To Aberdeen. South Da-
kota where she became one OF hun
dred thousand applicants for government
land.
Again there was disappointment ana
hope was almost shattered. for there
were 20 applicants for every winning
ticket To he drawn In the government =
land lottery. Tho Journey back 90 the
"old country" was bcclouded with tho
fear of disappointment.
Then one gay the sunshine all came
back. She had won. All winter long
she lived two liyes--the school teacher
and the -farmer-in the same per-
The next summer followed and then
the packing and the leave takings Of old
friends ard ola customs They started
for the ntg country high in hope. and
with . ycN. necetFarN household furnish
ings. plain. wstr1 clothes. and bare
handful Of nionr., representing the say
ings ot a t0-year toll on the school ros-
trum
On the night % Oct 81 they arrived
in Aberdeen and early next morning Jane
.oined the line of applicants at the land
office, each latent upon getting an carly
choice Of land. and along in the after
noon she selected her farm" She pick
ed out q. claim next TO one chosen By the
man IN the line before her. lie looked
like farmer an Jane construed this 90
be n valuable asset FOR herself: she
would have sore one TO 10 TO Tor
ADVICE.
Hastily tripping down the steps with
radiant face and dancing eyes. Jane
didn't even see the span W mules until
sudden whoa" prevented the pridcs
OF Missouri from being run over bv the
thouchtless young woman.
Excuse my driving lady. well. II u
ain what in the world are YOU doiup
hcre?" And the "Mar from Omaha
| jumped from. tho wagon scat
Exultantly waving hcr papers" lane
exclaimed I'm farming. or going 90.
mean"
And am on the way over now, rv'