Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-04-22
KENsErr CENTER OF ONE OF
sEsr.IMPRovEo COMMUNITIES
IN ENTIRE STATE. ;
EARLY.pAY RIVALRY AMONG
BUILDERS or GOOD RESIDENCES
Old. Timer Recalls an EARLY. Day sliz-
zard That Buried Buildings From
sisht-siIIiard Hall on Farm as
Means Of Keeping Hired Man Salts.
fied-WiIson's Rural Observations.
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times-Republican.
Kensett, April 22.-This town is the
center of one Of the finest improved
portions Of northern Iowa so far, at
least, as houses and barns are con-
cerned. 1t is told that twelve to fifteen
years ago a wave of rivalry among the
Norwegian landowners of this section
swept over the country and neighbor
strove to Guido neighbor in building
dwellings and other outbuildings until
it was nothing uncommon to find
splendid residences with many large
rooms, finished in oak and other ex-
pensive material and other farm struc
lures put up on the same grand scale.
One of these houses cost $4,000 and
could hardly be duplicated at the pres
ent time for twice that sum. One by
one the owners of these places have
sold out, rented to their children or
died, until at this time few of those
who did all this are still living in these
fine homes. One man estimates that
one farm in every nine or ten in the
whole community has changed hands
within the last twelve morths at prices
ranging from 500 to $3.50 per acre.
where a year before the same kinds
were sold at from $50 to $l10. The man
who built the $4,000 house mentioned
above, told of the time when things
were different. How one December day
about forty years ago, when nearly all
the horses were sick with "epizootic"
and he gathered up q lot Of his neigh
bors' oxen to put on the horsepower
to do his threshing, the last job as is
so often the case with the owner of
the machine. How that just before
the time appointed to begin a three
days snowstorm and blizzard began
and people stretched ropes from house
to stable so that they might go to care
for their stock with a reasonable pros
pect of success in finding the house
when they wished to return. How
good many human beings and great
many more horses and cattle persisted
from the cold and storm. and how the
speaker a few days later actually drove
over a neighbours hay stack and stable
without knowing until afterWard that
those objects were beneath his track.
Talk about big storms and severe
winters!
Mr.. Henry Fisher. Il well known
farmer near Kensett, has adopted a
plan in the floor construction of a fine
hog house that he built recently and
is we'll satisfied with results. Instead
Of planking or cementing the floor he
covered the ground inside the structure
with woven wire. the kind that is used
a good deal I'M these days in making
cribs, and then put little dirt on the
top and the earth floor remains as
smooth and level as 1t was before any
of the inmates of the building discov-
cred the presence of something that
prevented the usual occurrence when
hog gets to exercising it's roofing ap-
paratus in a place where roofing should
not be done.
Whether he did it for his own
amusement or in order to keep tho
hired man at home was not apparent
and no questions were asked but the
door of building that had probably
been built for machine shed was
wide open and the interior furnishings
were plainly visible from where the
visitor stood. The place was on farm
several miles from town and the fur
niture" of the building included reg
ulation pool table, balls, cues, racks,
and all.
If the designer of the new scent
coin had been present when a boy sold
a paper the other day in Kensett he
might have lost faith in the result of
his effort. Two men were standing
on a sidewalk when an urchin ap-
preached with his sack of weeklies.
One Of the men who had the new
nickle said to the other, Now see that
boy refuse to accept my money as
genuine" The lad handed out the pa
per and received the price. He in
spected the coin a moment and then
remarked, You can't put any tin
money off on me. Give me a good
nickle or else hand back that paper"
Young Arthur, son of Mr.. and Mrs.
NJ Parker, of Manly, has made re-
markable record In the way Of attend
ance and punctuality at school. In the
past seven years the lad has never been
either absent from a school session or
tardy in reaching his desk. Six years
of this period have been spent at a rural
off until few are left but the old man
on the farm lives on and enjoys life.
Maybe he would have lived to the
school about mile from his home
and the last year at the town school
of Plymouth, five miles distant.
Some distance from here there lives
an old man who has retired" but not
to town. His trips there are frequent
but he always walks and generally
carries an egg basket on his arm. He
is hale old fellaw and seems to be
always in motion. A number of his
old time neighbors have also dropped
the serious responsibilities of life and
moved to town. One by one they drop