Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1916-11-09

packing it.
Though that spring in Bismarck
found me with burning ambition to
break away from my career as hired
man, other doors were closed tight
and there vas nothing else to do.
About the end of Mny found my
self again engaged by big land COM
pany to help put new farm property
into shape" didn't know then what
this meant, but ! had plenty of infor-
nation coming to me on that score.
II sounded interesting--and it certain
y was
About the middle of June / began to
understand something of what the
name Biz Muddy meant as applied to
the river on or in which the main part
of this farm was located The water
apparently went down-but it really
remained for an ooZy mile or more on
each side Of the main channel, max
inr the most extensive and perfect
breeding for mosquitoes have ever
seen. The hot sun not only made this
hatchery work at full capacity but it
also brought out the fiercest varieties
of swamp flies that have ever tasted
blood.
These, however, were not all the
tortures bred by the fierce sun and the
shiny stream. The stencil that went
up from the dead fish stranded by the
overflow was sickening. That smell
certainly did help lot in keeping
down the nigh cost OF living at our
table. The bad water we were obliged
to use did the rest Why we were
no; all sick is more than can under
stand.
BY the middle of August the steady
hot weather had dried out most of the
swamp land until ii appeared to be
solid. 1t was covered with dense
growth of long grass, with teeth on
it that would cut the hide of goat;
but it looked fine from distance.
There were scvcra! little things
that came up which | couldn't under.
stand. One was the fact that, after
all the torturcs we had gone through
from mosquitoes and flies while work.
ing in the swamp, the farmer had us
pour several barrels of crude oil or
the wcttest places of the bottoms
Another mystery was why he persist
ed il letting his wheat stand after il
was ready to cut But / got my an
swer, all right, when Il special trair
brought the big guns o. the land com
rany with a whole outfit of eastern
farmers. This was the first run o,
suckers, and everything was set
There was the golden grain wavin,
on the hillside; the stretch of ricl
bottom land. black and fresh from tn,
pow: and the even strip of green alon:
tie edge Of tho river, where we hat
left border of grass roots that nat
just started to sprout
I'd been as green as that grass; bu
| saw in jiffy where l was going t,
get my pay for the work ! had beef
hired to do, and little something TO
the fierce days in the swamp that ha,
been forced on me. Generally ham
on place where there are lots of mel
hits it off with one particular man an,
they rather pull together. Well,
had a partner of this sort; and w
called the head man Of the land com
pany aside and told him how we ha
BEEN stang, and that if he didn't di,
up our regular wages of two dollars
day and fifty dollars to cover the extr
wor: which had been dumped on us
and do it quick--we would carefull
explain TO the assembled landseeker
a%act'y nov the thing had been stage
for them. You bet we got our none
right on the spot.
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