Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1919-03-20
CHAPTER v,-continued.

CHAPTER Continued.
One day in December Of that year,
I had my first trial in the full respon-
slbility of mans work. was allowed
to load and harness and hitch up and
go to the mill without assistance. My
uncle and Purvis, our hired man, were
busy with the chopping and we were
out of flour and meal. It took lot
of them to keep the axes going. So
I filed two sacks with corn and two
with wheat and put them into the
box wagon. for the ground was bare,
and hitched up my horses and set out.
I reached the mill safely and be-
fore the grain was ground the earth
and the sky above were white with
snow driving down in q cold, stiff
wind out of the northwest. loaded
my grists and covered them with a
blanket and hurried away. The snow
came sh fast that it almost blinded
me. There were times when I could
scarcely see the road or the horses.
The wind came colder and soon it
was hard work to hold the reins and
keep my hands from freezing.
Suddenly the wheels began Jumping
over rocks. The horses were in the
ditch. knew what was the matter,
fot my eyes Ind been filling with snow
and had had to brush them often. OF
course tho team lad suffered in like
manner. Before I could stop heard
the crack Of felly and a front wheel
dropped to its hub. I checked the
horses and jumped out and went to
tl,eir heads and cleared their eyes. The
saow was up to my knees then. L..
How the thought Of that broken
Wheel smote me-! It was our only
heavy wagon, and we having to pay
tile moY, gage! What would my uncle
aay? The query brought tears to my
eyes.
unhitched and led my horses up
ahtO the cover Of the pines. How CRATE
3ul 1t seemed, for the wind was slack
below but bowling In the treetops!
anew that was four mics from home
and knew not how I was to get there.
Chilled to the bone, ] gathered some
pitch pine and soon had fire going
With my flint and finder. I.knew that
I could mount one of the horses and
lead the other and reach home prob
ally. Rut there was the grist. We
needed that; I knew that we should
have to 60 hungry without the grist.
1t would get wet from above and be-
dow II tried to carry 1t on the back
OF horse. I warmed myself by the
tire and hitched my team near 1t so as
to thaw the frost out of their forelocks
and eyebrows. felt in my coat pock-
cts and found handful of nails
everybody carried nails in one pocket
III those days-and ! remember that
my uncle's pockets were a museum Of
bolts and nuts and screws and wash
ers.
The idea occurred to me that I would
make kind of sled which was called
jumper. -
So I got my az out of the wagon
IRA soon found couple of small trees
nth the right crook for the forward
md Of runner, and cut them and
hewed their bottoms as smoothly as
Z could. Then I made notches in them
near the top Of their crooks and fitted
4 stout stick into the notches and Sc
cured it with nails driven by the AK
head. Thus I got hold for my evener.
That done. chopped and hewed an
arch to cross the middle Of the rum
oers and hold them apart and used
all my nails to secure and brace 1t.
I got the two boards which were fas-
tened together and constituted my
wagon seat and laid them over the
arch and front brace. How to make
them fast was my worst problem.
succeeded in splitting a green stick
10 hold the bolt of the evener just un-
Ter its head while heated its lower
md in the fire and kept its head cool
with snow. With this I burnt a hole
n the end Of each board and fastened
tnoosewood.
It was late in the day and there was
40 time for the slow process of burn
1ng mefe holes, 80 notched the other
ends Of tie boards and dashed them to
the rear brace with. a length Of my
seins. Then retempered my bolt and
brought Up the grist and chain and
fastened the latter between the boards
n the middle Of the front brace,
bitched my team to the chain and set
mt again, sitting on the bags.
It was pitch dark and the horses
aiding to their bellies end the snow
NlD6 lAstoe Whan We turned into