The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1921-11-02

have been the most enthusiastic cit
ixcn OF Gopher Prairie. She was
relieved to be assured that she DID
not want bookish conversation
alone. that she did not expect the
town to become a Bohemia
She was content now. She did
not crtticixcs
But In September. when the year
was at iss richest custom dictated
that Il was time to return 20 town;
TO remove the children from the
waste occupation Of learning he
earth. and send them back to lea.
sons about the number of potatoes
which On = delightful world un.
troubled by oommission-houscs or
shortages In fretxht.cars, william
sold 10 John. The women who had
cheerfuliy gone bathing all summer
looked doubtful when Carol begged.
Lets keep up an outdoor life this
winter; let's slide and skate" Their
hearts shut again TN spring. and
the nine months OF ciiaues and ra-
diasors and dainty refreshments be-
gan all over.
III
Carol had started = salon.
Since Kcnnicott. Vida Shcrwin.
and Guy Pollock were her only
lions. and since Kennioott would
have preferred sam Clark to all the
poets and radicals In the entire
world. her private and seis-dcfensivc
clique did not get beyond one even
Ing dinner for vida and Guy. on
her first wedding anniversary: and
thar dinner did not set beyond a
controversy regarding Raymie
Wutherspoon's yearningN.
Guy Pollock was the gcnt1est per.
son she had found here. He spoke
Of her new Jade and cream frock
naturally. not iocosely: he held her
chair for her ~ they sat down to
dinner. and he did not. like Kenni-
colt. interrupt her TO shout. '-oh.
say. speaking Of that ! heard =
good story today Hut Guy was
lncurably hermit. He at late and
talked hard. and did not come
again
Then she mt Champ Perry In the
postoff1ce--and decided that IN the
history II the psoneers was the pan
acea for Gopher Prairie. for an Of
America We have lost their rturii-
ness. she told herself. We must
restore the last Of the veterans 70
power and follow them on the back
ward path 70 the integrity Of Lin
coin. to the gnicsy Of settlers dane
tns In = sawmiiI.
She read In tho records Of the
Minnesota Territorial Pioneers that
only 90 years ago. not 20 oar back
~ the birth of her own fASher. four
cabins had epmpcsed Gopher Prak
ria The log stocksds which MA
Champ Perm was = find when she
tzckked In was buft afterwnrd By
the soldiers - = defense against
the Sioux The four nbins were
Inhabited By Maine Yankees Who
had come up The Nim1wippi 70 81
Paul and driven north over virgin
prnfrie into vfrwin woed& Thsy
ground their own corn: IL man,
folks shot ducks ana pigsons and
| prairie chickenE the new brenlrings
yielded the turnip- ike rutAhaxas.
which they ate rAw ana boiled and
baked and raw again For treat
they had Wild pfuEus and crab
apples and tiny Wild strawberries
Crasshoppern came darkening the
sky. and IN an hour ate the farm.
wtfe's garden and The fnrmer's cona-
Precious horses. painfully brought
from Illinois. were drowned in boxr
or stampcded by the fear OF blix-
yards. Snow blew thru the chinks
Of ncw.made cabins. and Eastern
children. with 1owery muslin
drcsssA shivered an winter ana 10
summer were red and black with
mosquifo bites Indians were every
where; they campsd In docryards.
staiked into kitchens to demand
doughnuts. came with rffles ACROSS
their backs into schcothcuseo ana
begged to zee the pictures IN the
geographical Packs Of timber
wolves treed the children: and the
settlers found dens OF ratticsnakes,
killed nifty. hundred. in . day.
let IL was . buoyant life. Carol
read enviously in the admirable
Minnesota chronicles called .oid
Rail Fence Corners" the reminis-
cence Of Mrs Mahion Black. who
settled In Saltwater IN 1915:
There was nothing TO parade
over In those days. We took II a.
Il came and had happy lives. !.