The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1921-03-02
BREAKING HOME TIES

When old Uncle jim Peters was young he
worked a farm in Illinois for $40 month and
board and washing. He was nightly good hand, |
one of those who could be trusted to look after |
thlDgs when the boss was away. That's the rea-
son he got $40 month when others not so trust |
worthy got $18. il invoked and saved his money.
lie got a suit of $40 or S12 clothes once a wear
aid never paid more than $3.50 for pair of 'fne |
boo.s.' BY the way in passing it might be men
G. g. IT good pair of cline boots" used only
u. 800 ccasions "1asted man. several years
So jim s.Eed most of his wages. He picked up
good team by buying pair of colts and pastur-
ing them cheaply harness and wagon and then
married Sarah May Smith, Old Bill Smiths
daughter, down near Prairieville. Bill gave her
4 cow They rented piece of land and had pref
ty good luck the first three years. Then jim hack
ed out set of hickory bows for the wagon box
they stretched factory" covering over the bows
loaded few things In along with the yOunguns
and started for the Gallatin farm Jim had bought
for S14.50 a acre "a little down and plenty of
time on deferred payments. 1t was raw land,
except that forty had been plowed. They built
mighty cheap house on it and a stable which
was covered with straw, and went to farming
Tor themselves on their own place. 1t was tough
shedding. Times got hard. Sometimes the irri-
walton bitches burst through and jim didn't have
water when he needed it. Sometimes when the
crops were good they weren't worth much of any
thing. Sometimes the snow came on the wheat
the cow always had calves and calves grew and
did their duty also, and the pigs fattened and lit
! tie by little they paid for the place and manag-
ed to keep clothes on the children. Winters were
! hard, too, but they banked" up the cabin with
straw when it needed it and somehow they made
it. Then came squirt Of good times, then a
little legacy from Old Bill Smiths estate" and
things were easier after that. So it went getting
| better and better, until he became Uncle Jim and
she Aunt Sarah to growing and prospecting coun-
tryside. The oldest girl married young store
keeper and the oldest boy Studied medicine"
In the First National and his youngest boy work
ed in the bank" They were getting old but hap
PLY. A mighty contented pair of elderly folks
i, were Uncle jim and Aunt SADIE. The new house
was modern, ought to be, it cost 5000 to build the
barns and granaries were big and good fat stock
fat cattle, snowy-fleeced ewes and plump rollick-
ing lambs stocked the pastures Uncl elm listened
= to the boys in town and bought an automobile
learned to drive it, and was very smugly con.
/, tented man.
t Then it happened. The son of one of those Hi
e nOis farmers who, forty odd years ago, was GER
f tain that Montana land would never amount tt
Y much, came seeking Uncle Jims ranch 1t wa
l. a cOrklng good ranch, well improved and had beer
: kept up, with clover and manure and a rotation
: OF crops. And there were pastures on it tina
! were real producers, and stock that showed il
e He simply raised Old Uncle Jim out, scared hin
r by the price offered. Jim didn't actually want t
n sell, but he couldn't resist the profit betwee
$1450 and $3.50. Then, too, the boys said it was
big price and he ought to cash in. So Old Uncl
Jim and Aunt SADIE, swept off their feet by tn
tidal wave of big money, signed the papers an
Or got the draft.
in Now there is a, big tree in the pasture of tn
Id back forty that Jim had planted for shade shor
he ly after he to the ranch. 1t is big and ia
Sc and settled in its spot. Nobody ever thought
s. transplanting that big tree to a lawn in town
;" to side street in the village. They knew
couldn't be DONE that its root ran for rods in ever
direction and that it would wither and die
tn they were torn from the soil that nourished
g. and that it loved.
%. That is what happened to Uncle Jim and Am
ut SADIE. They have been transplanted and they al
e. are whitening. Uncle jim walks down town an
lie wanders around. Everybody is busy except hir
al He goes home to the lunch that used to be dinn
of on the farm, eats too much and wonders WI
n he feels so mean and meachin.'" About Il
at only thing he finds to do is to play solo at Il
lr- club, and one can't do that all the time Au
It's SADIE goes to church three times on Sunday. vi
sr- its with the neighbors and spends good de
ed of time with 'the girls" Picture shows? o
20 yes, but they get blamed sick of picture show
er They both are uneasy and restless and tired
ny nothing. Like not pretty soon they'll ha
ar old jim down to the hospital and cut somethil