The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1921-01-27

attributed the change to improved ag
ricultural Implements, to improved
methods Of farming, to greater knowI-
edge of prairie conditions. TO reduc-
tons in the cost Of transportation and
enlarged facilities for marketing. or to
increasing world demand and higher
world prices for the product Of the
farm. But whatever the causes-and
no doubt all of the above contributed
the fact gradually dawned upon the
settlers that land-their land-was
. worth money.
It was the farmers from the United
States, scouting for cheaper lands than
were available In their own commune
ties. who first drove the conviction
home. They came with money in their
wallets: they were actually prepared
to exchange real money for land.
Such thing had never before been
heard of in Plainville district.
But a few transactions took place :;
lands were sold at five dollars, six dol
lars. eight dollars an acre The farm
ers began to realize that land repre-
scented wealth-that it was an asset.
not liabiIity-and there was a rush
for the cheap railway lands that had
so long gone a-begging Harris was
among the first TO sense the change in
the times, and a beautiful section of
railway land that lay next TO his
homestead he bought at four dollars
an acre. The first crop more than
paid for the land. and Harris sudden
~ found himself on the way to riches.
The joy that came with the realiza-
ton that fortune had knocked at his
door and he had heard was the con-
trolling emotion of his heart for a
year or more. But gradually. like 8
fog blown across a moonlit night. came
a sense of chill and disappointment.
If only he had bought two sections! If
at least he had. proved up on his pre-
emption, which he might have had for
nothing He saw neighbOrs about him
adding quarter to quarter. None of
them had done better than himself
but some had done as wei. And in
some way the old sense of oneness,
the old community interest which had
held the little band of pioneers to-
gether amid their privatiOns and their
poverty, began to weaken and dis
solve, and in its place came an indi-
vidualism and a materialism that
measured progress only in dollars and
cents. Harris did not know that his
gods had fallen. that his ideals had
been swept away; even as he sat at
supper this summer evening, with his
daughters arm about his neck, he felt
that he was still bravely, persistently.
pressing on toward the goal, all IN
aware that years ago he had left that
goal like a lighthouse on a rocky
shore, and was now sweeping along
with the turbulent tide of MammOn-
ism. He still saw the light ahead, but
it was now a phantom of the imagina-
ton. He said. when am worth ten
thousand I will have reached it ~
when he was worth ten thousand he
found the faithless light had moved
on to twenty-five thousand. He said.
''When I am worth twenty-five thou
sand I will have reached it ;" when he
was worth twenty-five thousand he
saw the glow still ahead, reckoning
him on to fifty thousand. To stop
now might mean losing sight of his
goal, and John Harris held nothing in
heaven or earth so great as its attain
ment.
So, gently enough, he disengaged his
daughters arm and finished his sup
per in silence. AS soon as 1t was
ended the men started for the barn,
and in q few minutes two wagons rat
tied noisily down the trail.
Beulah- helped with the supper dish
es, and then came out with the milk
pals to the corral where the cows,
putting and chewing, cOmplacently
awaited her arrival. But she had not
reached the gate when the hired man
was at her side and had slipped one
of the pals from her arm.
'sNOw, Jim, don't think that's fair
at ALL" she said; and there was a
treInOr in her voice that vexed her
'eHere you're shaving all day with coal
and water, and think that's enough
without milking COWS at night"
But Jim only smiled and stirred Z
COW into position.
There was a tuneful song of the tin
pals as the white streams ratified on
| their bottoms.