The daily times., 1921-12-03

have never seen a prairie fire you
cannot appreciate my situation. The
tent. the cook car, the oil supply.
Ipath of the fire. | was all alone
lfacing prairie fire and no means
,of fighting it.
But on our prairie lands women
IIearn to think quickly and to hitch
lup their thoughts to instant action.
In less than minute-one plans
Quickly in the face of a terrific fire
IL rolled the oil barrels into the
little slough and began to back fire.
IL worked like a fighting Trojan.
lighting matches. setting the back
fire carefully, slapping it out with
a wet burlap sack when it threaten
ed TO get the best of me-my face
streaked with soot-my hands red
and fiercer roared the flames. and
dashed rapidly back and forth. guild
ling. directing, fighting, until the fire
was conquered-the oil was safe.
by the side of the cook car-the burn
ed stubble still smoking ominously
Inear me: but the flames were sub
Idued.
! The work of that first year pro-
eressed in spite of many difficulties.
We succeeded in turning over 24O
acres, and. although an early frost
touched US and my flax was never
cut after all. l was not discouraged
That was the chance of farming
had taken it and l was not going to
be cast down because it had not gone
! in my favor My fall work went right
along in spite of difficulty of obtain
ing labor The men who would work
on a farm in those strenuous days
were not what one could call depend
able. We had much I. w. w. labor
and they objected not only to any
form of work, but to being "bossed
by skirt as they put it,
] But the neighbors were friendly
and dependable and turned out often
to help me in a pinch. Machines We're
hard to get, but l furnished the en-
gine, secured a small separator, and
| put in eleven days at threshing.
ran the threshing machine myself!
| When / came back the following
spring there were plenty Of farmers
about who were quite ready to tell
me that farming could not be done
by tractor power, which was compar-
atively new in that, region at that
time. But l proceeded to do all my
work with tractor power--plowing
narrowing. seeding and cutting. And
/ was the first one in the neighbor-
hood who had finished with the seed
ing, and later with the cutting. be
cause | could put in longer hours
with the engine and get far more
work done.
| broke up 160 acres more land
that spring and put down well 316
feet deep. 1t cost me $1,000, that
well. You might think of that when
you drink your next glass of water
that you fancy is free. Water comes
high out in this country. you see.
But good we'll is the most necessary
thing on a farm, and l secured that
right at the start. 1 built a. good
machine shed and barn. chicken
house, etc, and painted them all
sod steel gray. Machine sheds were
not common in that part of the coun-
i
paint, my farm came to be easily
found-just description of ma
chine shed painted gray would en-
able seeker to find the way
SO year after year l have been
right on the job. 1 have done things
that they said could not be done |
Sometimes help was impossible to |
get. but I learned how to manage my
own machinery. and many a day saw
me out in the field running the tract
tor and putting in my own crops. 1!
had my little nephew. a lad of ten,
for help, and we lived quietly and |
peacefully with days full of hard, |
wholesome work and long, long
nights of sweet sleep. Month after |
month I worked out by own saliva ton |
on that farm. 1 wrestled with that |
land almost as Jacob wrestled with |
the angels, for l was determined not |
to let go until I had conquered the /
soil
The third year 1 began to accumu-i
late live stock. I got tired Of driv-l
ing three miles to neighbor to get |
milk. and adopted cow. 1 also rais-I
ed chickens, turkeys, ducks, pigs and !;