Abilene weekly reflector., 1922-07-20
I4AAsaAAAAAAAAA' y
LAND HUNdER-AND LOVE.
BY Victor Murdock.


Victor Murdock wrote the follow
ing letter to the magazine about 4
His letter is printed by the Reflet
tor thru the courtesy Of Harpers.
Bearing upon Mr.. Arthur Ruhl'
views Of the inspiration Of the home
steader, which I have read with In
terest and sympathy In the Jul.
Ezarper's Magazine, and those OF MI
Veblen, with which II quoted accur
atty, am not In accord, let me tel
you story which will be vehicle
for my view.
In September, 1898, the Cherokee
strip. now part Of Oklahoma
writhed like a long yellow snake, IN
a welter Of dust. Tens Of thousands
of land-hungry pioneers on a GER
tain noon plunged through the arid
fog. and as figures moving darkly
In many directions painted a dull
picture of disorder, and as they
came to rest, as all of them did by
sunset, seemed to spell a certain or
der. Indeed they did spell just that.
John Falker, bearded farmer
from Indiana, had staked out a
farm In a shallow swale. Beyond
him Elizabeth Gordon, also from In
diana, had claimed rolling farm
with Outcr0ppings Of gypsum and
beyond her near a tree-lined creek,
without water, Ivan Dubosk, ma
turalized Russian was in possession
of patch Of prairie grass.
The two men and the woman
went to bed that night In their
covered wagons with peace which
II not beyond understanding. is very
close to it. They had satisfied a
vast hunger-the land hunger-a
primal, prOdigiOus passion.
Falker, before he turned In, walk
ed over to the woman and asked her
IL she were afraid. She said she
was not, but with hesitation. He
reassured her and went away. A
little later Dubosk, blond and blue |
eyed, came across the prairie and |
asked her the same question. She
answered quickly and confidently |
that she was not He went away
reluctantly.
In the months which followed,
the relation Of these three home
steaders emphasized the hunger
which consumed them. The condi-
ti0ns which were put upon the sat
isfaction Of their appetite were
heart-breaking. Each had set out
to develop a farm virtually without
anything except the land. But the
possession Of the land outweighed
every hardship-outweighe water
which gagged them, poor and insult
ficient food, exposure, sickness and
everything. 1t was evident in the
course Of a year to the new neigh
borhoOd which exercised that terri
BILE. but salutary surveillance. which
rural neighbors do, that Falker and
Dubosk were rivals for Elizabeth.
1t was generally known that Falker
was not greatly smitten, but was
completely confident; that Dubosk ,
was madly In love, and that Eliza.
beth was curiously confused.
One day Dub0sk, breaking the
prairie sod under a blistering sun.
suddenly threw himself into the
cool black rurrow and screamed, {
once, twice, arose and ran across
his farm, his eyes distended, his
head thrown back, his mouth agape. q
Elizabeth saw him and placed her 9
self in his way. When he came to I
her, he fell at her feet and sObbed. {
She strOked his head as she held it J
In her lap.
1T Is Russia" he told her. 1T is Y
inconsistencies. was city born
Moscow. 1t is homesickness---do :
y0u understand"
She did understand. Their meet
ing was seen by Falker and that !,
evening he came over and asked ,
her about 1t.
att was homesickness," she said.
Falker grunted. He did not un- :
derstand.
The next evening Dubosk called !,
upon Elizabeth. He remained late,
that is until nine o'clock, was re- :,
served, diffident and having de- =
parted, came back again, and taking !,
Elizabeth's hands cried: II love !
you"
E0bbing she fell into his arms, y
released herself and So :
berly enough: +
you have your answer. You T
knew anyway. Now you must go II
--and you must never come again. Y
DON'T you understand? Quick. Go n
away" 4
Dubosk, after feeble protestation, q
did go away. \
From this time onward, Eliza t
beth failed In health. FGlker called d
with greater frequency and the Il
bride he led later to the alter, a pro-
bate judges office at the, county a
seat, was. erail nervous little
woman who was known to the
as Ealing" and not
one who could do much with the
gypsum farm.
A year or two after this marriage,
Falker died-typhoid. Elizabeth
saw Dubosk at the funeral. From /.
that day her health crept back to
her. She had been young, whole
some, pretty. She became so once
more. She held Dubosk off with
rigorous convention for a year-to !
n day-then they were married.
In the yellow sunset that fell like !,
a benediction upon their souls, she
asked across the veranda from which !,
they viewed the evidence Of their
Iand poverty-4S0 acres:
thn MI 4 | ~