The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1925-10-02
CHAPTER "

The morning was another gorgeous
burst of sunshine. The girls where
early about AS l came up from the
stream where | had washed, / met
Jean going down, wearing a blanket,
Indian fashion. for lack of a bath
robe. A week on dusty trail had
made the presence of snow water, as
deep as one wanted it, peculiar
luxury.
Gee, but it's good to be alive" she
exclaimed, swinging her arms. to the
peril of her costume. Does one al
ways feel like this on the prairies?"
always mildly intoxicated. so Jake
says, but those are not his words
That's why westerners are more OPP
timistic-and more reckless-than
fasteners. Always an atmosphere
jag under their belts"
Here's TO jake" she cried. "Have
one with mel" as she took great
chestful of fresh air. "See you at
breakfast-if I'm sober enough -
That day, and those that followed,
were busy, busy days. The oxen were
journey, and we decided to let them
rest, but Jack and took no holiday.
! was determined that on the very
first day / would plant some crop on
my farm, so started at once TO spade
UP land for a garden. By mid-after-
noon i had spaded quite sizable gar
den plot. Then l broke the clods
as best I could and planted few
rows of potatoes. The following day
i continued my digging, and that eve
ming, with assistance from Jean and
Marjorie, planted onions, carrots,
beets, lettuce and radish.-
We agreed that by the third day
the oxen should be ready for the
road again. and Jack was away soon
after sunrise of the bright spring
morning. He took the trail for the
railway station some thirty miles to
the south, and the sound of his wagon
rumbling over the soft earth came
floating back on the breeze as a sort
of accompaniment to the bellicose
voice which Jack affected when he
was ox-driving.
My next effort was the digging of
q cellar The location Of our shack
had to be decided upon, and for this ]
called Marjorie and Jean into council.
We agreed that 1t should be close to
one brow of the ravine, and that Jack
should build his close to the other
so that each would command an un-
broken view of his neighbor. Perhaps
even then we had some premonitiop
of the specter of loneliness creeping
down upon us through the night mists
of the summer or the snow-wraiths OF
the blizzard, and already we were
planning our lines of defense.
How many rooms will there be?'
asked Jean. "Let me see-receptior
room, living room. parlor, dining room
you must at least have that"
''We SHALL" / said, "and one door
will lead into them ALL A room Is
anything you call it. We can change
the name as we change the purpose
One moment 1t is kitchen. the next
living room, and so on"
"Draw a plan of It," said Marjorie
turning up the planed side of a board
So sat down and drew a plan, while
the girls watched over my shoulders
with as much intentness as though !
were an architect designing a palace
1.-The house will be one story" j
explained, "and long, and narrow. be-
cause that is the simplest as well as
the cheapest way to build II, and we
are to be our own carpenters. The
walls will be of shiplap, covered with
matched siding, with tar paper between
The roof will be Of two thicknesses
of boards bent to gentle oval over
stout ridge-pole. and again with tar
paper between. You have no idea
how much the West owes to tar pa
per. Wherever the new settler goes
goes tar paper. would almost saw
/ continued, warming up to my sub
ject. "that II flag is ever needed
for these western prairies 1t should
be banner of tar paper. nailed be-
tween two laths. oh, say, does the
tar paper banner still wave ?'-you see
1t has possibilities"
"Buf isn't 1t awfully smelly stuff? p
said Jean, who had a strain of delicacy
in her that at times confiicted with
her surroundings.
"Ah. that is one of it's chief virtues.
You may not know yet, but you will
learn-at least. so Jake assured me
that population is not nearly so scarce
on the prairies as it seems. He says
that the inmates of one of these little
bachelor shacks in many cases number
literally millions. Millions. Well
they don't like tar paper. Blessed be
tar paper !"
scratched the outline of the shack
In the sod with my shovel and began
digging cellar In the center Of the