Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1926-02-25

that population Is not nearly 50 scarce
on the prairies .as II seems. He says
Chat 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 paperwN
scratched the outline of the shack
In the sod with my shovel and began
digging a cellar In the center of the
little plot For depth of nearly two
feet dug through a brownishAblack
loan that turned easily and threw
clean from the shovel. Then / struck
sticky. yellow clay. and the going
was much slower. But by the time
we heard Jacks hoarse voice and his
tired oxen clicking their hoofs. up
the trail on the evening of the Sec
ond day / had succeeded In making
a hole which we agreed to call cellar.
Next day we set about our build.
Ing In earnest There were no union
hours with us. We worked from early
morning until after sunset. and laid
down our tools at last with affection
ate reluctance. We were stiff and
sore In every joint and muscle; our
hands were calloused and our finger
nails were battered with misdirected.
energy. but our hearts were with the
gods. relate only absolute truth
in saving that wien our shack was
finished we moved into it with sense
~ fchp
no king ever knew amid the luxury Of
his palaces
AS soon as our first building was
finished we started a similar one for
Jack and Jean. Then we built little
stable down in the gully for the oxen.
the cow, the pig, and<the hens; we i'm
proved the crossing Of the stream we
dug well; we plowed small area
on each farm and planted it to oats.
and then we went on blowing for next
seasons crop: We bought moving
machine and rake-on credit-and cut
an ample supply of wild prairie hay
for our winter needs. We had decided
that, as fall came on. Jack and L with
the yoke of oxen. should make a pill
grimage into the more settled districts
with a view to getting work with some
farmer. and so replenishing our re
sources.
It was hot day in the middle of
July when. up the trail from the south
Sspeck grew out of the distance.
Traffic did not often come our way,
and Jack and I both stopped work in
the field to study it's approach and to
conjecture as to whom or what it might
be. AS we watched. the figure took the
form of horse and rider of heroic
size charging down upon US literally
out Of the heavens. AS 1t approached
the mirage lost its Illusion and horse
and rider came back to earth. By this
time we were sure that the CLINT of
color which had seemed to dance
vaguely about the figure had basis in
fact; there was no longer doubt that
an atom of scarlet was approaching
along the trail.
Leaving the oxen to their midday
meditatiOns we walked over to my
shack, where Jean had already joined
Marjorie. 1t could now be seen that
the figure was approaching at rapid
gait, and its outline, no longer blurred
by the sfimmering of the mirage.
stood out sharp and clean against the
distance. 1t was mounted policeman.
AS he drew up beside US / had
sense of being in the presence of phys
ical perfection. His horse, although
wet over the TANKS, showed little sign
of fatigue; the dust of travel chung to
the riders sunburned. face, but the
smartness of his bearing and uniform