The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1931-05-08

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swell, the border at last, and it was
like a Fourth of July celebration on
Judgment day. The militia was lined
up at the boundary. No one was al
lowed to set foot on the new land until
noon next day, at the firing of the
guns. Two millions acres of land were
to be given away for the grabbing.
Noon was the time. They all knew 1t
by heart. April %, at noon. 1t takes
generations Of people hundreds Of
years to settle new land. This was
going to be made livable territory over
night-was made-1ike a miracle out
of the Old Testament. Compared to
this. the Loaves and the Fishes and
the parting of the Red sea were moth
ing-mere tricks"
Pausing only moment at the side
board to toss off three fingers of Span
ish brandy, like burning liquid amber,
Yancey patted his lips with his fine
linen handkerchief. "rve tasted moth
ing like that in a month, can tell
you. Raw corn whisky fit to tear your
throat out. And as for the water |!
Red mud. There wasn't drink of
water to be had in the town after the
first twenty-four hours. There we
were, thousands and thousands Of us,
milling around the border like cattle,
with the burning sun baking us all
day, nowhere to go for shade, and the
thick red dust clogging eyes and nose
and mouth. No place to wash. no
place to Sleep nothing to eat Queer
enough, they didn't seem to mind.
Didn't seem to notice. They were
feeding on a kind of. crazy excitement,
and there was a wild light in their
eyes. If you had bit of food you
divided it with some one. I finally got
a cup of water for a dollar, after
standing in line for three hours, and
then woman just behind me-"
"a woman" Cousin Arminta Green
wood (of the Georgia Greenwoods).
And Sabra Cravat echoed the words in
shocked whisper.
"You wouldn't believe, would you,
that women would 60 1t alone in a
fracas like that. But they did. They
were there with their husbands some
of them, but there were women who
made the Run alone"
what kind Of women?" Felice Ven
ables' tone was not one Of inquiry but
of condemnation.
Women with iron in 'em. Women
who wanted land and home. Pioneer
women"
From Aunt Cassandra Venable's end
of the table there came a word that
sounded like. "Hussies!"
Yancey Cravat caught the word be-
meath his teeth and spat it back.
"Hussies, heb! The one behind me in
the line was a woman Of forty-or,
looked tin calico dress and a sun
bonnet. She had driven across the
prairies all the way from the north of
Arkansas in a springless wagon. She
was like the women who crossed the
continent to California In 40. A gaunt
woman, with a weather-beaten face.
Rough hair, and unlovely hands, and
boots with the mud cakes on them.
It's women like her who've made this
country what it is. You can't read
the history Of the United States, my
friends, without learning the great
story Of those thousands Of unnamed
women-women like this one I've de-
scribed-women In mnd-caked boots
and calico dresses and sunbonnets,
crossing the prairie and the desert and
the mountains enduring hardship and
privation. Good women, with ter
rible and rigid goodness that comes Of
work and self-denial. Nothing pic
turesque or romantic about them, I
suppose-though occasionally one of
them, fiashes-Belle Starr the outlaw
Rose Of the Cimarron-Jeannette.
Daisy who jumped from a moving
Santa Fe train to stake her claim
but the others-no, their story's never
really been told. But it's there, just
the same. And If it's ever told straight
you'll know it's the sunbonnet and not
the sombrero that has settled this
country"
Talking nonsense" drawled Felice
Venable.
Yancey whirled on his high heels
to face her, has fine eyes blazing.
you're one of them. You came up
from the South with your husband to
make new home in this Kansas"
II am not!' retorted Felice Ven
able. with enormous dignity. "And I'll
thank you not to say any such thing.
Sunbonnet indeed! I've never worn a
sunbonnet In my life"
"Oh, mamma. Yancey didn't mean
he meant courage to leave your home
in the South and come up--he wasn't
thinking Of Yancey, do get on with
your story of the Run. You got a
drink of water for dollar-dear me
--and shared it with the woman In
the calico and the sunbonnet-"
He looked little sheepish. "Well,
matter Of fact, 1t turned out she didn't
have dollar to spare, or anywhere
near it, but even if she had 1t wouldn't
have done her any good. The fellow
selling it was a rat-faced hombre with
one eye and Mexican pants. The trig-
y