Breaking the Prairie 



In a week we had fairly cleared a strip some 

 thirty yards, the width of the homestead, viz. 

 half a mile. It ran east and west, and on it 

 we decided to start breaking, taking turns at 

 the plough, and digging out stones to widen the 

 strip. 



We still had the loan of Mike, and were able 

 to turn over the sod, though the surface of the 

 land was getting dry and the grass growing 

 rapidly, its roots going deep to find the moisture 

 as the subsoil thaws out. 



We were, however, getting somewhat tired of 

 tent-life, and as the dry weather continued, we 

 decided that I should make a trip to town for a 

 load of lumber to build a shack, leaving Tom to 

 work away at the stoning. 



Good timber was much less plentiful here than 

 near my homestead, and on the whole a lumber 

 building was much more easily put up and more 

 satisfactory, though the material cost more. The 

 trip, however, had little of incident, and three 

 days saw me back. 



Soon after starting out on my way to town, 

 I had heard the coughing of a gasolene engine, 

 and found Lars, a Swede and neighbour of ours, 

 ploughing with it. We had some talk, in the 

 course of which he said he would do some break- 

 ring for us, if we liked, for three and a half dollars 



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