Homesteading 



to cover. Finally, we put in a window we had 

 brought from town, hung the door, and put up 

 and lit our stove. 



When finished, the building looked like what 

 one would imagine a little square brown fort 

 would appear. It had taken us about a week, 

 and we had still a stable of similar construction 

 to put up, and both to surround with a railing 

 to prevent cattle knocking down the ^od walls. 



Such a building makes an excellent one for 

 a new settler to start with. It is snug and warm 

 in winter, and cool in summer, if well made, be- 

 sides being cheap (the materials being mostly 

 on the spot) ; but the roof is often the weak part, 

 for though it is all right in winter, it is a poor 

 thing to keep out heavy rain. 



It is well to emphasize the fact that the prairie 

 winter cannot be played with, and on the advice 

 of our friends and with the aid of Eaton's cata- 

 logue we had ordered a supply of winter clothing. 



Moccasins, inner and outer, good for the dry 

 hard weather, but useless for damp without rubber 

 overshoes, working mitts and gauntlet mitts (fur 

 covered for driving), sheepskin jackets with high 

 collars, and fur caps with ear and neck covers, 

 made quite a hole in our little capital, and we 

 felt that really ''mportant item, a good fur coat, 

 was beyond our means. 



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