106 NOTES FROM THE PRAIKIE 



regular, the black dirt pulverized so finely. I 

 always wondered how they could make them of 

 such a perfect shape, and wished I could see 

 way down into their houses. They have more 

 than one entrance to them, because I 've tried 

 to drown them out, and soon I would see what 

 I took to be my gopher, that I thought I had 

 covered so nicely, skipping off. They took so 

 much corn out of the hills after it was planted 

 that it was customary to mix corn soaked with 

 strychnine with the seed corn. Do they have 

 pocket gophers in the East ? [No. ] They are 

 the cutest little animals, with their pockets on 

 each side of their necks, lined with fur; when 

 they get them stuffed full they look as broad as 

 they are long, and so saucy. I have met them 

 and had them show fight, because I wouldn't 

 turn out of their path — the little impudent 

 things ! 



"One nuisance that goes along with civiliza- 

 tion we escaped until the railroad was built, 

 and that was rats. The railroads brought 

 other nuisances too, the weeds; they soon 

 crowded out the native plants. I don't want 

 to be understood as calling all weeds nuisances; 

 the beautiful flowers some of them bear save 

 their reputations — the dandelion, for instance ; 

 I approve of the dandelion, whatever others 

 may think. I shall never forget the first one I 

 found in the West; it was like meeting an old 

 friend. It grew alongside of an emigrant road, 

 about five miles from my home; here I spied 

 the golden treasure in the grass. Some of the 



