AUG. 43 
537 
Utimllanwros, 
EMMET AND DICKINSON COUNTIES, 
IOWA. 
MK8BH8. HOLMES AND 8WEETLAND, 
[Special Correspondents of the IIoral New-Yorker.] 
It la not our purpose ormlsslon In visiting differ¬ 
ent points In the West and writing of what we see 
to embellish our letters with the fancies of imag¬ 
ination, nor to present prophetic pictures of the 
possible future; hut we aim to state facts such as 
are known to the Intelligent, yeomen of the West, 
such as are capable of demonstration to any who 
are Interested; and such as many a young farmer 
among our eastern readers snouia learn, know, 
and profit by. A gentleman in the East, for whom 
we have a warm regard and sincere respect, 
wrote us, aftor perusal of our letters from Palo 
Alto, and Sioux, Lyon and Osceola counties.— 
“ Your correspondence Is all puffs. It is too trans¬ 
parent to continue to Interest readers. * * * 
The figures you present are too heavy ; such state¬ 
ments should bo within the truth.” • • We 
know facts are stubborn things, and their Inflex¬ 
ible corners sometimes wound the sensibilities of 
those who are guarding an erroneous opinion, 
because they havo not taken the time and pains 
to acquaint themselves with the truth, and if our 
correspondent will visit these localities, he will 
become convinced as we have been, and doubtless, 
from his broad views and earnest nature be will 
be more of an enthusiast. 
The two counties named at the head of this let¬ 
ter are on the Ml'neeota line, the third and fourth 
east of Dakota Territory. Their topography 1 b 
undulating prairie, with not to exceed a per cent, 
of waste land, the lower lands being available for 
grass and pasturage, while the deep, dark, loam 
of alluvial cast, underlaid with yellow clay, which 
overlies gravel, renders the upper lands very fer¬ 
tile and their tillage In corn, oats, flax and root 
crops exceedingly profitable. Wheat, rye, barley 
and some other products usually do well, but are 
not as reliable; nor Indeed la It, necessary that 
they should be, for this Is emphatically a Btock 
country, and not a wheat-producing locality as 
’tls further north. The grasses are rich and luxu¬ 
riant, and corn will give an average yield of over 
fifty bushels per acre; concentrate these products 
Into beef, pork and mutton, and you secure to the 
farmer an average profit of thirty per cent, net on 
his combined investment m land, improvements, 
stock, grain and labor. The demonstration of this 
to the thinking farmer. Is shaping and giving di¬ 
rection to the investments and methods; stock 
Interests are increasing at least fifty per cent, per 
annum both In quantity and quality; herds have 
full-blood Short-horns at their head, and the 
grades are steadily Improving; the flocks of sheep 
which now number probably T.&oo head, have the 
best Cotswold bucks, and the hog product of the 
past year, estimated at $8Q,ooo, was principally 
Berkshire and Poland-chlna stock. 
From careful inquiry we have learned the ract 
that fleeces of wool from Blieep of the same age 
and of the same grade, are from \% to 2 pounds 
heavier here than east or the great lakes. Will 
some one who knows why. please rise and explain. 
The explanation might remove some of the incred¬ 
ulity we have referred to. Much information re¬ 
garding stock was obtained of Messrs. R, E. and 
J. W, Ridley, of EsthervlUe, who handled the last 
year about 2,000 head of cattle, 1,000 sheep and 
000 worth of hogs. We give their address and 
our authority so that those interested may know 
of whom to seek information. 
Land can be bought from ft. so to per aero; It 
can he broken for $2 25, the sod be sown to flax, 
three pecks to the acre for $i; harvesting and 
thrashing per acre cost $2 52; and the yield is from 
Beven to ten bushels, worth $1 per bushel. The 
land is cross-plowed m the Fall, and In the Spring 
either seeded down to domestic grasses or planted 
to corn. Farms range in price from $7 to $12 per 
acre, according to improvements, proximity to 
railroads, etc. There are over two dozen lakes, 
with good banks and plenteously stocked with 
fish. The Little Sioux River In Dickinson County 
and the east and west branches of the Des Moines 
In Emmet flow through It, the east fork heading 
within Its limits. There are also four good-sized 
creeks, two or three lake outlets, and many springs 
of pure, living water, while wells of excellent 
quality are obtained at an average depth of 20 feet. 
Okoboji and Spirit Lakes deserve more than 
a passing notice, and In their tout eusnnlHe would 
set at naught the descriptive powers or a more 
gifted pen than ours. The first of these la divided 
into two by a kind of strait (though passable 
for boats), and the two parts are known as East 
Okoboji and West Okoboji. The water la deep and 
clear, much of the bottom and shores Is covered 
with sand and gravel, the latter In some places so 
uniform In size, clean and presenting such a varie¬ 
ty of colors as to possess marvelous beauty; the 
shores and banks are high, well defined and most¬ 
ly covered with bodies of tine timber, except here 
and there, where a well tilled farm runs down to 
the beach, while some near-by eminence bears 
the residence and barns of a thrifty farmer. The 
two lakes have nearly 32 miles of shore line, and a 
succession of beautiful landscapes. M. J. Smith 
has built a commodious residence lu an attractive 
locality, on the bank of the lake, and his home¬ 
like hospitalities are In constant requisition by 
guests from hundreds ot miles away, while near¬ 
by, at the shore, are Messrs. Mills Brothers, cour¬ 
teous, attentive and obliging, with boats, fishing 
tackle, halt, etc., as desired, spirit Lake is much 
Uke the descriptions already given for the Oko- 
boj is ; It la almost five miles wide, and over six 
miles long, Its northern extremity reaching to the 
Minnesota line, its bottom, shores, banks and 
bordering beauties are the peers of Its twin sis¬ 
ters to the South. On the Southern bank is a State 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
flsb hatchery, and from Mr. A. A. Mosher, Assist¬ 
ant Fish Commissioner of the State, who resides 
In the town ot Spirit Lake, rear-bv. we learned, 
that of California Salmon. Mackinaw Trent and 
other vartettes he had pur Into the Okobojis this 
season, 4 * 0 , 000 , and into Spirit, Lake 250.000. mak¬ 
ing 700.000 Imported fish, beside the abundant 
supply of pike, pickerel, bass. etc., found natural¬ 
ly In them all At the north end of Spirit Lake Is 
“Hunter’s Lodge.” an extensive establishment 
kept by Mr. O. Crandall, for sportsmen and their 
families. We only halted there an hour, but his 
guests were loud In their praises of table, and 
accommodations. Mr. c. keeps a tine array of 
boats, tackle, etc. 
On the southwest shore is another large build¬ 
ing in process of completion, with every conven¬ 
ience for hunttne and tlshtncr at hand, known as 
“ Lfllywhlt© Lodge.” This fronts a beautiful grav¬ 
el beach. 
There Is a liberal growth or natural Umber along 
the rivers, creeks and chain of lakes, with numer¬ 
ous artificial groves of trees scattered throuerh 
the country. The growth of these counties has 
been retarded, and their earning and pleasure re¬ 
sorts measurably neglected because there waB no 
railroad in either county, hut at thlp time the 
builders of the Pacific Division of the Burling¬ 
ton Ce<lar Ranlds and Northern railway are bus- 
llv at work extending their line from Clarion In 
Wright, County, via Kmmetshurg, to EsthervlUe 
and Spirit Lake Tne «k>moa»y (C. .T. Ives Sup’t.) 
being progressive and enterprising, wilt give new 
life to this section. They exnect also the Des 
Moines and Northwestern Narrow-gnage Rail¬ 
way to come north via Milford, a thriving little 
place four miles south of Okoboji, about which W. 
F. Carlton will answer inquiries. 
We were told that great benefit was anticipated 
from an Investment by the 
Bcnttlali - American Land Co., 
m Emmet county. This consists In the purchase 
of over 40,ono, acres which through the capital and 
Influence of this corporation (Incorporated Jointly 
by Iowa and Great Britain), will be Improved rap¬ 
idly and permanently. They sell for actual set¬ 
tlement only, at low prices, and on favorable terms, 
loaning the settler money. If necessary, at hIx per 
cent, interest, ir, amounts equal to half, two-thirds, 
or twee-fourths of the cost of his Improvements. 
A purchaser of a quarter-section (160 acres) can 
he furnished by them with ten heifers, two and 
three-years-old, and a thoroughbred Short-horn 
bull tor four years, he returning then the orglnal 
stock and half the increase as the only remunera¬ 
tion to the company. When desired they furnish 
the land, pay in cash $2 per acre for breaking, 
furnish seed for sowing to flax on the sod, pay 
half tho thrashing bill and divide equally with the 
renter, or, as they are constantly opening and im¬ 
proving farms, they will, if prererreo, rent for cash 
or on shares to desirable tenants. Alex. Peddl* 
Esq., is the land Commissioner and attorney of the 
company, their only representative In the United 
states, and he gives personal and special atten¬ 
tion to the Interests of hlB colonists, gratuitously. 
His address is Kmmetsburg, Palo Alto County, 
Iowa. The property valuations, real and personal 
of both counties are about $ 1 , 250,000 which are 
assessed upon a third of the actual values, the 
tax averaging three and one-quarter cents, all in¬ 
cluded. 
EsTHKRvn.i.K Is the oldest town in, and the 
rormcr county seal of. Emmet county, it la situ¬ 
ated on a plateau encircled on the south and west 
by the Des Moines River, and the tree-clad hills 
neyond. K can boast of a pretty alto and sur¬ 
roundings; two religious societies and one church 
edifice, a good school with two departments, a 
live newspaper, the Vindicator, by Frank Davey; 
a population last census of 285, now probably over 
300; a railroad building in and out of the town ; 
numerous new buildings under construction; a 
brisk business and enterprising lot ot citizens, and 
a promising future. The Defiance Creamery was 
started last March by c. T. -Simpson on the 
cream-gathering plan; capacity, 1,000 pounds 
dally; present average 226, soon to be Increased to 
500 pounds per diem. At present It Is using tho 
milk from zoo cows and will soon use that from 
600 . The milk la gathered by two teams from a 
radius of fourteen miles; It churns by horse¬ 
power, uses the Davis and Falrlamb patent cans. 
It pays for cream on the basis of the puce of 
creamery butter In the market, and ships to New 
York and Boston. It has plenty of loe and the 
business promises fairly. Dr. E. H. Ballard came 
here years ago. has established a large practice, 
and now, having become a member of the mer¬ 
cantile firm of Ballard cc Barker, wants to re¬ 
tire from Ms professional lire. 1‘hls makes an 
excellent opening for a physician. There are also 
needed a hardware store and a harness maker. 
As soon as the railroad is completed many other 
things will be needed. 'Tls a good point for busi¬ 
ness. Wo received valuable assistance from 
Howard Graves (banker and dealer in real estate) 
.Soper & Allen (attorneys and real estate dealers), 
K nuet Kspeset (county treasurer and real estate 
agent), Frank Davey (editor, auditor and dealer 
In real estate), and J. W. Ridley (proprietor of 
tho Emmet House); address any of these gentle¬ 
men (with stamp inclosed) for information and It 
will be promptly and cheerfully forthcoming. Mr. 
Espeset will answer correspondence in either 
American or Norwegian. 
Bwan Lakk, the present county seat, is a prairie 
town ou an elevated site about half a mile north 
of the lake of the same name—a body of water 
about three quarters of a mile by seven miles. 
The town has a wide awake population of less 
than loo, a church, a district school, a G. T. lodge, 
and three good stores. A company recently organ¬ 
ized are starting the Emmet county Dreamery. 
They will commence with from soo to 400 pounds 
dally, though having capacity for 1,000 pounds. 
They will gather from about 600 cows and churn 
by horsepower. C. W. Jarvis, Esq., of the Emmet 
County Bank, placed us under many obligations, 
and merits our thanks. He 1 b also dealing In rea 1 
estate, and would be a desirable correspondent for 
Information. 
Spirit Lakk, the county seat of Dickinson 
County, commands a pretty site, elevated, undu¬ 
lating and fringed with a natural growth of trees. 
It stands at the south end of Spirit Lake, but lying 
more immediately upon the western bank of Bast 
okoboji Lake. It has a good school of two de¬ 
partments, with two teachers; three religious 
societies, with two church edifices; A. F. & A. M. 
and I. O. O. F. civic societies; good hotels for the 
accommodation of guests, sportsmen and pleasure 
seekers coming to the lakes. The Spirit Lake 
Beacon, by A. B. Funk, and the Spirit Lake News 
are two of the newsiest papers in Northern Iowa. 
With good stocks of merchandise, a live business, 
wide streets and sound sidewalks, this is a brisk, 
bright, pi omlalng little town of about 400 popu¬ 
lation. They need a nursery for raising fruits, 
shrubs, etc., a creamery, and other industries not 
now represented. At this point we were the re¬ 
cipients of attentions and assistance from J. A- 
Smith (land agency), Rice & Rice (attorneys and 
real estate agents), and Messrs. Osborne and 
Perrin (respectively the Treasurer ana Recorder 
of the county, and real estate agents), and they 
consent to answer any correspondence, covered 
by return postage. 
titrcarii Utistfllanj. 
THE PRESIDENT’S CHANCE. 
“ We'll take that chance," though'it may.be 
small. 
The eye that noteth the sparrow’s fall, 
Is over me. and I shall arise 
If knowing all. He shall deem It wise. 
Honor and trust by a nation given, 
Shall uervemy will, by tbe help of Heaven; 
The prayers of love shall not rise in vain, 
If courage and faith may but conquer pain. 
So I will not fear but calmly lay 
My hand in the ouo. outstretched alway, 
For help of the bruised but striving one, 
And so shall I live 'till my task la done, 
Strong ia my heart, and knows no fear, 
Though prone and helpless I find me here. 
Who an hour ago, with life's hopes high, 
Stood under tbe light of the morning sky. 
I will take the chance and hold me still, 
Waiting in patience the Sovereign will. 
That suffered tor ends I may not know, 
To fall unhindered the cruel blow. 
Be had taken always the chance that lay, 
In the narrow passes, along his way, 
From an orphaned childhood poor and lone. 
Steadily up to a i>eoplo’8 throne. 
Had taken the chance to store his mind, 
With wealth of science and art combined. 
To lay in his youth foundation syre. 
For the coming manhood strong and pure. 
Had taken the offered nhance of Heaven, 
That to al l is iu love and mercy given, 
To save his soul from tbe death of sin, 
And gather the fruits of virtue lu. 
And now iu the strength of manhood’s hour. 
From his proud position of peace and power, 
Iu a moment burled by a dastard baud. 
While horror of darkness filled the land. 
He said with strong and resolute will, 
** I will take the chance” that Is left me still; 
Struggle for life may be sore and long, 
But God is good and my' heart is strong, 
—Mrs. Emily J, Buguke, in Cleveland Herald. 
THE MANOR HOUSE, 
Continued from page 506. 
I did not waste time In tMnklng. The whole 
thing might be a mere trick, and 1 was resolved 
not to allow myself to he easily deceived. 1 made 
all haste Into the central court, and, candle In 
hand, made a close and searching Investigation 
of the place. The light burnt without flickering 
In the still September air, and Illuminated a large 
area around me as I moved about. But 1 could 
see nothing unusual. All was perfectly quiet. 
There was no one in the court; no one at least ot 
earthly, ordinary mould—for the notion that I 
was not really and entirely alone had somehow 
gradually taken possession ot me, and It was not 
without a quickened pulse and a slight tension of 
the heart strlugs that I re-entered the passage 
and made for my own room upstairs. As l passed 
along I still had the feeling that sometMng else— 
I oouid hardly call It some person, for the com¬ 
panionship was of the vague Impalpable kind 
wMch argued no bodily form or existence—was 
near me all the time. I seemed too, as I got to 
the foot ot the staircase, to hear a light patter¬ 
ing ot feet, upon the oaken floor, and the gentle 
closing of a not very distant door. 
On reaching axy bed room I locked and bolted 
the door as usual, and, setting down my lamp, 
sought to recover my somewhat shattered self- 
possession. This was an entirely new and unex¬ 
pected line ot attaok. It was to my mind, far 
more weird and ghostly than the other, and I was 
proportionally the more disturbed. That face 
with tls quaint dress—these eyes—where had 1 
seen them before? 1 sat tMnklng, thinking, with 
my ears on the stretch for any treeh, unusual, dis¬ 
turbing sounds, and wondering what strange 
events the coming night would produce, But the 
house was quiet and silent as death; so It con¬ 
tinued till long after midnight. After watching 
intently tin well on In the small hours, worn out 
but still somewhat dazed and confused, I turned 
Into bed and was soon souud asleep. 
I slept late next day, and the old gardener 
remarked upon It, as I thought a little pointedly. 
Did he know more than he chose to tell ? 1 ques¬ 
tioned him closely, as I had often done before. 
My efforts were just as frwUrtvee, He positively 
denied that he or any one he knew of had come to 
the house after ten that night. Why did T ask, 
had I been disturbed? T would’not tell blm alt, 
but I described the quaint hend-dress which 
encircled the face T bad seen, and T asked blm 111 
he knew of anything like it anywhere. 
“ Whv*. master. It’s jtst. that that the Lady 
wears; you’ve seen m her picture—in the great 
banqueting hall ” 
And then I understood why It was that those 
eyes of the right previous still haunted me with 
their malevolent gaze, 
“Has her ladyship the ehnrerffer of being at all 
uneasy In her grave?” 1 nma asked, in ns 
flippant, off hand a tone as T could assume. "Ts 
she supposed to walk about this house at 
night ? ” 
“ You don’t say you’ve seen ner, master ? Her ? ’• 
and the old man clutched mv arm convulsively, 
longing Into my face wpb a mixture of horror and 
Incredulity which considerably impressed me. 
“T think so; last night about half-past ten ” 
"Dear. dear, dear r T warned you not to be too 
cock-sure that, you’d done with the ghosts Oh, 
master, for the love of Heaven he careful. Don’t 
stay in the honse. don’t: or If .you must, keen to 
yourself. Don’t rollow her. don’t meet her. don’t 
thwart or anger her, or—” He did not finish, but 
shambled hurriedly off. leaving me a prey to 
mixed and sllebtly uncomfortable emotions. 
The lady was much In my thoughts the remain¬ 
der of the day. Would she show herself again 
at night? T did not wait to be startled, but as 
soon as tbe Dukes left tbe nlnre, which they did 
as usual at mv particular request, T nafroilPd the 
centre courtyard for a couple of hours, walking In 
the dark, but having a match-box handy and a 
candle end In my nncket. Put nothing apnpared. 
and about, eleven T went unstairs to bed Nor was 
T disturbed again that night. Next morning the 
first disagreeable impression was already fast 
fading away, and T began to think that mv fpars 
had been the father of roy vision, and that I had 
never really seen any lady at al). 
But. tow came another phase of the mvsterv. 
Artist-like, T am devoted to flowprs. Old Duke 
humored me willingly lu this, and kept mv room 
well supplied. The evening before, hehad hrought 
me an unusually fine bouquet or late roses, which 
I bad mvseif arranged In an old fashioned vase 
and placed on a table of mv sitting room. These 
roses had been one of the last things T had looked 
at and handled before going up to bed the night 
before. When T came down stairs T missed the 
flowers. Had old Duke come in and removed 
them? T called nut for the old man. He was not 
in the kitchen nor yet was his wife. Inwardly 
cursing him for moving tberoses. T went,out to spo 
where he had put them. T bunted through several 
rooms, and discovered them at last In a little bou¬ 
doir adjoining the state chamber. 
“ Fussy old fellow!" T said to mvseif as T carried 
them down stairs, " why can’t he leave things 
alone?” and I repeated the remark to him directly 
he came In. 
“I never Touched the flowers,” he replied, in an 
injured, surly tone. •• This is the first time I’ve 
been to the house this morning.” 
“ Then your wife did.” 
“She’s down with the rheumatls, and can’t 
come over.” 
“ Who did. then ?” I asked sharply. 
‘•Ah! who knows? But. you must expect to 
find more things moved than that—aye. and worse 
too—now that she Is at her prankB again, and 
trapesing up and down this house.” 
There was truth in what the old man said. It 
seemed now as If some especially malicious and 
mischievous spirit were resolved to worry and 
annoy me. I seldom found things of a morning as 
I had left them in the sitting room tbe night be¬ 
fore. Now it was my easel, now my painring 
apparatus ; on another occasion I found all the 
books of the library scattered about the floor. 1 
bore these small vexations stoically for some time. 
They did not disturb me greatly, as throughout I 
was never personally visited and annoypd. But 
at last, as if to goad me to desperation, my tor¬ 
mentor took to interfering with my work. I was 
In the habit ot often leaving my canvasses fasten¬ 
ed together just as I brought them In from nature. 
I now frequently found them undone, and hidden 
in out-of-the-way corners, in some Instances the 
color was still wet, and had been considerably 
smudged. Had tMa been all, I might still have 
borne my troubles with patience. But when ghost¬ 
ly hands presumed to use my own patette and 
brushes to paint upon my own work. T felt that It 
was nearly time for me to leave Maxted Manor. 
Yet this actually happened. One night 1 had left 
a carefully executed sketch of the great gateway, 
seen from within, on my easel, and next rooming 
I found a figure—a shadowy female figure in 
white—interpolated In the attitude of passing out 
on to the bridge. The figure was not badly paint¬ 
ed. he it understood, but it was unnaturally large, 
and Its Introduction gave the picture a weird, un¬ 
canny effect. Next day another sketch, of the 
extenor ot the house from the lawn, had been 
similarly tampered with. The same whire figure 
had been introduced, with the same contempt of 
proportion, and with the same bold, flowing hand¬ 
ling of the brush. 
I confess that by tMs time my feeling was one 
of exasperation rather than of terror. 1 began to 
think that It was time either to unravel this last 
mystery, or remove entirely from the annoyance 
wMcn I endured. Only t did not like to beat too 
hasty a retreat. It would savor ot cowardice, and 
I w as no more a ptey to this now than before. 1 
determined before 1 left, tho place to make another 
effort to get at the bottom ot tho tMng. perhaps 
1 might end this as 1 had already done the mys¬ 
tery of the moat. At least I would watch for a 
night or two, and try and trace back effects to 
their cause. 
The next night, before retiring to my bed room 
I first made a careful examination ot the central 
court, as 1 generally did, and with thesame nega¬ 
tive results. I then entered and looked carefully 
