S5S 
 
 C?742 
 bo 
 
 UC-NRLF 
 
 
 B 3 
 
 52fl 
 
 OF* A 
 
 CITY 
 
 6LL6NJ. COOLCY 
 

 
THE HEARTHSTONE SERIES 
 
 A series of GOOD STORIES in an attractive 
 form at a low price 
 
 50 cents each 
 
 A QUESTION OF DAMAGES J. T. Trowbridge 
 
 THE CAMPION DIAMONDS Sophie May 
 
 THE MAN WHO STOLE A MEETING HOUSE 
 
 J. T. Trowbridge 
 GETTING AN INDORSER By Oliver Optic 
 
 (William T. Adams) 
 
 THE BOOM OF A WESTERN CITY Ellen J. Cooley 
 EXILED FROM TWO LANDS Everett T. Tomlinson 
 
 Our Complete Catalogue sent on application 
 
 LEE and SHEPARD Publishers Boston 
 
THE 
 
 BOOM OF A WESTERN CITY 
 
 BY 
 
 ELLEN HODGES COOLEY 
 
 u 
 
 Its birth a deed obstetric without peer ; 
 
 Its growth a source of wonder far and near" 
 
 BOSTON 
 LEE AND SHEPARD PUBLISHERS 
 
 10 MILK STREET 
 I8 97 
 
COPYRIGHT, 1897, BY LEE AND SHEPARD 
 
 All rights reserved 
 
 THE STORY OF A BOOM TOWN 
 
 TYPOGRAPHY BY C. J. PETERS & SON, BOSTON. 
 I RHSSWORK BY BERWICK & SMITH. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PART PAGE 
 
 I. A STEP IN THE SCALE OF GRADATION I 
 
 II. THE FULNESS OF LIFE 19 
 
 III. REGRESSION 70 
 
 M105435 
 
PREFACE 
 
 I WAS for some years a resident of the city about 
 which I write, and have held strictly to the spirit that 
 pervades a new Western town. My description of its 
 mode of conducting business, and of its society at 
 that time, is hardly an exaggeration ; while many of 
 the incidents were of actual occurrence, though given 
 under fictitious names and such change of circum 
 stance that there can be no complaint of personal 
 
 allusion. 
 
 E. H. C. 
 
2 DISILLUSION 
 
 the well-being of his race, he is also answerable for 
 inventing diseases resistless and contagious. 
 
 In the spring of 1878, the United States Mail 
 brought to Blankridge, through papers and letters, a 
 species of fever of human invention, the Western 
 fever. Many were smitten. Schoolboys speedily re 
 covered, k but Bunder its influence several of the sur- 
 lus pir % of3?ipnaf men departed their unpatronized 
 Eastern life. " Of the " ne er-do-wells," fortune favored 
 >ije DrdywJth a new start, and he reached the goal in- 
 firectly. An" inferior position on a railroad that ran 
 between Blankridge and Montreal was offered him. 
 It proved a stepping-stone to roads west, and finally 
 landed him in Fargo, Dakota, while the city was 
 very young, though ripe for its "boom." 
 
 Unknown to his neighbors, the disease attacked 
 one of the most reliable and respected citizens of the 
 town, Jonathan Bullard, resident of acres that three 
 previous generations of his lineage had held in posses 
 sion. In harmony with the operations of Nature, and 
 after the temperament of its victim, it wrought slowly 
 and silently, but none the less surely. 
 
 In March it knew throes; gusty inclinations to a 
 sudden decision, a state which Mr. Bullard s judg 
 ment termed desperate, followed by spaces of calm. 
 In April confidence and doubt contended, as sunshine 
 and showers. May brought calm. His mind brooded, 
 as the sun broods over earth s embryos. Through 
 June, July, and August his purpose grew, and with 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 3 
 
 the ripened harvest was matured. He now disclosed 
 his mental condition to his family; and Almira, the 
 only daughter, felt herself inoculated. The subject 
 entered into daily conversation ; and as all the other 
 members save Mira had escaped infection, scenes 
 followed the nearest resembling family jars that had 
 ever occurred in this hitherto united household. Mr. 
 Bullard wished to dispose of his farm, and take the 
 proceeds, with his family, to Fargo. 
 
 "What s the use of grubbing along here year in and 
 year out, as father and grandfather did," he argued, 
 " and, after all, w r hen you die leave nothing but the 
 same old meadows, the same old sprout-land, and the 
 same old hills ? " 
 
 " Heighty-tighty ! " cried grandmother. " Jonathan 
 thinks the Lord is goin to give him power to create 
 new land out West ! " 
 
 "No, I don t, Grannie. What I think is, that the 
 Lord has a land which floweth with milk and honey 
 waiting for us ; and if we do not go up and take it, we 
 shall be rebels just as much as the children of Israel 
 were when they refused Canaan." 
 
 Almira ran for the family Bible, and fortified her 
 father s position by reading selections from the thir 
 teenth and fourteenth chapters of Numbers. When 
 she paused, Jonathan junior, a sturdy lad of fourteen, 
 made comment: "I wa n t born in Egypt; I live in 
 Blankridge. Too many miles and too many years 
 stand between that story and me. We don t think 
 it plies ; do we, Grannie ? " 
 
4 DISILLUSION 
 
 After the death of Grandfather Bollard, the boy s 
 belongings had been transferred to his grandmother s 
 cottage on a farm adjoining his father s ; and he knew 
 himself to be already practical proprietor there, while 
 legal transfer only awaited his majority. He was 
 loyal to the trust, and walked in Grannie s paths, and 
 swore by her decisions, regardless of other ties. 
 
 Poor Mrs. Bullard, the wife, confessed to a " perfect 
 flutter " of indecision ; but this mental state was of 
 such frequent occurrence on all subjects, that it re 
 ceived little sympathy from the family, and weakened 
 her influence on either side of the question. Regard 
 and duty pleaded in favor of her husband and daugh 
 ter ; inclination and " sense" bound her to Gran 
 nie and her son. Thus rent, her suspended decision 
 ran : 
 
 " I wish we d never seen the newspapers ; then 
 twould have all gone on just the same. And no mat 
 ter if we don t make money. Jonnie is provided for, 
 and we ve got enough ahead now to give Mira a good 
 setting out ; not that there s any particular need, for 
 the Peterses have all got money in the bank, and to 
 spare if she only would." 
 
 This connection of surname and pronoun implied 
 a desired connection, through the bond of wedlock, 
 between Alonzo Peters and her daughter Almira. 
 Alonzo had never, by vocal expression, given her a 
 right to cherish such a hope ; but if there is truth in 
 the time-honored maxim, " Actions speak louder than 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN" 5 
 
 words," he was only waiting sufficient encouragement 
 from the lady in question to justify his giving voice 
 to the aspiration. 
 
 Though little respected in Blankridge community, 
 the "ne er-do-well," Mr. Mateson, had fed the flame 
 of Mr. Bullard s fever. By his advice the editors of 
 the two Fargo papers, opposed in politics, had for 
 some months supplied Blankridge village store with 
 their daily publications; and Mrs. Mateson s letters 
 to her friends portrayed the city as a very Eldorado. 
 Grannie warned her son against placing confidence in 
 newspaper items or advertisements, much less to trust 
 the stones of "those shiftless Matesons." Mr. Bui- 
 lard admitted the liability of the former to exaggera 
 tion ; but had not the Mateson head sent substantial 
 tokens of his own prosperity ? And when such as he 
 could liquidate debts that his creditors had months 
 before crossed from the debit side of their account 
 as less in value than the paper they covered would 
 be to the ragman ; and when, in addition, he could 
 send cash to reclothe his family, and pay their passage 
 to join him, did it not prove the fatness of the land 
 neither a myth nor a hoax? 
 
 Mira had heard of these letters; and after "out 
 West" had assumed a personal interest, she resolved 
 to read them with her own eyes, and weigh them with 
 her own judgment. They were easily found, and 
 readily given for her perusal. Mrs. Mateson s descrip 
 tion of the style of dress prevalent in Fargo was all 
 
6 DISILLUSION 
 
 gossip had promised ; it far exceeded anything worn 
 in their village, even by the merchant s and lawyer s 
 wives. Interesting as was this feature of society, it 
 impressed the present reader less than did the de 
 scription of the .city, its energy, its " push," whether 
 in amusements or improvements; its whole-souled gen 
 erosity, that bound its citizens together as brethren, 
 and had no cold shoulder for a stranger. 
 
 While this testimony was only hearsay, Mira had 
 felt the whole current of her being setting Dakota- 
 ward ; in the light of this incontestable evidence, she 
 professed herself "just crazy to go." Mrs. Bullard 
 listened to the story until her restless heart found 
 haven in her daughter s enthusiasm, and her hus 
 band s convictions pinioned it there. Weary of stem 
 ming the current, Grannie next gave reluctant con 
 sent; and Jonnie thereafter held his peace. 
 
 As male head of both households, Mr. Bullard s 
 power was supreme, and his obligation to consult the 
 preferences or prejudices of his family could, accord 
 ing to the patriarchal standard in vogue in Blankridge, 
 hardly be called a moral bond: but his youth had been 
 carefully trained after Solomon s injunction, and his 
 age doubly fulfilled the prophecy; for he could no 
 more depart from his mother s positive commands 
 than from the virtues she had inculcated. 
 
 In process of time, Mr. Bullard freely spoke of his 
 intentions in the village ; and while family objections 
 still held his purpose in abeyance, though Blankridge 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN / 
 
 was no growing town, customers came to price the 
 property; for the reputation of the Bullard farm was 
 as untarnished as was the character of its proprietor. 
 " Not but what Natur has made its ekul frequent," 
 was decreed in the self-constituted court that held 
 consecutive evening sittings round the village grocer s 
 stove; "but we know jest where to find his land. 
 His fences, they re kept up. His mow pieces ain t 
 run out for want o dressin . He don t expect the 
 ground to hold out yielding sixty bushels o corn to an 
 acre without a little encouragement. In consequence, 
 his farm is worth more money to-day than it was thirty 
 years ago; and he s made a good livin out of it, too, 
 and laid up money to boot, we bet." 
 
 Waiting within scorching radius of this same stove 
 for one dollar s worth of sugar to be weighed and 
 packaged, Alonzo Peters first heard of Mr. Bullard s 
 proposed movement. His face assumed the hue of 
 the glowing sheet-iron that had generously responded 
 to the full draft turned on by a customer who came 
 in chilly from a long ride ; then it paled so wofully 
 as to attract attention, even in the imperfect light 
 diffused through the smoky chimneys of kerosene 
 burners. 
 
 " Sick, Lon ? " asked a friend. " You look as white 
 as a sheet." 
 
 " I do feel a little faintish. Getting too warm, I 
 guess ; " and he pushed his chair behind the molasses 
 hogshead, thus screening himself not only from the 
 
8 DISILLUSION 
 
 miniature fiery furnace, but from the lamp s disclo 
 sures and his friend s gaze. 
 
 " Sugar s ready," called the grocer. But it was 
 some moments before the young man could summon 
 fortitude to rise, or find strength to bear his purchase 
 forth. 
 
 Though Alonzo s respect for the Bullard family was 
 sincere, only one member of it was capable of hasten 
 ing or retarding his pulse ; only one woman in the 
 world was capable of reducing his strong manhood to 
 the weakness above recorded. Outside, the keen No 
 vember blast was inadequate to nerve his feeble pulse ; 
 but it did brace his timid heart to the extent of resolv 
 ing to seek Almira Bullard that very night, and tell 
 her, not his hopes, for these had vanished before the 
 great destiny that awaited her, but his love, his fears. 
 
 Absorbed in this intention, he passed his father s 
 door, oblivious of his package until its lessening 
 weight awoke him to the consciousness that he was 
 literally making sweet his path with its contents. 
 Retracing his steps, he dropped the despoiled pur 
 chase on the kitchen table, hoping to escape unseen. 
 
 " What has happened, Alonzo ? " cried his mother, 
 entering from the sitting-room just as he was in the 
 act of escaping through the outer entrance. "Have 
 you been robbed ? " spying his flabby parcel. 
 
 Ignoring the saccharine loss in the supreme loss 
 approaching, Alonzo s reply, borne back on the breeze 
 occasioned by his rapid exit, was in accordance with 
 his thought , 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 9 
 
 "Going to be!" 
 
 Mrs. Peters sank into a chair, too bewildered to 
 take the comfort that peaceful times afforded from the 
 knowledge that the sitting-room china-closet contained 
 a gun ; or to gather inspiring confidence from the 
 fact that her husband was even then sitting with his 
 chair tipped back against the door of this same recess, 
 his head reposing on its centre panel. 
 
 Weather prophets had said the sky betokened snow ; 
 and as Alonzo rapidly made his way toward Mr. Bui- 
 lard s house, their prediction was spitefully fulfilled. 
 
 " More likely to find her home, and less likely to 
 find company," he muttered, drawing down the ear- 
 laps of his cap, and tucking his coat-sleeves into 
 the long wristers of his home-knit mittens. Light 
 streamed cheerily from their parlor windows. It for 
 tified his courage, if it did not inspire hope. Jonnie 
 responded to his knock. 
 
 " Come in ; we are all here talking it over," was 
 his pleasant greeting. 
 
 Alonzo was in no mood to " talk it over " in family 
 assembly, but he could find no excuse for not enter 
 ing. He was greeted not only by both branches of 
 the Bullard family, but Patience Armstrong, the 
 "fashionable dressmaker" of Blankridge, sat with 
 her feet on the fender, looking so domesticated that 
 he felt sure any attempt to see Mira alone that even 
 ing, or probably for a week to come, would prove 
 futile. But he was mistaken in his inference that 
 
IO DISILLUSION 
 
 Miss Armstrong was a permanent guest: for no 
 sooner had he risen to depart, as the clock struck 
 nine, than she jumped up, declaring that she, too, 
 must go ; and as their road lay in the same direction, 
 he had no choice but to escort her, not only as far 
 as his own door, but to her own, a good mile beyond. 
 
 Not until he had left Miss Armstrong under the 
 protection of her father s roof, refusing her urgent 
 invitation to enter in language more terse than cour 
 teous, did Alonzo have opportunity to cherish his dis 
 appointment in not having been able to see Almira 
 alone, or to reflect upon the further light that the 
 evening s conversation had thrown upon the family 
 flitting. Almira had told him that she anticipated the 
 proposed change with unmingled delight, that she 
 had used all her influence to win her mother s con 
 sent, and that she should leave Blankridge without 
 one sigh of regret. Mr. Bullard had fully discussed 
 his prospects of selling out, named the price he set 
 on his farm, and said he hoped to dispose of the live 
 stock and household effects just as they stood. When 
 the conversation became animated, and so general 
 that there was no danger of her being overheard, 
 Mrs. Bullard had drawn him aside, and confided many 
 of her vacillations to him : for he was on very friendly 
 terms with the mother ; indeed, more at ease with her 
 than with the daughter. 
 
 He thought of the subject all the way home. It 
 lay uppermost in his mind while apologizing to his 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN I I 
 
 mother for his hasty manner of the early evening. It 
 flooded his brain all through the long watches of the 
 night. Irritating as had been the necessity of ac 
 companying Miss Armstrong home, his sacrifice had 
 brought its reward. She had told him that a day 
 would intervene before commencing her reign at Mr. 
 Bullard s. * And then I shall most likely be there up 
 to the very last, they are both having so much," she 
 explained. 
 
 " But the farm isn t disposed of yet I thought 
 their going was contingent upon that ? " Alonzo 
 made this assertion a query, in order to further draw 
 out his companion. 
 
 "There are three different parties ready to take it 
 to-morrow, live-stock and all," she answered. " But 
 they don t want the furniture. He won t hold off long 
 on account of that, though, for twould fetch more at 
 auction ; and that he allows, only he has taken a whim 
 to lump the whole thing. I tell him tis a leading 
 that he ll come back in the spring, and want it all 
 again ; and I only wish I had the cash to buy him out. 
 Wouldn t I make him pay well for his little holiday ! 
 I d make as much as I can save in ten years at my , 
 trade." 
 
 Tossing and turning wearily on his bed, his whole 
 sentient being enveloped in darkness more obscure 
 than the rayless night, suddenly a meteor light flashed 
 across Alonzo s mental vision. Why should not he 
 make the purchase possess himself of the whole 
 
12 DISILLUSION 
 
 Bullard estate? His own bank-book would go far 
 toward payment, and his father s would meet the bal 
 ance. His mother had often urged his setting up for 
 himself; and though the connubial partnership she ad 
 vocated with Miss Armstrong was little to his taste, 
 time would disabuse her of that illusion. 
 
 To till her father s acres, to milk his cows, to guide 
 his oxen, to drive his horse, would be a close link 
 between himself and Mira. To dwell in the rooms 
 she had glorified with her presence would, albeit mel 
 ancholy, be consolation triumphant for his loss. He 
 would hold everything as in trust; for they might 
 return, as Patience had suggested. Then he would 
 relinquish his claim, and win at least her gratitude. 
 Alonzo had not been educated in florid speech, and 
 he thought this out in very commonplace idiom. Yet 
 none the less was his heart as full of devotion as is 
 the poet s, and of passion as is the poet s song. 
 
 At the breakfast-table he stated his desire to pur 
 chase the Bullard estate, and the proposal met with 
 no opposition. 
 
 " The price is stiff," said Father Peters ; " but there s 
 one thing in its favor, there ll be no leakages to stop. 
 Everything is ship-shape to begin with. You ll know 
 just as well what land to let lay, and what to till, as 
 though you d owned it fifty years." 
 
 "And the house and furniture are plenty good enough 
 for Patience Armstrong, nice as she is," cried Mrs. 
 Peters. " I don t see anything to hinder your getting 
 married right away." 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 13 
 
 " Pooh, pooh, mother ! Tisn t a wife I m looking 
 for; tis a home." 
 
 " And what s a home without a wife, I should like to 
 know ? Tis a house without a candle, a heaven with 
 out a moon." The good woman paused, red-faced at 
 her own eloquence. Presently, recovering herself, she 
 continued, 
 
 " That isn t the way you ve been brought up, Alonzo, 
 to go against women-folks." 
 
 " I don t go against you, mother. You shall be head 
 of the house ; and I ll get some strong, likely Irish girl 
 for you to boss." 
 
 " Your father didn t begin that way. Times have 
 changed for the worse." Mrs. Peters emphasized this 
 assertion with a sigh. 
 
 "After the chores are done up, I think I ll go over 
 and talk with Mr. Bullard this very morning," was 
 Alonzo s response. 
 
 Mr. Peters gazed at his son in blank astonishment. 
 
 " Why, Lon ! Why ! What s come over you ? 
 Where s the hurry ? We ll work round to it before 
 spring ploughing comes on. Moderation and discree- 
 tion go hand in hand, my boy." 
 
 " But somebody will get ahead of us. I hear he is 
 going to square up right away." 
 
 " I know Jonathan Bullard. He isn t the man to 
 rush. It would look unbecoming on both sides ; as if 
 we were trying to take advantage of each other, you 
 know." 
 
14 DISILLUSION 
 
 Alonzo had every incentive to observe the proprie 
 ties, but influences were equally strong in favor of ac 
 tion. For the next hour torturous thought moistened 
 his brow far more copiously than did the labor de 
 manded by the chores. It would not let him rest ; so, 
 in spite of his father s advice, after the home claims of 
 the morning were satisfied, he repaired to his chamber, 
 and presently appeared before his mother dressed in 
 his best suit of clothes. 
 
 "I guess I ll just drop over to the Bullards ," he ex 
 plained. " Don t know as I shall say anything." 
 
 " You look more as if you s going to bargain for a 
 wife than for a farm," was her response. " You d 
 better take in the Armstrongs on your way home. 
 Nobody can say you ve been in a hurry there." 
 
 The little flush that greeted this advice encouraged 
 Mrs. Peters to hope he contemplated obeying her sug 
 gestion. Unduly eager as Alonzo s parents thought 
 him to possess the Bullard property, to possess their 
 daughter was the source, the very fountain-head, of his 
 desire. Consequently, arrived at their house, he first 
 asked for Mira. 
 
 " She s gone to the barn to hunt hens nests," said 
 Mrs. Bullard. " Father had to go to the Centre on 
 business, and we re going to cook up to-day, getting 
 ready for Patience, who comes to-morrow for a long 
 job ; and Mira must help all she can. I must say, tear 
 ing up is awful, if it does have some pleasant things 
 about it. If Mira hadn t gone in for it so strong, I 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 1 5 
 
 could have stopped father ; but I couldn t influence 
 her. I don t know whether anybody else could." 
 
 With the young man s inquiry for her daughter, Mrs. 
 Bullard felt her Western inclinations weaken. His 
 visit seemed portentous. It might be capable of hold 
 ing better things than even Fargo could offer. She 
 was a modest woman, and to thrust Mira upon any one 
 was far from her desire. But she felt there is a time 
 for all things, and Alonzo s attentions in the past had 
 been sufficiently marked to justify her in giving him a 
 hint. 
 
 " Perhaps I had better go out to the barn and help 
 her," was his response. " Climbing is dangerous for 
 girls sometimes." 
 
 "Thank you ; do," encouraged Mrs. Bullard. 
 
 He arrived at the barn too late to be of any service 
 in Mira s quest ; but their seclusion was propitious for 
 disclosing his desire : so with the courage of honest 
 sincerity he told his love. His suit was rejected. In 
 deed, Mira s whole being, heart and soul, was already 
 so far West, that the present held hardly more signifi 
 cance to her than it does to a somnambulist. 
 
 " We ll always be good friends, Lon," she said when 
 he had ceased speaking. " But I ve got lots to think 
 about now, and lots to do. Maybe if I settle in Da 
 kota, you ll come out and visit me." Her eyes rested 
 on his face with an expression that proved she grasped 
 nothing nearer home than the territory she mentioned, 
 though merriment sparkled in their depths as she con- 
 
16 DISILLUSION 
 
 tinued, "They say, you know, when one jumps off 
 the cars in those new towns, the question isn t, Have 
 a hack ? Have a hack ? but, Have a husband ? 
 Have a husband ? Oh, it must be great fun ! " 
 
 " Perhaps you d do just as well to take a husband 
 nearer home," said Lon doggedly. 
 
 " Oh, tisn t that ! I was joking. What do I want 
 of a husband ? Tis the life, the stir, the fun, I long 
 for ! " 
 
 " I shall never marry any one else," was his parting 
 declaration. 
 
 Mira laughed gayly. "And I don t expect to; but 
 let s make no rash promises." 
 
 Alonzo had hardly gained the road when he met 
 Mr. Bullard returning home. They exchanged greet 
 ings. The younger man felt himself possessed by the 
 spirit of acquisitiveness. It was that which spoke, 
 and not his father s caution. 
 
 "I am thinking of buying your farm, Mr. Bullard." 
 
 " Well done, Lon ! It s just the thing for you ! 
 Strange I never thought of it, for I ve heard your 
 father say a dozen times he wished you d set up for 
 yourself. I ve put the price low, but I ll be hanged 
 if I wouldn t come down a peg or two to you. 7 
 
 Alonzo would not accept the invitation to " come in 
 and talk it over ; " but he followed Mr. Bullard to the 
 barn, assisted in removing the harness from the horse, 
 discussing the animal s merits meanwhile, counted 
 the cattle, commended the goodly store of fodder, in- 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN I/ 
 
 quired the breed of fowl, and even admired the cats. 
 And he then and there resolved to bind Mira to him 
 to the extent of immediate purchase. Though to pos 
 sess himself of her accidents was a poor substitute for 
 herself, it would at least savor of spiritual association. 
 
 To Father Peters s confusion of intellect, the writ 
 ings of transfer were drawn in less than a month, 
 signed, sealed, and recorded. The purchase included 
 all the household stores ; not an article was disturbed. 
 Personal wardrobe alone was removed. 
 
 " Such a thing was never heard of in the country 
 as jumping into so much so sudden," Mr. Peters re 
 peatedly declared. " I am afraid it won t hold good. 
 Such hurry isn t natural. It is ^//-natural. I can t 
 think what s come over Jonathan Bullard." 
 
 His puzzled condition was somewhat relieved by 
 Mr. Ballard s confession that " it most put him out of 
 breath to do things up in such a hurry." 
 
 Could Mr. Peters have known his wife s secret wish, 
 he would have thought her " possessed." She hoped 
 the wheel of fortune would not pause in its swift 
 revolutions until it had united her son, through the 
 holy bond of matrimony, to Blankridge s fashionable 
 dressmaker, Patience Armstrong. 
 
 The former proprietor did not impede the wheel s 
 impetus by long continuance in the house Alonzo had 
 purchased. On the evening of the twenty-sixth of 
 December the express-train paused at Blankridge Sta 
 tion ; and Jonathan Bullard, his wife and daughter, 
 
1 8 DISILLUSION 
 
 were the passengers for whom it was signalled. An 
 unprecedented crowd gathered to see them off. 
 
 " Dear Lon, don t look so sober ! " whispered Mira, 
 as they stood apart. " You know I have always loved 
 you, from my very babyhood. We shall meet again ; 
 every fibre of my being tells me so." 
 
 Her sincerity was none the less genuine that the 
 artlessness of girlhood marked it. But her tone was 
 light ; for the solemnity appropriate to so wide a 
 separation, into "foreign parts" as Grannie termed 
 their removal, was crowded out by exultation. 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 19 
 
 PART II 
 
 THE FULNESS OF LIFE 
 
 THE Northern Pacific Railroad employed Western 
 men on its trains. They alone were fitted to endure 
 the rigors of the climate, they alone were suited to 
 the pressing demands of a new country. Their zeal, 
 their energy, their " push," were indispensable to cope 
 with Nature s formations, her mighty rivers, her 
 boundless prairies. Such was the theoretic decree of 
 the powers that ruled. 
 
 In fact, the employees were restless, reckless charac 
 ters from north, south, and east, whose elastic con 
 sciences allowed them to make false oaths respecting 
 their own lineage, or on any other subject that pleased 
 their fancy or seemed to advance their interests. 
 
 On the last day of December, 1878, the through train 
 from the East found itself losing time when about one 
 hundred miles west of Minneapolis. The wind was 
 dead against it ; and if the clouds were not dispensing 
 snow, the elements were getting up a decided "bliz 
 zard" with that already fallen. 
 
 As though connected by a magnetic batten , the 
 breast of every train-hand, from the highest official 
 to the ignoble chore-boy, felt himself animated by the 
 
2O DISILLUSION 
 
 contest with Nature. The engineer replenished his 
 fire. " Worth the risk ! " he mentally cried, remember 
 ing his boiler lacked the strength of youth, or the flex 
 ibility of modern invention. As nearly as was possible 
 for an obese person, devoid of literal or spiritual wings, 
 the conductor flew from carriage to carriage. Impa 
 tient of the demands due to the smaller way-stations, 
 the person in charge of the brakes applied them too 
 soon, discovered he was stopping the train a half-mile 
 outside the settlement, then whizzed them on again. 
 Before mechanical combination could accommodate 
 itself to such rapid changes, they were equally far 
 beyond the station. It was all the same. Passengers 
 were qui vive. Men passed and repassed, doubled 
 and redoubled, with a rapidity that puzzled even their 
 dogs, who fastened themselves on the wrong masters, 
 then, in olfactory disgust, fled in rabid haste. Like 
 the tumblers in a circus, boys were under everybody s 
 feet, and under the car-wheels, too, for aught anybody 
 knew or cared. A few women shrieked, and a few of 
 Eastern origin would have fainted had there been time 
 for " nonsense." This programme was repeated, with 
 slight variations, at every stopping-place until they 
 reached Moorehead. Time-tables indicated that our 
 train and that on the Manitoba road should meet at 
 this city ; but emulation was the motto of each engi 
 neer, and the departing whistle of the latter engine 
 sounded triumphantly as the former drew up to the 
 station. Chagrin added its stamp to the countenances 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 21 
 
 that had before blazed with enthusiasm, chagrin, that 
 assumed the hue of literal mortification when the tele 
 graph operator rushed out to inform the conductor 
 that he was beaten by eight seconds ; when the station 
 agent called to the engineer, Reckon you took a nap 
 on the road ! " when the restaurant waiters chaffed 
 the porters for sluggishness, and the station boot 
 blacks the train ditto. 
 
 The cars were more than crowded; they were 
 packed, they were jammed. It was as if all creation 
 had awakened to Horace Greeley s advice, " Go West, 
 young man ! Go West ! " Whatever the temperature 
 outside, inside the carriages the heat was intense. 
 " Nothing stingy about Western men. Pile in the 
 w r ood ! " The most sluggish blood on board was fired. 
 It reciprocated the engineer s mental ejaculation, " I ll 
 come in ahead at Fargo, if my old filibuster," indi 
 cating his engine, " lands us in hell ! " In just fifty- 
 nine and three-sevenths seconds the train was again in 
 motion, only nine and one-seventh seconds behind the 
 departure of the Manitoba. Passengers crowded out 
 of the cars on to the platforms and steps. Eager faces 
 from within tried in vain to peer through the frost-en 
 crusted windows. All sentient being was en rapport 
 with the race, though night shadows and the blinding 
 snow would have cheated vision had the roads run 
 parallel. To accomplish the short mile between the 
 station left behind and Fargo w r as the task of a mo 
 ment a breath, a puff ! Yet again was enginery un- 
 
22 DISILLUSION 
 
 equal to the occasion. It shot past the Headquarters 
 (hotel and station-house combined) as though pro 
 pelled by powder. Every official knew that the West 
 ern train was due at Fargo simultaneously with their 
 own arrival ; that the double track extended only 
 about three furlongs beyond the station ; that the 
 switch would be turned to accommodate the down 
 train ; that a miracle could not stop them within those 
 three furlongs unless magic remodelled their whole 
 machinery, and that double-distilled magic could not 
 accomplish this in the time allotted, nor even think it 
 out. Yet not a heart quaked, not a cheek blanched. 
 Their blood mounted to the height of rapture. 
 
 " Hooray ! Something will turn up ! We never yet 
 got/?///" 
 
 The switchman was literally Western and alert. 
 
 Whiz-z-z ! He spied the flying headlight while it was 
 yet on the bridge between the two cities ; took in that 
 the Western train was not in sight. One dash at the 
 switch O. K. ! He sprang back in season not to be 
 drawn under by suction. One more successful stroke ; 
 no time for trial skill. Whiz-z-z ! Back flew the re 
 versed engine, obedient to the no less skilful control 
 of its master ; and in its wake the down lightning ex 
 press followed close, yet not so close but the last 
 wheel of the last coach on the Eastern train was safe 
 on its own track, and the switch righted to accommo 
 date its legitimate transfer. 
 
 " Scaped by a hair s breadth ! " chuckled the switch- 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 23 
 
 man, he alone fully cognizant of the sublime feat. Of 
 course his hair stood on end, but that condition had 
 become chronic. The situation was not exceptional. 
 
 Before they reached Moorehead, Mrs. Bullard had 
 paled under the cumulation of electricity; but Mira s 
 cheeks glowed, and her pulse kept pace with the car s 
 progress. 
 
 "Isn t this living!" she cried. 
 
 " Seems to me we are hurrying up considerable," 
 replied Mr. Bullard. 
 
 With his jackknife he scraped the frost from a por 
 tion of the window ; then, making a tunnel of his 
 hands, he pressed them close against the cleared 
 space, and peered out. " No, we are stop " the 
 present participle with which intention would have 
 concluded this sentence, by force of circumstance was 
 changed to the past "ed." 
 
 Before he had fairly grasped the situation, Mira 
 cried, " Here we go again ! We get off at the next 
 station. Don t you remember ? Only the Red River 
 separates Moorehead from Fargo." 
 
 Mrs. Bullard joined in the task of collecting valises, 
 packages, baskets, and wraps ; and "before they were 
 fairly in order and apportioned to individual care, the 
 train, after its wild chase up the road, and its backing 
 down, all unguessed by the passengers, with a few last 
 inane advances and recedings halted at the right spot, 
 and our friends struggled to the platform. The con 
 test was brief. That crowd did not consist of daw- 
 
24 DISILLUSION 
 
 dlers. Hackmen, baggage-men, station-men, porters, 
 clerks, boys, dogs, all did their duty in vociferations. 
 The engines did not subside speedily, but continued 
 to ring and puff and whiz in the liveliest manner. 
 Still propelled by the impetus of his surroundings, Mr. 
 Bullard shortly found himself at the hotel office. 
 
 " Too late ! Full ! Try the Continental ! Sixty- 
 three ahead of you turned off ! " 
 
 He looked around in hopeless bewilderment. 
 
 " Hotel on Broadway," explained a kind-hearted 
 man, whose physical angles in the press were, with 
 out volition on his part, making fearful inroads on 
 the flesh of all with whom unfortunate circumstance 
 brought him in contact. " Hurry up, or everything ll 
 be gone ! " 
 
 From the entrance door Almira saw, heard, acted. 
 She led the way, and not an instant too soon. Our 
 party were the last pitched into the last coach. Crack 
 went the whip ; gallop went the horses ; round went the 
 wheels. Passengers were bumped and tumbled into 
 some position, in which those who first entered had no 
 advantage, for extremities mingled, as in warfare. 
 
 The Scripture promise, "The last shall be first," was 
 fulfilled in earthly circumstance. Vying with the wind, 
 which was driving the snow before it at the rate of a 
 mile a minute, our driver outstripped his hurrying com 
 petitors, and drew up at the Continental entrance just 
 in season to bar the spot from the first coach arrived 
 from the Manitoba road. Mr. Bullard had awakened. 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 2$ 
 
 He was only the fifteenth man at the office, and suc 
 ceeded in engaging one room, " first-class,", and a cot 
 for himself in the public hall. While asking that ac 
 ceptance of these accommodations might wait upon 
 inspection, the crowd of eager applicants had carried 
 him, unconsciously, across the waiting-room, and half 
 way up the stairs ; and he woke to the knowledge that, 
 like a stump-speaker, he was preferring his request at 
 random. In the haven of the parlors there was a lull, 
 at least of service, though the press of occupants gave 
 little opportunity to restore one s mental balance or 
 right one s dress. The porters were active, and in 
 time our party s turn came. They were ushered into 
 a room seven feet by nine in dimensions, without a 
 closet, without a huok, without a nail even, from which 
 to hang a garment ; while the bed, bureau, washstand, 
 and stove, all handsome, save the latter, and all of 
 generous size, crowded out the possibility of any 
 chairs save one. The stove was red-hot ; and a pile 
 of pine slabs, waiting induction within its cavern, 
 smoked from sympathy or close proximity. Mira led 
 the way, and mounted the bed, in order to make room 
 for her parents ingress. 
 
 " Had calculated to put the cot up here," said Mr. 
 Bullard; "but guess I won t try it. 
 
 We shall have to have our trunks," cried Mrs. 
 Bullard, glancing doubtfully around. 
 
 " Porter says tis no use to think of it to-night," her 
 husband replied. "They can t be got at, though I 
 
26 DISILLUSION 
 
 gave him a quarter. Hadn t we better go to sup 
 per?" 
 
 Mr. Bullard changed places with his daughter. The 
 ladies shook out their draperies as best they could, 
 " fixed " their crimps, gave another shake in the hall, 
 where there was more space, for the cots were as yet 
 stacked against the wall, and descended the stairs. 
 Their passage led through one end of the office, and 
 the throng there caused Mira to remark that she was 
 glad they hadn t put off coming another day. Her 
 father echoed the sentiment, in his mind convinced 
 that, had they done so, the city would not have con 
 tained them. 
 
 The table was bountifully supplied with hot bis 
 cuit, meats of every variety, and canned fruit of every 
 description, w r hile tall silver-plated baskets held su 
 gared cake that promised more than it performed. 
 But that was slight disappointment, for Dakota ozone 
 required food more fortifying than " sweets." 
 
 Though mother and daughter took turns through 
 out the night in transferring generous portions of the 
 woodpile to the stove, morning found the water in 
 their ewer frozen. But Vermont winters were not 
 always balmy ; and after a few moments coaxing, the 
 stove again sent forth -the glow of meridian. 
 
 When Mira threw up their window, the sun shone 
 with dazzling splendor; the air was motionless. "A 
 lovely springlike day," she cried. " Let s hurry through 
 breakfast, and go out. Do have the trunks sent up 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 2/ 
 
 while we are at the table." This last sentence was 
 addressed to her father, who waited in the open 
 doorway. " Oh, dear ! Where can they go. We must 
 have a larger room ! " she added. 
 
 The ladies passed to the dining-room. Mr. Bullard 
 stopped at the office. He found the clerk affable, the 
 landlord most affable. Would be glad to accommo 
 date with enlarged quarters, but utterly impossible. 
 Every inch taken. Why, those who came in later 
 thankfully piled five into a room less spacious than 
 his. Things not quite so lively now as a month ago. 
 Winter setting in. Business depression. Going to 
 stay long ? Never let a room to one party for over a 
 week. Unfair to transients. Oh, yes; trunks should 
 be sent up at earliest ability. Good deal of a jam 
 of baggage. If theirs should happen to be at the 
 bottom of a pile, might have to wait two or three days. 
 But rest easy ; things ll be pushed. " We are not the 
 kind of people that hang back. Git ! is our motto. 
 Rather different from the East." 
 
 Mr. Bullard was shown the accumulation of bag 
 gage. It was formidable ; some of it was in the hall, 
 much piled on the sidewalk beside the outer .door. 
 His own was not visible. 
 
 " Never mind ; it s safe ! " assured the clerk. " Things 
 don t stand still long in this country. They may 
 freeze down, but they don t stick ! " And he laughed 
 loudly at his own witticism. 
 
 "Seems to have moderated," remarked Mr. Bui- 
 
28 DISILLUSION 
 
 lard, judging by the brilliant sunlight rather than by 
 his sense of feeling. 
 
 "Won t thaw to-day, though," the clerk replied, 
 laughing again. "That s the beauty of our climate; 
 no ups and downs to be all the time catching cold in. 
 We set in pretty snug nearly two months ago, and 
 tisn t likely to let up before the middle of April. 
 Healthy, sir? I should think so! Lung trouble un 
 known. No catarrh, no pneumonia. Dry and clear 
 as a whistle. If there s a climate under the sun that 
 can beat death and the Devil, here you have it. I 
 myself was bordering on consumption when I came 
 here, and now I wouldn t be afraid to fight a prize 
 match with the first pugilist in the country." 
 
 The ladies did not get their trunks that day nor 
 the next, lively as things moved in Fargo. "But they 
 had not grown to the demands of the city, or of so 
 ciety, so after breakfast they started for a walk in 
 their travelling-dresses. Their cloaks were of heavy 
 wool material, Mrs. Bullard s bordered with fur, with 
 a generous fur collar. Her bonnet was velvet, mod 
 ern and diminutive. Mira wore a felt hat, stylish and 
 unprotective. They sallied down Broadway. The 
 street was not pretentious by daylight. The best 
 shops plainly showed that half their frontage was 
 false ; that is, it was as a very high board fence 
 towering above the single practical story. But often 
 the top of this ornamentation (?) was rounded or 
 pointed into Grecian or Gothic style, truly effective 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 2Q 
 
 in a certain direction. Time Block was of brick ; 
 but the clock s fair face, from which the building 
 derived its name, was only a face. To our party, 
 uninitiated in the demands of the city, saloons seemed 
 unnecessarily numerous. Frequently the angle of a 
 sidewalk contained a shanty of the size and con 
 struction of a " switch-house/ whose door advertised 
 " Peanuts & Candy.* 
 
 They afterwards learned that the city encouraged 
 " trade " by granting this use of corners free of cost 
 to any enterprising applicant. These buildings did 
 not tend to enhance the beauty of the city ; but it is 
 praiseworthy to foster commerce, and convenient for 
 pedestrians desiring that kind of merchandise. Five 
 times during their walk did the proprietors of thus 
 many different shops rush out upon our party with 
 invitations to purchase. 
 
 Before they had traversed the length of Broadway, 
 south from their hotel, Mr. Billiard said he believed 
 twas growing cold, and turned up his coat-collar. 
 Shortly Mrs. Bullard remarked that she was afraid 
 they had been cheated in the quality of the cloth 
 from which their cloaks were made, for the cold 
 seemed to penetrate hers as though it were cheese 
 cloth. 
 
 " Aren t you cold, Mira ? " she asked. 
 
 "Oh, I m as warm as toast!" that young lady re 
 plied; "though the weather isn t quite so mild and 
 springlike as I had expected." Her cheeks glowed 
 
3O DISILLUSION 
 
 with enthusiasm, and her eyes sparkled ; but the end 
 of her nose and the tips of her ears were opaque 
 white. 
 
 " Je-r^-salem ! " cried Mr. Bullard. " Your ears 
 and nose are froze, I do believe ! I don t know what 
 to do ! " 
 
 They all paused. 
 
 "Oh, dear!" gasped Mrs. Bullard. Mira looked 
 a good deal frightened, but she only said, 
 
 "I don t feel sick!" 
 
 " No cause for alarm, Miss," interrupted a gentle 
 man, one of the throng passing in the street. " It 
 is no unusual thing in this climate. I see you are 
 tenderfeet, " he continued, smiling. "Allow me!" 
 and he took up snow, and vigorously rubbed the caked 
 extremities. " You had better step into the hotel," 
 he concluded, indicating by a gesture the Headquar 
 ters, near which they were standing, " and wrap up. 
 Parts always more tender after freezing." 
 
 With expressions of gratitude our party turned to 
 follow his advice. The kindly stranger detained Mrs. 
 Bullard. 
 
 " Madam, I see you are unaware that your nose 
 and cheeks are in the same condition. Fortunately 
 your fur and bonnet ties have saved your ears. How 
 ever, nothing serious will result from a few frostbites," 
 he added in an assuring tone, as he proceeded to thaw 
 the affected portions by a process similar to that be 
 stowed upon the daughter. 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 3 1 
 
 He accompanied them into the hotel, and during 
 the next half-hour learned much of the Bullard his 
 tory and imparted much of his own. He held legal 
 right to the title " Esq.," but dealt largely in real 
 estate, both in the city and country. He made him 
 self so very agreeable that after his departure Mira 
 said she considered their frostbites just the luckiest 
 thing in the world, for now father would know who 
 to advise with in making investments. 
 
 The ladies made other pleasant acquaintances among 
 the people assembled in the hotel parlors while Mr. 
 Bullard, with down-turned ear-laps and up-turned coat 
 collar, went back to- the Continental and got all their 
 extra wraps, veils, neckerchiefs, and shawls. By the 
 time he returned, the frostbitten parts had become 
 very red and swollen, and were not a little painful ; 
 so they decided not to continue their walk. But they 
 did not pass a lonely afternoon. Those who had 
 been in the hotel twenty-four hours longer than them 
 selves, by virtue of " old residence " politely called ; 
 and the clergymen of the city made it a point to go 
 the rounds of the hotels every day, and gather into 
 their folds sheep of their own denomination or fold- 
 less sheep. 
 
 "We shouldn t have seen so much company home in 
 a year," said Mira, as they wearily prepared for bed. 
 " What a shame that we can t get at our clothes ! and 
 the accident of the morning has made us perfect 
 frights ! " 
 
32 DISILLUSION 
 
 " But almost everybody else is in the same con 
 dition." Mrs. Bullard remarked this for her own 
 consolation, as much as for Mira s. 
 
 Under the influence of a plentiful supply of Pond s 
 Extract, in another twenty-four hours the inflamma 
 tion caused by the frost had subsided, and their trunks 
 had been unearthed. Both events happened just at 
 the right moment, Mira said ; for Mr. Smith, the gen 
 tleman who had relieved their emergency on the morn 
 ing of their first walk, had asked her to accompany 
 him to the theatre that evening. " Opening night ! 
 Immense! Straight from Germany! Equal never 
 heard in the Great Northwest ! much less in Boston 
 or New York!" 
 
 Mr. Bullard hinted to his wife that Mira was taking 
 up a new acquaintance rather suddenly. But he got 
 no sympathy, so went to the office, and, by cautious 
 and circumlocutional questions, obtained the informa 
 tion that Mr. Smith stood high in the estimation of 
 the community, "A pushing young man ! Worth a 
 hundred thousand to-day, if a cent ! Bound to be a 
 millionaire in less than a year ! " 
 
 The prudent father was satisfied, and Mira fulfilled 
 her engagement. If the operatic company fell short of 
 its advertised merits, our young lady was no critic, and 
 pronounced it most attractive ; while opera-glasses, 
 often directed to her face, proved that others besides 
 her escort thought Miss Bullard a surpassing attrac 
 tion. She was already "known" to Fargo society; 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 33 
 
 and several young men who had previously fed on her 
 charms at a distance, managed before the evening was 
 over to obtain an introduction. 
 
 The blond of Mira s complexion was vivified by 
 the fire of the brunette. Her hair and eyes were 
 dark, but not opaque ; they sparkled. Her tempera 
 ment was a happy combination of the mild and lym 
 phatic, whose result is magnetic. Society would have 
 appreciated her at the East quite as much as West. 
 All their little circle in Blankridge did, as well as 
 Alonzo Peters. 
 
 Before the expiration of the week that permitted 
 them their room at the hotel, Mira pronounced their 
 accommodations intolerable, and Mrs. Bullard de 
 clared herself " all worn out." Two trunks apiece 
 had been appropriated to the wardrobe of the family ; 
 but, in packing, Mrs. Bullard had wisely separated the 
 necessities of winter from spring or summer demands : 
 so only four of these trunks needed to be conveyed to 
 such spot as would render their contents available. 
 They had been placed in the hall, on each side of 
 their door, in tiers of two. Discreetly as their con 
 tents were arranged, the article wanted was always 
 sure to be at the bottom of the bottom trunk. The 
 place was rather public for the sorting of garments : 
 but the fact that nearly every door on their floor was 
 guarded in a similar manner, and that its proprietor 
 labored under similar disadvantages, helped the situa 
 tion ; for custom makes fashion, and fashion rules 
 modesty. 
 
34 DISILLUSION 
 
 Mrs. Bullard thought they had better continue tak 
 ing their meals at the hotel, it was such a social help ; 
 so Mr. Bullard undertook the task of finding lodging- 
 rooms at a convenient distance. 
 
 " I ought to have been about it earlier," he said, 
 when Smith informed him that he had no apartments 
 on hand. His friend laughed. 
 
 " Before night you ll have a choice of twenty rooms, 
 at least. But they won t stand empty; that isn t the 
 way with our people, yes or no, up and off." 
 
 This statement proved true. Before noon he had 
 had the refusal of fifteen rooms ; but his decision 
 required such promptitude that no time for inspection, 
 even, was allowed. The ground floor of Time Block 
 was used for stores, the second for lodgings. He 
 engaged two in this building at a venture. It was 
 near his hotel. He was to pay ten dollars per week 
 for each. He was now paying four and a half dol 
 lars a day, individually, at their hotel ; but for meals 
 only, the price would be fifteen dollars a week for 
 each. Accustomed to the practice of economy usual 
 among the New England laboring-class, and particu 
 larly among farmers, whose profits are small, this ex 
 pense was appalling to Mrs. Bullard. 
 
 " We must save J00z<?where," she hopelessly asserted. 
 
 After seeing the size of the rooms engaged, Mira 
 suggested that they get along with one. 
 
 " I want some of the experience of pioneer life," she 
 declared. " So far, it has been nothing but luxury 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 35 
 
 modified," she added, remembering the inconvenience 
 of living in trunks. 
 
 " Save at the tap," quoted Mr. Bullard. All his 
 former experience had served to implant a distaste 
 for cramped quarters. But this method of economy 
 was prevalent in Fargo, and Mrs. Bullard had grown 
 into the spirit of the times. So the ladies prevailed, 
 and, in accordance with their mental progress, com 
 menced spending for dress thrice the amount saved 
 in rent. 
 
 If the furnishing of this room was commeasurable 
 with its cost, they continued to live in luxury. For a 
 bed, washstand, lounge, a few chairs, and the drapery 
 necessary to divide the room into compartments, they 
 paid almost as much as had been received for the 
 whole handsome, old-fashioned furniture of their home 
 in Blankridge. 
 
 By the advice of Mr. Smith, who now pronounced 
 himself an old friend of the family, and with his assist 
 ance, Mr. Bullard had already made several invest 
 ments which this friend pronounced capital." He 
 had purchased a large lot on Pacific Avenue ; he had 
 bought shares to the amount of one thousand dollars 
 in a company formed since his arrival for establishing 
 iron- works on the northwest side of the city, and had 
 purchased two house-lots in that vicinity ; he had 
 also purchased a lot on Eighth Street, and another 
 on Ninth. 
 
 A few hours after he paid for his furniture, he sold 
 
36 DISILLUSION 
 
 the lot on Eighth Street at an advance of one hundred 
 and fifty dollars, and one of those near the prospective 
 iron foundry for fifty more than he gave for it. Mrs. 
 Bullard s peace of mind was restored. If the cost of 
 one week in Fargo was equal to the expense of six 
 months living in Blankridge, a year s profits from the 
 farm in Blankridge would have hardly equalled the 
 profits of these sales ; and the city abounded in such 
 opportunities. Mr. Bullard delayed not an hour to 
 rent an office on Front Street, and put out his sign : 
 
 JONATHAN BULLARD, 
 REAL ESTATE AGENT. 
 
 DEALER IN 
 
 CITY PROPERTY, LOTS AND HOUSES. 
 
 ALSO 
 
 IN FARM LANDS. 
 
 Mira felt unbounded pride in this gilded board ; 
 for the painter had consulted his own taste in its size 
 and decoration, and it shone as conspicuously as does 
 the dome of the State House in Boston. 
 
 "That s the way to catch em," declared the artist. 
 " Our people like noble views. Our prairies set the 
 example." 
 
 By the contracted pronoun " em," he signified trade. 
 Thanks to his genius, or the demands of the country, 
 or the ability of the new agent, or to a combination of 
 these superlative qualities, business proved " rushing." 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 3/ 
 
 It allowed Mr. Bullard hardly time to eat or sleep. 
 His family might well have complained of neglect, 
 only they were too busy to remember whether they 
 encountered husband and father once a day or once 
 a week. Their mornings in the hotel parlors afforded 
 entertainment as varied and charming as society is 
 capable of introducing. Sometimes a card-party, some 
 times music ; again a reception, formal or informal ; 
 and the varieties of fancy-work there in progress were 
 legion. Each lady seemed to know a new stitch or 
 style ; and every other lady was " crazy " to learn it, 
 Mira in a modified degree, but Mrs. Bullard was 
 rabid. During the afternoon and evening they "re 
 ceived " in their room in Time Block. 
 
 Twelve o clock midnight. A voice from the space 
 behind the curtain, politely denominated Mrs. Bui- 
 lard s chamber, 
 
 " I am all worn out ! " 
 
 Responsive voice from the parlor, 
 
 "This is intolerable. 
 
 Mr. Bullard enters from the common hall. 
 
 " Gone, eh, Mira ? " referring to guests. 
 
 " O father, close the door, please, quick ! What an 
 odor of onions ! * 
 
 " Our neighbors do seem uncommonly fond of 
 them." 
 
 ; I am sure they fry them for breakfast, boil them 
 for dinner, and roast them for supper, and keep cab 
 bage stewing in a kettle all the time. 7 
 
38 DISILLUSION 
 
 Many of the twelve families in Time Block " kept 
 house " in their one room, and their evident partiality 
 for certain vegetables was an annoyance to olfactories 
 nice. 
 
 " It isn t the smells that are wearing me out," called 
 Mrs. Bullard from her couch ; " it s the situation. Of 
 course Mira must have callers. I want her to see 
 people and young folks ; but I must have a bedroom. 
 I am growing old fast, and I miss my sleep. And, 
 pa, I am afraid you ll get into bad habits, being out so 
 late nights." 
 
 " Business keeps me out pretty often ; but when I 
 can get off, I confess it is trying to find the room full 
 of company at eleven and twelve o clock, or one in 
 the morning. I hate to disturb them, so I hang round 
 in the dark of the entry, or go back to the hotel, and 
 perhaps get pinned there by a customer ; so finally I 
 don t get to bed until near morning. Yes, I guess 
 we d better make a move." 
 
 "Strange we hadn t thought of it before!" cried 
 Mira. " I have regretted the inconvenience of cir 
 cumstances as much as any one, I am sure. But we 
 grow into knowledge so slowly." 
 
 As a voice from the shades, again came a voice 
 from beyond the curtain, 
 
 " Moving will be expensive ; but we shall save it 
 in clothes, if we keep house." 
 
 To the uninitiated, this speech would have been 
 ambiguous. Mrs. Bullard referred to that portion of 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 39 
 
 their clothing which had to be laundered. Not to 
 the washing, exorbitant as were those prices, but to 
 the loss attendant upon the drying thereof. It took 
 from four to six days for clothing to freeze dry in the 
 open air. A blow, if not a blizzard, was sure to come 
 up during the time, and the suspended garments, stiff 
 as glazed paper, would crack and part as though com 
 posed of material as frail. Mira did not exaggerate 
 when she pronounced the condition in which their 
 clothing was returned, "perfectly frightful." Shirts 
 minus sleeves, body and skirts separated, drawers 
 dismembered, nightdresses sundered. Sometimes the 
 lost parts escaped to the open prairie, sometimes 
 angles of fences or buildings caught and harbored 
 them. If rescued, they were impartially divided 
 among patrons, regardless of their legitimate belong 
 ings. Mrs. Bullard expostulated. 
 
 " Can just as well dry them inside, ma am," was 
 the polite rejoinder, " and in one-tenth of the time. 
 Suit us better ; and if there is a firm under the great 
 national flag that is bound to suit its customers, ours 
 is the one/ 
 
 The following week the clothes came home whole, 
 saffron-colored, and odorous as though steeped in a 
 decoction of garlic and tobacco. Language was in 
 competent to express Mira s disgust. They changed 
 for a laundry less liberal of promises. The firm 
 failed the same clay ; and the following, a homogene 
 ous mass of soiled linen was returned, of sizes and 
 
4O DISILLUSION 
 
 shapes most alien to the human form. They changed 
 again, and the results were parallel with their first 
 experience. The next change never returned their 
 "wash." "Skipped," Mr. Bullard learned in re 
 sponse to his inquiries. After again trying steam- 
 drying, Mrs. Bullard directed open-air exposure as 
 more hygienic, if inore troublesome. Not that much 
 time was spent in mending. " New times demand 
 new measures," Mira quoted, and basted together 
 such parts as came to hand with a dexterity that 
 the legerdemain profession might envy. 
 
 Mrs. Bullard mentioned at the breakfast-table that 
 they desired to rent a cottage and keep house. With 
 in an hour she received a call from Mrs. Black. They 
 had often met in society, but never exchanged visits. 
 
 " My dear Mrs. Bullard, I hear you are looking 
 for a house. We are going to vacate ours in a few 
 days. It is so cosey and pleasant. A grocer has 
 the first floor, with the exception of my husband s 
 office. So convenient, you know, to have the neces 
 saries of life all under one s roof. It is in the 
 wood-yard, and the odor of the fresh lumber is so 
 sweet and so healthy. Do come and see it. All the 
 surroundings are quite select." 
 
 The wood-yard was close to the railroad yard; but 
 twistings, turnings, and windings, brought our friends 
 to the spot. The grocery was patent from its outer 
 accumulation of barrels, boxes, and packing-cases, 
 while dogs and loungers as plainly marked the office. 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 4! 
 
 Lace draperies at the upper windows revealed the 
 pleasant home above ; but the stairway to this aerial 
 Arcadia was not so evident. The only visible doors 
 led, unmistakably, one into the grocery, the other into 
 the office. They sought direction from the proprietor 
 of the former. 
 
 " Oh, handy enough ! Trust our folks for that. 
 This way ! " 
 
 Between the piled rubbish and the sides of the 
 building was a path with one of the requisites of 
 that which leads to life eternal, it was narrow in 
 the superlative degree. At the extreme rear was a 
 door, not fashioned after that of panelled style, but 
 it effectually closed an aperture designed for entrance, 
 for it stuck very tight. Pails, tubs, jars, kettles, 
 brooms, pans, jugs, mops, in short, all the parapher 
 nalia of kitchen use contended the right of way up 
 the steep and narrow stairs. At the top the little 
 landing showed complications still more curious ; but 
 it led direct into a room whose luxurious furnish 
 ing suggested the comfort of Abraham s bosom. 
 
 " So near, and yet so far," sighed Mira, the door 
 representing to her mind a gulf as far-separating as 
 was that between Lazarus refuge and the rich man s 
 place of torment. 
 
 Though knowing the mode of entrance was not 
 unusual, our friends thought it impracticable, and 
 decided to look farther. Several cottages that were 
 shortly to be vacated had been recommended, and 
 
42 DISILLUSION 
 
 they spent the remainder of the afternoon in visiting 
 them. "Cosey, cunning, and cluttered," was Mira s 
 comment. Much white lace drapery, and the heaviest 
 of the largest sized plush upholstered goods, com 
 posed the furnishing, without regard to the space 
 afforded. Such was the supply of Fargo markets ; 
 and the old adage, " One might as well be out of 
 the world as out of fashion," had firm foothold in 
 this city. 
 
 At the supper-table Mr. Bullard was informed of 
 their movements. 
 
 "No harm done," he replied; "but I bought a lot 
 on Twelfth Street to-day, and have contracted with 
 a builder to have a cottage all ready for occupancy 
 in five days. Two loads of lumber were landed on 
 the ground within twenty minutes after the writings 
 were signed." 
 
 "Won t there be danger of dampness?" suggested 
 Mrs. Bullard. 
 
 "I spoke of that; but the contractor said Dakota 
 atmosphere precluded the possibility. He is a Western 
 man, and well posted. I guess we re all right. The 
 frame will be completed by to-morrow night ; and I 
 shall see that good fires are kept up, though he de 
 clared them unnecessary." 
 
 Mrs. Bullard sighed for a seal-skin sack. Apart 
 from the demands of the climate, their position in so 
 ciety demanded it. Mr. Bullard would have willingly 
 obliged his wife, and several times the necessary sum 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 43 
 
 for the purchase was laid aside ; but within an hour 
 after, some " bargain " would offer that promised great 
 profits, and the appropriation would be otherwise in 
 vested. During his hurried meals, or when he came in 
 at night before she was asleep, Mrs. Bullard would 
 gain information of his movements, as follows : 
 
 "Have just traded off Lot No. 16, south, at an ad 
 vance of $75. Cass has taken Lot No. 8, west, off 
 my hands, by which I cleared just $136. Streeter has 
 borrowed $1,000 of me at 30 per cent. I ve taken a 
 mortgage on Johnson s cow at 42 per cent. I hold a 
 mortgage on the best team in the city at 31 per cent. 
 National Bank is paying me 15 per cent. The tax 
 certificates that I hold are bound to pay from 20 to 40 
 per cent." 
 
 She knew he held mortgages on farms, on houses 
 in the city, on several sets of household furniture, on 
 five elegant seal sacks, which she saw every day on 
 the street in company with ladies who were important 
 factors in "best society." Both she and Mira felt all 
 the pride of proprietorship in these latter, and were 
 willing to wait the tide of events. The whole family 
 felt they were fast becoming millionaires. To be 
 sure, some losses occurred. A bank failed, where Mr. 
 Bullard had $5,000 deposited. It was a complete 
 wreck. The driver of the best team in the city" left 
 his horses in front of a saloon one evening, while he 
 went in to get " something warm. The thermometer 
 stood at forty-three degrees below zero. He stayed so 
 
44 DISILLUSION 
 
 long that the horses broke their fastenings, demolished 
 the hack, and were found in the morning "stark as 
 marble," headed against the railroad bank, high up on 
 Front Street. When the cow was finally attached and 
 sold, Mr. Bullard found there were two mortgages 
 before his ; and the furniture he had depended upon 
 to furnish the new cottage was spirited away in the 
 night. A financial loss is of course depressing ; but 
 when the next turn of fortune s wheel brings a prize, 
 blanks are forgotten. 
 
 Fargo ladies often gave private parties, though the 
 size of the houses necessarily marked the character of 
 the entertainment, or limited the number of guests. 
 "Kettledrums" were popular, for the visitors came 
 and departed in succession. Receptions were popular, 
 for these demanded the same routine. Select teas 
 were very popular among the select few. Neverthe 
 less, were large parties, balls, "full-dress assemblies," 
 many in kind and number. For such purpose the 
 opera-house was rented, or a new building before its 
 occupancy. When a store changed hands, some one 
 philanthropically inclined, managed to save an inter 
 vening night for a dance. The different church socie 
 ties held fairs and festivals, gave dinners and suppers, 
 musicales and card-parties ; and every description of 
 entertainment closed with a dance. The Sunday ser 
 vices and funerals did not come precisely under this 
 head, only so far as the costumes of the ladies made 
 them festive; for, verily, but for their surroundings, 
 
THE DOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 45 
 
 one could not tell whether they were dressed for 
 church or opera. Then there were charitable socie 
 ties ad infinitum, whose chief office seemed to be to 
 hold meetings ; and societies named after every State 
 in the Union, and every real or conceivable state of 
 existence. Our friends decided not to patronize these 
 latter largely, for each involved great expense. But, 
 in a few weeks, Mira s fingers and thumbs were insuffi 
 cient to count the number of which she was a mem 
 ber ; and her father and mother were equally involved. 
 Not that Mr. Bullard went much into society, he was 
 too busy buying and selling, but he promptly paid 
 his dues, all the same. 
 
 Since Mrs. Bullard s residence in Fargo, she had 
 not been so situated that she could entertain. When 
 they took possession of the new cottage, she felt that 
 every law of etiquette and hospitality demanded that 
 they should give a reception. For such an entertain 
 ment at their old home, she and Mira would have pre 
 pared the food, and some of Mira s intimate friends have 
 been invited to assist in waiting upon the table. Such 
 a thing as hired service would have been considered 
 unpardonable extravagance and ludicrous ostentation. 
 Blankridge was ridiculously old-fashioned ; and our 
 friends were not only acclimated to Fargo styles, but 
 naturalized. The services of a caterer, recently ar 
 rived from Chicago, were secured; and at enormous 
 expense, to Mr. Bullard, the caterer imported col 
 ored waiters from Minneapolis. Mira declared she 
 
46 DISILLUSION 
 
 felt herself an insignificant guest in the light of their 
 elegance. 
 
 The encomiums bestowed upon this entertainment 
 compensated for its cost. " Incomparably select," was 
 the tamest term used. And so well did the door 
 keeper perform his part, that only two people were ad 
 mitted without reception cards, one a widow, whose 
 brazen tongue and black heart would have known 
 no hesitancy in applying at the gates of paradise; 
 and the other a reporter for a paper whose politics 
 Mr. Bullard did not indorse. 
 
 Fargo servants were chiefly of the Scandinavian 
 race, and as new in the country as was the city of 
 their adoption. Consequently, English was an un 
 known tongue to them. Mira declared that a girl 
 deaf, dumb, and blind would be as efficient as was 
 their Norwegian " help." The phlegm of northern lat 
 itudes pervaded their temperaments. Once, twice, 
 five times in three days did Mrs. Bullard change, and 
 each girl proved more stupid than the former. In 
 valuable time was consumed in efforts to teach them. 
 It interfered with social duties, with church obliga 
 tions, with aesthetic privileges. 
 
 " This state of things is intolerable ! " cried Mira, 
 after a few weeks experience. 
 
 " I am all worn out," sighed Mrs. Bullard. 
 
 " What s to hinder a change, then ? " suggested Mr. 
 Bullard. " The Headquarters s partnership dissolved 
 early this morning. You know Piper, the junior mem- 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 47 
 
 ber, was going to be married in a few days. He had 
 his rooms all ready, three of them. Well, the story 
 goes, some business made it impossible for him to at 
 tend the opera last night, so he sent a note of regrets 
 to the lady. She was very indignant, and said if he 
 was going to begin thus early to exercise a husband s 
 tyranny, she would teach him what would be her 
 course. So she accepted an invitation to go with 
 Jones, and flirted desperately with him during the 
 whole performance. Of course Piper heard of it be 
 fore the evening was half over, threw up everything, 
 settled with his partner, and took the eleven o clock 
 train this morning for Washington Territory. But 
 lively as were his movements, Jones got ahead of him. 
 He did not want to marry the girl, but of course he d 
 have to ; at least, he thought there was a chance for 
 a suit for " breach of promise " if he stayed behind : 
 so he quietly settled up his affairs, I bought five 
 lots of him before breakfast, and he started East an 
 hour earlier than the train that took Piper West. But 
 the joke is, Miss Marsden beat em both. She some 
 how got wind of how things were working, and at nine 
 o clock walked into DeLucie s dry goods store, dressed 
 in all her best clothes, and, w^hile pretending to trade, 
 made herself so agreeable to the clerk, who had known 
 her for more than a week, and made no secret of his 
 admiration, that he popped the question then and 
 there, and they went straight up to the Methodist 
 minister s, and were married on the spot. 
 
48 DISILLUSION 
 
 Before night our friends were established at the 
 Headquarters, in the rooms fitted for a bride. If the 
 change brought less care in one direction, it accumu 
 lated responsibilities in another. The company at the 
 Sherman House was respectable ; at the Continental, 
 select ; at the Headquarters, choice. No negligee cos 
 tumes permitted there, no time for lounging. Every 
 hour, every minute, was occupied. If Mrs. Bullard had 
 previously counted her social triumphs great, she knew 
 them now of little worth. The past paled like Venus 
 before the light of the risen sun. 
 
 " What are your engagements for this morning, 
 Mira ? " Mrs. Bullard asked her daughter, a few weeks 
 after they were located. " Mrs. Upton says DeLucie 
 has an entirely new line of dress goods in, and we 
 are going to inspect them. I think you had better ac 
 company us. We must have something ; for, with the 
 utmost ingenuity or skill, I don t believe Oscar Wilde 
 himself could make any more varieties or combinations 
 out of our dresses." 
 
 " Yes, I know we are fearfully old-style and shabby," 
 replied Mira. " Perhaps to-morrow I can spare a half- 
 hour, but every moment of to-day is taken. My lesson 
 in ribbon embroidery commences at nine-thirty ; at 
 ten-thirty I have engaged to go with Mrs. Yerkes to 
 secure the opera-house for the bazaar, and engage the 
 music, and see Morgan about loaning us decorations, 
 and engage crockery; and then I ve got to see the 
 lady that promised to personate a gypsy, and hold her 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 49 
 
 to it, for she s as slippery as an eel, and the character 
 has been advertised, so we must not fail. And I must 
 see a half-dozen others who have promised to fill re 
 sponsible positions, but will surely disappoint us if we 
 do not refresh their memories every half-hour from 
 now up to the appointed evening." 
 
 "Yes, it is a trying feature of Fargo society that 
 people are so, we won t say unreliable, but forgetful. 
 Yesterday afternoon Mrs. Goodman had quite a num 
 ber of ladies invited to tea. At noon some one sent 
 her a ticket to the matinfc, so off she went ; and they 
 came and went. She pretends she had invited them 
 for to-day, and is so sorry for their mistake. It made 
 quite a little talk for an hour last evening ; but, dear 
 me ! everybody has forgotten it before now, the parties 
 slighted as well. Let me see ! I have three tea-drink- 
 ings engaged for this evening ; one at four, one at six, 
 and one at eight. And as I shall meet many of the 
 same ladies at each, my dress must be changed be 
 tween. Can t you help me ? For the time will be 
 short." 
 
 " I wish I could ; I am very sorry. But, as I was 
 saying, at twelve I go to the church to practise a duet 
 with Mr. Bateson for Sunday. At two I have prom 
 ised to be at home to show Miss Kendal that new 
 crochet stitch. At two-thirty Miss Long comes for 
 me to make calls with her. At four I am due at the 
 rectory to the Ladies Guild ; and at five-thirty I drive 
 out to the county hospital with Miss Long, to carry 
 
5O DISILLUSION 
 
 some papers that have been donated. I am afraid 
 the society gotten up in its behalf hasn t much im 
 proved matters. There is a constant change of super 
 intendents." 
 
 " I don t belong to it," said Mrs. Bullard. 
 
 "I did; but when one of the officers objected to 
 admitting. Mrs. Buzzel, who had charge of the in 
 mates at that time, and, as far as I could see, really 
 desired their best good, on the ground that we might 
 want to talk her over, it looked to me too much like 
 a gossip society, so I left." 
 
 " Is that all ? " asked Mrs. Bullard, referring to 
 Mira s engagements, as she paused. 
 
 The younger lady again opened her note-book, 
 
 "At seven Mr. Boyd calls to settle that uncomfort 
 able affair I told you about. Between eight and nine 
 I must be at the Vermont Society, where I hold an 
 office ; and at nine Mr. Weed is coming to be decapi 
 tated." Mira s feeble smile ended in a pathetic, " Oh, 
 dear ! " that proved her not quite naturalized, or she 
 would have considered the situation cause for con 
 gratulation, rather than for a sigh. 
 
 The "uncomfortable affair," or, rather, affairs, that 
 engendered this emotion were only two offers of mar 
 riage, made, one the day before, the other that morn 
 ing in church after the duet practice. The entrance 
 of other members of the choir had prevented any 
 response to the latter, and Mira wished to make her 
 refusal kindly; for, though she had known the young 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 5 I 
 
 man only a week, apparently he was inoffensive, and 
 had meant the highest compliment man can pay to 
 woman. So, amid the rapid talk of the newcomers 
 she could only hastily appoint nine o clock of that 
 evening for him to call at her home. 
 
 The other offer had cost her some thought. He 
 was a widower, said to be of irreproachable business 
 standing, as well as social. His age was not unsuited, 
 and the advantage of wealth was eminently on his 
 side. Mira was only mortal, and for a moment she 
 had hesitated. Brief as was her indecision, it encour 
 aged her suitor not to accept her rejection ; so from 
 weariness, she had appointed an hour for another 
 interview. 
 
 Private carriages in Fargo were neither many nor 
 marked for beauty or style. But livery stables were 
 plenty, and one of these had recently imported a 
 brougham driven by a man in distinctive livery dress. 
 In common parlance, the ladies were bewitched with 
 it. It was rented by the hour at a most exorbitant 
 price ; and, as the demand was great, she who was so 
 fortunate as to secure it, justly felt herself queen of 
 the situation. 
 
 Dressed in black silk, relieved by trimmings of 
 crimson moire antique, Mrs. Bullard stepped into this 
 carriage at twenty minutes to four on the afternoon 
 following the above recorded conversation, an object 
 of admiration to all masculine spectators and of envy 
 to all feminine. Her reisn was to last six hours. 
 
52 DISILLUSION 
 
 Thirty dollars was the price of her sovereignty. Her 
 pride was gratified, though her Vermont training suf 
 fered tremors. 
 
 At five-thirty the Headquarters s audience were again 
 favored by the sight of the brougham and its pro tern- 
 pore mistress. She had ten minutes in which to change 
 her dress. "Practice makes perfect." Actresses learn 
 to do it in one-tenth of that time, and Fargo ladies 
 were not slow for want of experience. The second 
 time Mrs. Bullard entered her carriage she was ar 
 rayed in dark-green velvet, trimmed with apple-green 
 satin. Between her dress and her carriage she felt 
 her success complete ; and this knowledge enabled her 
 to eat and drink at the second tea-table in opposition 
 to the strongest digestive objections. Partaking of 
 the cup that doth mildly intoxicate, tea, and of the 
 beverage that doth mightily inebriate, flattery, "Your 
 dress is so charming!" "Your husband so success 
 ful ! " " Your taste so unequalled ! " " Your daughter 
 so popular ! " " Your style so unique ! " Mrs. Bul 
 lard was beguiled into overstaying her limited time 
 by seven minutes. No law of etiquette would allow 
 her to arrive at the next house where she was due 
 later than seven forty-five. Her brain whirled. 
 
 "Driver, get me to the Headquarters in three min 
 utes, and I will give you two dollars extra." The road 
 was rough, but the feat was accomplished. Later, 
 Mrs. Bullard discovered that her dress suffered serious 
 detriment from the treatment consequent upon this 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 53 
 
 speed. But her body knew no ill, for her spirit soared 
 on heights that condescended not to mortal estate. 
 Flushed and eager, she entered her room at twenty 
 minutes to eight. The new combination of purple 
 and lavender that lay upon the bed awaiting occu 
 pancy further electrified her. She rang the bell 
 sharply. As flame follows the striking of a match, 
 such was the promptitude of the chore-boy. Before 
 the bell had ceased tinkling her door sprang open. 
 
 " Find out if Miss Bullard is in ! " 
 
 " Yes m. She s in your parl r ; I jes let a gen lem n 
 in there, n I seen her." 
 
 " Stay ! Don t interrupt ! Send a chambermaid 
 instead ! " And she tossed him a silver coin. 
 
 Presto, change ! With the next breath enters Mary. 
 Mrs. Bullard, already struggling with the beautiful 
 complicated combination that was to crown her 
 triumph, 
 
 " Here s a dollar for you, Mary ! Now help me into 
 this just as quick as you can ! But carefully, for it 
 is already coming apart in two or three places." 
 
 Pins readily supplied the place of treacherous 
 thread, and before the driver had swallowed more 
 than one smoking glass of his well-earned fee, and 
 while the wheels of her chariot were still figuratively 
 smoking from the haste of their speed, and the horse 
 literally, Mrs. Bullard was again upon the road. 
 
 Oh, the inspiration of success ! Oh, the joy of 
 supereminence ! Time wasteth, money perisheth; the 
 
54 DISILLUSION 
 
 victor s crown is immortal. At the third tea, Mrs. 
 Bullard kept the brougham waiting ten minutes be 
 yond the appointed hour, for which she paid three 
 dollars extra. At that moment all coin was dross 
 compared with the paradise in which she was moving. 
 
 Returned to her room, she found its dimensions 
 cramped, its air stifling. She undressed alone. It 
 took her a long time. The structure of her costume 
 gave way in several new directions, and one or two of 
 the pins that the necessity of the moment had de 
 manded marked the fabric with an unsightly rent. 
 She was glad the present diurnal cycle demanded no 
 further effort. In brief, she experienced a decided 
 reaction. She felt unequal to renewing the contest on 
 the morrow. As she sank upon the bed, unbidden 
 tears watered her pillow. " I am all worn out," she 
 sighed ; and her spirit cried for its Vermont home, 
 for the rest, the peace, that haven only could bestow. 
 
 During the recorded conversation of the morning 
 between mother and daughter no time had been lost. 
 Each was making her toilet. Mira dressed in seal- 
 brown wool with plush panels, which she wore through 
 out the day. It was an innovation to be seen upon 
 the street in the same attire morning and afternoon ; 
 but Mira usurped privileges, and obtained them. 
 Hardly another lady in Fargo would have dared the 
 experiment. 
 
 At the tea-table she appeared in wine-red silk, with 
 trimmings of cream velvet and lace. The dress suited 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 55 
 
 her rich complexion well. She was magnificent. It 
 was cruelty to the widower. He could not give her 
 up. 
 
 " I will build you a house better than anything St. 
 Paul or Minneapolis can boast," he urged. " I own 
 lots in every part of the city. Choose your location. 
 You shall keep any number of servants, and have 
 nothing to do but sit in your chair and rock. You 
 shall have a brougham of your own, and a real nigger 
 driver. Yes, by George ! I ll import a nigger. I ll 
 have him here before a week s up. Every woman in 
 Fargo shall envy you. I ll import you dresses from 
 Paris, and buy you diamonds. Y^ou shall wear dia 
 monds every day, and, by Jove ! your eyes will beat 
 em. The new Chicago confectioner shall stay in 
 Fargo, if I keep him here at my own expense, so you 
 can always have fresh candy. I will make a private 
 contract with a California dealer, and you shall have 
 fresh fruit every day, and every kind of goods that 
 Great Britain or the United States ever canned shall 
 be stacked in your store-closet. I own farms, full 
 sections, and I ll deed you anything you say. I will, 
 by Jove ! " 
 
 Mira s eyes grew in size and brilliancy. His offer 
 was magnanimous, and she told him so. 
 
 " I honor your zeal, I admire your enthusiasm." she 
 cried ; " but," and her voice sank, ;% I love Vermont." 
 
 A knock interrupted. Grateful to fortune for thus 
 speedily terminating the interview, she opened the 
 
56 DISILLUSION 
 
 door. Vain gratitude ! It had hardly closed upon 
 her importunate wooer before the newcomer threw 
 himself at her feet. 
 
 His hair was dishevelled, his eyes wild, his face, 
 alas ! aflame as much with whiskey as with passion. 
 
 "I love you to distraction!" he cried. "From the 
 first moment I beheld you I have worshipped you ! 
 Say you will be mine, or, by all that is mighty, I will 
 blow my brains out before midnight ! " 
 
 It occurred to Mira that he had none to dispose of, 
 but she only said, 
 
 " Mr. Gunn, you amaze me ! We have never met 
 but twice." 
 
 " Once was enough ! I tell you I love, love, LOVE 
 you ! " 
 
 She feared his shriek might be overheard. 
 
 " Hush ! Get up and be reasonable." 
 
 " Oh, you calm, cold, Eastern nature ! I am of the 
 sunny South, but have lived West long enough to catch 
 inspiration from its ozone. My love is as boundless as 
 its prairies ! My passion vies with its cyclones ! My 
 heart beats resistless as its blizzards ! Say that you 
 return my love, that you will be mine to-morrow 
 to-morrow morning ! I brook no delay beyond to 
 morrow morning ! See ! I have bought the ring. It 
 took my last cent but love is supreme ! " 
 
 He grasped her hand, and strove to press the golden 
 circlet upon her finger. 
 
 " Where is your home ? " 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 5/ 
 
 " In paradise, for I am beside you." 
 
 She held herself calm. " But you board some 
 where ? " 
 
 " I suppose so on Ninth Street." 
 
 Well, go home now ; that is the best place for you." 
 
 " Depart from you ? Never ! Our souls are 
 wedded." 
 
 Mr. Gunn, you must go home now, and give me 
 time to think." 
 
 " Think ! What about ? You have promised to 
 marry me, haven t you ? You did promise, didn t 
 you ? " 
 
 " Go home now ; that s a good boy ! Promise me 
 you will go straight home, and I will write you a 
 letter." 
 
 "Oh, bliss! I obey. But, remember, I shall come 
 for you in the morning, and if you disappoint me, I 
 will blow my brains out." 
 
 Poor boy, away from home and friends ! " sighed 
 Mira. "I will try to be a sister to him." She found 
 pen and paper, and wrote him such a letter as she 
 would wish Jonnie to receive were he grown, and 
 exposed to Fargo temptations. Her mantel clock 
 struck eight as she sealed the envelope. She rang 
 the bell. 
 
 " Waiter, mail this, and have a carriage at the door 
 in three minutes." 
 
 Her orders were obeyed, and at nine minutes past 
 eight she was in her seat at the hall where the Yer- 
 
58 DISILLUSION 
 
 mont Society held their meetings. Had time per 
 mitted, she was conscious she would have felt weak 
 and tremulous ; but, remembering that the session 
 lasted only an hour, she held her nerves in check. 
 Obedient to her office, that of secretary, she read the 
 reports. Conversation followed; and as this society 
 prided itself upon its intellectual superiority, the 
 strain to sustain the reputation was tremendous. At 
 nine the meeting adjourned. Her carriage was in 
 attendance, and a half-dozen gentlemen pressed for 
 ward, eager to "see her home." But she had long 
 since learned to give them no such advantage. They 
 were " bother " enough without. 
 
 The driver of the hack spent the hour Mira was 
 at the Vermont Society in a saloon. The horses 
 passed the time tied to a post outside its door. Op 
 posed as was the temperature of the two places, the 
 effect wrought upon each was the same. The former 
 was frenzied by drink, the latter were unmanageable 
 with cold. To escape escort, she sprang into the 
 carriage, and somehow the driver scrambled to his 
 seat, the horses already in motion. A wild race en 
 sued. Through what streets it took her, or over what 
 distance, Mira never knew. She closed her eyes, 
 though the night was pitchy dark, and clung, breath 
 less, to her seat. Fortunately the man was beyond 
 any attempt to guide the animals, and instinct soon 
 brought them to their stable. It was only ten minutes 
 past nine, but a lifetime of terror had been crowded 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TO\\ X 59 
 
 into that short space. Hostlers were in attendance ; 
 but Mira preferred to leave the carriage there, and 
 walk home alone. 
 
 The passage to her room led past the hotel office. 
 The clerk detained her. 
 
 " Mr. Camp is waiting in your parlor. He said he 
 had an appointment, and I let him in there." 
 
 Mira suppressed a groan. "After all, to-day is no 
 worse than all the days," she reflected. " Only some 
 times it is one. thing, and sometimes another." 
 
 Mr. Camp had not made his declaration of love in 
 the calmest manner in the morning, and in the interim 
 his mood had grown even more stormy. 
 
 " You have encouraged me," he vehemently af 
 firmed. " You have sung a duet with me in church. 
 You have met me for practice ! My manner must 
 have betrayed the volcano in my breast ! The pas 
 sion of my voice meant love for you ! Earth will 
 become elysian as we go singing through life to 
 gether! " 
 
 Mira said imagination failed to transport her thither; 
 that his proposal was as undesirable as unexpected. 
 
 Then he accused her of coquetry, and threatened 
 punishment dire through exposure. In vain she de 
 clared he had never given her any grounds to suspect 
 his sentiments ; that, in their few meetings, not even 
 the freedom of friendship had been established. 
 
 "I don t know Eastern customs! he exclaimed; "I 
 am a citizen of the noble West. I carry a pistol and 
 
6O DISILLUSION 
 
 a bowie-knife. You shall be my bride, or the bride 
 of a groom more exacting ! " and he emphasized this 
 threat by half drawing from his pocket the boasted 
 knife. Mira shuddered. The features before her 
 were transformed, and in this new light he seemed 
 capable of any desperate deed. She felt herself un 
 able to cope with such a character. 
 
 "Be generous!" she cried. "Give me until to 
 morrow ! " 
 
 " Until to-morrow, then. But beware ! " As he 
 departed he impressed this caution by giving her a 
 glimpse of his revolver. 
 
 At the moment Mrs. Bullard crept, sobbing, between 
 her sheets, simultaneously Mira threw herself on her 
 bed in a passionate burst of tears. 
 
 "This is unendurable!" her spirit cried. "Why, 
 why, did we ever leave Blankridge?" 
 
 Her mental voice found no response, so she wept 
 on, disconsolate. 
 
 Mr. Bullard now owned so many town lots, his con 
 dition was similar to that of Alexander the Great, 
 who wept that there were no more worlds to conquer. 
 Why not add to the city limits? his brain evolved. 
 Bullard s Addition would sound equally well with 
 Darling s, Tyler s, or Lowell s. Yes, he would pur 
 chase land just outside the city, get it incorporated, 
 stake it into lots, then "boom" them. He was well 
 posted in all the current lexicology. Only one little 
 hindrance stood in the way of his scheme. With his 
 
THE DOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 6 1 
 
 present investments he lacked sufficient capital. Of 
 course he could rent money, but here his inherited 
 caution prevailed. While he was still debating the 
 subject, a new arrival in town settled the question, 
 and to his satisfaction. Mr. Hicks would go into 
 partnership Billiard and Hicks s Addition. With 
 out delay the ground was found, purchased, and all 
 the legal formalities necessary to include it within the 
 city, transacted. The streets were marked to run at 
 right angles, and given sounding names. Cheap, fer 
 tile, healthy, aristocratic, electric light, horse-cars, 
 city reservoir, were terms so skilfully mingled in the 
 advertisements, that after a few days the proprietors 
 themselves, as well as the general public, felt that 
 these improvements were an actual present possession, 
 instead of a future possibility. 
 
 Several lots were sold. Mr. Billiard was satisfied 
 with their progress, but Mr. Hicks was impatient. 
 He had only run up to Fargo for the winter. In the 
 spring he intended resuming business in St. Paul, and 
 his money would be needed. 
 
 " Let s advertise a great sale," he proposed. " Char 
 ter trains from the east and west. Send a band up 
 and down the city. Let somebody lead a bear, rhi 
 noceros, or kangaroo. Have a free lunch on the 
 grounds. Make the boys lively by something warm 
 ing for their insides, and before night we ll have every 
 lot of land off our hands, a:Kl be ready to retire with 
 all the business we want, to look after our money." 
 
62 DISILLUSION 
 
 "I will sleep on the proposition," said Jonathan 
 Bullard. 
 
 He was now pretty well versed in real-estate busi 
 ness. He knew all its ins and outs. He had invested 
 in everything as it came to hand, had made piles of 
 money, and had lost more than he originally brought 
 to Fargo. He had never stopped to balance accounts ; 
 Western trade has no time for such tedium. The plan 
 proposed by Mr. Hicks held risks. It might prove 
 an overwhelming success, and, without any apparent 
 cause, it might be utter ruin. The expense of adver 
 tising, trains for transportation, and the lunch would 
 be enormous. If the "lots" did not sell, it would 
 embarrass them with an unreasoning stigma that time 
 alone could remove. Such had been the fate of 
 whole proposed townships ; and again, a like proceed 
 ing had been known to make men millionaires in a 
 half-day. No mortal could predict whether they could 
 get a crowd together, or still less whether, being col 
 lected, they would purchase. Nevertheless, Mr. Bul 
 lard decided he would run the risk as far as the sale 
 was concerned : it was the lunch that deterred him, 
 or, rather, the liquor. He had been brought up on 
 strictly temperance principles. He voted for prohibi 
 tion, and, unlike most of his business associates, had 
 brought his principles with him when he came West. 
 So he and his partner "split." 
 
 " Couldn t sell a damned cent s worth without the 
 drink," the latter insisted. "Sale d be as dry as the 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 63 
 
 boys throats. I tell yer, drink and success go to 
 gether. Boys will have it. It s no odds whether we 
 give it to em, or the saloon-keeper. And they need 
 it, too, in this damn climate." 
 
 Mr. Bullard was tempted, and asked another night 
 for consideration. 
 
 Rectitude prevailed. 
 
 " I ll sell out to you," he announced the next morn 
 ing. 
 
 Mr. Hicks indulged himself in further profanity, 
 but accepted the offer ; and before night Bullard s 
 name was stricken from the Addition. 
 
 Mr. Hicks carried out his proposed programme. 
 He imported a bear and a monkey ; and for a week 
 a man, who bore on his back a placard advertising 
 the sale, exercised these animals throughout the city. 
 They knew no tricks, and looked decidedly forlorn, es 
 pecially after their keeper had taken his forenoon pota 
 tion ; for then he beat them a good deal, and forgot to 
 give them dinner or supper. But they continued inter 
 esting to schoolboys, the poorest and meanest among 
 whom knew enough to know that the monkey was 
 superior to its master ; and they hoped that some day, 
 when he had been more abusive than usual, the bear 
 would eat him up. 
 
 Three days before the sale, an old chariot, painted 
 in flaming colors, and drawn by four mules, tandem, 
 perambulated the streets, the occupants of the same 
 discoursing music from varied instruments, weird, 
 
64 DISILLUSION 
 
 wild, merry or sad, according to the state of their 
 spirits, influenced by the amount of spirituous indul 
 gence allowed by their finances. 
 
 The culminating day, the day of the sale, was the 
 day that saw the height of Mrs. Bullard s triumph, 
 and witnessed the final triumph of her weary flesh; 
 the day that thrice gave Mira a chance to change her 
 maiden estate, and finally saw her wearily crying for 
 home. Every department of business in Fargo was 
 qui vive on that day. A free ride was sure to be 
 patronized, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and all intervening- 
 stations from the east ; from the west, Bismarck, James 
 town, Valley City, Casselton, including lesser stations. 
 The restaurants, hotels, and saloons alone expected a 
 day of rest. The free lunch would spoil their business. 
 
 As was predicted, the trains poured in thousands 
 of people. It was estimated that by ten o clock in the 
 morning the population of the city had quadrupled. 
 Hicks s spirits were so elate that he moved in aerial 
 space, propelled as is the swallow. Standing in his 
 office door, Mr. Bullard gave up trying to count the 
 strangers. He sympathized with his former partner s 
 exultation, though his muttered, " Couldn t V looked 
 my children in the face otherwise," proved he was 
 satisfied with his own course. 
 
 At noon, the hour when lunch was served on Hicks s 
 Addition, not a man could be found on Front Street 
 or Broadway. Thus far was Hicks s Great Sale pat 
 ronized. The common herd ate his food, and emptied 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 65 
 
 his kegs of beer, rum, gin, or whiskey to the dregs. 
 The professions and city officials ate at a separate 
 table, and made havoc of the bottled drinks. When 
 the auctioneer mounted his stand, jests from every 
 direction assailed him. They would have ll squelched " 
 any but a Western man. He stood his ground. De 
 prived of fun in that direction, the crowd scattered 
 back to the main streets of the city. They were in 
 good-natured mood, most of them -in a mood for 
 trade, though too shrewd to snap at Hicks s bait. 
 Such sharp angling must mean a bogus worm, they 
 said. "Takes a rogue to catch a rogue." The real- 
 estate dealers on Front Street and Broadway reaped 
 the advantage of Hicks s Great Sale. Town lots, 
 town houses, farms, mortgages, bank-stock, changed 
 and exchanged hands. Mr. Bullard came in for his 
 share of bargains. Money rattled m and out of his 
 drawer like dice in their box. He made only cash 
 sales. This was not the crowd to trust beyond the 
 range of vision. If one hadn t the money, another 
 had. As night approached, "the combat thickened." 
 Many lost customers by going to supper. Our friend s 
 stomach made no demand on his brain. He was as 
 independent of food as a god. He was unconscious 
 of volition. Customers came, purchased, and de 
 parted with lawyers, who were reaping their share of 
 profits by settling legal formalities. The scratchings 
 of the pens of their clerks pervaded the atmosphere 
 like the hum of steam-sped machinery. 
 
66 DISILLUSION 
 
 At eight o clock the specials bore east and west 
 the patrons of Hicks s bounty, if not of his land. 
 
 " There goes the whistle ! " cried Mr. Billiard to his 
 clerk, as the puff of departing trains reached their 
 ears. " Now we can cool off." 
 
 Their brows exuded perspiration that bespoke a 
 raging furnace within. 
 
 " Bill, step out and get us an icicle. We ve had 
 a pretty warm time of it." 
 
 Master and clerk wiped their faces, and held the 
 grateful beverage in their mouths, but Bill uneasily. 
 Presently he spoke, 
 
 " A beefsteak would cool me quicker." 
 
 Mr. Bullard laughed. " Thinking of supper, hey ? 
 Well, tis about time. You ve done well. Here s an 
 extra," and he tossed him a ten-dollar-bill. "Don t 
 spend it in drink. 
 
 " Hope I ve made as much," he meditated, with a 
 sudden thoughtful air, as Bill s flying footsteps echoed 
 down the street. At this moment it occurred to 
 him to take account of stock, with all his buying 
 and selling, a precaution he had never yet adopted 
 in Fargo. The wheels of his watch sped round. 
 Time neither hastened nor delayed. The hands in 
 dicated nine, ten, eleven, and twelve o clock. The 
 rosy flush of success had gradually fled from Mr. 
 Bullard s cheek. From pale it grew to sallow, and 
 sallow finally gave place to pallor. If his individu 
 ality was intact, if this man that seemed to sit in his 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN / 
 
 chair, at his desk, in his office, handling his books and 
 papers, by the light of his kerosene lamp, was Jona 
 than Bullard, born in Blankridge, Vermont, on the 
 nineteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord 1822, 
 migrated to Fargo, Dakota, on the thirty-first day of 
 December, 1878, this same Jonathan Bullard was dis 
 possessed of every penny s worth of Dakota property, 
 city or country, mortgage or proprietorship ; while he 
 held in his hands legal coin, or bank-notes of legal 
 tender, to the amount of 18,637.23, just $354-3 x 
 less than this same Jonathan Bullard took away 
 from Blankridge, Vt., three months before, lacking 
 five days. 
 
 " I believe it s all a dream," he muttered. " But, by 
 Jehoshaphat ! if I don t wake up five days from 
 to-night and find myself at home, then my name isn t 
 Jonathan Bullard." 
 
 He buried his money in his trousers pockets, threw 
 the loose papers on which he had been scribbling 
 into the stove, turned the key to his office for the 
 last time, and with rapid strides sought his hotel. 
 
 " Guess twill be a tussle with the women-folks," he 
 thought, as he mounted the stairs with a tread that 
 betokened, conquer or die. He did not attempt to 
 open his chamber door softly ; for he intended to com 
 mence the siege that very night, and to wake Mrs. 
 Bullard by his entrance would be a gain on time. 
 His pleasant surprise to find the lamp burning was 
 merged into wonder when both " his women-folks," in 
 
68 DISILLUSION 
 
 country parlance, rose "on end" in bed. For a mo 
 ment the two parties viewed each other doubtfully. 
 
 " I am all worn out," groaned Mrs. Eullard. 
 
 " This is unendurable," moaned Mira. 
 
 " Let s go home, then," chuckled Mr. Bullard. 
 
 " Oh ! will you ? will you? " cried the women, spring 
 ing from "end" to feet. 
 
 "Jonathan Bullard, this is no time for fooling." 
 
 It was the wife who spoke. She felt that the 
 occasion demanded sincerity. 
 
 " I will be ready to start at seven o clock to-morrow 
 morning," was her husband s rejoinder. 
 
 Mrs. Bullard turned to her daughter, 
 
 " Mira ? " 
 
 " Yes, indeed ! We ve had to keep almost every 
 thing packed for want of closet-room, and what little 
 isn t, we can whisk into the trunks in less than five 
 minutes. Oh, I am so thankful ! " 
 
 "Well, everything s lively in the office yet. I ll 
 go down and settle up, and attend to one or two 
 other little matters while you re about it," responded 
 Mr. Bullard. 
 
 The bond between the mother and daughter had 
 always been close, but the events of that evening 
 had cemented it. Mira had not long indulged the 
 luxury of woe in solitude. She sought her mother, 
 and poured all her troubles into that ever-sym 
 pathetic ear. Mrs. Bullard confided to her daughter 
 her weariness of their present life, and together they 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 69 
 
 had tried to devise plans by which to induce Mr. 
 Bullard to return home. They had little hope of 
 success, but determined to make a strong appeal, 
 to entreat, to adjure him to return to Blankridge. 
 The wonder his readiness to leave Fargo would have 
 excited under any other circumstances was now 
 merged in joy. Massed wearing-apparel soon took 
 the place that Mrs. Bullard and Mira had vacated on 
 the bed, and in an incredibly short time that had 
 disappeared within trunks and packing-cases. 
 
 "Anywhere else, our going away so sudden would 
 seem strange," remarked Mrs. Bullard, as they stepped 
 aboard the train the following morning. 
 
 " Oh, undoubtedly our ears will have a chance 
 to burn for an hour or two/ replied Mira. " But I 
 noticed quite a number of passengers got off our train, 
 and the Eastern will bring more. By ten o clock 
 we shall be as utterly forgotten as though we had 
 never existed." 
 
 " We leave under conditions a little peculiar, 
 though," remarked Mr. Bullard. " But they will 
 assist forgetfulness, rather than keep us in mind. I 
 have squared every bill." 
 
7O DISILLUSION 
 
 PART III 
 
 REGRESSION 
 
 " HAD anybody told me last year, Jonme, that 
 you and I was going to be left to do all the spring 
 planning alone, I wouldn t ha believed them. I 
 never before really felt that I was a poor lone- 
 widder." 
 
 Thus spoke Grannie Bullard, sitting with her grand 
 son alone in front of a cheerful wood fire that leaped 
 and sparkled on the hearth of their spacious parlor, 
 as the twilight of April Fool s Day was fast deepen 
 ing into the gloom of a cloudy night. 
 
 " Don t feel bad," replied Jonnie. " You know I 
 am growing bigger every day ; and Lon Peters would 
 just chop his head of! for you, he is so good." 
 
 " Yes, if Lon was your own brother he couldn t 
 be kinder ; but I miss Jonathan. I shall never be 
 reconciled to his living in foreign parts. It s been 
 a good while since we got a letter," she continued, 
 after a pause. " I m a most worried." 
 
 " Oh, don t worry, Grannie ! You know they are 
 all awful busy. My ! what a pile of money father 
 must have made by this time ! No wonder it takes 
 him all the time to take care of it." 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN /I 
 
 " Riches are an awful snare, Jonnie. I am sorry 
 your father s mind is so took up with them." 
 
 " Maybe he ll come out all right," comforted the 
 boy with the sapiency of age. 
 
 The spring had been unusually cold and drear, so 
 that ploughing was now only just possible. The fields 
 of Northern Vermont could not be ploughed, sowed, 
 and reaped in unfailing routine ; they were dependent 
 on the season s temperature. No grain would have 
 time to ripen on those exposed to northern winds at 
 this late planting, so grandmother and son consulted 
 on the practicability of changes. 
 
 " I don t have the confidence in myself I used to 
 have," grandmother deplored. " Jonathan s moving 
 to foreign parts has all broke me up." 
 
 A rap at the door interrupted her plaint. Alonzo 
 Peters entered. He was a frequent guest, and always 
 welcome. He made things much more cheerful for 
 Jonnie, as well as for the grandmother. They again 
 discussed the spring work at length, and settled to 
 what use each " pasture " should be put. Then the 
 conversation veered to its usual subject. Fargo, and 
 the relation of their family to that city. The evening 
 waned. The late express announced its approach 
 from a distance. 
 
 " It s slowing up ! " cried Jonnie, his ears alert. 
 " Somebody s come ! " 
 
 This form of speech indicated that the express-train 
 stopped at Blankridge Station only to drop a pas- 
 
72 DISILLUSION 
 
 senger or take one aboard ; and this was of rare oc 
 currence at the present season of the year. 
 
 " I wonder who it can be," said Lon. " I don t 
 believe anybody s leaving town, and I haven t heard 
 as anybody s expected. But there might have been ; 
 I haven t been to the store now for two evenings." 
 
 Jennie s thought ran, "when I m big enough to 
 do as I ve a mind to, catch me staying away two 
 nights ! " but his vocal response was, " That s the 
 place to get the news." 
 
 " I ve been expecting a letter from them for a week," 
 said Grannie. " They ve never gone so long before." 
 
 " I hope nothing has happened," responded Alonzo : 
 "that Mr. Bullard hasn t been so foolish, as to drive 
 out to some of his farms, and they all got lost in a 
 blizzard " 
 
 "And froze to death," finished Grannie. "Such 
 things are common there, Mira writes." 
 
 " Father never was risky," said Jonnie. 
 
 "No, riot till he took to foreign parts," admitted 
 Grannie. 
 
 A pause ensued. 
 
 " I hear a wagon ! " cried Jonnie. 
 
 Their house was situated on a road little frequented, 
 particularly in the evening. " I wonder " but won 
 der prevented further utterance. The vehicle was 
 certainly approaching at a smart trot, and, wonder of 
 wonders ! it drew up at their door. Jonnie rushed out 
 hatless, and Alonzo followed with scarcely less alac- 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 73 
 
 rity. Grannie rose, and took a lamp to the window. 
 Its rays fell in direct line upon the faces of the pas 
 sengers. 
 
 " What s up, father ? " cried Jonnie, with a face 
 gleaming ghostly out of the darkness. 
 
 Lon s tongue was paralyzed, and he felt his limbs 
 equally so. But somehow, he never knew how, he got 
 to the carriage, and put out a hand to assist the occu 
 pants in alighting. 
 
 "Glad to see you," said Mr. Bullard, heartily 
 wringing the hands of both his friend and his son. 
 Mrs. Bullard kissed each with equal warmth, her wet 
 face leaving its impress on their cheeks. Then came 
 the daughter s turn. Neither knew which made the 
 initiatory move, but Lon and Mira kissed as though 
 their lips would never part. But before this, Grannie 
 had heard the voices, and, simultaneously with the 
 recognition, had set down both herself and the lamp, 
 so they were in shadow. Fortunately, Vermont soil 
 was not conducive to the development of nerves, or 
 the old lady might have suffered from the sudden 
 shock of this return, though the emotion was purely 
 pleasurable. 
 
 The maid had gone to bed, but the unusual sound 
 of a carriage had waked her ; and she, too, recognized 
 the voices, and jumped up and slipped into her clothes 
 with almost the celerity of Fargo practice. But, quick 
 as she was, Lon was before her in the kitchen, and 
 had the brimming tea-kettle over a brisk fire when she 
 entered. 
 
74 DISILLUSION 
 
 They all talked, before supper, while the meal was 
 in progress, and after supper. The conversation was 
 desultory; but the overcharged feelings of each found 
 relief in imparting information, quite as much as in 
 receiving it. 
 
 Late as was the hour when they separated, Lon hur 
 ried his chores and breakfast to repeat his visit in the 
 morning. He was so early that grandmother and Mr. 
 Bullard were the only members of the family visible. 
 He sought the latter in the barn. 
 
 " I don t know what your plans are," he said ; "but 
 of course if you want your farm back, it is yours. 
 Somehow, I have felt all the time as if I. was only tak 
 ing care of it for you to have a little vacation." 
 
 Mr. Bullard shook his visitor s hand with a face 
 broadened and aglow with pleasure. He would never 
 have believed Vermont s rugged scenery could make 
 him so glad. 
 
 "And what are your plans in case I accept your 
 offer ? " 
 
 The young man s lips still tingled with Mira s greet 
 ing of the night before. It emboldened speech. 
 
 " In any case, my plans are to marry Mira, if she 
 has come back free." 
 
 The coveted father-in-law gave a long, low whistle. 
 " Wife used to talk about that before we went away, 
 but I didn t suppose twas settled. She s been round 
 a good deal with one and another since we ve been 
 gone, but twas all the same who with. A girl couldn t 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 75 
 
 live in Fargo, and not get whirled about; but I must 
 say for her, f she never got half so flighty as her 
 mother." 
 
 "It wasn t settled at all," replied Alonzo, "though 
 Mira knew my wishes before she left. That she has 
 come back, encourages me." 
 
 "Well, you have my best wishes for success. She 
 was full as anxious as any of us to get home." 
 
 When breakfast was announced, Lon accepted Mr. 
 Bullard s invitation to join them, and he managed to 
 get a seat next Mira. 
 
 " I am too excited to settle to any kind of work," 
 she said, as they rose from the table. 
 
 "Come out, then," implored Lon. "You ought to 
 see how things are getting on at the barn and about" 
 
 " The old speckled hen s got fifteen chickens," cried 
 Jonnie, " and Brindle s calf is just a beauty. Grannie 
 says I may raise it. Come and see." 
 
 The girl needed no urging. They went through the 
 barn and its enclosures. Mira was sure the animals 
 all recognized her, and the newcomers recognized 
 relationship. Pattie, the little shepherd maid, would 
 not let go her skirts one moment, and growled with 
 jealousy every time Lon took Mira s hand to assist her 
 in mounting steps or surmounting bars ; and he made 
 excuse very often by choosing paths Jonnie s judg 
 ment would have shunned. 
 
 Then they strayed through the garden. Nature had 
 relented. The sun was on duty, as becomes the sun 
 
76 DISILLUSION 
 
 of April. The south vouchsafed a breeze borrowed 
 from summer. In spite of discouragements, balm and 
 daffadowndilly were peeping little green heads above 
 the soil. Buds were swelling on the lilac bush, and 
 pussy-willows over-hanging the brook hard by had 
 hung out all their tassels. 
 
 " Jonnie," called his father, " don t you want to go 
 to Long Meadow with me, and see about ploughing 
 it?" 
 
 "You won t mind, will you, if I do?" the boy 
 asked, turning to his sister. 
 
 " Not a bit," was her reply ; but the next moment 
 she flushed rosy red, for the thought of being left 
 alone with Alonzo recalled their meeting of the night 
 before, and she was not quite sure but she had made 
 the first advance. 
 
 " Now let s walk over to your house," Lon pleaded. 
 
 " Yours, rather." Mira tried to laugh away gather 
 ing embarrassment as she turned in the direction of 
 her old home. 
 
 " Let it be ours, Mira. You have come back ; tell 
 me that you come free." 
 
 " Alas ! I cannot," she whispered. 
 
 Alonzo paused, the bright flush on his face turned 
 to pallor. 
 
 "I believe" she stammered "I think that I 
 didn t go away quite free," and she held out her hand. 
 
 Pattie mightily resented the liberty Alonzo took 
 from this confession. She fairly danced around them, 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 7/ 
 
 barking vociferously, till Lon was fain to desist, lest 
 her turbulence attract spectators. 
 
 They visited the other house, the barn, the grounds ; 
 and once or twice Mira was beguiled into calling it 
 "ours." The tableau that had first provoked Pattie s 
 anger was so often repeated, that from familiarity or 
 despair, she grew reconciled, and only watched the 
 proceeding from the corners of her eyes. 
 
 The express-train had telegraphed an arrival to 
 others than Jonnie on the evening of the Bullards 
 return, and the "news," in local vernacular, "spread 
 like wildfire : " that is, in the course of a week there 
 was hardly a house in the village that had not heard 
 for whose convenience it had stopped, and discussed 
 the possible whys and wherefores that had brought the 
 family back ; and the determination was general to 
 call and find out "for certain." Their return was 
 universally considered a good thing for the town, and 
 curiosity was well impregnated with good-will. But 
 the season was unpropitious for visiting : melting frost 
 made the roads muddy ; farm-work pressed ; house- 
 cleaning was at hand. Consequently, our Western 
 acclimated friends had time to rest, and settle into 
 routine, and feel a trifle neglected, before visitors ar 
 rived. Mira said the days seemed a week long, and 
 Mrs. Bullard had to resort to a nap after dinner to 
 pass away time. 
 
 Mr. Justin, the minister, and his wife came first. 
 The Bullard ladies had always been important auxil- 
 
78 DISILLUSION 
 
 iaries in church-work, and proved their interest una 
 bated by attending service the first Sunday after their 
 return, though Mira did not resume her place in the 
 choir ; and, to the mystification of the whole congre 
 gation, Lon Peters sat beside her in Grannie Bullard s 
 pew. This action could have but one significance, 
 and Mrs. Justin gave voice to the general speculation 
 that they must have been engaged before the Bullards 
 went away. Duly seated in the parlor, having first 
 expressed her pleasure in their return, Mrs. Justin 
 said, 
 
 "We should have felt differently about your going 
 had we known how it stood between Alonzo and 
 Mira." 
 
 " It wasn t settled until after we came back," Mrs. 
 Bullard confessed. 
 
 " They have been almost precipitate, then," coir, 
 mented Mrs. Justin. " It s a serious step." 
 
 "Yes, I was afraid it would look sudden to our 
 folks," -Mrs. Bullard replied; "but after seeing the 
 world, things look different, especially to young people 
 like Mira." 
 
 " Alonzo is a promising young man ; she might have 
 done worse." Though thoughtful, the minister s tone 
 was commendatory. 
 
 "That s just the way I feel," cried the mother. 
 " Why, she had an offer within a week after we got 
 to Fargo, a real-estate agent ; a fine-looking young 
 man, in a prosperous business," 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 79 
 
 " He must have lacked character" said Mrs. Justin 
 severely. 
 
 Mrs. Bullard colored. 
 
 " Gently, my dear," the husband expostulated. 
 
 " But such a hasty proceeding," his wife urged in 
 justification of her severity. 
 
 " Oh, not unusual in Fargo ! " cried Mrs. Bullard, 
 encouraged by the minister s sympathy. "Why, a 
 young man that had met her only three times came 
 near shooting himself because she wouldn t marry him 
 right away ; and a young man that had sung with her 
 only one Sunday in the choir, and met her for rehearsal 
 twice, came near shooting her because she would have 
 nothing to say to him. She had eleven offers while 
 we were gone." 
 
 " What desperate characters ! " cried Mrs. Justin, 
 aghast. " To think of their being loose in the com 
 munity, to say nothing of their being permitted in 
 society." 
 
 Mrs. Bullard had commenced these confessions with 
 a view to bespeaking leniency for her daughter s pres 
 ent hasty movement, though a little pardonable pride 
 in her popularity had prompted the last announcement. 
 
 Though somewhat abashed by the comment elicited, 
 she was not crushed. 
 
 " Oh, but the widowers were almost all of them 
 very respectable men!" she cried. "I mean, they 
 were all respectable, though two or three of them did 
 drink rather badly. But every one of them had plenty 
 
8O DISILLUSION 
 
 of money, though father thought some of them rather 
 reckless in their way of conducting business." 
 
 Mrs. Justin did not reply to this confidence in 
 words, but every outline of her features expressed 
 volumes. 
 
 " Is it true," she presently asked, " that ladies who 
 are looked up to and respected in Fargo society, 
 Christian women, I mean, appear at church in little 
 fancy bonnets made of lace, birds, and flowers? And 
 that they wear satin, velvet, and plush dresses quite 
 common ? " 
 
 "Yes; I have seen some of our best society there 
 marketing in the morning in dresses just such as you 
 describe. Many of them would consider, it almost a 
 disgrace to wear a wool dress on the street ; and they 
 go shopping in costumes that in an Eastern city are 
 worn only at a party." 
 
 " What a field for a missionary ! " and the good 
 woman s cheeks glowed. 
 
 " Y-e-s y-e-s if one has the moral stamina to 
 stem the tide. But I ll tell you how it is. You fall 
 into fashions without realizing it. The ministers wives 
 themselves did ; and it must have been an awful strain, 
 for none of them got much salary. But, apart from 
 a natural desire to keep up, they had to do it in order 
 to have any influence ; for who would countenance a 
 dowdy, were she ever so good ? " 
 
 Mrs. Justin s natural attitude was erect; she now 
 drew herself very erect. 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 8 1 
 
 " I should say the dowdiness consisted in unsuitable 
 apparel." 
 
 " Well, I must confess you couldn t buy a real good 
 article in Fargo. The stores didn t keep them. The 
 satins were sleazy, the velvets cotton-back, and the 
 plushes stiff and coarse. Everything was sham." 
 
 " How about the underwear ? " Mrs. Justin s stan 
 dard in that line was even more positive. 
 
 "Worse still. I had never supposed the country 
 manufactured such rough, coarse cotton goods as 
 that supplied by Fargo markets for winter wear. You 
 could get a tolerable quality of gauze, which was as 
 unsuited to the climate as material could well be." 
 
 " So the ministers wives did not stand firm to their 
 principles?" Mrs. Justin presently asked. 
 
 "Well, of course I can t say precisely how they 
 looked at it. Perhaps their principles changed, or 
 perhaps twas policy. You know we are told to be 
 * wise as serpents. : 
 
 Had Mrs. Justin been more lenient, Mrs. Bullard 
 would have found relief in personal confession. As 
 it was, she dared not admit that the substantial wool 
 dresses made for herself and Mira before leaving 
 home had, after a week s acquaintance with Fargo 
 fashions, been stored away in the bottom of a pack 
 ing trunk, and never again brought to light until 
 shaken out the day after their return to Blankridge ; 
 nor would she acknowledge that their wardrobe had 
 been replenished from Fargo s stock of satins, velvets, 
 
82 DISILLUSION 
 
 and plushes, and that reconstruction of these materials 
 had been in constant progress, so that different com 
 binations might suggest a new garment. All this 
 material was a dead loss for Blankridge use ; for the 
 mental equilibrium of even the lawyers wives, who 
 led in fashion, would have been questioned had they 
 appeared in such costume as her trunks contained. 
 And as for their becoming available in the bridal 
 trousseau, Grannie had already pronounced upon such 
 as had been shown to her, " Not fit for a scarecrow 
 to be seen in." 
 
 Mrs. Bullard promised to resume her place in the 
 Dorcas Society and the Temperance League; and in 
 consequence, Mrs. Justin privately commented to her 
 husband that apparently the poor woman was not 
 much hurt (referring to her spiritual condition) by 
 her sojourn in the wild West. 
 
 Among Mira s friends the clamor was great that she 
 should come back and take up with a Vermont village 
 beau after all. 
 
 " How is it ? " " How is it ? " she was interrogated 
 on every side. " We thought the poorest and plainest 
 of us could get a husband West, and you was always 
 popular at home. Isn t it true that there is a scarcity 
 of women there?" 
 
 " Yes ; there has been no exaggeration on that sub 
 ject, at least. The Episcopal minister s wife told me 
 that she wished to make a party for the young people 
 of their church ; and after counting them up, she found 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 83 
 
 the young men numbered thirty-seven, while she could 
 make up only thirteen young ladies, taking in school 
 girls from twelve to fourteen years of age, at that." 
 
 Mira was too modest to state her number of offers, 
 and Mrs. Justin was too conscientious to betray Mrs. 
 Bullard s confidence ; but enough facts leaked out 
 to determine several maids of uncertain age to re 
 lieve the few young men in Blankridge of any respon 
 sibility in their behalf, by testing the Western climate 
 at their earliest ability. 
 
 Blankridge tax-gatherers were greatly troubled 
 where to place Mr. Bullard financially. He honestly 
 asserted that he came back ""not much worse off 
 either way." But the statement seemed incredible. 
 
 Didn t you go into trade?" 
 
 " Oh, yes ! Did more work in one day there than 
 in a year at home." 
 
 " We can see you have aged ; but a man can afford 
 to put a good many years into three months if it 
 makes his fortune." 
 
 " And if it don t, he must be satisfied with having 
 bought only experience. 
 
 " But how about Mateson ? He got rich, didn t he ? 
 He certainly paid up his old debts handsomely." 
 
 Mr. Bullard smiled. "Yes, he did in Blankridge; 
 but I m afraid he robbed Peter to pay Paul. He 
 went West within a week after I got to Fargo, in 
 Dakota, West is nothing short of Washington Terri- 
 
 V) skipped, which means, you know, that he would 
 
84 DISILLUSION 
 
 have been detained had he not left secretly ; for his 
 debts were of such a peculiar nature that, loose as is 
 the standard of honor or honesty among the diverse 
 population of a new Western town, he would have 
 had to settle pretty dearly with the law had he been 
 caught." 
 
 Public opinion was divided in regard to Mr. Bui- 
 lard s gains. The " store " congregation suspended 
 judgment. " We ll wait and see how he spreads," 
 they decreed. But he didn t spread at all. Though 
 unaware of curious espionage, when Mrs. Bullard 
 packed away her Fargo finery, she remarked in the 
 privacy of her family, " We ve spread enough for one 
 lifetime." 
 
 After his betrothment, Alonzo Peters again offered 
 to relinquish the farm. But Grannie saw a Providence 
 in the present arrangement. She declared herself un 
 equal to further active management, and proposed that 
 her son should settle with her. She was very proud 
 of his experience in " foreign parts ; " nor could he 
 ever disabuse her of the idea but that it was a great 
 moneyed success, and she advised extravagances of 
 living far more in keeping with Fargo recklessness 
 than Vermont caution. Though not beguiled into 
 ignoring the true state of his finances, this condition 
 of affairs was comforting to Mr. Bullard s self-esteem, 
 and flattering to his pride. 
 
 As the whole responsibility of managing his mother s 
 estate had, since his father s death, devolved upon 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 85 
 
 him, and as his son s youth would necessitate his 
 continuance of the care for some years to come, Mr. 
 Bullard readily agreed to his mother s proposition. 
 Next, Grannie proposed a fine new house, with new 
 furnishings. But her son only added two rooms to the 
 old one, saying that the new house should be reserved 
 for Jonnie when he came of age. Mrs. Bullard, Jr., 
 professed herself more than satisfied with the arrange 
 ment. In the settlement of Mira, who was married 
 early in June, her heart s desire was gratified. Still, 
 it was evident to her family that she was not quite 
 happy. Wandering attention and long-drawn sighs 
 betokened a mind not at peace with itself. 
 
 New England family regard is not demonstrative. 
 Mr. Bullard was aware of his wife s depression, though 
 he gave no expression to his sympathy. " She ll let 
 me know if she wants anything, was his mental com 
 ment. 
 
 Grannie supposed her pining for Fargo pleasures ; 
 but instead of denouncing the sentiment as a weak 
 ness, felt pride that her family had enjoyed such de 
 lights. On July 4, Mrs. Alonzo Peters proposed to 
 give a family dinner. The invitations included her 
 husband s household as well as her own. The scheme 
 met with Grannie s approval, though she was afraid 
 the attendant labor and responsibility would overtax 
 her granddaughter s strength. Consequently, on the 
 morning in question, she was up before the sun, dressed 
 herself in suitable working attire, folded her best 
 
86 DISILLUSION 
 
 dress smoothly in a carpet-bag, and tied her cap into 
 its appropriate travelling- basket. She breakfasted with 
 her family at six o clock, and directly after Jonnie 
 walked across the fields with her to carry the dinner 
 costume. He was not to return home ; for permission 
 had been given him to go from his sister s to the vil 
 lage green, which promised gunpowder attractions 
 dear to a boy s heart. Presently Mr. Bullard proved 
 them not unattractive to riper years, by "guessing 
 he d go down and see what they s up to." 
 
 Left in sole possession of the house, Mrs. Bullard s 
 mind dwelt undisturbed upon its one disquietude, 
 her Fargo finery. It lay on her conscience like scorch 
 ing crime. Until it was clearly off her hands, out of 
 the town, out of the State, she could not be happy. 
 It had no place in a respectable Vermont community. 
 The rich would disdain its sham fabric, the poor d- 
 ride its flimsy gaud. It was unfit to be pieced into 
 bedquilts, or braided into mats. Were she to bury 
 it under cover of night or solitude, she felt that 
 the earth would refuse to screen her, by casting , it 
 up, as it had refused shelter to the tell-tale corpse 
 that Eugene Aram strove to hide. She felt that her 
 packing-box contained a secret as guilty as though its 
 accumulation were the product of a rifled graveyard. 
 Her mental vision saw but one way of relief; and this, 
 thus far, fate had denied her. The spring had brought 
 the usual number of peddlers to other parts of the 
 village, but not one had sought their precinct. She 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN S/ 
 
 could not solicit their attendance through neighbors, 
 for that would involve questions ; and not even to 
 Grannie had she dared display all its folly. 
 
 At this juncture of her meditations a loud rap at 
 the kitchen door held the significance of a constable s 
 warrant. With trembling limbs she obeyed the call. 
 Oh, relief ! oh, joy ! oh, bliss unspeakable ! Before her 
 stood a form in mortal guise, bearing upon his head a 
 large tray heaped with decorated glass, colored vases, 
 and plaster-of-paris statuary. 
 
 " Exchange for old clothes, marm ? Give you a bar 
 gain ! I ve got to be in Boston this afternoon ; am 
 leaving on the nine o clock train. Last chance ! Bet 
 ter trade." 
 
 Mrs. Bullard required neither solicitation nor advice. 
 The " chance," with its accompanying privacy, had the 
 blessed significance of a dispensation. Heedless of 
 his brigandish aspect, Mrs. Bullard left the man in 
 charge of the lower floor while she sped to the attic. 
 Thrice she made the journey, her arms laden with 
 the spoils of the guilty chest. In all her triumph, 
 her zeal was tempered with discretion. Though she 
 would have gladly given the peddler money to dis 
 possess her of her goods, had it been necessary, she 
 delayed in the selection from his wares, and haggled 
 on prices, until there was only just enough time left 
 for him to reach the railroad station at the hour he 
 had appointed for leaving town. He should have no 
 opportunity to " blab " in Blankridge. In Boston only 
 
88 DISILLUSION 
 
 would her secret be safe, her conscience eased, her 
 victory won. 
 
 At nine-thirty Mr. Bullard appeared, punctual to 
 his promise, to walk with his wife across the fields 
 to Mira s. 
 
 " Just come from the depot," he explained. " Not 
 many getting on or off the nine-o clock train. An 
 image man hurried up at the last minute ; in fact, 
 he d have got left if I hadn t motioned the engi 
 neer to hold up. He seemed so anxious, I thought 
 twould be no use to tell him that I guessed, by wait 
 ing over, he could make a trade with you. I shall 
 never wear the old brown overcoat again ; and there s 
 a pair of pants that are not worth mending, besides 
 some of Jennie s out-grown clothes." 
 
 " You re a good man ! a good man ! " cried the 
 happy woman, patting her husband on the shoulder; 
 "but he s been here. I traded off a few old things 
 of mine and Mira s. Yours and Jonnie s are too 
 good. I shall braid them into mats. We need some 
 in the new part." 
 
 Her speech was more rapid, her tone higher pitched, 
 and her general manner more excited, than the occa 
 sion seemed to demand; nor did Mr. Bullard conceive 
 what kindly office on his part had won her com 
 mendation. 
 
 Mrs. Bullard had already packed Mira s portion 
 of the purchase in a basket, and they took it to 
 her. It was admired by all, and inspired Mother 
 
THE BOOM OF A WESTERN TOWN 89 
 
 Peters with the determination to sort over the ward 
 robe of her family, preparatory to the peddler s next 
 visit. She stated her intention ; but Mrs. Bullard 
 knew that only a patron of Fargo markets would 
 possess stores to exchange for so valuable a collec 
 tion of bric-a-brac as she had purchased. 
 
 Mira received her portion as a gift, and asked no 
 questions. In her present happiness, Fargo experi 
 ence was remembered only as an amusing dream; 
 and the wedding trousseau had banished all interest 
 in her discarded Fargo gowns. 
 
1EE AND SHEPARD S POPULAR FICTION 
 
 AMAXDA M. DOUGLAS NOVELS 
 
 Osborne of Arrochar. By AMANDA M. DOUGLAS. Price, 
 
 cloth, $1.50; paper, 50 cents. 
 
 "In this novel, the author introduces us to an interesting family of girls, 
 who, in default of the appearance of the rightful heir, occupy an old, aristocratic 
 place at Arrochar. Just as it has reached the lowest point of dilapidation, 
 through lack of business capacity on the part of the family, Osborne appears 
 to claim his inheritance, and the interesting problem presents itself of marry 
 ing one of the daughters or turning the family out. The author thus gives 
 herself a fair field to display her skill in the painting of character, the manage 
 ment of incident, and the construction of the dialogue. She has been in a 
 large degree successful. We feel that we are dealing with real persons ; and, 
 as to the management of the story, it is sufficient praise to say that the 
 interest is cumulative. The book will add to the author s reputation." School 
 Journal, N. Y. 
 
 The Heirs of Bradley House. By AMANDA M. DOUGLAS. 
 
 Price $1.50. 
 
 * The author has won a most honorable place in the literary world by the 
 character as well as cleverness of her work. Her books are as clean and 
 fresh and invigorating as a morning in May. If she is not deep or profound, 
 she stirs in the heart of her reader the noblest impulses; and whosoever 
 accomplishes this has not written in vain." Chicago Saturday Evening 
 Herald. 
 
 Whom Kathie married. By AMANDA M. DOUGLAS. Price 
 $1.50. 
 
 Miss DOUGLAS wrote a series of juvenile stories in which Kathie figured ; 
 and in this volume the young lady finds her destiny. The sweetness and 
 purity of her life is reflected in the lives of all about her, and she is admired 
 and beloved by all. The delicacy and grace with which Miss DOUGLAS weaves 
 her story, the "nobility of her characters, the absence of everything sensational, 
 all tend to make this "book one specially adapted to young girls. 
 
 A Woman s Inheritance. By AMANDA M. DOUGLAS. Price 
 $1.50. 
 
 " Miss DOUGLAS is widely known as a writer of excellent stories, all of them 
 having a marked family likeness, but all of them bright, fascinating, and 
 thoroughly entertaining. This romance has to do with the fortunes of a young 
 woman whose father, dying, left her with what was supposed to be a" large 
 property, but which, under the management of a rascally trustee, was very neaj 
 being wrecked, and was only saved by the self-denying devotion of one wha 
 was strictly under no obligation to exert himself in its behalf. The interest of 
 the story is well sustained to the very close, and the reader will follow the 
 fortunes of the various characters with an absorbed fascination." Ne-jj Bed 
 ford Mercury. 
 
 Sydnie Adriance. By AMANDA M. DOUGLAS. Price $1.50. 
 
 In this book, the heroine, being suddenly reduced to poverty, refuses an 
 offer of marriage, because she thinks it comes from the condescension of pity 
 rather than from the inspiration of love. She determines to earn her living, 
 becomes a governess, then writes a book, which is successful, and inherits a 
 fortune from a distant relative. Then she marries the man But let CS not 
 tell the story. The author has told it in a charming way. 
 
 LEE AND SHEPARD, BOSTON, SEND THEIR COMPLETE CATALOGUE FREE, 
 
LEE AND SHEPARD S POPULAR FICTION 
 
 flome Nook; OR, THE CROWN OF DUTY. By AMANDA M. 
 DOUGLAS. Price $1.50. 
 
 " This is an interesting- story of home life, not wanting in incident, and 
 written in a forcible and attractive style." New York Graphic. 
 
 This volume is larger than most written by Miss DOUGLAS, and contains 
 many interesting- scenes and characters. It would be impossible to give a 
 condensed synopsis of the story; but it is enough to say, that it is a fresh, pure, 
 and bright story, full of the touches which reveal intense feeling, and go 
 straight to the heart; but without the overstrained sentiment which was once 
 the bane of novels. 
 
 Stephen Dane. By AMANDA M. DOUGLAS. Price $1.50. 
 
 This is the story of a mechanic who worked his way up from poverty to 
 affluence. It is complicated by a murder, committed by the hero s drunken 
 father; the victim being the proprietor of the works where both were employed. 
 The hero fell in love with the young- daughter of the murdered man, and she 
 became the lode-star which drew him on. Not that she had a fortune; on the 
 contrary, she inherited nothing, and she owed her happiness solely to the 
 exertions and energy of her lover. It is beautifully written, and much 
 admired. 
 
 liost in a Great City. By AMANDA M. DOUGLAS. Price, 
 
 cloth, $1.50; paper, 50 cents. 
 
 " This is the strongest story which has ever come from the pen of Miss 
 DOUGLAS, and starts off with a dramatic touch which chains" the reader s 
 attention at once, and holds it closely till the last page is read. It is the story 
 of a little girl, Nora, who, becoming separated from her nurse in the busy and 
 crowded streets of New York, is lost beyond discovery for many a year. . . , 
 The denouement is entirely satisfactory, and the plot of the story is finely 
 conceived and carried out, with not a page s loss of interest on the part of the 
 reader." St. Albans Messenger. 
 
 Floyd Grandon s Honor. By AMANDA M. DOUGLAS. Price 
 $1.50. 
 
 "The writings of Miss DOUGLAS have found acceptance with the public, 
 because they are characterized by good sense, a keen insight, and an apprecia 
 tion of all that is good and noble in human life. Her stories are always pure, 
 always pleasing, always elevating. Floyd Grandon is the central figure, 
 around whom are grouped near relatives and friends, together with his own 
 family. The pursuits, pleasures, and lives of this charming circle at Grandon 
 Park make a sunny story whose brightness is not altogether unclouded, for it 
 is shadowed by the villany of Floyd s partner in business, Mr. Wilmarth, 
 whose fate it is not necessary to anticipate." Home Journal. 
 
 Hope Mills. By AMANDA M. DOUGLAS. Price $1.50. 
 
 This is an entertaining novel. The many characters of the story are drawn 
 with skill, and impress their individuality upon the reader, and the interest is 
 well sustained. But the book is something more than a novel. It was written 
 to exhibit the workings of co-operation in a manufacturing town. Hope Mills, 
 having been closed by a panic and the dishonesty of the manager, are re 
 opened as a joint stock concern by the operatives. The difficulties and final 
 success of the enterprise are portrayed in a lively narrative. 
 
 Out of the Wreck; OR, WAS IT WORTH THE VICTORY? By 
 AMANDA M. DOUGLAS. Price, cloth, $1.50. 
 
 " This is a strong and fascinating history of a noble woman, fighting her way 
 out of the horrors of a drunkard s home on to the heights of prosperity and 
 peace. Against the mean prejudices of her husband s aristocratic relatives she 
 engages in business, and makes it a success, and this gives her the means of 
 saving and educating her children. It is written with delightful freshness, 
 grace, and strength, and reveal* a mind of remarkable refinement and power." 
 North Adams Transcript. 
 
 LEE AND SHEPARD, BOSTON, SEND THEIR COMPLETE CATALOGUE FREE. 
 
LEE AND SHEPARD S POPULAR FICTION 
 
 Nelly Kinnard s Kingdom. By AMANDA M. DOUGLAS. 
 
 frice, cloth, $1.50; paper, 50 cents. 
 
 " Nellv Endicott, a bright, lively girl, marries Dr. Kinnard, a widower with 
 two Children. On going to her husband s home, she finds installed there 
 a sister of his first wife (Aunt Adelaide, as she is called by the children), 
 who is a vixen, a maker of trouble, and a nuisance of the worst kind. Most 
 young wives would have had such a pest put out of the house, but Nelly 
 endures the petty vexations to which she is subjected, in a manner which 
 shows the beauty and strength of her character. How she surmounted the 
 difliculty, it would not be fair to state." Neiv York Evening Mail. 
 
 From Hand to Mouth. By AMANDA M. DOUGLAS. Price $1.50. 
 
 "This is a thoroughly good, true, pure, sweet, and touching story. It covers 
 precisely those phases of domestic life which are of the most common expe 
 rience, and will take many and manv of its readers just where they have been 
 
 i i TI : *. ..ui~ :_ z*. ~ i i i i * .1 
 
 into wifehood and maternity, we have read nothing better for many a day." 
 Literary World. 
 
 A Modern Adam and Eve in a Garden. By AMANDA M. 
 
 DOUGLAS. Price $1.50. 
 
 Bright, amusing, and sensible. A story of two people who set out to win 
 their share of the world s wealth, and how they did it; which, as a critic says, 
 " is rather jolly and out-of-door-y, and ends in a greenhouse," with some love 
 and pathos, of course, and much practical knowledge. 
 
 The Old Woman who lived in a Shoe. By AMANDA M. 
 
 DOUGLAS. Price $1.50. 
 
 This is not a child s story, nor a comic view of household life, as some 
 might think from its title but a domestic novel, full of the delights of home, 
 of pure thoughts, and gentle virtues. It has also sufficient complications to 
 keep the thread of interest drawn, and to lead the reader on. Among Miss 
 DOUGLAS many successful books, there is none more beautiful or attractive, or 
 which leaves a more permanent impression. 
 
 Claudia. By AMANDA M. DOUGLAS. Price $1.50. 
 
 This is a romantic story, with abundant incidents and strong situations. 
 The interest is intense. It concerns two half sisters, whose contrasted charac 
 ter and complicated fortunes are the charm of the book. 
 
 Seven Daughters. By AMANDA M.DOUGLAS. Price $1.50. 
 
 The " Seven " are daughters of a country clergyman who is not greatly blessed 
 with the srood things oT the world. The story is related by the eld est, who 
 considers herself far from brilliant or witty, but who makes charming pictures 
 of all who figure in the book. The good minister consents to receive a number 
 of bright boys as pupil-boarders, and the two families make a suggestive 
 counterpoise, with mutual advantage. Destiny came with the coming of the 
 boys, and the story has naturally a happy end. 
 
 The Foes of her Household. By AMANDA M. DOUGLAS. 
 
 Price $1.50. 
 
 "This is an exceedingly entertaining book. A simple girl, of beautiful 
 character, marries a young man in poor health out of pure love, and ignorant 
 of the fact that he is rich. His death occurs not very long after the marriage, 
 and the vouag widow becomes the object of practical persecution by his rela 
 tives, who misunderstand her motives entirely. With a nobility of character, 
 as rare as beautiful, she destroys their prejudice, and at last teaches them to 
 love her." Central Baptist, St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 LEE AND SHEPARD, BOSTON, SEND THEIR COMPLETE CATALOGUE FREE. 
 
LEE AND SHEPARD S POPULAR FICTION 
 
 LEE AND SHEPARD S 
 
 POPULAR FICTION 
 
 J. T. TKOWBRIDGE S NOVELS 
 
 Jack wood. By J. T. TROWBRIDGE. New Revised 
 Edition, with Autobiographical Chapter and Portrait. Price, $1.50. 
 
 " It sparkles with wit, it is liquid with humor, it has the unmistakable touch 
 of nature, and it has a procession of characters like a novel of SCOTT; indeed, 
 in many ways it recalls that great master. There is less description and more 
 action in it than is habitual with SCOTT, and the conception of some of its sec 
 ondary characters, such as the crazy-brained Edward Longman, would not be 
 unworthy of him." John Burroughs. 
 
 Neighbor s Wives. By J. T. TROWBRIDGE. Price, $1.50. 
 
 " A new edition of one of the most successful of this favorite author s books. It 
 will be read with fresh interest by many who have welcomed it in earlier editions, 
 and to those who now give it their first reading it will yield delightful entertainment, 
 and unfold lessons that will live long in the memory." Gospel Banner. 
 
 Coupon Bonds. By J. T. TROWBRIDGE. Price, cloth, $1.50; 
 
 paper, 50 cents. 
 
 " Coupon Bonds is undoubtedly one of the best short stories ever published 
 in this country. It is a most happy and felicitous stroke. It is brimful of the 
 very best quality of humor, the humor that grows naturally out of the char 
 acter and the situation, and it moves along briskly, without any urging or 
 pushing by the author. It is full of incident, full of character, full of novel 
 and ludicrous surprises and situations; and, if it could be composed into a 
 three-act comedy, would be as irresistible in its way as SHERIDAN S School for 
 Scandal. " Scribner s Monthly. 
 
 Cudjo s Cave. By J. T. TROWBRIDGE. Price, cloth, $1.50; 
 
 paper, 50 cents. 
 
 Mr. TROWBRIDGE S readers are accustomed to plenty of lively incidents and 
 exciting adventures, and in this volume the supply is surely abundant. The 
 story opens with the adventures of a Quaker schoolmaster in Tennessee pre 
 vious to the opening of the late war, and the exciting scenes attendant upon 
 the opening of the great struggle between North and South are portrayed in a 
 graphic manner. Many of the chapters recall the stories of thrilling adven 
 ture that were current in war times. 
 
 Three Scouts. By J. T. TROWBRIDGE. Price, cloth, $1.50; 
 paper, 50 cents. 
 
 This story is a companion to " Cudjo s Cave " and " The Drummer Boy," in 
 being a narrative of stormy events in the Civil War, when the army of the 
 Cumberland, under Rosecrans, and the Confederate forces, under Bragg, were 
 battling with each other in 1862. Yet it is complete in itself as a story. 
 
 LEE AND SHEPARD, BOSTON, SEND THEIR COMPLETE CATALOGUE FREE. 
 
LEE AND SHEPARD S POPULAR FICTION 
 
 The Drummer Boy. By J. T. TROWBRIDGE. Illustrated. 
 Price $1.50. 
 
 The author of this hook is so famous as a story-writer, that another excellent 
 one is only what all his readers expect. Jt is a story of the late war, and of a boy 
 who went" into the army as a drummer, and who, from the good instructions of 
 a fond and noble mother, sought to impart to his rude and reckless companions 
 some of the good of his own character. 
 
 FarnelFs Folly. By J. T. TROWBRIDGE. Price $1.50. 
 
 All the sterling qualities which have placed Mr. TROWBRIDGE among- the 
 foremost of American novelists are to be found in this new romance. It is not 
 a short story or series of sketches that may be " devoured " in an hour, but, 
 as the number of its pages testify, a full-blooded romance, alive with incident, 
 and overflowing with interest. 
 
 Martin Merrivale: His X MARK. By J. T. TROWBRIDGE. 
 
 Price $1.50. 
 
 This story of New England life abounds in passages of rare humor and 
 pathos. Not even in "Coupon Bonds" nor in "Neighbor Jackwood " has 
 TROWBRIDGE created characters better fitted to give him enduring fame. No 
 one can read the story without seeing that the author has put his whole soul in 
 it. On his last page, he says, and evidently in all sincerity, that he has 
 written it, " not for fame, still less for fortune, but all tor love." 
 
 OLIVER OPTIC S NOVELS 
 
 Three Millions; OR, THE WAY OF THE WORLD. Bv WILLIAM 
 T. ADAMS (OLIVER OPTIC). Price, cloth, $1.50"; paper, 50 
 cents. 
 
 The book furnishes a most romantic, and, withal, a most instructive illustra 
 tion of the way of the world in its false estimate of money. All who read the 
 first chapter, entitled " Three Millions," will not be satisfied until they have 
 read the thirty-five chapters, terminating with " The Last of the Three 
 Millions." 
 
 Living: too Fast. By WILLIAM T. ADAMS (OLIVER OPTIC). 
 Price $1.50. 
 
 This is the best novel of a fascinating writer. It is full of incidents of a 
 fast life, and of the expedients to keep up appearances, resulting in crime, 
 remorse, and the evil opinion of all good men. The narrative is replete with 
 startling situations, temptations, and all the elements of a thrilling story. 
 
 In Doors and Out. By WILLIAM T. ADAMS (OLIVER OPTIC), 
 
 Price $1.50. 
 
 This volume contains about thirty bright and interesting stories of domestic 
 life, directed against the follies and foibles of the age. They are written in a 
 kindly, genial style, and with a sincere purpose to promote happiness, good 
 feeling, and right dealing in domestic, business, and social relations. 
 
 LEE AND SHEPARD, BOSTON, SEND THEIR COMPLETE CATALOGUE FREE. 
 
LEE AND SHEPARD S POPULAR FICTION 
 
 VIRGINIA F. TOWNSEND S BOOKS 
 
 A Boston Girl s Ambition. By VIRGINIA F. TOWNSEND. 
 
 Price $1.50. 
 
 " This is a grand story, grandly told. The little mists which went to make up 
 the shadows of the years in the lives of two young people, the sufferings and 
 privations of Dorrice and Carryl, their struggle upward, and the happiness 
 which smiled upon them at the end of the struggle, will cause the story to 
 linger long in the minds and hearts of its readers." Washington Chronicle. 
 
 That Queer Girl. By VIRGINIA F. TOWNSEND. Price $1.50. 
 
 The " Queer Girl " is a charming character, and so is Rowan, the real hero. 
 She is "queer" only in being unconventional, brave, and frank, "an old- 
 fashioned girl." The girls who follow her history, and that of her pleasant 
 companions, are sure of being delightfully entertained; and they may, if they 
 will, take a lesson from brave, unselfish Madeline. 
 
 Daryll Gap. By VIRGINIA F. TOWNSEND. Price $1.50. 
 
 The celebrity of VIRGINIA F. TOWNSKND as an authoress, her brilliant 
 descriptive powers, and pure, vigorous imagination, will insure a hearty wel 
 come for the above-entitled volume, written in the writer s happiest vein. 
 
 " A story of the petroleum days, and of a family who struck oil. Her plots 
 are well arranged, and her characters are clearly and strongly drawn." 
 Pittsburg Recorder. 
 
 LiCnoxDare. By VIRGINIA F. TOWNSEND. Price $1.50. 
 
 A story of New England people, and of life associated with Hampton 
 Beach and its vicinity. The plot is natural and well treated, and the senti 
 ments pure. The story is very entertaining, and, to the thoughtful reader, 
 instructive and stimulating. 
 
 A Woman s Word, and how she kept it. By VIRGINIA F. 
 TOWNSEND. Price $1.50. 
 
 "This is a thoroughly charming story, natural, wholesome, and extremely 
 interesting. The heroine is a delightful creation, and all the dramatis persona 
 are remarkably well drawn. It is pleasant to come across a novel so entirely 
 worthy of pra ise, and we commend it without reserve to all our readers." 
 Charleston News. 
 
 Mostly Marjorie Day. By VIRGINIA F. TOWNSEND. Price, 
 
 cloth, $1.50; paper, 50 cents. 
 
 In this book, there is the endeavor of a noble and lovable girl to escape from 
 the conventionalities which fettered her life, and engage in some serious duty. 
 She became a nurse, and, in the end, had her exceeding great reward. It is a 
 bright, spirited, and sometimes delicately huuiorous story, with a well managed 
 plot, and life-like characters. 
 
 But a Philistine. By VIRGINIA F. TOWNSEND. Price $1.50. 
 
 One of the most pleasing works of this author. It is a story of natural 
 thoughts rather than events; and it is the author s unique coupling of passive 
 subject and vigorous style that gives the work its attractive quality. The 
 characters are strong, and several of the scenic descriptions have the true ring 
 of poetic appreciation, while in conversational passages the diction is bright, 
 pleasing, and varied. 
 
 LEE AND SHEPARD, BOSTON, SEND THEIR COMPLETE CATALOGqE FH.EE. 
 
Cooley f E f H 
 
 955 
 C7742 
 
 The boom pf a western 
 
 bo 
 
 city 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY