Montana Women

In all political canvasses out this way, when estituatiug the number of votes which may be counted upon at the polls, the votes oí women are noted, ' recognized and sought ia every way, j says a Fort Keogh correspondent. The poll-tax which every voter between tweaty-one and fifty is obliged to pay, whether male or female, isspecially for school purposes. As ons of the girls puts it: "One of the principies for which the Itevolutionary war was fought was that taxation should have representation; and the justice of the principie is as unquestioned to-day as it was one hundred years ago." As farmers the ladies are also entitled to the cake. VVoman has been typitied as a tender vine clinging to the sturdy oak, which is supposed to be emblematic of a strong man. Out here ia the free Northwest it is quite the reverse, and every day one can see or hear of examples where the gentier sex prove a supporting oak to the weak tendril, man. A well-known married woman, a little west of here, whose husband has been absent nine months out of the twelve looking after horses and rounding-up cattle, during the past spring and summer did all alone and unaided her own plowing. When plowing-time carne tilia enterprising mother constructed a box on the plow on which to carry her baby, and thus she plowed the furrows. She then proceeded to harrow, plant and cultívate, and in this way produced a fine erop, whieh she harvested and packed away by the time the old man came home. This is only one example out of a hundred. Some of the girls in Dakota and Montana have taken to aditing newspapers. As a rule, the papers edited by the territorial girls aru a credit to journalism. Miss M. S. Mills has, besides getting out oa time the weekly edition of the Hawley Star, proved up a pre-emption, planted flve acres on a tree claim, built a saw-mill, and raised the largest cabbage in the country. Her turnips looked liko veritable cart-wheels, and took the lirst prize at the agricultural fair. The damsel now has the modest lump of four hundred and eighty acres in h?r own right. The solution of the woman problem seems to be that a woman may do whatever she can. Girfcs on the prairies of Dakota and Montana are now living alone, in isolated cabins, miles from humanity, and vet they are safer in all respects than in large Eastern cities These plucky homesteaders speud whole summers alone on their claims, and ne.ther fear, nor have cause to fear. the least intrusión. Such absolute Creedora from all restraint is rarely enjoyed by anybody; but here U is a fact aud no mistake. True, it fs a little Iones hui' ut times, but then when the girls are in pairs one can rule, walk, run, saunter, wear old clothea, a sun-bonnet or hat. can sing, shout, carol, trill, chant in seven octave, and nobody to complain about it. They are free and light-hearted, of course, and the very picture of rosr hcalth. Most all of them can shoot. and when they do, if necessary, they shoot to kill. Recently Mr. and Mrs. Evans were. out to thuir stock ranch, near the moutb of Belt creok, to look after their cattle. They were on horseback, and after gathering the animáis together and eounting them found that a dozen or so were missing. Mr. Evans then started across Belt creek, where he had seen a number of head the day before, instructing Mrs. Evans to go back about a niile and take a trail up to the ranch, on the lookout for any missing cattle, deciding on a place where they would meet. She had not proceeded far, however, when she saw in a little busin bofore her three of their calves and two enormous gray wolves with them, the latter engaged in the pleasant pastime of eating the calves alive. On the impulse of the moment, never thinking of danger, Mrs. Evans lashed up the pony and was soon in the midst of the wolves and their prey. Then she indnstriously laid about her with her riding-whip, driving the wolves back, although they were snarlingmad and exceedingly savage about leaving. The wolves made a dash at her, whereupon the pony shiod and nearly unseated the fair equestrian, but she quickly recovered her balance, and dashed back at the brutes with such energy and determination that they fled from the field and left the brave woman in absolute possession. Two of the calves died from their injuries that night, and the other one was literally torn to pieces. When it is considered that hunters and cowboys, well armed, sonietiraes hesitate to attack the ferocious gray wolf on the prairie, it is all the more astonishing to think that one woman, alone and unarmed, would dare to attack and do up two such monsters in iuch a brilliant style as Mrs. Evans handled her brace of gray