Seven Hundred Miles On Foot

BY PKOJF. 1. D. BUTLER. Kils Jiysten is a Swode, and was born where his f'orc-fathers, even to th years of nidiiy generations, had been content with "only this and nothing more " - ' Tó draw Dutritiun, propágate aiul rot." He aapired highor, but so low was his birth, and so strong the barriers around him that he was threo scoro years old bofore he oould work his passage to Amer ica. Two years ugo hu roached Iowa with his wii'o, aud penuilcos, stopping fint in Mou:.t Vleasant. While working at his trade of wagon making, hu bocamu oonvincc-d that his best meaus of furthor advancement was to secure a Xebritska homestead withuut delay. His mode i' iiniking tliis boon his own is worth telling to oucourage others. liow ue DU) IT. He walked from his home to Lincoln, 308 miles, along tho truck of the üuilington tt Missouri iiiver Bailroad. This juurncy lic accomplished in about fifteen day.s. At Linooln ho fouud shelter iu the " lLumij.'11'.nt's liust," a building provided by the B. & M. Bailroad Co., where land hunten tuay lodgo and live, without charge, whilu seeking farms. Looking ut tho maps of public lands in the United Status Land Office there, Ue jndged York County to aÖ'ord the most desirabxH homesteads. Ho tberefore walked on thitlior - suventy miles further - and having pióked uut the farm whioh suited him best of all those still vacant, he retoroed to the Land Offi ie aud iilud his claim to it September 2d, 1871, paying $14 in feiis. His homestead consista of 80 acres, in tho 34th soction of the llth township ia the 'M rango west, of the Cth principal meridian. what Tin -y Repairing agam to the farm of his stacked twelve tons of wild hay. HispursewM now empty, save ono dollar and a half, but ho walkod to Linopln, aad thenc home, aslie had wulked hither, daily luyiag behind liiiu about twcnty miles. ííooii after reaching home at tho ond of u Beven lmndrud mile walk, lic learnod tht ltis h:y staclcs had been burned by il prairie riro - huving no plow, ho bad boen uniible to mako a fire-break around thom. But throughout all lie soomed to have lost notliing of hoart or hope, but to hiivi) ruinaincd us jolly asMark Tapley ín Chuzzlewit. Tlirougii all the winter ho worked at hia trado, soiuetiiues boginning his toils at two o'clock in the moniing. Thus he finkhod three good wagons. Two he traded off for a mulu and harness. Then putting ou board his wit'o, a barrel of porii, a harrow, all of wood, and made by himsulf, and simt othcr lieedinents, he drove wustward, by tiie samo route wliich he had last fall braveled on füOt. Ho took with hini three otlier Scandinaviau hoiuestead hunters, caeh with a wagon and his family in it. Ho arrived in Lincoln in due timo, rosted a little among the oíd familiar hospitalities for straneers, alforded gratuitously by thü B. & M. Railroad Co., through the wholc-souU'd kooper, John Frost, on the 21 st of March, in spito of an equinoctiil wind, hu set his faeetoward hishomestead. His journey thither can liardly require luss than three days, but as ho must nueds be there bel'ore the first day of April, or be egregiously April fooled, by forfeiting hi farm, he has resolved to mako assurnnce doubly sur!. Henee he has taken Urne by the forelock. Nilsj Xysti.'u is sixty-two ycars old, although he declares liimself only forty - when just shaved. His example shows what othors can do. It shames uiaiiy faint hearts that are woeping liko women beeause they do not possess a farm, which they havo the privilege of seizing, like men, had thoy only uianly pluok. Nils Nysten's homestead was one of 9,822 whioh had been entered in tho Liucohi United States Land OfHcc butbro the lirst ot' last Jamittry. ïho numbur thcre eiiteied sinco tliat tiino is 601. The B. & M. Bailroad Company havo sold 351,705 acres to 3,'22S buyors, on ten years' credit and sis por coiit. interest.