Show ja TE TO WA qi L tri 7 am via M I 1 CN in a county in southern lout bern illinois and leu less than a decade aga there ull still remained a rural section which t the hs athe people eo in the towns a the jungle a term 0 of contumely banded handed down from a period when this portion of nt the county wai was isolated by imp sees ble his road roads and covered with dene dens timber the jungle fell behind in th march ot of progress the tarn farril wagon conveyed the family to church on bunday sunday vohen hen the people on the prairie rode rods in I 1 spring wagons or owned buggies there was one prevailing fyie style of architecture which IS I 1 till still frequently een seen the square lot log house with one room ami atil a boxed up kitchen at the aldo side the light lights streaming tre aming through the one small window showed uch such decorations ua uri the walls a as a shotgun and rite the born horn flaak bask and hunting pouch and nd trophies ot of the hunt while on winter evenings the glowing firelight from the cavernous fireplace threw shandoss in and out among the festoons Ies ot of onion onions a dried pumpkin and middling mIdd lins suspended 1 from the rafters ratters I 1 the houie house in which linter lane line was wa I 1 boa flood stood in a small cleared pace in the heart of 0 jungle here she he grew crew to we it chood with no wider experience peri per lence ence with tb the outside world than the weekday walk to the nearest tillage and an anau araina 0 journey to the county seat la 11 fair time her first came to her at the age ct of 6 wha she must trudge each day for a mile and half to the district chool hut but school day days in the jung jun a were coon soon over the boys getting most of the because the girls married and bad had no tie use for it IL there were no bachelor inside in the marriage was a certainty about which there could be no doubt heater hester lane belac being what the natives native ot of the jungle called a good smart girl it wa ati expected ehe she would make a good match it the lane line home was more picturesque than some of its neighbors it wai was because heaters s hand trained tb the morning glory vines over ever the window la in summer and hid bid the woodpile behind a baul of 09 g I 1 hollyhock and prig as feathers tin pans and pa soc sa ae nowhere else with such brightness and luster as they did on that bench outside the kitchen door besides hester had p pieced eced more patchwork quilts on the long winter evenings than any other girl in the Jun tle le where a feather bed and ai nd bedding bediS luf and sad a cow was the dowry dow r Y entry bilde was expected to bring to her husband hester bad her choice between squire bladsoe Bluds oci s son william and jim gillian hose whose father was wits the big landowner la the jungle and could set cc off ten tell acres for the young people to start out with being a pro pru ant minded young woman heater hester took jim and the wedding day was set tor for october squire bladsoe Blud soe who had tied the knot in every marriage ceremony which had taken place in the I 1 jungle tor for a decide and supple dented the ceremony with such solemn advice as b be deemed it necessary tor for the young people to take A wedding in the jungle was a quiet affair the real celebration being the on the following day when the young husband took bis his brile to ha its father fathers honee fine and andl proud hester looked as she sat beside jim on tha 1113 font seat of the new wagon in her unfair In fair ilir dress of sky blu blue del delaine alne rimmed w with iab white lice lace on the ruffles tod her hat last sea seasons ae aiona hat redecorated with resh fresh bows bowl this solas going away cm tume tums represented the savings tbt th sale ot at fw eggs and butter above the tam an lly ily TO Crit for or many weeks it vai wag band hand made too a sewing jacuin not yet being out on ot of the of c the laoo household early ae as they sere ere the au kleita ests were arriving attore them th the chain chairs were arran arranged gra in a semicircle semi circle around the room and jim and ilester ut down near the open door the company the older members first came forward one by one and shook them by the hand and offered their congratulations there wai only one on phrase in which the good wehe could coull be conveyed 1 I wish you much joy repeated each neighbor solemnly and an eat mat jon don again then there waa was allence la in the room the guests staring blankly at the bi de do and groom who relieved belr embarrassment by oc casl cantonal cai tonal whispers to each other the 3 oung beup people ae of the company finding the silence oppressive went ent outside do the young romeu sitting down on tin woodpile and the men ranging themselves on the low rail fence thea then dinner sas as announced which was tin the rt nal al unfair and la to the rood good cheet ot of the table the stiffness stiff and formal ity TiE hed ihben hen the jests and sad witty sayings which enlivened the festivities es ot of the th jungle were exha exhausted isted some ot at ats til older folka folks began ot of former wedding occasions ite its curious how the world doo does chante change eald said uncle jimmy taylor he lie and hia his wife aunt laura the plon era ers of the jungle jun cle yoa you young folks who get married and atari start out in the world nowadays don t know what hard timea times are yon you re ve lumber to floor your house with and a cook stove and you can buy bed beds and chain chairs and tables already mad made it kasint fo to fifty years ago hen laura and I 1 got etched laira 1 llred lived at old Has kaskaskia kukla her father bail had come over on to the 1111 nol side from kentucky and 1 I being a roving chap and tired of te tes bessee hills turned up thoro one day and went to wai all those di day and b in love aaa and we rrth up behind me with our tn a bandl bundle we vf started out to eek seek our fortunes in a new country vie never stopped till we WO reached the jungle and took up a piece of land and built a cabin I 1 made all the furniture with my own hands and laura cooked on the coals in the fireplace I 1 had to so go to st loul louis for almost everything in those days day and laura staid alono alone in the tbs wilderness but the indians indiana were gone and there wasn gasn t anything more dangerous in the woods than and wildcats and we w have a ingate dinners in those days said jim jima father we had turkey and find venison which we shot in the woods and tor for cake and pie we bad had good corn earn pone baked in the coals on the bearth jims jima mother didat have a store bought wedding dress like hester here but good lensey woolsey she wove herself and carded the wool tor for it too there t no fine one bata hats in them days the girl mas as proud who could get a bit of calico to make i it sunbonnet there would hare have been more stories of the tho good old days when simplicity reigned at wedding feasts but the ma merk must hurry burry away tor for the house raising rai ting and before the sun went down the logs 10 gs JI jim in h had ad carefully hewn and piled plied on a pretty site on the ten acres were in their place and a it new home way war ready in the jungle in the evening bill Blud bladsoe soe the rejected suitor to show that he be aber dished no ill will breight his fiddle ani there was a dance in the new now house 8 house warming and the ng festivities were over jim and hester still live in the jungle Juns le and the little house has oth er rooms added to it and a neat picket fence and well kept orchard and garden evidence the prosperity which ii Is transforming the jungle into a progressive gres sive farming community and the unfair In fair and the house raising will soon be only a memory ot of a picturesque past chicago tribune |