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10
a ttack. There were one thousand and one different methods of
assault in the night against which a man had to be prepared had
asserted the veteran to the plump Bud, whose pimpled face had
turned a pasty color as Jake enlarged upon the subject, and then
had gotten into his bed, pulled his "cover" of dogs over him and
left the farmer's son to look out for himself on the bare floor
of the shack. Jake was neither malicious nor cruel, but he had
a clear memory, and that memory recalled to him the fact that
during the four years when he (Jake) had slept in mud holes or
any place wherein he could crawl, Bud had had his feather bed at
home; How the tables were turned;
At this time the war was still near enough to the public
heart and sonscience that we had net reached the stage where
we scowled at the word "veteran" and avowed that they "needn't
think were goin' to support them in idleness for the rest of their
days". etc; Women still occasionally knetted sweaters and
socks for the returned men, and a place was made for them at the
farmer’s table. It was a matter of irritation that the government
was placing them here there and everywhere among the farmers --
that is to say, they were allowing them homesteads in parts of
the country where previously one had had good open range, on which

to run ones cattle freely. Now the range was being fenced and

cut up and veteran's shanks were going up on all parts of the

prairie. Of course, there was consolation and remuneration also

in the advent of the veterans among the farmers, for every one
who had a bit of poor land or a farm that was known to be un~

remunerative listed it with the Soldiers Settlement Board and