Ollie usually went on these excursions after milk and eggs and
such like foods. The different languages which he encountered
among the settlers somewhat bewildered him, and he often had hard
work in making the people he found at the houses understand what
he wanted. There Were many Norwegians, and the third day we
passed through a large colony of Russians, saw a few Finns, and
heard of some Icelanders who lived around on the other side of a
lake.
"It wouldn't surprise me," said Ollie one day, "to find the
man in the moon living here in a sod house."
Perhaps a majority--certainly a great many--of all these
people lived in houses of this kind. Ollie had never seen
anything of the sort before, and he became greatly interested in
them. The second day we camped near one for dinner.
"You see," said Jack, "a man gets a farm, takes half his
front yard and builds a house with it. He gains space, though,
because the place he peels in the yard will do for flowerbeds,
and the roof and sides of his house are excellent places to grow
radishes, beets, and similar vegetables.
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