Wisconsin herald, and Grant County advertiser. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1844-1845, 1845-08-09
LANCASTER SATURDAY, AUGUST o. 1916. NO.

made it necessary to have second a.
partment in the singled hive; so the
stairs were built outside, as we have
said. and Julia Brand was installed in
the wee chamber to which it led. She
was girl of fourteen, perhaps, at this
time: and soon became all in all to her
aged relative. But we will put her
off for the present, that we may recall
at more length our recollections of old
Richard Brand. The race of rough
old pioneers, to which he belonged,
was fast passing away; and emigration
and improvement are sweeping from
the face of the land, every trace of
their existence. The spirit by which
they were animated has no fellowship
with steamboats, and railroads; their
pleasures were not increased, but d.
minished, by the rapid accession of
population, for whom they had done
much TO prepare the way. The youn-
ger and harder of their number felt
themselves elbowed, and so pressed on
ward to the boundless prairies of the
far West; the old shrunk from contact
with society, and gathered themselves,
as if to await the mighty hunter in
characteristic fashion. Old Brand be-
longed to the latter class. He looked
ninety; but much allowance must be
made for winter storms and night
watches, and such Irregularities and
exposure as are sure to keep an account
against man and to score their demands
upon his body, both within and with
out.
We have said that the house had a
wild and strange look, and the aspect
Of the tenant of the little nest was that
of an old wizard. He would sit by
the side of the door, enjoying the sun
shine, and making marks on the sand
with the long staff which seldom quits
his feeble hands, while his favorite cat
purred at his feet, or perched herself
on his shoulder, rubbing herself against
his grey locks, unreproved. Weird
and sad was his silent aspect; but once
set him talking, or place in his hands
his battered violin, and you would no
longer find silence tiresomc. One
string was generally all that the in
strumcnt could boast; but that one like
the tongue of the owner, performed
more than its share. II could say,
Hey. Betty Martin, ,ip.toe.
Hey, Betty Martin, ,ip-ice fine:
Can't get husband TO please her, please her,
Cam, get husband to please her mind.
as plain as any human lips and teeth
could make the same taunting observa-
ton; but if you ventured TO compare
the old magician to Paganini, 'Humph.'
he would say, with toss of his little
grey head, "ninny may be, but pa
gan ant, any how; for do | eat little
babies, and drink nothing but water?'
Nobody ever ventured to give an
affirmative answer TO either branch OF
this question; so the old man triumph
ed in his rcfutntion of the Islander.
Directly in front of the door by
which old Brand usually sat, was
pit, four or five feet deep, perhaps, and
two feet in diameter at the top, and still
wider at the bottom, where it wa;
strewn with broken bottles and jugs
(Mr. Brand had, by some accident
good store of these.) This pit wa:
generally covered during the day, but
for many years the platform was al
night drawn within the door, with al
the circumspection that attended the
raising of draw-bridge before Gas
tie gate in ancient times.
as that a wolftrapp inquired an
uninitiated guest. An explosion o
laughter met this truly green question
GA wolftrap! o! massy! what {
wolf-huntcr you be! You bought thai
ere fine broadcloth coat out of bounty
money, didn'tye9 How should like
to see you where our Jake was once
when he wsr'n't more than twelve
year old! You'd grin till wolf would
be fool to ye! l had real wolf-traI
then, tell ye! There had been a
wolf around, that was the hungriesi
critter you ever heard tell on. No.
body pretended TO keep a sheep, and
as for little pigs, they war'n't circum'
stance. He'd eat litter in one night.
Well! i dug my trap plenty deep e.
nough, and all the dirt | took out on 4
was laid up o. one side, slantindicleri
up hill like, so as to make the jump a
pretty good one; and then the other
sides was built up close with logs. II