Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-05-22
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Polly Strader, the Female Trapper.

Away out upon the frontier, on the bank
Of one OF those beautiful lakes that abound
ia Minnesota, lived Henry Strader. He
had emigrated from Pennsylvania in 1886,
and had made a . claim " on the most beau
titul quarter section of land within circuit
Of ten miles. You know that according to
the ''pre-emtion laws" the person who set
ties OH unoccupied land, and observes GER
tain tornalitIes, has the right to purchase
that land from the Government at any time
before it j. brought into market, at one dol
lar and twenty-five cents an acre. But if
he does not buy it before the day of sale, it
Is sold at auction to the highest bidder.
Mr. Strader had three children, Harry,
his eldest, Polly. about whom | am going
To tell. and little Jimmie. All the money
that the tather could make by farming in
Summer and trapping in Winter, he spent
IN improving his claim. As the land was
not Likely To be advertised for sale for some
wears, he did not think it necessary to make
any provision for buying it at once. But
Mr.. Itr;,der was taken suddenly i'll and
died. and the burden OF paying for the
claim and supporting the family came upon
Harry. then only seventeen years Of age
the time her father died. Polly, who was
just fifteen resolved TO share every burden
with her brother.
Within week after her father died. she
had taken ID hoe and gone into the field by
tbe side Of Harry All through the hot
lays she did her part and as Winter drew
on she practiccd with the rife till She could
Shoot about as well a. her brother
But the next Spring came the commence
lncut OF the war | cannot stop TO tell YOU
of al the discussions that were held III the
~tradcr'> cabin, on the subject Of Harry's
enlistment They ended in Polly's telling
him to 90 that she would support the fam
iIy. and that the land wouldn't come into
market right off, any way. And, whether
ri-ht or wrong, Harry enlisted.
That year Polly succeeded III cultivating
THAT portion of the land that was broken
auj fenced in such a way a. to get a toll
crahle crop But during the Summer there
came the sad news that Harry was wound
cI ami must lie for long time in the hos
p'taI ami then, perhaps. be discharged on
account OF his disability to do further ser
vice. To add 10 their distress, came the
-rartliua intelligence that the land was
b.ouc c!.t into market, and must be pre-
,Iuutel before the first Of January. or it
.eevi he sold.
There WAS "a merchant, five miles away,
tv the name of Van DYKE. who bought furs
of the settlers. and sold them provisions
An utterly mean man. there was no advan-
ta.c to BE taken that Van DYKE did not
take He was delighted to hear that the
land in the neghborhood was to be sold,
for be- WIS perfectly satisfied that the widow
~tradcr could not raise the two hundred
dollars necessary to purchase her land, and
he chucklcI as he thought of the prospect
OF buying it 1T the Government sale and
thus getting All the improvements for
nothing
Polly applied to Mr Van Dyke for a
loan on a mortgage on the land, but was
refused Hoping against hope. she went
tr work to raise all the money she could
very carly in the Fall Leaving her
mother and little Jimmie TO secure the
crops. She commenced to trap. She start
rI out lit daylight every morning. and was
picture for painter q, she pushed of
her canoe Her long hair lay on her
shoulders, her head was covered with
regular trapper'S cap, made Of wolf-skin
with thc VOLTS tail hanging down behind.
Sine had been pretty successful, but at
thc prices offered by Mr. Van Dyke, she
bad nothing like enough 10 buy the land,
Polly was very high-spirited, and she VOW
"a that the merchant should not have a
single skin that She captured. In vain he
assured her that the price he offered her
was the highest that could be paid.
:. Nr. Nan Dyke" she used to say, you
have not money enough to buy my furs
Nou arc ike the Phari~ees YOU devcur
widows houses
1t did not sound very we'll to hear 4 girl
talk IN thi, way. but Polly's education was
rough one.
Vt last came the news that Harry was
about to start for home He had been dis
charged, and was scarcely able to walk :;
hu5 at amy rate it was a comfort to know
that hc was coming home again. 1t was
noy the middle Of November, but the sky
was vet clear. and the prairies scared with
the frost. looked like fields of gold beneath
the Autumn sun And every night the
prairie fire, made the sky glow in every
direction Polly had made careful ac-
count Of her resources, and said that at
least She had enough To buy the forty acres
ou which the house and the principal part
oftheir improvements We're. That was one
cou~3lation At any rate They would not
hc without Il home, If they did have to lose
tine meadow and the timber-land that they
had prizcI 80 highly.
One morning, as She was running bullets
and filling up her powder-horn, and hoping
that Harry would come to-day, and Won
der;na if her furs wouldn' bring more than
Van Dyke offered, if She could only get
them to Mankato, while she was talking
thus, Mr.. Van Dyke came in and handed
her letter, saying,
This was III the office for You, and
thought would bring it along over, as |
was coming Don't want to sell your turs
this morning, ei Z
i am obliged 10 you, Mr.. Van Dyke,
for bringing the letter, but You can't have
my tur-.'
Well. vou might let me have that black
fox any how a. a personal favor want
to send It to my brother I've taken i
fancy to it, 1t amt worth more than five
dollars. but III give you ten
Polly had captured a black or silver
gray fox few days before, the only one
she had ever seen, for it is very rare indeed
that such a fox j. taken 80 far south She
had 10 idea of It's value, but ten dollars
seemed to her i large price and was at
first inclined to yicld but remembering
that She was dealing with scoundrel she
said.
Mr. Van Dyke, believe [ told you
that Won couldn't have any of my peltrles.
Well Miss Strader, you'll be sorry