The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1867-02-01

aud ho chuckled rs he thought Of tho pros.
peot of buying il at the Government sale,
aud thus getting all the improvements for
nothing. Indeed, il was shrewdly suspect.
cd that, as Van Dyke had some influence
with officers of the land office, he had some.
thing to do with the bringing of tho land
into market at 80 early day, for, as he
was money'lender, and specnlator, there
were many ways in which the land salo
would be to his advantage.
Polly applied to Mr. Van Dyke for q loan
on mortgage on the land but was refused
Hoping against hope, she went to work TO
raise oil the money she could, carly in tho
fall. Leaving her mother and little Jimmie
secure the crops, she commenced to trap.
She started out at daylight every morning,
land was picture for painter as she
pnshed off her canoe. Her long hair lay
on her shoulders, her head being covered
with regular trappcr's cap, made of wolf
skin with the tail hanging down behind.
! She bad been pretty successful, but at
the prices offered by Mr.. Van Dyke, she
had nothing like enough to buy the land.
Polly was very highspirited, aud she vowed
that the merchant should not have s-
gle skin that she captured. In vain he as.
sured her that the price he offered her
was the highest that could be paid Mr..
| Van Dyke" she use to say, "you have not
money enough to buy my furs, You arc
like the Pharisees you deyour widows
houses" 1t did not sound very well to
hear girl talk in this way, but Polly's ed.
ucation was rough one.
AT last came the news that Harry was
to start for home. He had been discharged,
aud was scarcely able to walk; but at any
| 70 ! fo ,,l,ot l..
coming home again. 1t was now tio mid.
clear, the prairies, scared with the frost,
looked like fields of gold beneath the au.
tnmn sun. Every hight tho prairie fires
made tue sky glow in every direction
Polly had made careful account of her
resources, and said that at least she had
enough to buy the forty acres on which the
house and the principal part Of their i'm
| Iprovements were. That was one cons ,la-
ton at any rate. They would not be with.
out q home, if they did have to lose the
meadow and the timber land they priced so
highly.
One morning, as she was running bul.
let's and filling up her powder.horn, aud hop.
ing that Harry would come to-day, and
wondering if her furs wouldn't bring more
than Van Dyke offered, If she could only
get them to Mankato, while she was think
ing thus, Mr.. Van Dyke came in and handed
her letter. saying @ Fr
"This was in the Office for you, and !
thought would bring it along Over, as |
was coming. Don't want to sell your firs
this morning ell !" iii,
" lam obliged to you. Mr.. Van Dyke, for
bringing me'the letter. but you can not have
any ot my furs."
We'll, you might let me have that black
fox, any how, as personal favor | want
to send it to my brother. I've taken fancy
to it.. 1t amt worth more than five dollars,
but III give you ten" js} ~,
PLY had captured black or silver gray
fox a few days before, the only one she
had ever seen, for il is very rare indeed
that such fox is taken so far south. She
had no idea of its value, but ten dollars
seemed to her large price, and she was at
first inclined to yield; but remembering
that she was dealing with scoundrel she
said: Mr.. Van Dyke, | believe | told you
that you couldn't have any of my pelfries."
Well, Miss Strader, you'll be sorry.
some day that you don't oblige me-" said
he as he left the door, r..,s ~.
When Polly opened the letter all her
hopes were dashed. 1t was from Harry.
He was very i'll at ST. Paul. He begged
Polly to come for him, or otherwise he
thought he should die.
"Well," said Polly, :" fwe must give up
all hope OF buying the farm, or even forty
acres | suppose we'lI have to- It'll take a
good part of what have to get Harry
home, and It'll take more than week to go
and come, and New Years isn't far off
Every day is precions. But we must save
Harry's life, and the poor fellow will get
well if we eau once get him home"
And so, without regarding her mothers
warning that there was q storm brewing,
she started out in her canoe to go down the
lake to get team, with which to go for
Harry. Her own was an OK team, and to
go in the stage was costly, aud besides
Harry couldn't stand the day and night
riding in the stage, for the distance was a
hundred and forty miles. She hired a team
for trip to 81. Paul. She could not get
it until the Monday following, and SO she
wrote a letter to Harry telling him that
she was coming and then started 10 pad
die around the shore and lcok at her traps
When she got to place which she and
Harry called Rocky Harbor, On the opposite
side of the Lake. she found a dead deer
partly eaten by the wolves, and knowing
that the wolves would return after dark,
she set several traps for them. Then she
FASTENED back to her canoe, for it was now
aie, and there could be 10 doubt but that
The November storms, with which the
winter almost always begins in that climate
were now at hand.
But before she could set foot in her canoe
The storm came, and in an instant the air |
was 80 fill ed with snow that an object |
twenty feet away was invisible. 1t took |
put a moment for Polly to appreciate her
To paddle across the lake in |
such storm, was out of the question. |
The wind was coming up, and it would be
alike Impossible to coast around the shore. |
Besides, il was great distance, and the !
ce would begin to form before she could |
get halfway. There were no families liv-
ng on that side of the Lake. Her only !
course was 10 stay where she was. Her
'pirit sunk for a moment, but she dashed |
away the tears that came up from des
,late heart, and set about making the
pest of il. She found large log lying
n a ravine. Dragging her canoe from the
water, she laid il upside down paral ell with
he log, about three feet away from it, She
hen cut brush, and laid across them, to
orm roof. Creeping under this shelter
he was sOOn buried beneath two feet of
now, and so felt sure of not freezing.
here is no better protection from cold
han the snow.
1t was lonely place. She could hear
Ter heart beat. But when the wolves COM
aenced to gather for their midnight repast,
nd when they set up their frightful howls
he could feel tho hair rise mp on her head