The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1867-06-04
MISCELLANY.
Polly Strader, the Female
Trapper.

away OUl uIlbll lllc Ibulltls Oll NV
bank OF one Of those beautiful lakes that
abound in Minnesota, lived Henry Stra-
der. He had cmigratcd from Ponnsylva-
MIA in 1856, und had made II "claim' on
the most beautiful quarter section Of land
within circuit of ten miles. You know
that. according to the ''pre- emption laws, y
the person who settles on unoccupicd land,
and observes certain iormalities, has the
right TO purchase that land from the Gov
crnmcnt at any time before it is brought
into market, ut one dollar and twenty five
cents an acre But if he does not buy II
before the day Of sale, it Is sold at auction
to the highest bidder.
Mr. Stradcr had three children. Harry,
his eldest, Folly, about whom am going
to tell and little Jimmie. All the money
that the father could make by farming in
Summer and trapping in Winter he spent
in improving hi- claim. As the land was
not likely to be advertised for sale for
some years, he did not think il necessary
to make any provision for buying it At
once. But Mr. Stralcr vs. taken sud
My i'll AMI died, and the burden Of pay
ing for the claim and supporting the
family came upon Harry. then only
seventeen vcor. ur ,ro. M, wI,,,Iy un,n
Harry ri,bcr r,r from tbn finn. Lor
father died, Polly, who was just fifteen,
resolved to share every burden with her
hr,,bor
N.;1,;,, ,,.oo;. .,r,or l,,. t,,l,, 1;.,l
s,o lnI ,,lomn Lnn and n,na ;a,a r,a
G.lI hv the .i1. or lI,rrv All ,Lr,,,l.
,,c b.t dave J,o iii lc,. mart. .,,,I ~.
Winter dr,,y ~, sb, nrnoti.r1 ,yi,h ,,o
rid, ,,ll shc couI1 .bont nhout os wru as
b.r hrotb.r
Hnt tho noxt S,,i,r CANA ,I,o CON,
o,o,,.o,,o,,, ,f ,bo u..,, ,.,,,,,, s.,,, :,
tell v,n ,r olI tlo discussion. ,b,t ,yor,
holJ ~ III, S,r,t,r.. o,I,;n ~, ,l,n.,,,;,.,
Of IIrry's enlistment I,bcv cnl.I in
polly,s tCll;nr lin tn on th,t .bn yonl,l
snnnort tbc Gmilv 4nI th,t tbo I,nI
,vnnIIn.t c,,no ;,,,o ,n,,l.ot r;.J., ,1' ,ry
wov And wbc.hcr ,ioht or wronn
Harry emil to i
Th,t vc,r polIv enccoo1c1 in cul,iy,.
ting that portion Of the land that wn-
broken and fenced, in such Il way as to
rat - ,nl,r,1Io nr,, D., ln.;,. r.a
Summer there came tl,e sad news that
Harry was wounlci. ana must lie for a
lcng time in the Hospital. anil then. pr
haps, be discharged On account OF his
disability 10 do further service 10 adj
to their distress. came the Startling intel
ligcncc that ihc land was brought into
market, AMI must be pre- cmptcl before
the fist of Jnnary, or it woull he Sold.
There vas merchant, five miles away.
by the nlme of Van Dyke, who bought
lnrs Of the settlers, AM sold them proyi-
sions. An utterly mean mrn. there was
advantage to BE- taken that Van DYKE
did not take He was delighted to hear
that the land in the nCighborhuod was to
be sold, for he was perfectly satisfied that
the widow Stradcr could not raise the
two hundred dollar. necessary to purchase
her land, and ha chucllel as he thought
of the prospect Of buyiug it ut the Gov
crumcnt sale, and thus getting all tic
improvements for nothing
PAN. ,n,J;.lo NJ. ,-.nD.t, c.n
I,,, nn ,n"~.',a,,, an ,I,o i.ni ,,,,. y..
rcr,.cI IIo,,;n,[ o.,a;n,tL Llnn .tI ua.,
to vorl. f., r,iso I'll ,I', r,.,na.. H., aa,,i,