The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1868-12-17
CHAPTER VII,

SAoA xAAS -"
Mr.. TwINzY AND his SURROUNDINGS.
The city in which Margaret found
herself thus domieiled was a .n,ode}o Of
American enterprise:. II had been
founded by she7son of small farmer,
who knew nu; hing Of his ancestors be-
yond his grandfather, an Irish weaver.
The son who, Romulus-like, had given
to tie world great city, was an active
yong carpenter who had 90 neglected
his opportuaiti@ of an education in a
log cabin on the side of one Of Penn :
sylvania's g"een i,il!s-whic' cabin was
opcucd for instruction for three months
every winter, and into which some half
dozen sheets of foolscap PAPER, we'll
CREASED with lard, admitted the; neces-
sary lie ght-that his literary attaiuments
were rather limited. The only book
he had ever voluntarily read was vol
ume of travels. In this he had spelled
out and poerd over an account of a
silent city, hewn from the solid rock.
1t had made so vivid all impression
upon him that; as he Travelled on a
western prairie in search Of fortune,
-. i ,,.., -. ys4x l:..~uAA -HD>,~>1
to be an old stone church, with towers :
and minuets, he fancied that the city
of his dreams was before him. BE
turned aside toexamlne the phenomensn,
which seemed to be uos. more than a
mile distant. but an hour of rapid walk
ing brought him no nearer IN appear
arrce. Az the sur set, casting his last
rays upon this prairie spectre, he fan-
cicd he saw the windows and doors,
could trace the architecture and mo..'i- '
in2s, aud as night closed around him
he expected to see light stream forth;
but all was dark and silent, and when
he came to the door there was no en-
trance Wrapping his blanket around
him he lay down by the wall and slept, :
until morning showed him that bis
church of the prairie was a great bouI-
der, broken, washed and, worn BY. the
action of wind and rain uutil it had
assumed 'he appearance OF a church
No ether rock was visible within a
circumference of miles, and our enter
prising traveller at once resolved to
stake out lis claim just here. Locking
further he found himself on the shore
of great lake, and concluded from the
appearance of the banks that there
was a good harbor. Here he would
pre-empt town site, build city and
call it ARABIA PETREA:
The first thing to be done was to
build a claim house. AS he had his rife
and ammunition, his Ratchet and hands
with him this was easily done. A.
smooth square surface on the rock made
north wall; the other three sides he
built of sods cut up with his hatchet,
and thus he enclosed a space: sl1 feet
square. A small patch Of timber at q
distance of over mile furnished him
with door posts, rafters and bark for a
door, all Of which we're carried Oh his
back and applied to their, proper uses.
The roof was made of tall reeds and
grass matted together and fastened to
the walls with forked sticks. "A rabbit
which he shot not only served hin
with dinner but with fat to grease a
scrap Of paper with which to close tho.
opening in the wall left for q Window
This was soon replaced by square Of
glass, and wag afterwards described
the domici!c as "a small house which
coughs badly, (refering to the creaking
of the wooden hiDges,) and: has CON
slant pane in the side"
Small as it was it met the legal e
quirements, was IA house With. a door
and window" !" and so entitled the baila.
er to his one hundred aud, sixty acres
at one dollar and twenty-five. cents per
lcre. 1t was not long until With the
aid Of surveyor he had staked of his
town site, and in two years he GA
realized enough from the sale Of lots 70
to go back to the Keystone Stats, EEry
the girl he left behind him, buy e1-
riage and pair, a quantity Of gold ehdns,
pins; rings, watches and etcstetss, sE7
to feel that he had about reached Eh2
round of young anbltioa's;:
ladder. This was reached the next SEA-. ):
son when he was elected a membe t}she
Territorial Legislature, and made a
speech, on the subject of epsnsng .
: Co1tinued ea TsuxtA Pss&