Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1869-01-23
TALES AND SKETCHES.
LEONORA BROWN.
A STORY OF A HEROIC GIRL.

On the border of Green Lake, in Minnesota,
there lived sturdy, white haired frontiers.
man named Walter Brown. He was one of
those adventurous spirits ever to be found in
the van of advancing civilization, always
counting the free, wild air of the prairie, and
rejoicing in the profound depths of unn.
habited forests.
But the country became moro aud more
thickly settled. and Walter Brown became
uneasy. His wife had borne him daughter,
the third or fourth year of their residence at
the headwaters of the st. Croix, whom be
| called Leonora. She was good girl, and
the idol of her father. He purchased rifle
| for her when she was but twelve years old,
and took the utmost pains in teaching her
the use Of it. She was brave and steady OF
nerve, and soon acquired wonderful skill as
shot, and the number of prairie chickens,
partridges, wild water fowls, and other small
game she managed to shoot each day was
really large. Occasionally she would shoot
a deer. and one eventfui morning, by lucky
shot through the eye into the brain, she
killed bear.
When she came home with the news, her
father could scarcely credit her. But know.
ing her perfectly truthful nature, be danced
about the room for JOY, and seizinQ the sturdy
little maid, he mounted her upon his shoul-
ders, and insisted upon carrying her all the
way to the spot where the dead bruin lay.
Thicker and thicker flowed the tide OF
emigration into Minnesota and Wisconsin,
following the navigable rivers as matter OF
course, aud more and more uneasy and
Crowded" felt Walter Brown. AT length
his wife died. Leonnra was then sixteen,
and engaged to be married to a handsome
young trapper 10y the name of Watson, who
had joined her father 10 business.
The death of the mother had made II
necessary to postpone the wedding, and in
the interim old Walter decided to move into
northwest Minnesota. Neighbors were get.
ting too near, and hunting and trapping
were bad AS the young man ha3 moved
up, and pre-empted quarter section of land
near Taylor's FALL then beginning to grow
rapidly, he did not wish to either abandon
or sell it just then, and persuading Leonora
to agree TO write TO him when they got set.
tled, he bade her an affectionate good bye.
Brown lived in Minnesota for three or four
years in peace and quiet, fnding good trap
ping and hunting grounds. when all at once
young Watson arrived, and renewed the pro.
posal OF marriage with LeOnora. The old
man had about determined to move no more,
aud had accordingly located and pre- enpted
several thousand acres of land about him ;
and learning from Watson shat he had mons ~
enough to do likewise, proposed that he
shonld go down to St. Paul and buy land
warrants with his money, and take up all the
land around he could swing" He might
then marry Leonura. a:d they two would "a
to work, aud after building plenty of sta,
bling, etc, would get good stock %; cattle
and sheep, and try and lead u pastoral life
for the rest of their days.
To ( IL. u
assented, and after returning from ST.. Paul,
went bravely to work in the woods, felln 9
trees for building purposes. 1t WAS agreed
irst that they should build new he we'd
log house, for the united family, as Walter
had only got upa small, single roomed cabin
Then the wedding was to take place, and
the two meu would again resume their work
While thus hnsily engaged the Sioux wal
broke out. 1t was the habit of Leonora to
take her life ont every morning and shoot
prairie chickens for the table, while her lover
and father we're hard ut work on the nr "
house. Watson had brought her as n present
from st. Paul light and handsome revolv.
ing rife, of which she was immensely fond
and with which she became 40 expert she
could shoot duck or prairie chicken on the
wing with almost absolute certainty.
Que morning as she was strolling around
the lake, rifle in hand, she noticed three
} canoe loads of Indians padding carefully
along the opposite side Of the water, steadily J
and stealthily, approaching the spot where
her father and lover were at work. She die
not Immediately apprehend any tragedy, but
, in some unsccoantable way she felt impelled
to remain and watch their motions She
therefore, concealed herself behind the toI
of fallen tree, and observed their move
ments which grew more and more suspi
cious. There were two Indians In each canoe
and after pulling steadily to q point wher,
thick, oyerLsnging birch tree afforded con
! cealment for their canoes, they disem barketl
aud crept carefully and noiselessly slonl
until they were withia few feet of wher'
. tus rwo uGsuspec,iHE men we're cAoprias
. sa..sa.H win p gen ll4r ue1a as ior5s
|rcg, and which echcsa and ls-tcL oeaac.os
IL. :. - IN : :.