Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-06-17
Seleft Story.
LEONORA BROWN.
A Story of a Heroic Girl.

On the borders of Green Lake in Min
nessota, there lived sturdy, white
haired frontiersman named Walte
Brown. He was one of those adventur
GUS spirits ever to be found in the var
of advancing civilization, always court
ing the free, wild air of the prairie, anC
rejoicing in the profound depths of un
inhabited forests.
But the country became more anC
more thickly settled, and Walter Brown
5 became uneasy. His wife had borne
him daughter the third or fourth veal
Of their residence at the headwaters o
the st. Croix, whom he called Leonora
She was good girl, and the idol of hel
father. He purchased rifle for hel
when she was but twelve years old, anC
took the utmost pains in teaching bel
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. Occa.
sionly she would shoot deer, and one
eventfui morning, by lucky shot
through the eye into the brain, she kill.
ed a bear.
When she came home with the new:
her father could scarcely credit her,
But, knowing her perfectly truthful ma
ture, he danced about the room for joy
and seizing the sturdy little maid, he
mounted her upon his shoulders and in,
sisted upon carrying her all the way t.
the spot where the dead bruin lay.
Thicker and thicker flowed the tide o.
emigration into Minnesota and Wis
fnIl@ H. Ii
as a matter of course, and more and
more uneasy and crowded felt Wal.
ter Brown. At length his wife died.
Leoncra was then sixteen, and engaged
to be married to a handsome young
trapper by the name of Watson, who
had Joined her father in business.
The death of the mother had made il
necessary to postpone the wedding, and
in the interim old Walter decided tc
move into Northwest Minnesota
Neighbors were getting too near, and
hunting and trapping were bad. AS the
young man had proved up and pre-
empted a quarter section of land neal
Taylor's Falls, he did not wish to either
abandon or sell it just then, and persuad.
ing Leonora to agree, to write to him, he
bade her an affectionate goodbye.
Brown lived in Minnesota for three
or four years in peace and quiet, finding
good trapping and hunting grounds
when all at once young Watson arrived
and renewed the propositions of mar.
riage with Leonera. The old man had
determined to move no more, and had
accordingly located and pre-empted sew
eral thousand acres of land about him,
and learning from Watson that he had
money enough to do likewise, proposed
that he should go down to st. Paul and
buy land warrants with his money, and
take up all the land he could "swing.n u
He might then marry Leonora, and they
two would go to work, and after build
ing plenty of stabling, etc.; would get q
good stock of cattle and sheep, and try
and lead a pastoral life for the rest OF
their days. 49,
To this proposition the young man
heartily assented, and after returning
from st. Paul went bravely to work in
the woods telling trees for building pur-
poses. 1t was agreed first that they
should build new hewed log house fol
the united family, as Watson had only
got up small single-room cabin Then
the wedding was to take place, and the
two men would again resume theil
work.
While thus busily engaged the Sioux
war broke out. It was the habit of Leo.
nora to take her rifle out every morning
and shoot prairie chickens for the table
while her lover and father were hard al
work on the new house. Watson had
brought her, as present from St. Paul
light and handsome revolving rifle, OF
which she was immensely fond, and
with which she became so expert that
she could shoot duck or prairie chicken
on the wing with almost absolute Ger.
tainty.
One morning as she was strolling
around the lake, rifle in hand, she no.
ticed three canoe loads of Indians pad.
ding carefully along the opposite side
ofthe water, steadily and stealthily ap.
preaching the spot where her father and
lover were at work. She did not immedi.
atelyapprehendan any tragedy, but in some
unacountable way she felt impelled to re-
main and watch their motions. She
therefore, concealed herself behind the
top of fallen tree, and observed theil
movements, which grew more and more
suspicious. There were two Indians in
each canoe, and after pulling steadily tc
APPOINT where thick, everhanging birch
tree afforded concealment for their ca.
noes, they disembarked, and crept care.
fully and poiselessly along until they
were within feet of where the two un.
suspecting men were chopping. Sud
denly with yell that made the forest
ring, and which echoed and re-echoed
across the broad, still lake, they sprang
upon their victims and bore them TO the
earth.
Leonora trembled with excitement
and apprehension, expecting nothing
less than to witness the horrible butch.
cry fher father and lover at once.
But this did not seem to be the purpose
of the Indians, for, tying the arms be-
hind them, they took to the canoes
where, taking the old man into one and
the young man into the other, they
showed boldly into the lake, and pad
died down rapidly toward where the
house stood. Leonora OWNED their in
tent instantly.
Hal" she said to herself. "they
design capturing me too. They deem
that an easy job, perhaps - and her ewes
flashed and her face flushed with anger
See! there is a fourth canoe, which
they no doubt suppose will carry me-
This business has been we'll calculated
but ha you bad savagesi you have
mistaken your girl this timel Leonors
Brown has been taught more things
than yenison beef steak Oh, dear
dear father, your Leonora will soor
show you how bravely she can sueco
you. and how your instruc'ing her il
the use of this rifle has saved you thi
day. And you, too, darling Henry
Watson, have won a longer lease of YOU
precious life dy presenting me with thi
splendid revolving rife! Six bullets 70
ak ruffiansl. Miss one of themi ah, i
1 sEeuld-there's my knife. No, Leon
ora, you must not miss single one O
them.n
The girl now crept stealthily through
the undsrbrush up the banks to the prai