Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1869-05-19
a STORY OF A HEROIC GIRL.


Onthe border of Green Lake, in Min
nesota, there lived a sturdy, white haired
frontiersman named Walter Brown. He
was one of those adventurous spirits ever
to be found in the van of a dvancing civ
ilization, always counting the free,. wild
air Of the prairie, and rejoicing in the
profound depths of uninhabited forests
But the country became more and more
thiekly settled, and Walter Brown be.
came uneasy. His wife had borne him a
daughterlthe third or fourth year of their
residence at the headwaters of the St
Croix, whom he called Leonora. She
was good girl, and the idol of her faith
er. He purchased a rife 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 sooa acquired wonderful skill as a
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 deer, and one lucky morn
ing, 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, knowing her perfectly tuthful ma
ture, he danced about the room fer joy,
and selling the sturdy little maid, he
mounted her upon his shoulders and in
sisted 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 Wiscon-
sin, following the navigable rivers as a
matter Of course, and more and more un-
easy and crowded" felt Walter Brown
At length his wife died. Leonora was
then sixteen, and engaged to be married
to handsome young trapperby the name
Of Watson, who had joined her father in
business. ra
The death of the mother had made it
necessary to postpone the wedding, and
in the interim old Walter decided to move
into Northwest Minnesota. Neighbors
were getting too near, and hunting and
trapping were bad. AS the young man
had proved up the pre-empted quarter
section of land near Taylor's Falls, he did
not wish either to abandon or sell it just
then; and pe~suading Leonora to agree to
write to him, he bade her an affectionate
good bye. .ass saaasa as as
Brown lived in Minnesota for three or
four years in peace and quiet, finding
good trapping and hunting grounds. when
allat once young Watson arrived, and
renewed the proposition of marriage with
Leonora. The old man had about de.
termined to move no more, and had ac-
cordingly located and pre- -empted several
thousand acres Of land about him, and
learning from Watson that he had money
enough to do likewise, proposed that they
should 60 down to St. Paul and buy land
warrants with his money, and take up all
the land he could ''swing." He might
then marry Leonora, and they two would
go to work, and after building plenty Of
stabling, etc., would get a good stock Of
cattle and sheep, and try and lead pas.
toral life for the rest of their days, +
To this proposition the young man
heartily assented, and after returning
| from St. Paul, went bravelv to work in
the woods, telling trees for building pur
poses. It was agreed first that they
should build new hewed log house, fol
the united family, as Watson had only
not up-a small, single room cabin. Their
the wedding was to take place, and the
two men would again resume their work.
While thus busily engaged the Sioux
war broke out. 1t was the habit O
Leonora to take her rife out every morn
ing and shoot prairie chickens for the
table, while her lover and father were
hard at work ou the new house. Wat
son had brought her as present from
st. Paul a light and handsome revolving
rifle, of which she was immensely fond
and with which she became so expert tha
she could shoot a duck or prairie chicken
on the wing with almost absolute certain
ty.
One morning, as she was strolline
around the lake, rife in hand, she motto.
ed three canoe loads of Indians padding
carefully along the opposite side of the
water, steadily and stealthly approaching
the spot where her father and lover were
at work. She did not Immediately ap
prehend any tragedy, but IN some uuac
! countable way she felt impelled 10 remair