The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1869-06-03
THE TRIBUNE.
LENORA BROWN.
A Story Of q Heroic Girl.

On the border of Green Lake, in Min
nesota, there lived sturdy, white haired
1rontlersman named Walter Brown. He
was one OF those adventurous spirits ever
70 De found IN the van of advancing civil
lzation, always counting the free wild all
OF the prairie, and rejoicing in the pro
found depths of uninhabited forests.
but the country became more and more
thlckly settled, and Walter Brown be-
came uneasy. His wife had borne him a
daughter the third Or fourth year of their
residence at the headwaters of the St.
Crolx, whom he called Lenora. He pur-
chased a 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 great skill as a shot, and the
number of prairie chickens, patridges, and
water fowls, and other small game she
managed to shoot every day was really
large. Occasionally she would shoot a
deer, and one eventful morning, by a
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 truthful nature, he
danced about the room for joy and seiz-
ing the sturdy little mid, he mounted
her upon his shoulders and insisted upon
carrying her all way to the spot where
the dead bruin lay.
Thicker and thicker flowed the tide of
emigration into Minnesota and Wisconsin
following the navigabie .ivers as matter
OF course, and more and more uneasy and
crowded felt Walter Brown At length
his wife died. Lenora was then sixteen,
and engaged to be married to handsome
young trapper by the name of Watson,
who had joined her father in business.
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 and pre-emp6ed quarter
section of land near Taylor Falls, he did
not wish to either abandon or sell it just
then, and persuading Lenors to agree to
write to him, he babe her an affectionate
good bye
Brown lived in Minnesota for three or
four years in peace and quiet, finding good
trapping and good hunting grounds, when
all at once young Watson arrived, and re-
newed the proposition OF marriage with
Lenora. The old man had about deter
mined to move no more, and had accord
lngly 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 he
should 90 down to st. Paul and buy land
warrants with his money, and take up all
the land he could swing" He might
then marry Lenora, and they two would
go 10 work and after building plenty of
stabling, etc., would get good stock of
cattle and sheep, and try and lead pas
toral life for the rest of their days.
10 this proposition the young man
heartily arsented, and after returning
from st. Paul, went bravely to work in
the woods, telling trees for building pur-
poses It was agreed first that they
should build a new hewed log house for
the united family, as Watson had only
got up d small single room cabin. Then
the wedding was to take place. and the
two men would again resume their work.
While thus engaged the Sioux war
broke out. It was the habit of Lenora to
take her rifle out every morning and shoot
prairie chickens for the table, while her
new house Watson had brought her as
present from st. Paul light and hand
some revolving rife, OF which she was
immensely fond, and with which she be-
came SO expert that she could shoot a
duck or prairie chicken on the wing with
almost absolute certainty.
One morning, as she was strolling
around the lake, rifle in hand, she noticed
three canoe loads of Indians padding
carefully around the OPP osite side of the
water Stealthily and steady approaching
the spot where her father and lover were
at work. She did not Immediately APP
Drehend any tragedy, but in some unac-
countable way she felt impeled to remain
and watch their motions She therefore
concealed herself behind the top of a
fallen tree, and observed their movements
which grew more and more suspicious
There were two Indians in eachscauee and
after pulling steadily to point where a
thick overhanging birch tree afforded con-
cealment for their canoes, they disem-
barked, and crept carefully and noiselessly
along until they were within few feet OF
where the unsuspectlng men were chop
ping. Suddenly, 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.
Lenora trembled with excitement and
apprehension. expecting nothing less than
to witness the horrible butchery of her
father and lover at once.
But this did not seem to be the pur-
pose of the Indians, for, tying the arms
of their captives behind 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
padded rapidly down toward where the
house stood. Lenora OWNED their inten
instantly.
"Hal" she said to herself, they de
sign capturing me, too They deem tina
an easy job; perhaps - aud her eye
flashed and her face flushed with anger
See! there is fourth canoe, which they
no doubt suppose will carry me, This
villainous work has been well calculated
i but ha you bad savagesl you have mis-
taken your girl this time Lenora Brown
has been taught moro things than to cool
a venison steak. Oh, dear. dear father
your Lenora will soon show you how
bravely she can succor you, and how you
instructlng her in the use of this rife ha
saved yon to-day. Aud you, too, darlin.
Henry Watson, have won longer leas,
of your precious life by presenting mt
with this splendid revolving rifle. 81,
bullets tor six ruffians! Miss one of them
ali, if l skould-there' S my knife No
Lenora, you must not miss one of them.
The girl now crept stealthily through
the underbrush up the bank to the prai
RE above. She knew that to reach tn
house the Indians would have to cross
a broad, fiat field, where there was M
shelter for their persons. She did no
think they would hesitate to do this, be
cause having taken the two men the,