The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1869-05-29

80 beautiful We could net play,
Nor would we wake her from her sleep.
Hearth axd Home
A STORY OF A HEROIC GIRL.
On the border of Green Lake, in Minnesota,
there lived sturdy, white.haired frontiersman
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 uninhabited forests.
But the country became more and more thick
ly settled, and Walter Brown became uneasy.
His wife had borne him daughter the third or
fourth year of their residence ut the headquarters
OF the st. Croix, whom he called Leonora She
was good girl, and the idol of her father. He
purchased "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 acquired wonderful
skill as shot, and the number of prairie chick.
ems, partrdges, wild water fowls, and other small
game she managed to shoot every day, was really
large Occasionally she would shoot deer, and
one eventful morning, by lucky shot through
the eye into the brain, she killed q bear.
When she came home with the news her
father could scarcely credit her.. Bnt knowing
her perfectly truthful nature, he danced about
the room for JOY, and Selling the sturdy little
maid, he mounted her upon his shoulders and
insisted upon carrying her all the way to the
spot where the dead bruin lay.
Thicker and thicker flowed the tide of emf.
grafton into Minnesota and Wisconsin, follow
ing the navigable rivers AZ matter of course,
and more uneasy and ,"crowded" felt Walter
Brown. At length his wife died. Leonora was
then sixteen, aud engaged to be married to a
handsome young trapper by the name of Watson,
who had Joined her father in business. ~ 81,
The death of the mother had made it necessary
to postpone the wedding, and in the interim old
Walter decided to move into uorthv west Mime.
sofa Neighbors were getting too near and hunt.
ing and trapping were bad. As the Young man
had proved up and pre-empted q quarter section
Of land near Taylors Falls. he did not wish t.
either abandon or sell 1t Just then, and persuad.
ing Leonora to agree to write to him, he babe
her an affeotionate goodbye
Brown lived in Minnesota for three or four
yearsin peace aud quiet, finding good trapping
and hunting grounds, when all at once young
Watson arrived, and renewed the proposition of
marriage with Lesnora. The old man had about
determined to move no more, and had accord.
ingly located and pre-empted several thousand
acres of land about him, and learning from Wat.
son that he had money enough to do likewise.
proposed that he should 20 down to st. Paul and
buy land warrants with his money, and take up
all the land he could Saving" He might then
marry Leonora, and they too would 70 to work.
and after building plenty of stablinQ etc.. would
get good stock Of cattle and sheep, and try and
lead u pastoral life for the rest of their DAYS
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 purposes It was agreed first that
they should build q new hewed log house for the
united family, as Watson had got up q small
single room cabin Then the wedding was ia
take place, and the two men would again re.
sumo their work.
While thus busily engaged the Sioux war
broke out. 1t was the habit of Leonora to take
her ride out every morning and shoot prairie
chickens for the table. while her lover and fatb.
er were hard at work on the new house. Watson
had brought her as a present from st. Paul a
hight 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 noticed three canoe loads
Of Indians padding carefully along the opposite
side of the water. steadily and stealthilv an.
preaching the spot where her father and lover
were at work. She did not immediateIv annre.
bend any tragedy. but in some uuaccountable
way she felt impelled to remain and watch their
motions. She therefore concealed herself behind
the TOP Of fallen tree. and observed their move.
,nents. which grew more and more suspicis,s.
There were two Indians.in. each canoe. and after
pulling steadily where d thick oyernanpiup birch