Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1871-11-16
THE LITTLE SPIRIT,
Or IIOy-NIan, or thc OriEln Of the
FjTcHy.

In little lodge at beautiful spot
on lake shore, alone with his sister,
lived a boy remarkable for tho small
ness of his stature. Many largo rocks
were scattered around their habitation,
and it had wild, out-of-the-way look.
The boy grow no larger as he advanc-
cd in years, and yet, small as ho was,
lie had Il big spirit of his own, and lovod
dearly to play the master of the lodge.
One day in winter he told his sister to
make him a ball to play with, as he
meant to have some sport along the
shore on the clear ice. When she hand
ell him the ball, his sister cautioned
linn not to go too far, but he laughed
at her and posted off in high glee,
throwing his bail before him and run
ming after it at full speed, and he won't
as fast as his ball. After he had run
some time ho saw what seemed four
dark spots upon the ice, straight be-
fore him.
When he camo mp to tho shore no
was surprised to see four largo, tall
men lying on tho ice, spcaring fish,
They wore four brothers, looking OK
actl y alike. AS tue little boy-man APP
|it;LCIIttl UllClll bIlt' utitICSt ltOhCu up,
and in his turn ho was surprised to SEQ
such tiny being, and turning to his
brothers, said:
"Tia! lookl what little fellow is
hcrc!'
"The thrco others looked up, too :;
and seeing these four faces all alike,
tho little spirit said to himself: "Four
in one what q time they must have in
choosing their hunting shirts!"
After they had stared for moment
at the boy, they bent down their heads,
intent in catching their fish. The boy
thought to himself:
"Ihcso four faces fancy that I an to
he put off without notice because am
50 little. and they aro SO broad and
long. They shall find out. I may fn'l
q way to show that I am not to be
treated so lightly"
After they had their heads covered
I'D, tho boy-man. looking sharply
about, saw that they had caught one
large trout; stealing up slyly, he seized
it, and placing his fingers in the gills,
and tossing his ball before him, he ran
off at full speed.
They heard tho pattering of his lit
tie feet upon the ice, and when the four
looked up altogether, they saw their
fine trout sliding away, rs if Of itself,
at great rate, the boy-man being so
small that the fish hid him.
"Sce !" they cried, "our fish is
running away on the dry land -
When they stood up they could just
sec over the lish's head, and that it was
the boy-man who was carrying it off.
The little spirit reached tho lodge,
and having left the trout at the door,
he told his sister to go and bring in the
fish ho had brought homo.
She exclaimed: "Whero could you
have got it} hopo you have not sto-
len it,"
"Oh," he replied, 81 found it OIL the
ico; it was caught in our lake; have
we no right to little lake of our own
I shall claim all the fish that comes out
Of it's waters; go and cook it,
It was as much as the girl could do
to drag the great trout within doors.
Sue cooked it. and the flavor was so
delicious that she asked no more qucs-
tions as to how he came by it. The
next morning tho little spirit or boy
man set off as he had tho day before.
Ho made all sorts of sport with his
ball, as lie frolickcd along, high over
his head, or back and forth, and the
ball lcaped and bounded about and
glided through the air as if it were a
living thing, and enjoyed the sport us
much as the boy-ntan himself.
When he came within hail of the four
large men, who were fishing there every
day, he cast his ball with such force
that it rolled into tho ice hole, about
which they were busy. The boy stand
ing on the shore of the lake called out ::
"Four-in-onc, pray hand me my ball. "
"No, indrc1," they answered, set
ting mp grim laugh, "wo shall not, "
and with their fishing spears they
thrust the ball under the ice.
"Gooa," said tho boy man, wcsllnll
scc." Saying which, he rushed upon
the four brothers and thrust them at
one push into tho water. Tho ball
bounded back to the surface, and pick
ing it up, he ran off tossing it before
him, and coon reached home and re-
maincl within till the next morning.
The four brothers, rising from tho
water at the sa,no time, dripping and
wrotll, roarcd out in one voice terrible
threat Of vengeance, which they prom
iscL to execute the next day. They
knew that by no means could they
ovcrttkc him, SO great was his speed
BY times tho next morning the broth
crs were sitting in their lodge and get
ting ready to look after their revenge
Their old mother who lived with them
begged them not to go. " Better,
she said, "now that yonr clothes arc
dry, to think 40 more Of the duckine
than to go all four of you and get yo''l
heads broken, Us you surely will, fol
that boy is n Monc'lo, or he would not
du Hut.l, things us ne does"
But her sons paid ON hr"d to this
wise advice. and raising II g.rat war
cry, which frightened the birds wh'
heard nearly out Of their feathers
they started for the boys lo1l." among
| the rocks.