Mower County transcript., 1871-06-29
VOLUME Nv.

adise, and the moments in which he spoke
in her hearing were as paradise itself.
This churlish, inhospitable manner made
Lindsey many enemies in a land In which
one cannot afford to have enemies. Every
half-breed hunter took the old mans sus
picious manner as a personal affront. HI
thinks we are horsc-thievcs," they said
| scornfully. And .Jaques Bourbon, the
halfhreed who had filed on" the claim
alongside Lindsley's, and even claimed
unjustly a forty" of Lindsley's town
plot, had no difficulty in securing the sym
pathy Of the settlers and nomads, who
looked on Lindsey as monster quite
capable of anything He was even report
cd to have beaten his daughter, and to
have confined her in the wilderness that
he might keep her out of an immense for
tune which she had inherited. So Linds'
ley grew every day in disfavor in a region
where unpopularity in it's mil.lest form is
sure to take a most unpleasant way OF
making itself known Emilia knew
enough to understand this danger, and she
was shaken with nameless fear when
ever she heard the sharp words that pass
ed between her father and Bourbon the
half breed. The resentment Of the latter
reached its climax when the decision OF
the landOff1ce was rendered in favor OF
MIR. Lindsey. From that hour the re-
vcnge of this man, whose hot French was
mixed with relentless Indian blood, hung
over the head of the old man, who still
read and wrote, and invented and theO-
rized, in utter ignorance of any peril ex-
cept the danger that some man, not fool,
should marry his daughter.
The Fourth of July was celebrated at
Gager's. People came from fifty miles
round. Patriotism? No! But love OF
human fellowship. The celebrated Pierre
Bottineau and the other Canadians and
half breeds were there, mellowed with
drink, singing the sensual and almost lewd
French rowing songs their fathers had
sung on the St. Lawrence. Whiskey
Jim," the retired stage-driver, and Hans
Brinkerhof and the other German set.
tiers, with two or three Yankees. com
pleted the slender crowd, which COM
prised almost the entire population Of six
skeleton counties And the over popular
Edwards was among them, his tall, grave
face and flowing ringlets rising above
them all. A man SO ready to serve any
body as he, was idolized among frontier
men, whose gratitude is almost equal to
their revenge Captain Oscar, the popular
politician, who wore his hair long and
sworc and drank, just to keep in with his
widely scattered constituents, whom he
represt nted in the Minnesota S>nate each
winter (and who usually cast half dozen
votes apiece for him), made buncombe
speech, and then Edwards, who wouldn't
drink, but who knew how to tell strange
Stories kept them laughing for half an
hour. Edwards was type of man not 50
kAaT tS1uo
who think the trapper always half horse,
of In the Beadle novels. I knew one
another who devoted his spare time to
astronomy, and several traders and trap.
pers who were men Of considerable cul-
ture, though they are generally men who
are little morbid or eccentric in their
mental structure. All Edwards natural
abilities, which were sufficient to have
earned him distinction had he been
in civilization" were concentrated on
the pursuits Of his wild life, and such
man always surpasses the coarsest
and duller Indian or half breed in his own
field.
After game of ball, and other sports
initiated from the Indians, the boss 6rules*
began to be too much softened with whis-
ky to keep up athletic exercises, and some
thing in their manner led Edwards to sus-
pect that there were other amusements on
tho programme into the secret of which
he had not been admitted.
By adroit management he contrived to
overhear part of conversation in which
':poudre cnnon' was mixed up with the
name of Lindslee. He inferred that the
blowing up of Lindsley's house was to
finish the celebration of the national holi-
day. Treating Bourbon to an extra glass
Of whiskey, and seasoning it with some
well timed denunciations of "the old mOn-
ster," he gathered that the plan was to
plant keg Of powder under the chimney
on the northside of the cabin and blow it
to pieces, just to scare the monster out, or
kill him and his daughter, it did not mat
ter which. Edwards praised the plan.
lie said that if it were not that he had to
60 to Pelican Lake that very night, he
would go along aud help to blow up the
old rascal.
Soon after this he shook hands all around
and wished them bon voyage in their trip
to Lindsleyville. He winked his eyes
knowingly, playing the hypocrite hand
somely. Oscar and Bottineau left in diff
ferent directions, the Germans had gone
home drunk, and only "Whiskey Jim "
joined the half breeds in their trip. They
took possession Of an immigrant team that
was in Gager's stable, and just after sunset
started On their patriotic errand. They
were going to celebrate the fourth by blow
ing up the tyrant.
Meantime, Edwards had taken long
strides, but his moccasin clad feet were not
carrying him in the direction of Pelican
Lake. Half the time walking as only
"thc Long Trapper could walk, half the
time in a swinging trot, he made the best
pos> ible speed towards Lindsleyville. He
had a start of the half breeds, but how
much he could not tell and there was no
time to be lost. At the summit of every
knowl he looked back to see if they were
coming, crouching in the grass lest they
should discover him.
Lindsey received him suspiciously as
ever, and positively reused to believe his
story. But by using his telescope Ed
wards soon convinced him that the party
were just leaving Gager's. The dusk Of
the evening was coming on, and Lindslcy's
fright was great as he realized his daugh-
ters peril
II will fight them to the DEATH" he
said, getting down his revolver, with an
air that would have done honor to Don
Quixote.
IF you fight them and whip them, they
will waylay you and kill you. But there
are ten OF them, and if you fight them
you will be killed, and this lady will be
without protector. If you run away,
the house will be destroyed, and you will
be killed whenever you are found. But
what have you here! a magic lantern?"
The old gentleman had, before Edwards
arrival, taken down the instrument to in
troduce some improvement which he had
Just invented When Edwards stumbled
over it and called it magic lantern he
looked at him scornfully.
"A magic lantern !" he cried. "No, sir :;
that is dissolving view, oxy calcium,
tosciostereoscOpticOn
"With this we must save you and your
daughter from the half-breeds,' said the
trapper, a little impatient at this ill-timed
manifestation of pedantry. Sect ready
for action Immediately"
have no oxygen gas"
Make it at once" said Edwards. He
picked up some papers marked "Chlor.
Dotass." and Black oxide"
"Here is your material" he said
"Do you understand chemistry?" asked
Lindsey. But the trapper did not ans
wer He got out the retort, and in five
minutes the oxygen was bubbling furious
ly through the wash bottle into the India
rubber receiver. Edwards stood at the
window scanning the road toward Gager's
WIN his telescope until it grew dark,
which in that latitude was at about ten
o'clock. Then tho ,n,o;c lantern waa re-