Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-12-04
4 BRAVE LITTLE WISCONSIN GIRL.

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Thomas Velfe and wife, with family of
small children, settled in this country some.
thing more than a year ago. They were
poor, and after many hardships erected
small dwelling, and cleared few acres Of
land, but they we're in the wilderness-ten
miles from neighbors. A few weeks ago the
father and mother left their family, consist
ing of girl aged twelve years, one aged nine
wears, and two other children, aged respect
ively three years and thirteen months, on
trip to the settlement to get COW, and bring
in some potatoes to plant After the parents
had been gone a few hours, the house took
fire, and the oldest girl Immediately rushed
to the roof with water, but not being able to
remove the shingles, she could do nothing to
stay the flames, which gained rapidly, spread
ing on the inside of the roof, until bursting
through, they drove her from her work.
She then turned her attention to saving her
brothers and sisters. Coming to the door of
the building, she found that the child next
to her own age had got out of the house,
bringing the baby with her; but the little
three.year old had crouched under shaving
horse in the further corner of the room. There
being no chamber-hoor, the fire was dropping
from the burning roof between the child and
the door; and when asked to come out, it
refused to do so, saying, 81 am safe here; the
fire don't drop here" The brave girl hesta-
ten only moment, but rushing through the
falling embers, brought the little one to
safe place, both having their clothes somewhat
burnt
But now comes the hardest part of the task
before her. Scantily clothed and with no
food, she took the baby in her arms, and with
the other children started upon the trail for
the settlement After going few miles, she
encountered rapid stream, swollen by the
spring rains so that, in fording it, the water
came up to her arm-pits. She first carried
the babe across, and then the little three-year
old, and lastly, halfled and half carried her
next youngest sister through the water to the
other bank. Three times during the remain
der of the day she struggled across the swol-
len streams in her way until night set in, the
deep forest surrounding her. Cold, wet and
hungry, she sought place to camp, and by
good fortune found an old camp, left by the
Indians, upon which about one-half of the
roof still remained. Under this she placed
her little flock, and collected pine boughs
and made rude bed. Placing the little one
in the middle, the heroic girl stripped off her
dress and spread it over the children, then
covered them with boughs to keep them from
the chilly night air, and sat down beside them
to watch them through that long cold night,
comforting the little one when it cried, and
speaking words of cheer to the older ones.
The long dreary hours of night dragged slow
ly by, and at the first peep of day she resumed
her toilsome march, and had nearly reached
the first settler when she met her parents re-
turning. An older and wiser head might
have found an easier way out of the dilemma,
but we feel certain that no one could have
acted braver, or have endured more, than the
little daughter of Thomas Felfe.- Wisconsin
River Pilot