Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-09-15
They would not be without a home, if


and filling up her powder-horn, Mr.: Van
Dyke came in and handing her letter.
saying:
"This was in the office for you, and I
thought would bring it along over, as |
was coming. Don't want to sell your furs
this morning, eh?"
II am obliged to you, Mr.. Van Dyke,
for bringing the letter, but you cant have
any of my furs."
"Well, you might let me have that
black fox, any how, as personal favor.
1 want to send it to my brother. I've
taken fancy to it. It amt worth more
than FIVE dollars, but I'll give you ten"
Polly had captured black or silver
gray fox few days before, the only one
she had ever seen, for it is very rare in
deed that such fox is taken so far south.
She had no idea Of its value, but ten dol
lars seemed to her a large price, and she
was at first inclined to yield; but remem
boring that she was dealing witha scoun-
drel, she said: "Mr. Van Dyke, believe
that told you that you couldn't have
any of my peltries.
'Well, Miss Strader, you'll be sorry
some day that you didn't oblige me-" he
said as he left the door.
When Polly opened the letter, all her
hopes were dashed to the ground. 1t was
from Harry. He was very i'll at st. Paul
and begged Polly to come to him, other
wise he thought he would die.
"Well," said Polly, eff we must give
ur all hopes Of buying the farm, or even
forty acres, suppose we'll have to. It'll
take good part Of what l have to get
Harry home, and it'll take more than a
week to go and come, and New Year
isn't far off. Every day is precious. But
we must save Harry's life, for the poor
fellow will get well if we once get him
home"
And so without regarding her mothers
warning that there was storm brewing,
she started out in her canoe to go down
the lake to get team with which to go
for Harry. Her own was an OK team,
and to go In the stage was costly, and be-
sides Harry couldn't stand the day and
night riding in the stage, for the distance
was hundred and forty miles. She
hired team for a trip to st. Paul. She
could not get it until the Monday follow
ing, and so she wrote letter to Harry,
telling him that she was coming, and
then started to paddle around the shore
and look at her traps. When she had got
to a place which she and Harry had
called Rocky Harbor, on the opposite
side OF the lake, she found a dead deer,
partly eaten by wolves, and knowing the
wolves would return after dark, she set
reveral traps for them. Then she hasten
ed back to her canoe, for it was now late,
and there could be no doubt that the
November storms with which the winter
almost always begins in that climate,
were now at hand.
But before she could set foot in her
canoe the storm came, and in an instant
the air was so filled with snow that an
object twenty feet away was invisible. 1t
took but a moment for Polly to appreci-
ate her situation. To paddle across the
lake in such a storm was out OF the ques-
ton. The wind was coming up, and it
would be alike impossible to coast around
the shore. Besides it was a great dis
lance, and ice would begin to form be-
fore she could get half way. There were
no families living on that side of the
lake. Her only course was to stay where
she was. Her spirit sunk Tor moment,
but she dashed away the tears that come
up from her desolate heart, and set about
making the best of it. She found q large
log lying in ravine. Dragging her ca
noe from the water, she laid it upside
down parallel with the log, about three
feet away from it. She then cut brush
and laid across them, to form roof.
Creeping under this shelter, she was soon
buried beneath two feet Of snow, and Sc
felt sure of not freezing. There is no
better protection from cold than snow.
It was lonely place. She could hear
her heart beat. But when the wolves
commenced to gather for their midnight
repast, and when they set up their fright
full bowls, she could feel the hair rise up
on her head. She would have been brave
enough if she could have fought with
the wolves, but to lie there and listen to
to their unearthly yelling, not knowing
how soon the hungry pack would find
her, was more than she could endure.
And then she thought of poor Harry, and
of the land sale, and she wished for the
the skins of the wild beasts that were so
near her. For though the wolf skin is
of little or no value for the ordinary pur-
poses to which furs are applied, it is in
considerable demand for lap-robes. And
remembering that she was on the lee
ward side Of the wolves, she dug away
the snow at one end of her burrow and
looked out. Then, growing holder, she
crept out to a clump of little bushes
near by, through which she could plainly
see them. For by this time it had ceased
showing, and the moon was shining
though the wind still blew.
She leveled her gun at them two Or
three times before she could get courage
enough to fire. AT the first shot she kill
cd one, and the pack scattered a little,
but the smell Of the fresh blood of the
dead wolf brought them back again.
Several times she fired with like success.
But one of the wolves, in moving round,
caught sight of her. When q wolf sees
any living object he Immediately endeav-
ors to get to the leeward of it, in order to
tell by the scent what it is. A wolf de-
ponds on his nose in such matters, and
not altogether upon his eyes. This one,
when he caught sight of Polly, com
menced to make circle in order to get
where his nose would inform him what
kind of an animal she was. Crowding
n