New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1879-02-05
A PLUCKY WOM,N.
The story Of Polly Strader, the Trap.
per- ~

The story Of Polly strader, the Trap.
per.
BIZ EDWARD EGGLESTON.
Away out upon the frontier, on the
bank of one of those beautiful lakes
that abound in Minnesota, lived MIR
Henry Strader, Polly's father. He had
cmigrated from Pennsylvania in 1856,
and had made a "claim'' on the finest
quarter section of land within a circuit
of ten miles. According to the Pre-
emption laws, the person who settles
on unoccupied land and observes GER
tain formalitics has the right to pur-
chase that land from the Government,
at any time before it is brought into
market, at 1926 an acre. But it he
does not buy it before the day of sale it
is sold at auction to the highest bidder.
Mr.. Strader had three children
Harry, his eldest, Polly and little Jim
mic. All the money that her father
could make by farming in summer and
trapping in winter he spent in improv-
ing his claim. As the land was not
likely to be advertised for sale for some
years, he did not think it necessary to
make any provisions for buying at
once. But Mr.. Strader was taken sud
denly ill and died, and the burden of
paying for the claim and supporting
the family came upon Harry, then only
upon Harry, either, for, from the time
her father died, Polly, who was just
fifteen, resolved to share every burden
with her brother. She was stronger
than many boys OF her age, and had al
ways been fond of outdoor life. In
fact, she was what you would call a
tomboy, brimfull of life, restless and
energetic. She had already learned to
paddle canoe, and as the prairie
chickens would come into the yard, she
had become an adept with shotgun.
The neighbors used to say she was too
wild. That she would never be good for
anything.
But within a week after her father
died, she had taken hoe and gone
into the field by the side of Harry. All
through the hot days she did her part;
and as the winter drew on, she prac-
ticed with the rifle, until she could
shoot about as well as her brother. And
through the long cold months she tied
on her snow-shoes as regularly as
Harry did his, and by dint of helping
her brother, and taking lessons from
him, she learned I'LL the craft of the
trapper. She knew the habits of the
muskrat, mink and otter as we'll as
any man in the region. Harry used to
make her face grow red sometimes, by
S}onYo ri,,r fhot Sh,. xrr1n,
girl"
BY the next spring came the COM
mencement of the war. I cannot stop
to tell you of all the discussions that
were held in the Straders' cabin on the
subject Of Harry's enlistment. They
ended in Polly telling him to go, that
she would support tho family, and that
the land wouldn't come into market
right off anyway And whether right
or wrong, Harry enlisted. That sum-
mer Polly succeeded in cultivating that
portion of the land that was broken and
fenced, in such way as to get toler-
able crop. But during the summer
there came. the sad news that Harry
was wounded, and must lie for long
time in the hospital, and then perhaps
be discharged on account of his disabil-
ity to do further service. To add to
their distress came the startling intel
igence that the land was brought into
market and must be pre-empted before
the first Of January or it would be sold.
There was merchant five miles
away by the name of Van Dyke, who
bought furs of the settlers and sold
them provisions. An utterly mean
man, there was no advantage to be
taken that Van Dyke did not take. He
was delighted to hear that the land in
the neighborhood was to be sold, for he
was perfectly satisfied that the Widow
Stradcr could not raise the two hundred
dollars necessary to purchase the land,
and he chuckled as he thought of the
prospect Of buying it at the Govern
mcnt sale, and thus get all the i'm
provements for nothing. Indeed, it
was shrewdly suspected that, as Van
Dyke had some influence with officers
Of the land office, he had something to
do with the bringing Of the land into
the market at SO esrly day; for, as
he was 3 mouey-lender and specula-
tor. there were many ways in which q
land sale would be to his advantage.
Polly applied to Mr.. Van Dyke for
loan on u mortgage on the land, but
wSs refused. Hoping against hope,
she Wen, IT, work to raise all the money
she could very early III tho fail. Leav-
ing her mother and little Jimmie to
secure the crops, she commenced to
trap. She started out at daylight every
morning, and was apicture for a paint
er as she pushed off her canoe. Her
long hair lay on her shoulders, her
head was covered with regular hunt
er's cap, made of wolf skin, with
wolf tail hanging down behind. She
had been pretty successful, but at the
prices offered by Mr.. Ven Dyke she
had nothing like enough to buy the
land. Polly was pretty high-spirited.
and she vowed that Van Dyke should
not have q single skin that she capt
ured. In vain he assured her that the
price he offered her was the highest
tharc0uld be paid. .'.sMr. Van Dyke,
you have not money enough to buy my
iurs.''
At last came the news that Harry
was about to start for home. He had
been discharged, and was scarcely able
to walk; but. at any rate, it was q COM
fort to know that he was coming home
again. 1t was now the middle Of No
vember. but the aky was yet clear, and
the prairies, scared with the frost,
Ice sked like fields Of gold beneath tho
autumn sun. And every night the
prairie fires made tho sky glow in
every direction. Polly had made q
careful account Of her resources, and
said that at least she had enough to
buy ths forty acres on which the house
and the principal part of the improve
ments were. That was one consola-s
ton at any rate. They would not be-
without home. il they did have to.
lose the meadow and timber land they
priced % highly. One morning, IS she
was running bullets and filling ~ her