Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-12-15
CHILDREN UP AND GROWING
MnftiesN Adventure
Angus Macrae in the Youths Companion.

fell among III west Minnesota, where my father
settled. | can only feel surprised that we get on
as we'll as We did. The contrast from our native
village of Gelgowrie. with its quiet. kindly,
steady folks who all lived according to law and
kirk. was so great that for long time we
knew not what to think, or how to deal with
our new neighbors. During the first year and
a half we had nothing to live in but dig
out" house; and twice in that time parties Of
Indians robbed us of everything they could
carry away. At another time, as an emigrant
family was passing two boys got down from
their covered wagon and going to our COW
she'd. drove ont one Of our two cows. In spite
of all we said they hitched her behind the
wagon ard took her Off with them. Shortly
after we located there a family from Missouri
named Saiiters settled about half mile below
us. As soon as they had visited us and become
somewhat acquainted their girls would come
ard milk our one remaining COW without SO
much as asking leave. One day we told them
they must not do it again: and that night some
one fired rifle through the door of our tnrf
house. After That my poor mother lived III
consistent fear of that family. Both she and
father were too simple and kindly hearted and
bred too much after the ways of the old
country to stand up properly for our rights
and it was not till my elder brothers. MacOlm
and Lachlan. got slider and bought guns, that
the people began to respect our rights.
Malcolm. the Oldest, was only Is when we first
came over to America: while my little sisters
Marriott and Angie, were but 10 and years of
age.
The tract OF land that we pre-empted had a
Number of bushy hills upon the upper or north
side and beyond these rose still higher hills on
unclaimed land. These were covered with grass
and a low furZe, somewhat like heather. We
thought sheep might thrive on the high ground.
Father and Malcolm walked 70 miles to buy and
drive home two ewes They were four days on
mr. no n,y had 70 no 1rr ap&I
They were OF the breed of sheep known as
South Downs. having close. thick wool and
faces and legs of smut black color. Not more
than month later both the ewes had twin
lambs That was great event with us children.
1t was then May. The grass had started up
fresh and sweet and the two old sheep began to
wander up to the hill-sides. But SO interested
were Marriott and Angie In the lambs. that it was
not often they allowed them to go many min
uteS out of their sight. But it was only day
or two after they began to climb the hill. some
wild animal caught and carried off the prettiest
of the four. the little fellow with the two brown
spots on his sides Angie sObbed the entire
evening. for this had been the one she called
hers; and Jim Smthers. who had called to the
cabin that day. told us that the wildcats, foxes
and wolves would be sure to catch all our lambs
We talked OF many plans for guarding them
and kind OF family bargain was concluded by
which mother and father agreed with sister
Mariot. that II she would look carefully to the
little flock from sun to sun, and fetch 1t home
safely each evening to fold for five years. she
should have one lamb in four of all there were
raised. 1t was written down on q piece Of paper
and put in the family Bible brought over from
Scotland. for father and mother were very old
fashioned about such things.
thus Martie became shepherdess. She had
bell with which to scare off the wildcats and
often carried long stick which might have
passed in picture for a shepherdess crook
only Martie carried it for the far more practi-
cal purpose of killing snakes. All day long she
was on the hSides with her charge ringing
her bell every few moments as much
to let us know, as we planted and hoed in the
fields that she was safe, as to frighten off wild
creatures.
Only twice that summer did she summon us;
once when black bear showed himself on an
adjacent slope. and again upon very cloudy.
foggy day. when she espied large, fierce wild
animal which the Smithers called painter
stealing out of a hazel copse toward the sheep
But the violent ringing of her bell as she stood
on great stone. suf1lced to frighteR the beast
away. Ii was gone when we reached the past
ure, but we traced it to a singular sort of cave
III the side of the hill. Just across little willow
run from our pasture. Old man Smithers
came with his rifle and shot it there; and after
ward he and Jim got two painter kits" as
they called them, from out the cave: odd club
by, ferociOus little things. that spit and yawled
most hldeOusly when Jim dragged them out
But they found something still more curious in
the cave. nothing less than the shriveled, vel
lowed body of a man, sewed up i'm six distinct
bags OF skins, one within another. and the outer
one coated with pitch. 1t was thought to be
the body OF an Indian. The mouth of the cave
was not more than two feet and a halt high.
But inside it was nearly twenty feet long, with
room to stand upright. When the dogwOOd
bushes and vines were cleared away from the
entrance it was not very dark inside We
chlloren used sometimes to play there after
ward. 1t was nice cool place on hot August
day, and always dry, as it was in a blue gravel
hill. We called it the Odd Chiefs cave
These two South Down ewes, with their three
lambs, were the nucleus of our present fiocks,
numbering over 1000; and much of this bOunti-
full increase is due to Sister Martie's watchful
care, during the five years she was our little
shepherdess. before we We're able to send her to
school. Once during the second summer she
saved all the lambs from being taken away from
us.-alter we had given them up for lost, as
will now relate:
The first winter we were i'm Minnesota was a
very hard one. Our sheep were not well shelter
ed and fed and as a consequence we had i'll
luck with our lambs that spring. All but four
died But with Martles tending as the spring
advanced and the fresh grass started these four
grew TO be the handsomest lambs that | ever
saw. Morning, noon and night Martie fed them
on milk. or oatmeal pOrridge. each in its turn,
out Of a 'pggn:" and at sight of that old wood
en- piggin. all four would come running and
frolicking. Indeed. they followed her every
where like little woolly dogs. 1t was really curl
Gus what tricks and maneuyers Martie taught
those lambs to perform! She had but to go into
the yard and cry out. Hammer. lammer!' That
was signal fora general frOlic.
One day in June some drOyers who were buy-
ing lambs for city markets came to our house:
and seeing Marte's pets, wanted very much to
purchase them, they were so plump and large
The men offered four. and at length five dollars
apiece for them. But we would not sell at any
price These drOvers were buying largely in
that section. and had their headquarters at a
farmers named Pike, about four miles away
from where we lived. Two mornings later. when
Martle ran out at O'Clock, as she ALWAYS did
to let out the lambs. she found them gone! The
old sheep We're in the fold beating and the gate
was shut; but no lambs were there. She called
and searched, and SO did We all; but quite i'm
vain. Martie cried bitterly and could eat neither
breakfast nor dinner. We thought of the drov- |
ers; and toward night father Malcolm and
Lachan went over to Mr. Pixies place. The |
drovers had so or 60 lambs collected there, shut
up in large yard. Sure enough there were |
our pets with the Others. They all had the |
drover's mark, in red paint on their backs; but |
father and the boys knew our lambs the moment |
they saw them.
One of the drOvers was there at the time, !
Father told him that he had our lambs and |
Claimed them. The drover denied this. and !
said he had bought these lambs early that morn |