The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1898-12-22
ATTACKED BY INDIANS.

L had the ire TO build at the ScnOOl
house that morning and started early
| 1t could not have been more than
half past seven when | left home.
The Older boys took turns building
the fire and sweeping out The boy
| whose turn it was, took the key home
at night and was expected to have the
house warm before the girls came al
the regular school hour.
1t was about a mile from our house
to the school. The road ran along
the edge of the timber" and the
schoOlhouse stood amongst the heavy
growth, so as to be sheltered from the
bleak prairie winds.
1t was the first ever bnilt there
The settlers had built it only the year
before. 1t was but twenty three feet
square, and made of logs, sided down.
so as to fit together and keep ont the
wind and snow,-for we used some
times TO have fearful driving snow
storms up there.
Ours was little frontier district, of
| only seven families and twenty three
scholars in all All were Americans
except one family, the Jonsens, who
were Norwegians, - honest, kind
hearted people as ever were.
Charley Bean, Clint Cargill and |
were the three Oldest boys. As il
happened, we were each sixteen years
old; and the two oldest gIrls, Merced
Bean and Lettie Eastman. were both
fifteen. The rest OF the scholars Were
much younger.
We had no regular teacher. That
fall Mr. Fitield. the Methodist minister
| had offered TO take the school. His
salary was small and the agent gave
him the school to help in his support.
| well remember the poor man. He
was quite young, not more than
twenty three or four years of age
very much freckled and with read
hair. But far from having a fiery
temper, he WAS so very mild that we
all said and did just as we pleased
Even the little A B & fellows were
saying won't and will to hlm before
| the first week of school had passed
Yet the scholars liked him so well
| that we did not do anything that
would greatly hurt his feelings. Some
days, however, he was very fretful
and peeyish.
l took my gun on my arms as
| went to school that morning; for The
partridges used to come to the sunny
| side of the timber, for the buds on
the birches; and sopetimes there
| would be deer there browsing. !
had pretty little single barreiIed
shot gun.
There had been rumors that fall of
attacks on settlers by the Sioux. In
fact such reports were always going
the rounds in the frontier districts,
| and this was sort of excuse for the
large boys to take their guns with
| them TO school.
The Eastmans lived only a little
way from us; and Cn my way to school
l generally called for Dettie. The
scnoolhouse stood al, or near, the
| forks Of two roads. She and | were
| the only scholars who came by that
| road, and we sat next zach other in
the back seat AS school books were
scarce with us, we used TO look to
| gether over the same geography and
| the same reader.
Indeed | reCOllect that when Iettie
happened to stay at home day | had
a dull time of 1t. For she was IN
commonly quick and bright at her
lessons. Her fingers would fly over
the map Ill the geography when we
| looked out answers to the questions
and it was much easier for me to
follow her than to puzzle them out
alone
When l went by Letties fathers
home that morning, TO build the fire
in the schoolhouse, Let'ie came to the
door aud said that she should start
for school in about half an hour.
About half way between Mr. East
mans and the schoo!house there was
a slew" or water hole, surrounded
by thlckets of grty alder; and the
tinker here came down 20 the road
1t was November, and the night had
been SO cold that the slew was froze
oyer
1t was hardly sunrise yet. The
thin blue fog 10y low on the bright
frosty ground, and the smoke from
the settlers houses in the distance
rose straight up to great height, foI
the air was very still.
As went past the slew | had &
glimpse of something, | could hardly
tell what, amongst the thick alders
four or five rods from the road, and il
moment more / heard the ice crack
My first thought was that some hunter
was in there.
"Halloon l called. "Shoot any
tning"
There was no answer.
Then | thought for an instant that
it might have been deer. But q
deer, when started, goes bounding of
at full spring, making plenty of noise
in the brush: whereas ! had only
heard one cautions snap of the ICE.
Then it occurred 10 me that it might
have been a bear, for bear We're quite
common in that locality.
| set down my dinner box and
books, went quietly in among the
alders, and stood looking about for
some moments. but did not see any
| object nCr hear sound.
1t seemed odd, for was positive l
had mad glimpse of some moving
object. However | had the fire tC
bmld, and so went back TO the road
AMI hurried to the schoolhouse. Yet
sept thinking there was something
Id adaut the noise and what l haC
seen.
By the tiIne had the schoolhoust
warm and swept, nearly all the
scholars were there except Lettie
A few minutes later Mr. Fitield ar
rived, and raped for Us to take oul
seats. Lettie had said she should
start N half an hour Il she has
started, she ought to have been at th,
schoolhouse long before the maste