The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1907-12-05
A Yankee Trick.
IOriginal.l


ing been composed of different nation
alities. were diverse. New York was
Dutch, while the adjacent colony on
the east, Connecticut was English,
| and the two no more mingled than oil
and water. Indeed, the border line
was the scene of a continuous quarrel.
On one side of this line lived iona
than Pym, a young Yankee while on
the other lived Katrina Blocker, q
young Dutch girl. Pym used to stray
| across the boundary line to hunt and
| fish in the Dntchmen'S territory. which
only tended to increase the hostility
between the two peoples, especially
firing the sluggish Dutchmen against
the sharp witted New Englander. But
| when it was learned that JOnathan's
tncursions were for very different
game than fish or fowl, indeed that he
| was counting Katrina Blocker, all the
| Dutchmen on the border laid down
their clay pipes, set their schnapps
mugs on the table and vowed that no
Dutch girl should marry with the
hated Yankees. Then they took up
| their pipes and their mugs and began
to consider how they should prevent
such a horrible catastrophe. The re-
| suit was that Katrina was shut up III
one Of those little forts built along tho
eastern edge of the Dutch colony.
When Jonathan next stole over the
border to the trysting place he did not
| find his love, but a note scrubbed in
q mixture of Dutch and English tell
ing that she expected to be shut up
Immediately in the fort. Jonathan
| went back to his people and told them
Of his misfortune. They listened to
him with occasional Interruptions
such as Dew tellv' and Want t.
know" and when he had finished and
asked them to help him out of the
difficulty they volunteered to man.
The next day all the Yankees living
near Jonathan's home collected, with
pixies, matchlocks, scythes and pitch
forks, and set out for the fort where
was over an open field, and the Dutch
man on guard in the fort happened to
be awake. He raised the alarm, and
presently a little six FOUNDER sent a
shot over the heads Of the advancing
Yankees. Jonathan called halt
Now, Jonathan did not wish to sacri-
| fee the lives of his friends simply to
gain wife for himself, SO he invested
the fort, hoping to starve out the garri-
| son. But, whether it was that fear had
taken away the Dutchmen's appetite or
| that the fort was we'll stored with pro-
visions, the starvation process was a
| failure. Still there must be dearth
Of fresh food, for the Yankees had kept
| the vendors of perishable property
away. Jonathan, true to his Yankee
| blood, preferred stratagem to blood
shed and concluded to try to reduce the
| fort by the former method. He with
drew his forces from one of the APP
| prOacheS, a Swampy piece of ground,
leaving the Dutchmen to suppose that
he had been driven off by the mos
QuitOeS. Then he concentrated the prin-
cipal part Of his force behind a barn
that had been incautiously left stand
| ing quite near the fort
The next morning the Dutchmen saw
| a number Of women, with: baskets on
| their arms, making their way across
| the swamp. They came on, chatting
among themselves, and when a short
| distance from the fort sat down their
| baskets and themselves for a rest. The
| baskets contained butter and eggs, and
the women kept up a clatter, discuss
| ing the merits of their produce and
what prices they would get for it when
| they reached the settlement The sight
| of the rolls of fresh butter and the
white eggs tickled the stomachs of the
Dutchmen gaping at them over the
| parapet Of the fort, and it was not long
| befOre the women were hailed to know
| If they would sell and why so many OF
them were together They replied that
they would sell if they could get as
| much for their wares as at the settle.
ment and that they were going to
| gether for protection from the In
| dians, whereupon they were invited
| Into the fort. This was part of iona
| than'S Yankee trick. He had dressed
| himself and q dozen of his adherenta
| like DutchWOmen, and each had arms
| concealed under his feminine apparel.
| He alone replied to the hail from the
! fort. for he alone had learned enough
Dutch from Katrina to reply and could
| sufficiently conceal the Yankee nasal
twang to prevent being discovered for
| what he was, though the Dutchmen
We're not quick at seeing through STRAIT
agem and he might we'll have strained
a point. Be this as it may, the gates
Of the fort were thrown open, and the
butter and egg vendors entered.
! They had scarcely got inside and set
down their baskets when the main
Yankee force concealed behind the
barn made rush upon the gates The
Dutchmen were about to Ehn to the as
sistance Of those who were shutting
them when they were set upon by the
women and either held or driven back.
while those coming from without over
came the gatemen, and in q few min,
utes the whole Yankee army was in
the fort. A Dutchman is no hand to
dofnDd himcnlf aUaiuct cI1rnrico aDT