Year: 1869

| Brown. he was one OF those adVen'
turOus spirits ever to be found in the
van of advancing civilization, always
courting the free, wild air of the prairie
and rejoicing in the profound depths ol
uninhabited forests.


But the country became more and
more thickly settled and Walter Brown
became uneasy. His wife had borne
him daughter in the third or fourth
year of their residence at the head
waters of the St. Croix, whom he called
LeOnors. She was a good girl, and
was the idol of her father. He pur-
chased a rife for her wien she was but
twelve years old, and took the utmost
pains in teaching her the use of it. She
was brave and steady of nerve, and
soon acquired wonderful skill as shot
and the number of prairie chickens,
patridges, wild water fowls, and other
small game which she managed to
shoot every day was really large. Oc-
casionally she would shoot deer, and
one eventful morning, by lucky shot
through the eye into the brain, she
killed bear.


When she came home with the news
her father could hardly credit her. But
knowing her perfectly truthful nature,
be danced about the room for Joy, and
seized the sturdy little maid, he mount
ed her upon his shoulders and insisted
upon carrying her all the way to the
where the dead Bruin lay.


Thicker and thicker flowed the tide
of emigration into Minnesota and Wis
consin, following the nayigable rivers
as matter of course, and more and
more and more uneasy and crowded
felt Walter Brown. Atlength his wife
died. Leonora was then sixteen, and
engaged to be married to a handsome
young tTapper by the name Of Watson,
who had joined her father in business.


The death of the mother had made
it necessary to postpone the wedding,
and in the interim old Walter decided
to move into northwestern Minnesota.
Neighbors were getting too near, and
hunting and trapping were bad. As
the young man had proved up and pre-
empted quarter section of land near
Taylor's Falls, he did not wish either to
abandon or sell it just then, and persua-
ding Leonara to write to him, and bsde
her an afectionste goodbye.


Brown lived in Minnesota for three or
four years in peace and quiet finding
good hunting and trapping grounds,
when all at once young Watson arrived,
and renewed the proposition of marriage
with Leonora. The old man had about
determined to move no more, and had
accordingly located and pre- empted
several thousand acres of land about
him, and learning from Watson that he
had money enough to do likewise,
proposed that he go down to St. Paul
and buy land warrants with his money,
and take up all the land he could Swing
He might then marry Leonora, and
they two would 60 to work, and after
building plenty of stabling, ETC., would
get good stock of cattle and sheep,
and try and lead a pastoral life the rest
of their days.


To this proposition the young man
heartily assented, and after returning
from St Paul, went bravely to work in
the woods, Telling trees for building
purposes. 1t was agreed that they
should build a new heWed log house
for the united family, as Watson had
only got up a small single room cabin.


Then the wedding was to take place
and the men would again resume their
work.


While thus busily engaged the
Sioux war broke out. 1t was the habit
of Leonora to take the rifle out every
morning to shoot prairie chicken for
the table while her lover and father were
hard al work on the new house, Watson
had brought her a present from St Paul
light and handsome revolving rife, Of
which she was immensely fond, and
with which she became so expert that
she could shoot a duck or prairie
chicken on the wing with absolute Ger
tainty.


One morning as she was strolling g.
round the lake, rifle in hand, she MOTTO
ed three canoe loads Of Indians pad
ding carefully along the opposite side
of the water, steadily and steslthily sp-
preached the spot where her father and
| lover were at work. She did not i'm
mediately apprehend any tragedy, but
in soms unacconntable way ste felt i'm
PEELED TO remain and watch their mo-
lions, she therefore concealed herself
behind the top of a fallen tree, and
observed their movements, which grew
more and more suspicious. There
we're two Indians in each canoe, and
after pulling steadily to a point where
thick, overhanging birch tree afford
ed concealment for ther canoe, they dis.
embarked, and crept carefully and nois-
lessly along until they were within q
few feet of where the unsuspecting mer
we're choppiug Suddenly with a yell
that made the forest ring. and which
echoed and re-echoed across the broad
still lake, they sprang upon their victims
and bore them to the earth.


Leonors trembled with excitement
and apprehension, expecting nothing
less than to witness the horrible butch
cry Of her father and lover at once.


But this did not seem to be the pur-
pose of the Indians, for, tying the arms
of their captives behind them, they took
to the canoes, where taking the old msu
into one and the young man into the
other, they showed boldly into the lake
and padded rapidly down toward where
the house stood. Leonora OWNED
their intent instantly.


.Hap she said to herself, they de.
sign capturing me, too. They deem
that an easy job, perhaps' and heI
eyes flashed and her face flushed with
anger See! there is a fourth canoe
which they no doubt suppose will carr
ma This villsinoua work has hear