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Leonora Brown

Leonora Brown image
Parent Issue
Day
8
Month
April
Year
1870
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Ou thu border of Green Lake, in Minncsota, tbere lived a stuiciy, white baired frontiersman na:r.ec] Welter Brown. Ho was onu of tl.oso adveatoroua spirits evir to bo fouod iu tho van of advancing civiüzlion, always courtin" the free, wild air of the prairie, and rejoicing in the profoUnd depths of uuinhabitod forests. But tho oountrv became more and more tbickly settlJd, aud Walter Browu becamu uneaay. Ui3 wife had borne liiai a duughicr the tbird or fonrth year of their residenceat the heaOwaters cf the St. Croix, whom he calltd Leonora. Sha as a good girl, and the dol of her faiher He purebaeed a riflo for her whsn se was but twelve years old, and to ik the utmost pains iu" tea.chiog her the use of it. Slio was brave and steady ei'nerve, aid eoon acfjuired 'wonderful ■kill as a gfaot, and the uumber of prairie 2cfc?SÉi SUMH{HbiUi vtiïtg&i" o slioot each day was really lhrge. OccalionaUy iba would shbot a Heer, and one lucky morning, by a lucky shot through the eye into the brain, shc killed a bear. When she carne home with the news lier father could scfircejy credit ber. But, krfowing her perfoctly truthful nature, he danced about the room for joy, atd Süizhig the sturdy li t tic maid, he mounted Stt up,on his sboalders and iniiated upon carryiug ber 11 tbevraj to the cpot wberc the dead bruin lay. Thieker and thiclcer tl, wed tho tide rf emigratipn into Minnesota and Wisjonsin, following tho tiavigable rivera as natter of.courííe, and more and more uneasy and "crowdcd" feit Walter Browu. At leogth his wife died. Leosora was then sixteen, and engaged to be married to a handsoinu youufr trapper by the name of Watson, who had oined her father in business. The death of the mother had ïaade it cecefsary to postpone the wedding, and ;n the interim old Walter deeided to move nto ivoi thwestern Minuesotn. Neighbors were getting too nesr, and ïunting and tntpping wcre bad. As the pcung miin had provtd up and pre-■mpted a quarter i-ection of laüd ntur Faylor's Falls, he did not wll either to ibandou or sell it just then, ar.d peruading Leonora to agree to write to iim, he btule her an aöectiunate goodjye. BrowD üvcd in Minnesota for threc or Tour ycars in peaoe and quiet, Hodtrg ïood I rapping and hunung grounds, Ifbcn ;:1 at one young Watson arrived nd rcLewcd the propocitina cf marringe with Leonora. The old man had :.bout jetermioed to move no more, ai.d had aceordii gly Ucated and pre empted sevi ral tlioiisand acres of land about him, uud lcarning froiu Watson that he had mency enongb to do likewúe, proponed tint thcy i-huuld go down to St. Paul and buy land wanan's with his money, aud take up all the land he could "swing." He might then marry Jeonorn, and they two wouid go to wolk, and afier building plenty of stabling, etc , would get a good stock of cattle' and slieep, and try and load a pastoral lile for the rest of their days. To this proposition lbo young man heartily ausentad, and after returning from St. Paul, went bravely to work in ihe woods, fellitig trees for building purposes. It was agrecd firpt tliat they i-hould buMd a new hewed log house, for the unit d family, as Watson had ónlv got a smull, ingle room cnbin.. Tbi-u the wedding was to take place, and tin: two men would iigain resume their wor!. Whlle thtis busily engaged the Sioux war bioke out. It was thu habit of Leonora to t;ik her rifle out everr morning nnd shoot prairie dhickens for the labic. whlle lier lover aud father werc hard at work on the new house. ■Yatsoti had broilght her a present from St. Paul a ligbt oud handsome revolving rifle'of which she was tmmÁ)8ely f'iid, and ith which she beeamu fo expert tb at she could shoot a dm-k or prairie chicken on the wing with almost absolute oertainty. Oi e morninp, as slio was strollin arourid iho lake, rifle in hand, slic Mnlicid threo canoe loads of Indiana paddling carefully alone tho oppoite side of the water, steadüy iipproaching the fpot where lier father and lover were at wik. She did not inunediütely apprehciid any traycdy, but in soine unnecountable way she lelt iinpelled to reniiiiii üikI wateh !their motnne She thcrefore concealed herself beliind tho top ol a fallen treo, and obíervecJ tbeir movcmentp, which grew more and more suspicious. There wero two Indians in each canoe, and after pulling steodily to a point whcrca thick, overlianging birch troü aübrdcd concealrueut for tbeir canoes, they dieembarked, and crept carefully and nuistdessly along until they wem witbin a few foct of where the two iinsuspcctiijg uiuri were ehopping. Suddonly, with a yell that made the forest iia, :iDd which eehoed and rc-echoed across the broad, still lake, they sprang upon tbcir viutims and bore tüeiu to the earih. Leonora trcmbied with excitement and apprehcn.-ion, espcoling ndtliiog less than lo wituess the horrible butcbery of her father and lover at onco. But this did not seem to be the purpose of the Indians, for, tyiug the arms ol tiioir captivesbehind them, tbey took to the cai.oos, where, taking the old man uto one, and the young man into the other, they phoved boldly into the lake, an paddled rapdly 3own toward where the liouso stood. Leonora divined tbeir Qtent ins'antly. llTr . I- t 1. 1 in... cli sne saia to nerselt, "tiiey design captuiiug me too. They deern ihat an enj job, perhaps !'r and hercyes flashed and her f;ice flushed with anger. "Soe ! there is a fouith canoe, whicli they no doubt stippose will carry me, Tliis villainous werk has been well caleulated; but ha ! you bid eavages ! yon have mistaken your girl this timo ! Leonora Broun lias beon laueht moro tilinte than to cook a veosiou steak. Oh.dear, dear f'ather, your Leonora will soon show you liow bravely she can succor you, aud bow your iustructing her n tho use of thie liúe has saved you this Uy. Aud jou, too, darliDg Heury SttQn, havo won a longer Jease of ■our precious life by prtssnting rne with bis splendid revolving rifle. Six bullets f'r six rufliana ! JNiisd one of them ! ah f I _1_ 11 i i . ii i siiould- tticre's my kuife. K, Leonor.), you must not miss ono of tbem." TLc girl crept stealthiiy through the underbush up to the back to the pr.iin'e abovc. She knew that to reacli ihc Louse tho ïndians would have to cross a broüd, flat field, whcre thuro was no shelter for their persas, shc did Dot think they would hc.-itate to do this because, baving taken the two men, they would hardly L'spcctany rcsisiance from a single girl. About thirty rods to tho right of the path a caitle yard liad been crected by :ier fcther, and n tho corcer of the fciue stond an immense elm tree. Inside of this yard climbcd Leonora, nnd behind tlie lig elm trae she coDoeuled herself. A few more minutes proved fhe was riglit in her oorijecture. The Indians, afiov hnvitig tied stout rawhide tbongs S'ounj the foet of their prisoners, hiid them down in tho bot'.om of iheir canoe?, Btrode gsilj and langhiugly along to the house, without anv attanmi ' Lo.nora's heart grew as hard as a tone, and her nervts - whieh fluttered a little bcfure - now grew as firm as steel. She had put fresh waterproof caps upon eoch nipplo of her rifle, and putting the l'arrel on the rail of the fence, drew a shnrp bead upon tho foremost Indian ; but as her finger curred to press the trigger, sho heard what tctually seeuied to bu a voiee whisper : "Not yet, Leonora!' She paused, and then, as if by inBpiration, flashed the thought into her mind : "Walt until they get nearer the houso then shoot the hiüdmost one fiist." She obeyed the impression, aüd let tliem cnrao on a few ruds nearer. SudJenly thu thouglit came again : 'Now's your time !:' Clíippiufí her face to the rifii-breech, she trained the death-dealing tube steadiiy at the chest of the rearmost Iiidian for an instant and fired. The bullet proved tiue to its mark, and the burly Indian jjierely threw up his arms and feil dead, tho rille ball havinsj gone directly through his heart. A clap of thuudcr from a eleur fky could not have so utterly astonished t'ie reuiaining Indiana. Wild]y thcy looked in evary direction to seo whence cume tlie fatal shot. In the nest instant bang! went Leonra's riflo ngain, and another of their nuuiber drappetl dead. Uut they saw tho smoke of the last shot and caught a gliinpse of the shootcr. At once they comprehended their peril. They could not hide, and their only show for lile was in running to the tree atid tomahawkiug their presumptuous foe on the spot. Jnstantly sounding the war-whoop, they bounded forward, but with the notes half uttercd inotber of thi'jr numbsr loaped into the air and feil back to riso no more. Leonora had fired again. Tho remaining threo rushed on, bnt again the brave girl's rifle ran like the ltncll of doom, and a fourth savage pitched headlonor to the grotind. The terror of tho remaining two was now pitiful to bcliold ; they stopped hort in their onward course, and uttering the most foarful lereams, discharged ttieir rifles at the tree in the wildest and most unavailing marmer. But aain the rclcntless rifle blazed, and another of the reraaining two snnk to the ground as the bullet went crashing through his brain. Immediately the one l.eft threw down hia riflo ard cried out : '!No fhoot me ! No shoot me ! Me give up !" Leonora had drawn a bead on him, but now that iie Beemed go perfectly in her power sVie lowered her rifie, and stepping fiom behind the tree, clmbed the fenoe brisklj, and commenced opproaching t!:o savage. The su'prisD and indipnation of the Indian at the tsight of the girl was intense, and forgufing his eiipp!icatin cry, he pnt b'fí hand behind him and drew forth his tomahawk to throw at iier. Leonora's eye wns es sbarp as an enplti's. Bhe buw tho treacherous move, md justas the bright blude of the httohet glcnmed for the throw, she rais eii her rifle an 1 shot the faithless scoundrel dead in Iiíh tracks. With the speed of u deer she bounded forward to the lake. Ilarry Watson shonted ' Glory halle lujah. I knew it was Leouorti !:' and the father criod for joy as her little form apjieared on the bluff, rifle in hand. Quickly elie descendod to tho oanoes j and unbound the two men, who embraccd her in the most extrf.vogant manner. Bnt ihey feit they had no timo to lose; aod, hastily geariog up thoir teams nnd loading up their valuablcs, j thcy set out for Minneapolis, wlicrc they I arrived safely, and whero Leonora nnd j Harry Wa'sou weio iuimcdiatclv made ono flcsli. Oíd Wíilter Iirown and.Harry Watson both did good service "in the Indian battles which followed ; and wheo tho savajcs were finally exteroiinatcd, they all went back to thcir old home on Green Laku, wlicrc they now live. They 'l have ono of tho largest stock farms in the State; and Leonora, Ihough a happy wifo and inothcr, clings to her lo:uUifnl revolving rifle, and yet oeeasionally I uses it to keep herself in practico.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus