The Weekly Minnesotian

Anecdote with a Moral.

"Once upon a time,"—as we heard one of the old cotemporaries of Boone and Kenton relate in our boyhood—"once upon a time," said the old man, as he freshly lighted his pipe in the embers beneath the hickory "forestick" of the log cabin winter fire—"six or eight weeks after Wayne's victory, and just before the treaty of Greenville, the vagrant Indians, who still lurked about the white settlements, made a night foray upon my clearing, stole my two horses and only cow, and made for the woods. In the morning, as soon as I discovered the deviltry, I shouldered my rifle, called with me my eldest son, Richard—an active boy of sixteen, who also carried a gun and shot well for a boy—and took the trail. I knew we could overtake them; but the devils had the sagacity to cover their own trail (if there were more than two of them) by keeping the animals behind. I fell certain, that if there were but two, or even four, the recovery of our stock would be an easy matter; for Mad Anthony's drubbing had made the cowards afraid to menace or fight with a settler. But I knew it was necessary to approach them with great care; so I cautioned Dick, who was anxious to push on rapidly, to keep back, and let me be steadily on the look out.

"By-and-by we came to a strip of wet prairie, some half a mile wide; and here the trail of the red skins broke either way. It was evident the party had divided, making a complete circle of the marsh. We would perhaps find them on the other side, if we were so prudent as to approach them cautiously.

"Daddy," said Dick, "I can wade through, reach the other side, and be ready to surprise them, while you bring up the rear; then we will have them between us."

I dissented to his plan; but it was no use—he went. I watched him a moment and then passed on my way around. I presently got to the opposite side by a more circuitous route even than the Indians had taken, and ahead of them. Seeing the boy in the water up to the junction of his trousers' legs, they had stopped to watch him; and after awhile, mistrusting his business, made in after him. His gun and ammunition having become wet, he could not defend himself, and was comparatively an easy prey, while I was on dry ground, ready cocked and primed; and as there were only two of the Indians, fully equal to them any day. Dick floundered about in the mud and water for some time; endeavored to take off his jacket, and tore his shirt all to rags in the effort; but after changing his course several times in order to reach shore, swearing terribly, (the devil only knows where he learned that practice) he was dragged out an unwilling prisoner. When I came up to the party, the whole affair was turned into fun by the ridiculous figure which Dick cut; and after putting forth all the jaw-breaking Shawneelingo that I had picked up in my intercourse with the red wretches, they concluded it best to make friends, render restitution, and go back home with us and get a little to eat and drink. But I never heard tell again of that boy Dick wading a swamp to fight Indians, or to do any thing else, when he could as well walk around it and keep his powder and clothes dry."

And the old pioneer indulged in an old man's laugh at the anecdote, and, replenishing his pipe, whiffed away with renewed gusto.

The moral is applicable in St. Paul just at this time, and will be illustrated fully anon.