'Three Score Years and Ten': Life-Long Memories of Fort Snelling, Minnesota, and Other; Parts of the WestVan Cleve, Charlotte Ouisconsin Clark
History
'Three Score Years and Ten': Life-Long Memories of Fort Snelling, Minnesota, and Other; Parts of the West
Van Cleve, Charlotte Ouisconsin Clark
Fort Snelling (Minn.); Frontier and pioneer life -- Minnesota
have either staid at home or prepared ourselves with a permit and good
warm wrappings. It all comes back to me so plainly that I can almost
feel the pinchings of the cold and the torment of a guilty conscience
as I write, and I feel a real pity for these two little children as
they trudge along over the prairie, so troubled and so cold. My dear
brother being older than I, and the chief party interested, generously
took most of the blame to himself, and comforted me as well as he
could, running backwards in front of me to shelter me from the wind,
and assuring me he would tell father all about it, and he would
forgive us. I have carried in my heart of hearts for sixty years the
image of that beautiful, bright-eyed, unselfish brother; and when, not
many years ago, the terrible news came to me that treacherous hands
had taken his precious life, like one of old I cried in my anguish,
"Oh, Malcolm! my brother, would to God that I had died for thee, my
brother, oh, my brother!" Just as we reached our garden fence we heard
the familiar breakfast drum, and saw our father and Captain Scott
walking in a somewhat excited manner, back and forth, and discussing
something, we could not hear what. We afterwards learned it was our
conduct, and that while father felt that we should at least be
severely reprimanded, our friend, the Captain, made him promise he
would say nothing in the way of reproof, until he had drunk his
coffee. In consequence of this we were simply saluted kindly, but not
warmly, and we followed the gentlemen to the breakfast-room, where a
rousing fire in the great fireplace, and a most appetizing breakfast
awaited us, which our long tramp in the bitter morning air had
prepared us to enjoy most thoroughly, notwithstanding the mental
disturbance which could not be allayed, until confession had been made
and forgiveness granted. Just as our meal was ending, a soldier
entered the room, and said: "Malcolm, there is an Indian boy here with
a wolf, who wants to see you." This announcement brought all to their
feet, and every one rushed out so see the sight, and there, with his
foot fast in our trap, lay a large timber-wolf, exhausted with pain
and fatigue. Captain Scott examining him carefully, pronounced him the
very one they had tried in vain to capture, and he congratulated the
little boy and girl who had succeeded so fully where older ones had
failed. That was a proud moment in our lives, but until we had told
our parents how sorry we were to have grieved and distressed them, and
had obtained full pardon, sealed with a loving kiss from each, we
could not wholly enjoy it. Then we gave our Indian a royal breakfast,
and his promised reward beside, and the wolf was taken away and put
out of his misery, while beside the comfortable fireside we told all
about our morning walk, from reveille to breakfast-drum.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account