A Legend 



THERE is a lake in the state of Minnesota called Leech 

 lake of whose origin the Indians tell a legendary tale. 

 It was during the fighting between the soldiers of the 

 United States army and the Indians of the Chippewa tribe 

 of Minnesota that this story was first heard by white men. 



Many years ago, when the world was still in its infancy, 

 there lived an Indian woman with her only daughter. They 

 lived all alone, and no man or woman lived near them ; the 

 beasts of the forest, the birds of the air, and the fishes of 

 the waters were the only living things about them. One day 

 the girl disappeared and was nowhere to be found. The spirit 

 of evil stole her from her mother and carried her away to his 

 stone wigwam. 



For many a day she dwelt there and had everything that 

 human being could wish. One fine morning, while the evil 

 spirit was out hunting, a knock was heard at the door of the 

 wigwam. 



"Who is it?" asked the girl, much surprised and bewildered, 

 for no one had ever* come to this sequestered region. 



"I am the spirit of good and have come here at the bidding 

 of the god Hiawatha," answered a voice from wtihout. "Please 

 let me enter that I may give you a stone wherewith you may 

 free yourself from the clutches of the evil one." 



Then the girl obeyed, opened the door, and received the 

 stone from the good spirit. With this stone she was told to 

 strike a certain spot in the walls of the wigwam. When she 

 did that, lo and behold, waters began to gush forth and flow 

 and the entire valley wherein the wigwam was situated was 

 soon all covered over. This body of water is now called Leech 

 lake. As for the evil spirit he was caught in his own trap. 

 There in the stony wigwam at the bottom of the lake he lives 

 imprisoned, and there he may be heard moaning on windy 

 days to this very day. St. Paul Dispatch. 



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