Annals of our ancestors; one hundred and fifty years of history in the ...

292 ANNALS OF OUR ANCESTORS
to Stearns County. This was just what Mr. Fox wanted to
do, for he was fond of hunting and fishing; and as small game
and fish were plentiful in the Maine Prairie country it was just
the place he would enjoy, and so they started north for father's.
On their way from Hoka they stopped at Morristown, where
Mr. Frost and I were then hving. Mr. Fox did not look like
an invalid; he was a fine specimen of well-developed manhood,
just tall enough and well-proportioned. He had dark hair
and large, expressive gray eyes, with a clear complexion —
indeed he was a superior looking young man, cultured and
refined. His family were Quakers (Hicksite). In those days
there was a large settlement of these people about Cadiz.
It was summertime when they took their trip to Maine
Prairie, and their journey was a long, hard one through dust
and heat; and when they came in sight of Pearl Lake Place
I think it must have looked refreshing. Looking across the
sandbar they could see the entire shimmering surface of the
lake, with its dark and shady border of native forest. It has
ever been regarded as one of the most charming of lakes, and
the newcomer could not but admire its ever changing beauty;
Mr. Fox felt that here he had found the place to get well. Our
people were pleased with this addition to the household, and
they, too, encouraged him with praise of the health-giving air
of northern Minnesota. Soon the young man became a part
of the family, and he and Brother Joe were friends. They
would go out on the lake together and anchor their boat in a
particular spot we had named "Pike County," from the
school of pike which congregated there. What sport it was
to fish in that place! It was simply fun to throw out a hook
and bring in such splendid results; in less than an hour we
would have all the fish we could use for several days.
While Mr. Fox did not look the invalid he was weak.
When he first came he could not walk after game, but he was
gifted with the true sportsman's patience. He would go down
into the woods with his gun and take a seat on a stump in some
retired nook and wait for rabbits, squirrels, pheasants or
prairie chickens to chance his way. He often brought home
trophies from this sedentary method of hunting, and always