The Press., 1894-10-18

sneak, and one day at Fort Charles sat down to write to his solicitor ill Mont real to s,.y that he would come on at once. Sti-l he hesitate As he sat there thinking Bye Of the Moon, his father nlaw, tiel.,L the door quietly and en- tered. H. had avoided the chief ever since he had come back to Fort Charles and l., acllc;tlly had not spoken to him for a yv;lr Armour flushed slightly with ;,:-noy ance. But presently, with a touch of lis old hunor, he rose, held out his hand and said ironically: Well, father-!h-laM;, it's about time we had a big talk, l.i4'l it? We are not very in timate for such close relatives '" The old Italian did not fully under stand the meaning or the tone of Ar Inour's speech, but he said, "How" and reaching ost his hand for the pipe offered him lighted it and sat down, smoking ill silence. Armour waited; but, seeing that the other was not yet moved to talk, he turned to his letter again. After time Eye-of- the Moon said gravely, getting to his feet, "Brother!"
 Armour looked up; then rose also. The Indian bowed to him courteously; then sat down again Armour threw a leg over the corner of the table and waited.
 Brother, said the Indian present. ly, 'you are of the great race that cop- quers us. You come and take our land and our game, and we have to beg of you for food and shelter. Then you take our daughters, and we know not where they go. They are gone, like the down from the thistle. We see them not, but you remain. And men say evil things There are bad words abroad. Brother, what have you done with my daugh- ter?''
 begged money of him, sponged on him or abused him he had taken 1t very calmly. He, in fact, had been superior. But there was dignity in the chiefs manner; there was solemnity in his speech; his voice conveyed resoluteness and earnestness, which the stoic calm of his face might not have suggested, and Armour felt that he had no advan- tage at all Beside, Armour had a con- science, though he had played some rare | tricks with it of late, and it needed more hardihood than he possessed to face this old man down. And why face him down? Lali was his daughter, blood of his blood, the chieftainess of one branch of his people, honored at least among these poor savages, and the old man had right to ask, as asked another more famous, Where is my daughter?"
 His hands in his pockets, Armour sat silent for minute, eying his boot as he swung his leg to and fro. Presently he said: "Eye-ofthe- Moon. don't think can talk as poetically as you, even ill my own language, and 1 shall not try, but 1 should like to ask you this, Do you believe any harm has come to your daughter-to my wife?"
 The old Indian forgot to blow the to- bacco smoke from his mouth, and as he sat debating, lips slightly apart, it came leaking out in little trailing clouds and gave strange appearance to his iron featured face. He looked steadily at Armour and said: "You are of those who rule in your land"-here Armour protested-''you have much gold to buy and sell. am a chief''-he drew him. self up-"I am poor. We speak with the straight tongue. It is towards who lie. Speak deep, as from the heart, my brother, and tell me where my daugh- I ter is. ''
 rContinued next week