The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-03-31

copyright, 1895, by Gilbert Parker.I
THE DANCE OF THE LITTLE WOLF
eWhat is the good?' said Babette
s'there's no one to play-no fiddle-no mu-
sic-what is the good%'
.sTruly.' replied Antoine. Here it Is
New Years Day-snow three feet deep
the house so hot you can't breathe-SO
pair of feet waiting-lots of tobac-of cold
porI1-plenty OF cider behind the door
and no musicI Well, it's droll tbati
Pshaw. I'll stand on a tub and whistle"
Babette laughed. look al Alphonse
Watch how he shakes his black head, and
his eyes dance so. All, poor man! He
would give his head for Marie, but she
sits with half dozen gallants beside her,
and she flashes her big brown eyes over
at Aiphonse, and they drive him mad!
Mon DieuI You think -he care for him,
with his purity eyes ana black hair? No,
no. You see2 You hear her feet tap the
floor? She long to dance like US all, and
Alphonse, he long for her"
49," rejoined Antoine. Il do not un-
derstand that Marie Why is't all get on
5heir knees TO her, and she care for no
man?"
you think that?" asked Babette.
"Tsl you are only q man, with a mans
eyesl You think because she not care
for you she care for nobody. That's like
a man. He is so vain, When a woman
care not for him, he is so happy when
she care not for anyone else. Wen. I'm
glad I'm not a man..
Antoine bristled up. Come, come,
Babette. You think L care for Marie?
No. only for you. You are the one great
woman in the world!'
BaDette laughed merrily, her little
white teeth flashing. She tapped him on
the arm.
~Oh, you foolish-foolishl man can
never see when it IS woman he
thinks her great when she is very little.
He thinks he understands himself, and
ne knows nothing. There is Marie! What
do you know? You think her all coquette.
You think I'm better. Mon Dieu! Ii L
were in the same way as Marie, I'd be
Antoine ran his fingers through his hair,
l1notted his forehead, and smiled in
by the holyi I do not understand"
he said. who is there Marie loves? You
can see she play the game with them all,
bat there is no one. She has them. JAG
ques, Adrien, Jules, Alphonse, and the
rest-comme ca. They are on their shins,
What does she care? All, Babette, what
she care2 There's no one!''
I3abette suddenly became grave, and her
eyes watched Antoine with a wondering
kind of sadness. She was younger than
he, yet she was wiser, for every good wo-
man is wiser than any man. She won
Gef6Q why ne OlQ not Know llGI Wien
love first stirs in a woman's heart, she
begins TO be wise, when in Il mans he
begins TO be foolish, for the one becomes
unselfish, and the other vain.
After a moment she said with a serious
little twist of the head, Antoine, l do
not know who it's, but there's some one
Marie loves. Do you think I'm woman
and not know the look OF love in another?
There is some one-SomeWhere, and it is
ali unhappy know that Do you think
If it was all right she would play with
Ia hot anld CO hGa n
bun she must do some hing. A woman
will 10 mad unless. Poor Marie! Per
haps he loved her and should not. Per-
haps something prevents. Well, it is all
the same. She is as you see.
Antoine was a little nervous facing
Babette's seriousness He had not the
care Of life-onIy the shanties in the win
ter, the river in sum ner, the little farm
ing in the autumn, ans counting Babette
in a happy irresponsible fashion all the
time. But take it seriously-life-love?
Watch how his feet tap the floor inpa-
tientlyl He is wild for the dance.
1t was New Years Day, the time of
Canadian home; and the young people of
the parish were gathered. ready to dance
until the morning: but to the house of
hIarie's father. Cd Vigord, the fiddler,
had not comet For the last hour there
had been nothing but "Vigardi Vigardi
Why doesn't Vigord c0le?" Everyone
seemed troubled save Marie. She did not
worry. Perhaps that was because she
had been year at school in Quebec City,
therefore had got a kind of manner, was
playing the self-poSsessed lady, or that
IF she could not enjoy herself in one way
she could in another. There was some
thing in her different from the other
girls IN the room. You felt that you did
rot know her as YOU kney them. All
that they thought or were flashed in their
brown eyes, on their red careless lips
and in the loose softress of their hair;
hut in Marie's strong chin. dark coouet-
fish eyes, and strong brow there hid
something winch had little to do with the
Babette had said, there was a man some
where in the world whose love. or Lack
of lo-e had given her wisdom; but she
said herself that she was only a trif1er
that she cared for nothing save to enjoy
herself.
Antonio, to relieve the situation. which
was becoming strained, started a song.
That did very we'll for little. It was a
pretty fantasy Of love and wild life.
dashed with = spice Of deviltry; but it
soon lost its effect. for the spirits which
the feet of all, which ouly the rasp of a
fiddle. or the breath Of a concertina could
apnease or command. At last, tall Me-
dalton. whose ways were those of the
blessed Of this world. and who had his
fingers on all the little comedies and trag-
edies of the parish stood Up in the middle
of the floor, and proposed a game. EV-
eryone was still for a moment, for Me-.
dalton had great resources and Whimsic-
81 ideas. His was the gift of making men
and women laugh, not so much of him
self as ct themselves. Besides he had a
heart. Protestant though he was, even
the cure trusted him, and the little
Chemist wcrshipped hun.
See, my children he said, with his
sharp eyes twinkling. ''since Vigord is
late, let's have something agen his com
Ing. Give him a half hour longer. then
If he isn't here, I'll play the fiddle my
self. Let's have now The Dance of the
Little Wolf. I'll whistle. Well, whoever
at the end. shall stand alone in the cen
ter, must tell q very fine story. It must
be of love. 1t must be like play, and
it must be true"
At this everyone laughed 'Msieu'
Medallion was so drollr' they said. ''The
Dance of the Little Wolf and then a trr1e
lion was amusingi'
They all came to their feet, eager for
the dance; keen to see on whom the
mantle of romance would fall Hand ~
hand with tripping step they wound in
and out of the room Medallion standing
iT che center of the floor having changed
his whistling to a sing-sons kind of chant
The long, waving. loving line linking like
chains, curving into circles, parting Join
ing again, first slowly, then faster. now
suddenly, in a pretty column back and
forth; I le men together, then the women
flashing eyes, waving black hair, the
warm breath of youth filling the room
with an ecstacy, wherein every little care
and alarm of life was swallowed up: and
confusion. the hurly-burly of laughter
and sweet alright of contantment as The
hazard of the dance grew. Presently all
parted and Marie stood alone in the CEN
ter of the floor, with Antonio on one side
not far, and Alphonse on the other. There
was laughter and a storm of clapping.
"MRriei Mariep' they all cried. ''1he
story che true love storyr'
Antoine ran his fingers through his
hair, shook the little gold rings in his
ears, and grinned at Marie, then at Ba-
bette. AlphonSe was nervous, and his
eyes had kind OF wild hunger as he
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