The Minneapolis journal., 1901-11-02

ing that Frances Sutherland and Hamilton
and Father Holland were good enough COM
pany to compensate for my captivity with
pleasure, and it's not the first time III have
found friends in the Hudson's Bay fort"
At that speech, the red-faced man, who
seemed to be the ringieader, eyed me mar
rowly. We all embarked on a rckety
raft, that would, declare, have
drowned any six sober men who risked
their lives it; but drunken men and chill
dren seem to do what sober grown folk may
not dare.
How Louis Laplante was for fighting duel
| en- route with the man who spoke of French
brag" and was only dissuaded from his pur-
pose by the raft suddenly teetering at an
angle of 45 degrees with the water, which
threatened to toboggan us all into mid-rver;
how l then stationed in the center and
the other men distributed equally on each
side Of the raft to maintain balance; how we
swung out into the Red rocking with each
shifting of the crew and were treated to a
volley Of objurgations from the red-faced man
I do not intend to relate. This sort of
melodrama may be seen wherever there are
drunken men,. a raft and river The men
poled only f1tfully, and we were driven solely
by the current. 1t was dark long before we
had neared Fort Douglas and the waters
swished past with an inky, CLASSY sheen that
vividly recalled the murky pool about the
beaver dam. And yet l had no fear, but
drifted along utterly Indifferent to the termi-
nation OF the freakish escapade in which l
had become involved. Nature mercffully sets.
limit to human capacity for suffering: and
felt had reached that limit. Nothing worse
could happen than had happened at least.
so l told myself, and l awaited with cynical
curiosity what might take place inside tho
Hudsons Bay fort Then shaft of lantern
light pierced the dark, striking aslant the
river and the m bar
Douglas wharf. We struck the landing with
bump, disembarked passed the sentinel
at the gate and were at the entrance to the
main building
You kick me here" said Louis. 'T pay
you back here,
What are you going to do with him?"
asked the soberest man of the red-faced
leader.
Hand him over to Governor Semple for a
spy
The governors abed Besides. thew don,t
want him about to hear H. B. secrets when
the. Nor west brigades a-coming You'd bet
ter get sobered up, yez he'd! That's my ad-
vice to yez, before going to Governor Sem
pie, and the prudent trapper led the wav
inside. To the fore was the main stairway
on the right the closed store, and on the
lert small apartment which the governor
had fitted up as a private office. For soma
unaccountable reason-the same reason ann
pose, that mischief is always awaiting the
mlscn1ef maker-the door to this office had
been left ajar and a light burned inside
Twas Louis, ever alert, when mischief was
abroad, who tiptoed over to the omen door
poked his head in and motioned his drunken
companions across the sacred precincts Of
Governor Semple's private room. was
loath to be party to this mad nonsense but
the fly and the fish should have thought Of
results before venturing too near strange
coils. The red faced fellow gave me
push. The sober man muttered
Better come, or they'll raise q
row" and we were all within the forbidden
place, the door shut and bolted
To city folk, used to the luxuries of the
east, dare say that Office would have seemed
mean enough But the men had been so long
away from leather chairs. hair-cloth sofas
wall mirror, wine decanter and other odds and
ends which. furnish gentleman's living
apartments that the very memory of such
things had faded, and that small room. with
its old-country air, seemed the yestibuIe n
another world.
Sump-too-uss-ain't it?" asked the sober
man with bated breath and obvious distrust OF
his tongue
''Mag-nee-feque! NJ. Louis Laplante, look
you there" cried the Frenchman, catching
sight Of his full figure in the mirror and in
stantly striking a pose Of admiration Then
he twirled fercely at both ends of his mus
tache till 1t stood out with the wire finish of
Partisan dandy.
The red-faced fellow had permitted me with
arms still tied, to walk across the room and