The Red Cloud chief., 1901-08-23

ITeSn ptecen OF perch meat, to
fish for pickerel, or pike, az Pierre
called them. It was a long time be-
tween bites, but Celeste was patient
and skillful, and in about two hours
she had secured seven fine Ash, the
largest weighing " six pounds.
Rowing tho bateau back to the land
Ing place, she was ~astonished to find q
man awaiting her there. He had evil
IDENTIFY been fishing for pike, and with
signal success. A large string OF them
lay at his feet. His horse stood a lit
tie way from Pierre's beast. cropping
at the branches of the tree to which
1t had been tied.
The young fellow lifted a rough cap
politely and said: IL have come to fish
here from the Parrandin farm. May |
not assist mademoiselle?" The men,
ton of the only other French resident
OF the settlement was a fortunate thing
for him, and very soon the two were
talking verp rapidly and eagerly to-
gether. He helped her string her Ash
and mount the steed ancient of the
house of Chenaud, and rode by her side
Till their pathways separated. Fergus
son asked her as she ambled away II
h fshed often at the Bearcamp wa
tiers and Celeste smiled and said
sometimes
Occasionally they met after this. and
Celeste found that FERGUSON spoke
French quite well. He soon drifted to
Pierre's cabin, where he was received
with ill-disguised hospitality by Pierre
But his knowledge Of Pierre's native
tongue. his gifts us a fiddler, his skill
as n hunter and fisher slowly crept I'm
to the heart Of the recluse and warmed
1t. A homely man "a Ferguson, ex-
cept for his eyes, and a gayer man had
not yet lived.
He was q roamer. as he told the
Frenchman, yet a rich one. And what
gave Pierre's best confidence to him,
and what piqued Celeste most bitterly,
was that Ferguson did not bow be-
fore her as the rest OF mankind. True,
he taught her the waltz step and
danced 1t with her to the agony OF her
SWANS, but as these rude suitors saw
his apparently absolute Indifference to
her they took heart OF grace.
Seemingly he was happiest when in
the woods or by the lakes and streams
with Pierre. Always the pleasant word
1t was with the Scotchman, the ready
wit. the calm displacement of self
when any OF her beaux came while he
was at the cabin. And fierce and furi-
GUS came Alonzo Edwards, anxious at
once about the newcomer. but first
awed ny his education and knowledge
and next gladdened by the open re-
linquishment Of the girl to her ador-
crs by the smiling Ferguson.
So the summer shone out in sue
cessive sunlit days, and September
brought a darker CLEAN to the waters
and a more glorious blue to the skies.
The barberry bushes along the old
stone walls threw out a maze OF bright
colors. and gray squirrels and chip
hunks ran along these same stony
barriers. Un the hillsides the wood
chucks, grave Is wooden Hindu del
ties, looked m%otionlessly into the
brown landscape. Only the cedars and
pines kept their dark green shc.des and
the cardinals and lilies had vanished.
With fall came more OF a stir at
Pierre's cabin; the overhauling OF
snowshoes, the hunts for ruffed grouse
the .minding of the traps, the gathering
of firewood for the winter. FERGUSON
had gone away for a month and il
seemed to Celeste that never had time
been so heavy on her hands. At first
she had chidden her importunate low
ers sharply, but OF a sudden she seemed
to recollect herself and resumed, out
wardly at least, her old-time
with them, To Pierre, apparently, the
Scotcnman's departure mattered not a
whit. The coming season OF adven-
ture was to him the primal thought
and primate pleasure.
At last, on the evening OF n wonder
full October day, as Celeste stood at the
door Of the cabin looking down the
mountain she saw Ferguson approach
Ing. A great and unconqnerable Joy
leaped to. her heart at sight OF his
s~trong-knit figure and resnlute stride.
ne was different from the rest, but he
should never know, II, indeed, he did
not already know, IL he hal not faith
It all with those gray eyes.
well, then, after ALL" as she said
to herself, let it be as Papa Pierre so
often said, N'importe."
Their former guest brought Pierre
great store of tobacco and what he,
Pierre, had often longed fer. a massive
steel btartrap. And for Celeste-noth-
ing-that is. at first it seemed so, hut
In the light Of the great fireplace the
same evening he had brought out for
her a great marvel which, he said,
was an opal. 1t was a ring, of which
she had seen perhaps n or two, but
only the plain gold article. Here, now,
was this wonderful pebble, smooth and
creamy, which under the blaze gave
back so many beautiful lights. Fiery
plOwipo dpntbs that sparxIad ond clint