The Minneapolis journal., 1901-11-02

ened and embittered; but must play out the
hateful part of eavesdropper to the end.
She opened the hand to feast her eyes on
the treasure. and l craned forward, playing
the sneak without pang Of shame, but the
dusk failed me.
Then the low, mellow, vibrant tones
whose very music would have intoxicated
dulIer fools than Its ever a COM
fort 10 know there are greater
fools-broke in melody: ITO my own dear
love from her ever loyal and devoted knight, /"
and she held her opened hand high. Twas
my birch-bark message which Father Holland
with great overcharge of Joy, that paralyzed
all motion.
Dear love-wherever are you?" asked q
voice that throbbed with longing.
Can any man blame me for breaking
through the thicket and my resolution and
discretion and all?
"Here-beloved! l sprang from the bush.
She gave cry Of alright and would have
fallen, but my arms were about her and my
lips giving silent proof that was no wrath.
What next we said l do not remember.
With her head on my shoulder and / doing
the only thing O man could do TO stem her
tears, l completely lost track of the order
of things. l do not believe either of US was
calm enough for words for some time after
the meeting. 1t was she who regained mental
poise first.
"Rufus!" she exclaimed, breaking away
from me, You're not sensible man at
ALL"
Never said ! was," returned.
IF you do that" she answered ignoring my
remark and receding farther. I'm never stop
crying"
Then cry on forever!'
With womanly ingratitude, she promptly
called me "a goose and other irrelevant
names.
The rest Of our talk that evening 1 do
not intend to set down. In the first place,
it was best understood by only two. In the
second, 1t could not be transcribed; and in
the third 1t was all deal too sacred.
We did, however, become impersonal for
short intervals.
Il feel as If there were some storm in the
air." said Frances Sutherland. THE half
breeds are excited. They are riding past the
settlement in scores every day. o Rufus
know something is wrong"
80 do l. was my rejoinder. was think
ing Of the strange gossip of the Assiniboine
encampment.
do you think the Bois- -Brules would plum
der your boats?" she asked innocently ignor-
ant that the malcontents were Nor Westers.
Ne" said 1. What boats?"
why, Northwest boats, of course, coming
up Red river from Fort William to go up the
Assiniboine for the winters supplies. They're
coming in few days My father told me so."
"Is Mr.. Sutherland an H. B. c. or Nor
Western" l asked in the slang of the COM
pany talk.
Il don't know" she answered. "I don't
think he knows himself. He says there are
numbers of men like that ,and they all know
there is to be raid. Why, Rufus, there are
men down the river every day watching for
he No- To-
Where do the men come from?" l
questioned, vainly trying to patch some con-
nection between plots for a raid on North
west boats and plots for fight by Nor'west
followers.
From Fort Douglas of course"
III. B. C.'s, my dear. You must go to
Fort Douglas at once. There will be a
fight. You must go tomorrow with your
father, or with me tonight" L urged, think
ing I should take myself off and notify my
company of the intended pillaging.
with you?' she laughed. Father will be
home in an hour. Are you sure about
fght?"
Quite said I, trembling for her safety.
This certainty of mine has been quoted to
prove premeditation on the Nor'westers'
part but l meant nothing of the sort
only felt there was unrest on both sides, and
that she must be out of harms way.
Truly, l have seldom had a harder duty
to perform than to leave Frances alone in
that dark house to go and inform my com
pany of the plot.
Many times l said good-by before going to
the canoe and times unnumbered ran back
from the river to repeat some warning and
necessitate another farewell.
Rufus, dear" she said, this is about the
twentieth time. You mustn't come back
again.
Then good-by for the twenty-first," said
], and came away feeling like young priest
anointed for some holy purpose
declare now, as 1 declared before the
courts Of the land. that in fastening to the
Portage with news OF the Hudson's Bays in
tention to intercept the Nor'westers' express
from Fort William, I had no other thought
but the faithful serving Of my company. |
knew what suffering the destruction of Souris
had entailed in Athabasca, and was deter
mined our brave fellows should not starve
in the coming winter through my negligence.
Could foresee that simple act of mine was
to let loose all the punishment the Hudsons
Bay had been heaping up against the day of
Judgment?