The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-07-22
CHAPTER VIII.
The Dilemma of Captain Helm

tOftuflnS captivity IN the open DIR,
plunged into the forest with anticina-
tons of lively adventure and made his
way toward the Wea plains 1t was
his purpose to get a boat at the village
of OuiatenOn and pull thence UP the
Wabash until he could find out what
the English We're doing He chose for
his companions on this dangerous eX-
petition two expert coureurs de bois.
Dutremble and Jacques BailOup- Fifty
miles up the river they fell in with
some friendly Indians. well known TO
them all, who were returning from the
portage.
The savages informed them that
there were no signs of an English adj
vance in that quarter. Some of them
had been as far as the St. Joseph river
and to within a short distance of De-
troit without seeing a white man or
hearing of any suspicious movements
on the part of Hamilton. So back came
Oncle Jazon with his pleasing report,
much disappointed that he had not
been able to stir up some sort of trou-
BILE
1t was Helms turn to laugh.
What did l tell you?" he cried, in
| jolly mood, slapping Beverley on the
shoulder. Il knew mighty we'll that
ii was all a big story with nothing in
it. What on earth would the English
| be thinking about to march an army
away off down here, only to capture
a rotten stoekade and a lot of Cabling
parly-voos2''
Beverley, while he did not feel quite
as confident as his chief, was not sorry
| that things looked a little brighter than
he had feared they would turn out TO
be- Secretly, and without acknowledge
| ing it to himself he was delighted with
| the life he was living. The Arcadian
| atmosphere of VincenneS clothed him
| in its mists and dreams. No matter
what way the weather blew its breath.
cold or warm. cloudy or fair, rain or
! snow. the peace in his soul changed
not. His nature seemed to hold all of
] its sterner and fiercer traits in abey-
ance while he domiciled himself abso-
| lutely within his narrow and monoto-
| nous environment. Since the dance at
! the river house a new content, like a
/ soft and diffused sweetness, had crept
/ through his blood with a vague, tin
Cling sense of joy.
He began to like walking about rath-
er aimlessly in the towns narrow
streets, with the mud-daubed cabins
( on either hand. The simple life under
( low, matched roofs had charm When
| a door was opened he could see fire
| of logs on the ample hearth shooting its
| yellow tongues up the Sooty chimney
| throat Soft creole voices murmured
and sang, or tangled their petty DO
nestle discords. Women in scant pet
ticOats, leggings and moccasins swept
| snow from the squat verandas, or fed
the pigs in little sites behind the cab
ms. Everybody cried cheerily: Bon
1 jour- Monsieur, comment alleZ-vouS?
as he went by, always accompanies
the verbal salute with graceful waive
of the hand.
When he walked early in the morning
a watt of broiling game and browning
| corn scenes was abroad. Pots and ket-
| ties occupied the hearthS with glowing
Goals heaped around and under. ShaS-
gy dogs whined at the doors until the
| mensaI remnants were tossed out 10
them in the front yard.
But it was always a glimpse of Alice
that must count for everything in Bev-
erley's reekonings. albeit he would have
| strenuousIy denied it. True he went TO
Roussillon place almost every day. II
being a fixed part of his well ordered
| habit. and had a talk with her. Some
times. when Dame RousSillon was very
busy and so quite off her guard, they
read together in a novel, or in certain
parts of the odd volume of Montague
This was done more for the sweetness
1 of disobedience than to enjoy the al
ready familiar pages.
Now and again they repeated their
fencing bout; but never with the result
which followed the first. Beverley soon
mastered Alice's tricks and showed her
that after all, masculine muscle is not
to be discounted at its own game by
even the most wonderful womanly
strength and suppleness. She strug-
gIed bravely to hold her vantage
ground once gained so easily. but the
inevitable was not to be avoided. At
last, one bowling winter day, he dis
armed her by the very trick that she
had shown him. That ended the play
and they ran shivering into the house.
"Ah," she cried, 1T isn't fair. You
are so much bigger than 1; you have
SO much longer arms; so much more
weight and power. 1t all counts against
me! You ought to be ashamed of your
self" She was rosy with the eXhii-
aFating exercise and the biting of the
frosty breeze. Her beauty gave forth
a new ray
Deep in her heart she was pleased tC
have him master her so superbly; bu:
as the days passed she never said so
never gave over trying to make hin
feel the touch of her foil. She did not
know that her eyes were getting
through his guard. that her dimples
were stabbing his heart to its middle.
You have other advantages" he re-
piled, which far overbalance my great
er stature and stronger muscles Their
girl must be girl
Something in his face, something il
her heart, startled her so that shs
made quick little move like that of
restless bird.
You are beautiful and that make:
my eyes and my hand uncertain, h
went on Were 1 fencing with a MAJ
there would be no glamour
He spoke in English, which he die
, not often do in conversation with her
II was a sign that he was someWha
wrought upon. She followed his RAPID
words with difficulty; but she eaugh
from them a new note of feeling H,
saw a little pale flare shoot across he
face and thought she was angry.
You should not use your dimples I,
distract my vision" he quickly added
with light laugh. 1T would be n,
worse for me to throw my hat in YOU
, facet
! HIS attempt at levity was obviousI,
weak; she looked straight into his ewes
with the steady gaze of a simple. ear.
nest nature shocked by a current quite
strange 10 it. She did not understand
him, and she did. Her fine intuition
, gathered together hundred shreds o
, impression received from him durins
their recent growing intimacy He wa.
a patrician, as she vaguely made hin
out: man Of wealth, whose farnil,
! was great He belonged among peopI,
. of gentle birth and high attainments
, She magnified him so that he was diff
fused in her Imagination. as Difficult
l | 10 comprehend as a mist in the morn