The Savannah morning news., 1903-06-14
THE WESTERNERS
BY STEWART EDWARD WHITE.
Copyrighted by Mcclure, Phillips & Co.

| nIeleSS stove, where ne CURED up ike
| a doormat with keen, bright eyes.
| Mikes gaze roamed about the apart
ment.
You are a great scientist" he OBJ
served, intending the remark for a COM
pliment.
In a way, in a way" replied the
old man, humbly. zone must occupy
the mind when one is alone, and what
task more fitting to our highest facul-
ties than that of investigating, with
all due reverence. the workings of
Gods mechanism ?"
He said it with simple piety which
could not provoke a smile Michail
Lafond caught himself wondering
what he did there. Surely there was
nothing to interest him in stuffed in
sects and a garrulous old man, es-
pecially as the conversation insisted on
retaining it's formal footing.
You are not a miner?" the ento-
mologist inquired, after a moments
pause.
No. replied Mike.
Il am glad to hear it. like not this
eager scrambling for what does so lit
tie good. 1, too. once-But now I am
content; yes, content. There is al
ways good if one will but find it. 1
myself might with justice be accused
of being miner. l find my leads,
develop them, l assay my ores; but
always in miniature-On a small scale"
Then, in a flash, Michail Lafond saw
at least the outlines of his plan, and
he knew why he had come in here to
talk to the garrulous old man.
You know the assay, then?" he in
quired, conversationally.
In a modest way-a few simple
tests"
But that is much. Do you not know
that it is at Rapid, in the School of
Mines that tho var. ico
You have a profession here at your
, hands
A sudden scream broke through the
apartment, a rush of wings, growl
The old man ran nimbly to the stove,
, and rescued the little raccoon from
the savage attacks of a magpie. The
| maybe sailed back to his perch on
one of the butterfly cases, where he
! ruffied his feathers Indignantly. The
! raccoon curled up in the old mans lap.
You are French?" inquired the lat
| ter with more interest than he had
| hitherto shown.
Il have some French blood" replied
/ Lafond, cautiously.
Il knew it," said Durand, immense
| ly pleased. Il am rarely mistaken. 1t
was a twist of your words that sug
gested it. an idiom. Eft maintenant
nous pouveous causer" he added, in the
| purest Partisan accent.
"Oui. out, oui,' cried the half-br
suddenly swept up by an uncomfortable
excitement he could not himself un-
/ derstand. La belle langue!"
He felt an unwonted expansion of
| the heart at thus hearing once more
J the language of his youth. The for
mality of the interview was gone. They
/ conversed freely, swiftly. animatedly
I Durand had been educated in Paris,
and had a thousand "reminiscences to
ri 10 fn16 IF fv,N
toms, and Lafond, with growing emo
! ton, recalled similar or analogous GUS
/ toms among his own expatriated
branch of the race in the pine forests
/ of Canada. His sullen, taciturn man.
ner broke. He became the Gaul He
! gesuculated he overlooked, his eye
I lighted up, he said thousand things.
After a time Durand opened a chest
at the foot of the bed, from which he
distracted a bottle and two long-stem-
4 med glasses. These he placed on the
table with a quaint little air of cere-
mony
Sir" said he, "we must know each
other better. We speak each the Ian
! guage we love. We talk of old days.
Sir" he concluded, bowling with state
| ly grave as he poured the red wine
| into the glasses, 81 ask you to drink
wine with me to our acquaintance. My
name is Durand."
He inclined. his hand to his heart,
and somehow there seemed to be Moth
ing ridiculous in the act.
Il am Michail Lafond," replied the
half breed simply.
A silence fell. The realities came
back to Lafond's mind.
Il would asa you a favor he said,
abruptly.
Name it; 1t is yours
Il want you to teach me how to
Nolg
1T would be a pleasure. will do
it gladly"
rs it difficult?"
mot very"
when shall we begin?"
when you say"
Lafond reflected. well, 1 will bring
some ore in a day or two" Then, aft
er a pause, as though in Difference to
the attitude he knew the old man
held in regard to such things, he add
ed, 1T must be very interesting, this
making of gold from the rock"
And more interesting STILL" supple
mented Durand gently. lis the thrill
of a shared thought"
The raccoon stood on his hind legs
in his masters lap, and began deliber-
ately to investigate the contents of his
pockets, deity inserting his little black
hands, almost human, and watching
the mans face with alert eyes. Du-
rand took the animals small head be-
tween both his palms, and smiled al
him affectionately.
"Ah. Jacques, poisson! Thou art q
rogue, and dost learn early what thy
masters race doth teach. See, Lafond
how the little villain would even now
rob the very one who doth give tt
him his daily bread and all that which
he hath" He softly rubbed the small
black nose with the fiat of his palm
much to its owners disgust. Jacque:
backed off deliberately to the floor
where he sneezed violently, while Du,
rand gazed at him with kindly smile
After leaving the cabin, Black Mike
no longer slouched along unseeing H,
burned with the inspiration of an idea
Just where the idea would lead him
or how it would work out in its fina
processes, he did not know; but he hat
long since grown accustomed to rely
ing blindly on such Civilizations of con
> tails would develop when needed H,
! believed in letting the pot boil.
! Through the town he walked will
brisk, businesslike steps. out into tn,
. higher gulch. There he soon CAM
upon signs of industry. Up a hill h
could hear the ring of axes and tn
occasional rush of falling tree, sound
: ing like grouse drumming in tn
spring. He followed the sound Hal
: way up the knoll. he discovered cab
E\/SS