Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1904-02-03


went out Of his room, curious smile
playing around his firmly set lips. :
"she's the most beautiful vixen that
I ever saw" he thought. "She doesn't
look to be a French girl either; decided
y English" He shrugged his shoul-
ders, then laughed dryly. EARNS
worth's as crazy as can be, the beggar;
In love with her 80 deep that he can't
zee out. BY Jove, she is beauty!
Never saw such eyes. And plucky to
beat the deuce. I'll bet my head Bar
low IL be daft about her next"
Still, Notwithstanding the lightness
OF his inward comments, Hamilton re-
garded the incident as rather serious.
He knew that the French Inhabitants
were secretly his bitter enemies, yet
probably willing, II he would humor
their peculiar social, domestic and COM
mercial pretudices, to refrain from &C
tive hostilities, and even to aid him In
furnishing his garrison with a large
amount of needed supplies. The dan
ger just now was twofold-his Indian
allies were deserving him, and a hotilla
loaded with provisions and ammuni-
ton from Detroit had failed to arrive.
He might If the French rose against
him and were Joined by the Indians,
have great difficulty defending the
tort. 1t was clear that NJ. Roussillon
had more influence with both creoles
and savages than any other person
save Father Beret. Urgent policy die
tated that these two men should some
how be won over. But to do this It
would be necessary to treat Alice in
such way that her arrest would aid,
instead Of operating against the de-
sired result-a thing not easy to man
age.
Captain Farnsworth took his fair
prisoner straightway from Hamilton's
presence to small room connected
with a considerable structure In a dis
tant angle of the stockade. Neither he
nor Alice spoke on the way. With a
huge wooden key he unlocked the door
and stepped aside for her to enter. A
dim lamp was burning within, its yell
lowish light Pickering over the scant
furniture, which consisted Of COM
Portable bed. a table with some books
on it, three chairs, q small looking
glass on the wall, a guitar and some ar
ucles Of mems clothing hanging here
and there. A heap OF dull embers
smoldered in the fireplace. Alice did
not falter at the threshold, but prompt
~ entered her prison.
Il hope you can be comfortable"
said Farnsworth In low tone "lt's the
best can give you"
"Thank you," was the answer. spoken
quite as If he had handed her a glass
Of water or picked up her handker-
chief.
He held the door a moment while she
stopped with her back toward him in
the middle Of the room; then she heard
him close and lock it. The air was al
most too warm after her exposure to
the biting wind and cold dashes of
rain. She cast of her outer wraps and
stood by the fireplace. At glance she
comprehended that the place was not
the one she had formerly occupied as
4 prisoner. and that it belonged to q
man. A long rife stood in corner. q
bullet pouch and powder horn hanging
on projecting hickory ramrod. A
heavy fur topcoat lay across one Of the
chairs.
Farnsworth, who had given Alice his
own apartment, took what rest he
could on the cold ground under leaky
shed hard by. His wound, not yet alto
gether healed, was not benefited by thu
exposure.
In due time next morning Hamilton
ordered Alice brought to his Office. ant
when she appeared he was smiling
with as near an approach to afrability
as his disposition would permit. HI
rose and bowed like q courtier.
II hope you rested we'll, mademoi
selle," he said In his best French. HI
imagined that the use Of her Language
would be agreeable to begin with.