Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-02-02

but little farther on-perhaps, indeed,
to turn back"
ITO go back?" said Law.
well, yes; that is to say, Monsieur
Las, back again down the great lakes"
Have you then known me so ill as
this, Du Mesne?" said Law. cit has
not been my custom to set backward
foot on any sort of TRAIL
"Oh, well, to be sure, monsieur, that
know quite WE'LL" replied Du Mesne,
apologetically. II would only say that,
il you do go forward, you will do more
than most men accomplish on their
first voyage au large in the wilder
ness. There comes to many certain
shrinking Of the heart which leads
them to find excuse for not faring far
Their on. Yonder, as you know, mon
sieur, lie Quebec and Montreal, some
what better fitted for the abode of
monsieur and madame than the tents
Of the wilderness. Back of that, too,
as we both very well know, monsieur,
lie London and old England; and I
had been dull of eye indeed did l not
recognize the opportunities of q young
gallant like yourself. Now, while I
know yourself to be man Of spirit,
Monsieur Las, and while should well
come you gladly as brother of the
trail, I had only thought that perhaps
you would pardon me if did but ask
your purpose at this time"
Law bent his head in silence for
moment. What know you of this for
| ward trail, Du Mesne?" said he Have
you ever gone beyond this point in
your own journeyings?"
Never beyond this" replied Du
Mesne, land indeed not SO far by many
hundred miles. For my own part
| rely chiefly upon the story of my
brother, Greysolon du L'hut, the bold
est soul that ever put paddle in the st.
Lawrence My brother Greysolon, by
| the fire one night, told me that some
years before he had been at the mouth
of the Green bay-perhaps near this
very spot-and that here he and his
brothers found deserted Indian camp.
| Near it, lying half in the fire, where
he had fallen in exhaustion, was an
old, very old Indian, who had been
abandoned by his tribe to die-for
that, you must know, monsieur, is one
Of the pleasant customs of the wilder
ness.
"Greysolon and his men revived this
savage in some fashion, and meantime
had much speech with him about this
unknown land at whose edge we have
now arrived The old savage said that
| he had been many moons north and
west of that place. He knew of the
FLYER called the Blue Earth, perhaps
the same of which Father Hennepin
has told. And also of the Divine river,
far below and tributary to the Mes
sasebe. He said that his father was
once of war party who went far to
the north against the Ojibways, and
that his people took from the Ojibways
one of their prisoners, who said that
he came from some strange country far
to the westward, where there was a
very wide plain, of no trees. Beyond
that there were great mountains, taller
than any to be found in all this region
hereabout. Beyond these mountains
the prisoner did not know what there
might be, but these mountains his peo-
pie took to be the edge of the world.
beyond which could live only wicked
spirits. This was what the prisoner
Of the Oiibways said. He, too, was an
old man.
1.-THE captive of my brother Grey
solon was an Outagamie, and he said
that the Outagamies burned this pris-
oner of the Ojibways, for they knew
that he was surely lying to them.
Without doubt they did quite right to
burn him. for the notion of great
open country without trees or streams
is, of course, absurd to any one who
| knows America. And as for noun
tains, all men know that the, noun
tains lie to the east of us, not to the
westward"
Twould seem much hearsay," said
Law, this information which comes
at second. third and fourth hand"
True" said Du Mesne, "but such is
the source Of the little we know of the
valley of the Messasebe, and that which
lies beyond it. None the less this idea
offers interest"
Yet you ask me If would return"
Twas but for yourself, monsieur.
1t Is there, if may humbly confess to
you, that it is my own ambition some
day to arrive. Myself-this west, as
said long ago to the gentlemen in Lon,
don-appeals to me, since it is indeed
a land unoccupied, unowned, an en-
pire which we may have all for our
selves. What say you, Monsieur L'as?"
John Law Strengthened and stiffened
| as he stood. For an instant his eye
| flashed witt the zeal of youth and of
| adventure. 1t was but a transient
cloud which crossed his face, yet there
was sadness in his tone as he replied.
My friend" said he, you ask me
for my. answer. l have pondered and
now decide. We shall go on. We
shall go forward. Let us have this
west, my friend. Heaven helping us,
let me find somewhere, in some land,
a place where may be utterly lost.
and where may forget"
ITO be continued
Que Fare Plus 90 Round Trip Rate via
Chicago Great Western Railway,