Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-04-13

The woman stared at him TOT Q mo- ment, ,petrffed by astonishment, trem- bling, with modification, rage, and de- spair in quick succession. A shadow fell across her face; it was that oi Tonti disappearing through the win dow. She was alone. .s4.
 CHAPTER XIV.
 WHEREIN FRONTENAC ASSUMES
 THE ROLE OF GUARDIAN. AND
 TWO FAMILIAR FACES REAPPEAR.
 Two years passed, and affairs of mo- ment, affecting closely the lives and fortune of all the chief actors in this New World drama, were enacted in Quebec For time the new associa- tion of fur-traders, whose support La Salle had with difficulty obtained, were content with their venture and looked forward to the day when they could reasonably expect to hear tidings of the expedition's success Their confi- dence resisted for time attacks made by Duchesneau, through the crafty Jacques Le Der and other agents against the enterprise. But little by little, as no news came and the efforts of the indefatigable intendant were unremitting, their assurance was weakened. La Salle's personality, had he been there, would have been suff1- cient to hold their allegiance, and Frontenac himself could doubtless have allayed their uneasiness. Affairs of state, however, had compelled him to devote all his time to their disentan- element. His relations with Duches- neau became more and more strained; the council showed itself more unruly; failure in their crops had made the neighboring farmers dissatisfied; their demands for government assistance | became more clamorous, while the ex- pected aid from the king had been de- layed and was destined to prove to be little better than an empty promise. Thus the first vague fears for the success of the expedition had become, thanks to the intendant's machina- tions, settled feeling of dissatisfac- tion and unrest; and when messen-
 
 Salle's misfortunes and difficulties, the. anger of the discontents became open. Hence the seizure of all of the avail- able property of La Salle at this june ture Frontenac did his utmost to placate these men, and 1t was only the expected arrival in September (of the year following that in which Tonti and his comrades had set out from Quebec) of the kings ship that kept them from taking further active meas ures for securing legal redress for their losses. The possibility of an al- teration in the plans of the king for his colonies; of material aid from the royal treasury; of change in off, cials-all caused a suspension Of hos | tilities on the part of the warning par ties and individuals. Once more did the cliffs and shores re-echo to the roar of cannon, as the long expected messenger from behind the horizons rim folded its sails and anchored peacefully in the basin be- fore the town. Again were letters read from king and minister exhort- Ing loyal subjects to maintain amica- ble relations amongst themselves, and to exercise all due economy in the ad- ministration of affairs; again did. the suitors swarm to the marriage market and carry away the new consignment of "king's girls" In many ways the ships arrival had proved disappoint- ment. The amount of money sent had been wofully short of the sum asked for; of the 200 soldiers he had inn plored the king to dispatch for the proper garrisoning of the various posts, and the overawing of the sav- ages who had given increasing signs of unfriendliness to the French, From tenac had received but 60.
 It was while reviewing mentally the general situation that the governor sat at his desk, the morning after the ships arrival, in the great room at the Chateau, where he first dined with La Salle and Tonti. A stormy session of the council the evening before and the knowledge of the impending dif1culties ahead had not deterred him from a good nights sleep. Nothing seemed to daunt the nerve of steel and heart of oak that the man possessed. Dan- ger and difficulties only made him strive the harder. The heat of battle had been his lot all his life, whether In Louis Dutch and Italian wars, or In a campaign against the Turk. It. was, then, with q cling of renewed energy and eagerEe..s for the fray that he surveyed the situation. "I will govern in spite of them" he ex- claimed as he struck the desk, be-. strewn with papers before him, wig orous blow with his fist. Them" comprehended all who rendered his task difficult, from the procrastinating king and his minister across the seas. to the painted savage lurking in the forests of the New World.
 Thus with fresh vigor and deter imitation to face his most belligerent enemy boldly. he ordered servant to admit any seeking audience with him. Imagine his surprise when he beheld before him not the lintendant bringing to his attention some fresh point of dispute. or the cringing form and whining voice of Jacques Le Der as he offered a new complaint from the trading community, but rather the face, pale and severe, of Madame Bourdon, who had again been placed in charge of the feminine portion of the ships cargo. She was accompa-