The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1906-12-14

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Lanese.
''Dey say" Madame Spigolet's voice
lowered, "dey say he's been shoot de
crap"
Madame Lanese swallowed the
shock grimly Seems like Bete-noire
just love to do what he ought not"
Madame Spigolet continued. When
my old man ask him about das, he
laugh and show him dollar. Call it
easy money My old man say he
learn dose words down to Still. He
say all dose young woods-riders talk
like das. wish me das still catch fire
and burn up"
Madame Lanese was woman Of
few words and no apostrophes.
Dame" she said tersely. IF Bette
noire going shoot de crap like one
negah, he amt going come see Made
line"
"Bete-noire," assented Madame Spig-
olet
Eth bien, the thought of Henri al
ways did suggest his nickname. His
head was red, his skin like skinned
milk, his eyes like bits of brown fire;
but madame, his mother, had renamed
him before he was knee high. Such
a wilfull little plague he was, forever
doing the most unexpected things
''Bete-noire."
And the bigger Henri grew the bet
ter the nickname suited him. A laugh
ter-lovi1g, daredevil, honest and gen.
erous, and wild as the wind. If it was
boat race, the boat he sailed would
win-if she did not go to the bottom.
If 1t was a horse race, the horse he
rode would lead by a neck-if it did
not break leg. But, yes! betting was
always interesting when Bete-noire
was in the running. No wonder the
Bayou loved him; no wonder it shook
the sorrowful head when he fell from
grace. And after that crap-shooting,
fall from grace Bete-noire did as fiat
as ever angel fell. Even M. Lanese
shook the head.
''Das amt right, shoot crap like
one negah. No, sir; das amt right"
he said to his wife; and Madame La
nese said briefly to Madeline, her
daughter, that she would not speak
with Bete-noire any more
Madeline made answer: 81 been told
Bete-noire l make marry wit him
when he build house,"
"You can't make marry wit boy das
do like one negah."
I'm going make marry wit Bette
noire when he gets house built"
"Ha! Das what you t'ink maybe;
but me, say non, non, non!"
Madeline said nothing.
Madame Lanese sought her friend.
"Par Madonne!" calculated Madame
Spigolet, when she had heard the
story. "And Madeline, she say
yes?"
But me, say non, non, non!" Ma
dame Lanese felt little proud of her
volubility. She had never done it
before.
And what she say den?'
Noting" Madame relapsed into
brevity. Just go on peeling Eaters.
Dam taters!" she declared, rather un-
fairly, for the potatoes had not been
concerned with the situation:
MATS ciel! She can't make marry
If you say no."
"She make her age in five years
and den"
4Beiu! Das long time, five years, if
you young. Tell Bete-noire he can't
come see Madeline till she make her
age"
Salt. But Bete-noire, notified that
he should not invade M. Lanese's
front gallery, joyfully invaded M. La
nese's cornfield, where Madeline was
pulling fodder before sun-up, and joy
fully took Madeline into his arms.
Don't you bot'er, Bebe. I'm going
build house for you tout-do-suite."
Madeline said YES" contentedly.
She had not doubt but what he
would Eth, bein! 1t is so comforting
to feel that ones lover is the biggest
and brayest man on the Bayou.
Under pressure of her faith in him,
Bete-noire resolved to do what no
other boy on the Bayou had ever
done-go away from home to make
his fortune. Ten miles from the Ba-
you, he learned, there was a factory
that paid three dollars and twenty
cents barrel for shrimp; and that
ten barrels was a not unusual DAYS
catch. More money in that than in
dipping turpentine for 80 cents a bar
rel, or burning coal for $40 kiln. Ha!
he would go to work for the factory.
When Bete-noire ran his boat along
side the factory wharf they told him
he must go to the notary and get a
license, and he went, wondering reck-
lessly what license might be. But
when he saw the bit of paper and un-
derstood that he would have to nav
some money for it, he perceived that
it was much like the "tifitate" old
man Rene showed whenever he want
ed to get out of working the roads.
Ha! a certificate is no bad thing to
have! Bete-noire put it in his pocket
and sailed away. His dago assistant
sat down in the bow and said moth
ing. What could he say, unless he
meant to lose his days work, or,
rather. days pay for idleness?
Blithely unconscious of the evil sig
nificaace that hung over the empty
eaona pofo-pniro hic mon a-d