The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1907-11-01

| Wafd journey. But now he moved as
II with uncertain purpose, pausing
often to glance round and give ear
to the wild voices of the waters. His
snow-shoes dragged at his legs and
his trade gun was a burden When
a deer sprang, crashing, from its rest
| ing-Dlace amid a pile Of dead brush,
he started yiolently-then shouted
foolish abuse after the fleeing animal,
like white mans child rather than
Walking Moose, the great hunter.
The sun was in the west, a
handbreath above the far hills.
when the heart of Walking
Moose rebelled against the desola-
ton and unreason of the lonely jour
ney. Turning square in his tracks,
! the hunter began to reclaim the miles
he had so YEARLY unraveled. The
| north called to him-with the voice of
the lonely woman and the enchant-
ment of the little store at Alexander's
Hope. The memory of the red shirts,
the powder, the tea and the tasseled
stockings drew him and Knocked him
in the same turn of thought. One
voice spoke within him, 1.-THE door
is weak. You will take what you need
and pay fairly with the good skins
It is your duty to supply yourself with
powder and ball for your gun, that
you may kill the beaver and musquash
and wild geese. And you and the
woman deserve tea and tobacco-and
you have the good furs with which
to pay"
But another voice whispered that
such thing could not be done; that
only an agent Of the great company
might unfasten that door and measure
out those needful and desirable stores;
that the name of Walking Moose
would become a name of scorn in
the world if he did his trading with
out waiting for Mcleod. But the
first voice was the stronger; and
Walking Moose sped along through
the fading twilight, sitting the lesser
voice at every stride.
The sky was clear and in the star
shine the trail of the snow-shoes was
plain under the hunters feet. He ran
in the level and open places; and no
where did he halt to draw breath
until half of the return journey was
accomplished Then he ate sparingly
and rested for an hour.
Dawn was gray in the east when
the huskies announced their masters
return with furious barking.
The squaw ran from the lodge.
No wait for Mcleod" said the
hunter. Come now, and see me make
honest trade. Bring the skins"
BY the pale and unearthly light
they broke the wooden hinges of
the door and entered the treasure
house.
Walking Moose make this trade all
alone. You no touch" said the brave.
First of all he opened a canister of
tobacco and weighed out five pounds
of the gold-brown luxury, and placed
five marten skins in payment on top
of the canister OF -four he measured
out four skins worth: of powder and
lead, ten skins worth; of tea, five and
of dry-goods, seven. In each case he
placed the furs on the shelf or pack
age from which he had taken the
goods. Then he stacked the remain
der of his winters catch on the floor
and placed his signature on top of
the plea spruce cone, a strip of
birch bark and porcupine quill
that Mcleod might know to whose
credit to place the furs.
They mended the door with care;
then pipes we're lighted and tea
brewed, and the bitterness of the long
trails was forgotten.
The first snow had fallen in a night
and melted in a day. 1t was in that
elusive season called Indian summer
that Walking Moose came again to
Alexander's Hope, this time to buy
an outfit for the winter campaign. The
squaw and the huskies, and even the
brave himself, carried packs Of penn
mican. beaver-skins and smoked fish
on their backs. The sledge and snow
shoes had been cached in the woods
near Alexander's Hope. Walking
Moose found a stranger-a young man
with spectacles on his nose-smoking
a pipe in front of the store.
'Where McLeod?" he inquired.
mir Mcleod was promoted to the
Bear River post last April, replied the
stranger. Il am in charge here now.
Post has been closed half the summer.
You've come just in time, if you want
to trade, because I'm going to shut
my men are coming up from st.
up shop in a few days"
The hunter nodded.
Tobr,e hefOro fronzino with tho hOatS "