, 1911-09-28

ilization, for l have been there and
have seen. We would have lie for
the little Meleese and the other Me
leese. her mother. And also, m'seur.
we would have killed our w brothers
had they as much as spoken a word
against them or cast at the mother
even as much as a look which was not
the purest. That is how we loved her
sixteen years ago this winter, m'seur,
and that is how we love her memory
STILL"
"She is dead," uttered Rowland. for
getting in these tense moments the sig
niicance Jeans story might hold for
him.
Yes, she is dead. m'seur. Shall !
tell you how she died?"
Croisset sprang to his feet. his eyes
flashing. his 1.-THE body t%witching like
a VOLTS as he stood for an instant half
leaning over the engineer.
"Shall / tell you how she died.
m'seur?" he repeated. sixteen years
ago. when the little Meleese was -four
years old and the oldest of the three
sons was fourteen. a man and his boy
came up from Churchill. He had let
tiers from the factor at the bay, and
our factor and his wife opened their
doors to him and to his son and gave
them all that il was in their power to
give.
"Mon Dieu. this man was from that
glorious civilization of yours. m'seur-
from that land to the south where
they say that Christ's temples stand
-, fnttr anrnnrG Inf no rnnld moi
understand the strange God and the
strange laws of Il people. For months
he had been away from h compan-
ionship of women, and In this great
wilderness the factors wife came into
his life as the lower blossoms In the
desert. All. m'seur, l can see now how
his wicked heart strove to accomplish
the things and 10Y he failed because
the glory of u womanhood up here
has come straight dow from heaven.
| And i'm falling he went mad-mad with
that passion of the race l have seen in
Montreal, and then-ah, the great God,
m'seur, do you not understand what
happened next?
Croisset lifted his head. his face
| twisted in n torture that was half
grief. half madness, and stared mt
Rowland, with quivering nostrils and
heaving chest. In his companior's face
he saw only a lead white pallor of
waiting. of half comprehension. He
leaned over the table again. controlling
himself by a mighty effort.
at was at thai time when most of
us were out among the trappers. just
before u big spring caribou roast,
when the forest people came in with
their furs. m'seur. The post was al
most deserted. Do you understand ?
The woman was alone in her cabin
with the little Meleese. and when we
came back at night she was dead.
Yes. m'seur. she killed herself, leav-
ing a few written wore to the factor
telling him what had happened.
1.-The man and the boy escaped on n
sledge after the crime. Mon Dieu,
how the forest people leaped in pur.
suit! 1t was the factor himself and
his youngest boy who found them far
out on the Churchill trail. And what
happened then. m'seur? Just this:
While the man lend urged on his dogs
the son fired back with n rifle. and one
of his bullets went straight through
the heart of the pursuing factor. so
that in the space of one day and n
night the little Meleese was made both
motherless and fatherless by these W.
whom the devil had sent TO destroy the
most beautiful thing we have ever
known in this north. All, m'seur, you
turn white! Does it bring a vision to
you now? Do you hear the crack of
that rifle? Can you see
"My Cod" gasped Rowland. Even
now he understood nothing of what
this tragedy might mean to him-for-
got everything but that he was listen
ing to the terrible tragedy that had
come to the woman who was the moth
er of the girl he loved.
"They escaped. m'seur."
With a deep breath Rowland sank
back. In a m he leaned again
toward lean as he saw come into the