The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1911-06-02

Iean.tsnaS "S was Of the gray-eyad
oan''a"ed type that would gc.-,.} ~
De selected as sympathetic -~' 'e'y
Jean aplomb gave wav -
neS' OF tears as he sought ret,,o. 7' ~
bI Is strong shielding arms and bnrta ~,
Ms lace against the broad a, u
otre'ched shoulder whose blue 49,.
pillo"ed his face. His ill.sbare, n 1.',.
ant nat fell OF unheeded when ~ 'g gs.r
iil'eu clear Of the ground az HE vs.
tector stood erect. '''' pro-
Boys" the miner announced u1.u
goin' to take the little cugs He r,l, IL
good 70 me. and I've got plenty NJ ronra
up at my place" -, ''1'
1t was 30 like a decision .ba. 49,,
lelt called upon to nod acouIegcanca
ana opened out for him as he marched
away up the hillside to his cabir -
the duI OF the evening, picking HE
way around boulders and carrvirg 49,
10Y VINO was sans famiIle. Thev s+ood
"itnout word until they saw his
uoor open and close and then turned
again to each other.
Well I'll be hanged" the ag.n.
SAD; and in this they concurred 4n1
ing great poverty of expression in
Such an unusual combination of cir.
cumstances. Besides, they were not
men Of much speech.
The coming Of Jean Guillo+ Tafsv.
ette acted as a damper on HoIcornb
that night, and in the huge log dance
nail the singing OF the fiddlers and
stunning Of the guitars failed IN
evoke the usual hilarity. Even the
games beneath their shaded tin Ianr-
were poorly Datronized, and the gen.
tIemen who dealt them and gsrnarad
much thrift thereby Joined the grous
which listened to all the stage agent
had to inpart.
II was scant enough: merely that
the boy had been handed over by the
railway officials at Los Angeles IN
getner with what was left OF his tick
ct and a letter OF instruction which
mad been passed from hand to hand
IN the course Of its travels until it
was begrimed and stained by MANY
thumb and finger marks.
1t was from the village cure Of
"Monttgny sur Yiugeanne, wherever
that might be.
1t was a kindly letter in which the
good old priest barred a portion of his
heart in telling Of the love he had
long felt for the petit Jean. whom |
chrIstened, and whose mother, a very
good femme Of excellent family, had
the pleasure of burying"
They couldn't quite understand the
use OF the word pleasure but passed
it by as slip Of English. There was
an undernote Of vanity also in the
naive statement that hes good Eng
ltsh speak. because have not l. the
cure on Montigny sur Vingeanne, him
taught? l who have travelled far and
been to Angleterre?"
Up in the cabin on the hill the ar
rival had sObbed himself to sleep in
Kendalls arms long before the moon
came up, and the camp had lost some
of its interest and turned back to old
er ways in response to the seductive
clicking OF the roulette-balls and the
strident invitation of the strings
Even in the shadow OF distress it was
neither fitting nor natural that every
thing should come to halt because OF
an unwonted happening.
But Andy Kendall didn't come down
from his cabin that night. nor was
he thinking OF the morrow's work and
his "diggings," the most prosperous
of all, where twenty men answered
his beck and call and tore for him
from the earth the scales Of potent
gold. He sat on his threshold. total
ly unconscious of the softened music
of the dance hall in the fiat below.
and in the wreaths Of smoke from
his pipe built castles around Jean
Guillot Lafayette.
When the sun approached in the
morning and by its call awoke the
drumming life of the hills, Andy tip
toed from his bunk, and with stentcri-
Gus splutterings washed his face in
the tin basin just outside the cabin
door.
He was interrupted by foreign sal
utation, Bon jour, monsieur" and on
peering up through the cascade OF
soapy water, which rivuleted from the
brown mop Of hair across his eyes,
behold his guest
Hello. young Teller" he returned.
with a kindly grin. 'Feeltn' better,
are YOU? That's a good boy"
And then, his nose rubbed to shin
ing ruddiness by the aid OF coarse
towel he reflled the basin and ex-
tended q homely invitation for its
use. He whistled as he busted himself |
irving crisp the long slices OF bacon
for their morning meal, and laughed
when he discovered Jean watching IN
amszement the dett-
ness with which he threw huge dap
lacks into the air. turning and de1-
terously catching them in midnight
as they fell.
"Eet ees yaire cleyaire," remarked
lean in frank admiration. Monsieur
is un bon prestid!gitator. He is what
you call a zhugglure. Eli. is 1t not