The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-08-21

| ness, m'seur, it is not strange that he | should have taken you for the man we
 sought. for it is singular that you bear him out like brother in looks. as l 1 remember the boy. It is true that Francois made great error when he 1 sent word to his brothers suggesting | that if either Gregson or Thorne was 1 put out of the way you would proba- ply be sent into the north. l swear | by the Virgin that Meleese knew noth- | ing of this. m'seur. She knew nothing of the schemes by which her brothers
 drove Gregson and Thorne back into
 the south. They did not wish to kill them. and yet it was necessary to do something that you might replace one of them, m'seur. They did not make
 move alone but that something hap pened. Gregson lost finger. Thorne was badly hurt. as you know. Bullets came through their window at night.
 With Jackpine in their employ it was easy to work on them, and it was not long before they sent down asking for
 another mar to replace them"
 For the first time surge, of anger
 swept through Rowland. "The towards" he exclaimed. "A
 pretty pair. Croisset. to crawl out from under trap to let another in at the topr'
 Perhaps not so bad as that" said Jean. They were given to understand that they-and they alone-were not wanted in the country. It may be ]6of h
 come to you and so kept quiet about
 what had happened. 1t may be. too. that they did not like to have it known that they were running away from danger. Is not that human, m'seur? Anyway. you were detailed to come,
 and not until then did Meleese know of all that had occurred"
 The Frenchman stopped for mo- ment. The glare had faded from Howland's eyes. The tense lines in his face relaxed.
 'I-I-believe understand every thing now. Jean," he said. You traced the wrong John Rowland, that's all. I love Meleese. Jean. l would kill John Rowland for her. want to meet her brothers and shake their hands. 1 don't blame them. But somehow it hurts to think of her of Meieese-as-as almost a mur- derer."
 "Mon Dieu, m'seur. has she not saved your life? Listen to this. It was theh--when she knew what had happened-that. Meleese came to me whom she had made the happiest man in the world, because it was she who brought my Mariane over from Churchill on a visit especially that I might see her and fall fin love with her. m'seur-which I did. Meleese came to me-to Jean Croisset-and in- stead of planning your murder. m'seur. she aschemed to save your life-with me--who would have cut you into bits no larger than my finger and fed you to the carrion ravens. who would have choked the life out~of you until your eyes bulged in death. as choked that one up on the Great Slave! Do you understand. m'seur? It was Me leese who came and pleaded with me to save your life-before you had left Chicago. before she had heard more of you than your name. before she had learned"-
 Croisset hesitated and stopped.
 Before what. Jean?"
 Before she had learned to love you. m'seur."
 "God bless her" exclaimed How land.
 'You believe this. m'seur?"
 "As I believe in a God"
 ''Then I will tell you what she did. m'seur." he continued in a low voice. "The plan of the brothers was to make you prisoner near Prince Albert and bring you north. 1 knew what was to happen then. It was to be a beautiful vengeance, m'seur-a slow torturing death on the spot where the crime was committed sixteen years ago. But Me leese knew nothing of this. She was made to believe that up here. where the mother and father died. you would be given over to the proper law-to the mounted police who come this way now and then. She is only girl. m'seur. easily made to believe strange things in such matters as these. else she would have wondered why you were not given to the officers in Prince Albert
 Ut was Meleese's eldest brother who thought of her as a lure to bring you out of the town into their hands. and not until the last moment. when they were ready to leave for the south. did she overhear words that aroused her suspicious that they were about to kill you. 1t was then. m'seur. that she came to me-"
 And you. Jean:"
 Ion the day that Mhriane promised to become my wife, m'seur. promised in our Blessed Lady's name to repay my debt to Meleese, and the manner of payment came in this fashion. Jack pine. too, was her slave, and so we worked together. Two hours after Meieese and her brothers had left for the south was following them, shaven of beard and so changed that I was not recognized in the fight on the Great North trail. Meleese thought that her brothers would make you a prisoner that night without harming you. Her brothers told her how to bring you to their camp. She knew nothing of the ambush until they leaped on you from cover.