Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-09
CHAPTER XII.
For Her.

i'p"u Jan now fell a great responsible
ity. Melissa was his own. Days passed
before he could realize the fulness of his
possession. He had meant to go by the
AthdbaSca water route To see Jean de
cTaVOiS. leaving MciisSe to CummnS for
Il fortnight or SO. Now he gave this up.
Day ara night he @uarded the child: and
To JAMS great Joy it soon came 10 pass
that Whenever ne was compelled to leave
her for a short time MelisSe would cry
for him. VI least. Maballa assured him
that this was so aud Melissa gave evil
dcnCe of il by her ccstatic JOY when he
retained.
When Cu,umins came back from Fort
Churchill in the autumn lie brought with
him pack fall Of things for Melissa. in
Guiding new books and papers. for which
he mad spent a share of his season s
earnings. As lie was freeing these treas
!, Lres from their wrapping of soft caribou
skin. with Jan and Melisse both looking
on, he stopped suddenly and glanced from
his knees up at the boy.
They're Wondering over at tnurchiil
what became OF the missionary who left
with The mail. Jan. They say he was last
seen al the F.tawney.
And not here?' replied Jan. quickly.
Not that they know Of, said Cummins.
still keeping his eyes on the boy The
men who drove him never got back TO
Churchill They re wondering where the
driver went, too. company officer has
gone up to the Etawney, and it is pos
sibie he may come over to Lac Balm.
dor't believe he'll find the missionary
Neither do l." said Jan, quite coolly.
He is probably dead, and the wolves and
foxes have eaten him before this-or meb-
by Ze feeSh,
Cumnins resumed his task of unpack-
ing, and among the books which he
brought forth there were two which he
gave to Jan.
The supply ship from London came in
While 1 was at Churchill and those came
with Il" he explained They're school
! books. There's going to be a school at
! Churchill next winter, and the winter
down on the Hayes. He settled back on
| his heels and looked at Jan. It's the
first schoO. that has eve.' come nearer
than four hundred miles of us. That's al
Prince Albert.
For many succeeding days Jan took long
walks alone in the forest trails. and 81
lently thrashed out the two problems
which Cummins had brought back from
Churchill for him. Should ne warn Jean
de GraVoiS that company officer was in
Vestisating the disappearance of the mis-
siOnary?
AT first his impulse was to go at once
into Jeans hauntS beyond the Fond du
Lac and give him the news. But even if
the officer did come to Post Lac Balm
how would he know that the missionary
was at the bottom OF the lake and that
Jean de GravoiS was accountable for it?
So in the end Jan decided that il would
be folly 10 stir up the little hunters fears,
and he thought no more of the company'S
Investigator who had gone up to the
Etawney.
But the second problem was one whose
perpleXities troubled him. Cummins word
of the school at Churchill had put new
and thrilling thought into his head. and
always with that thought he coupled Wis
ions of the growing Melissa. This year
the school would be at Churchill, and the
next at York factory, and after that it
might be gone forever, that when Me-
lisSe grew up there would be none nearer
than what Jan looked upon as the other
erd of the world. Why could not he 20
TO school for Melissa, and store up treas
ures which in time he might turn over
to her?
The scheme was colossal one by all
odds the largest that had ever entered
into his dreams of what life held for him
that lie. Jan Thoreau, should learn to
read and write and do other things like
the people of the far south, so that he
might help to make the little creature in
the cabin like her who slept under the
depths of his soul. now with fear. again
with hope and desire and ambition: and
it was not until the first cold chills of ap-
preaching winter crept down from the
came and he told Cummins of his inten-
ton.
Once his mind was settled Jan lost no
time in putting his plans into action. Mu-
kec knew the trail 10 Churchill and
agreed to leave with him on the third day
which gave Williams wife time to make
him new coat of caribou skin.
ON the second evening he played for the
last time in the little cabin: and after Me-
lisse had fallen asleep ne took her up
gently in his arms and held her there for
long time. while Cummins looked on m
silence. When he replaced her in the
little bed against the wall cumminS put
one of his long arms about the boys
shoulders and led him to the door. where
they stood looking out upon the grim
desolation of the forest that rose black
and silent against the starlit background
OF the sky. High above the thick tons
of the spruce rose the lone tree over the
grave. like a dark finger pointing up into
the night. and Cummins' eyes rested
there
no