Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-07-24

at the posi-.
In the silence and lifeIessness Jan
Thoreau felt a new and ever Increas.
ing happiness. To him the sound or
life was a thing vibrant with harsh
ness; quiet-the dead. pulseleSs quiet
OF lifeIeSsness-waS beautiful. He
drea med IN II. and II was then that his
fingers discovered new things IN his
violin
He often sent Maballa. the Indian
woman who cared for Melissa. TO Cos
sip with Williams Chippewayan wife.
so that he was alone a great deal with
the baby. At these times. when the
door was safely barred against the
! outside world. II was q different Jan
| ThOreau who crouched upon his knees
beside the cot His face was atiame
with a great. absorbing passion which
9t other tunes ne concealed.
| An. re sweet leetle white angel"
be would cry as she tugged and kick
ed. Il lur you SOL Iur you an will
stay always an play re vioIon! All.
| you will be re gr-r-r-eat beautiful
white angel Iak-herr'
He would laugh and COO like moth
| er and talk. for NJ these times Jan
/ Thoreau's tongue was as voluble as his
violin. His voice grew soft and low.
and his eyes shoue with n soft mist as
he told her those things which John
! Cummins would have given much 10
! know.
"Some day you shall understand
why IL happened. SWEEP MelisSe.' ne
! whispered. bringing his eyes so near
that she reached up an inquiring finger
10 them. Then you will luf Jan Tho
reau,'
Once. when Melissa Strengthened her
self for an instant and half reached
up her tiny arms to him. laughing and
/ cooling into his face. he gave glad
cry. crushed his face down 10 hers and
did what he had not dared 10 do be
fore-kiSSed her. There was something
about IL thar frightened the little Me
liSse. and she set up a wailinG that
sent Jan in Il panic of diSmay for Ma
balla. IL was a long time before ne
ventured TO kiss her again.
IL was during this fortnight OF desc
lation at the post that Jan after n short
absence one day discovered the big
problem for himself aud John Cum.
minis.
UUon her knees in front OF their
cabin he saw MabalIa. industriOusiy
rolling the half naked little Melissa
about In soft pile OF snow and doing
her work. AZ she firmly believed. In a
most faithful and thorough manner
With a shrek. Jan threw Off his pack
and darted toward her like q wild
thing.
'Sacre bleu--you keel-keel re leetle
Melisse!" he cried shriIly. snatching up
the half frozen child. Mon Dieu. she
ees not pa poose: she ees ceevilize-cee
viize.' aud be ran swiftly with her
into the cabin. fiinginS back a torrent
OF Cree anathema at the dumbly be
wildered Maballa.
At last Maballa went into an ecstasy
of understanding. Melissa was not &c
be taken out and rolled in the snow
SO she brought IN the snow and rolled
ii over Melissa.
When Jan discovered this bis tom que
twisted itself into sounds so terrible
and his face writhed so fercely thai
Maballa began 10 comprehend that
thereafter no snow at all, either our
doors or in. was TO be used in the phys
zeal development OF the little Melissa
This was the beginning OF the prob
lem. and IL grew and burst forth II
all its significance Cd the day befors
Cummtns came in from the wilderness
For q week Maballa mad been drop
ping sly hints OF a wonderful thins
which she and the factors half breeC
wife were making for the baby. Oh
the day before Cummins' arrival JaI
came in from chopping wood. Meliss,
was smiling and making queer. friend
ly little signals TO him from the able
She was standing upright wedged II
coffin shaped thing from which ouiI
her tiny white face peered out at him
and Jan knew that this was MabaIIat
. surprise. Melissa was In 4 papoos.
: sling!
, "Meltsse. say you shall be no pa
poser he cried. running TO the table
You ees ceevilize. You shall De o,
] papOOse, not II TWEEN tous'ud dew
5 come tax Jan Thoreaur'
; And he snatched her from her prison
, nung MRballa's bandiwork out int
r the snow and waited impatiently 70
the return or John Cummins.
Cummtns returned the next day, 10