Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-11-07
1--WE will return for the guns in a
DIV mr. on ~ ho coid

or and shorter. Three times they
stopped to build fires and cook tea. II
was night when they descended from
the ridge to the snow covered Ice OF
Lac Balm. 1t was past midnight when
Jan dragged Dixon from the spruce
forest into the opening Mt the post
There were no lights burning. and he
went with his half conscious burden
TO the company's store. He awakened
Croisset, who let them In.
"Take care Of Dixon" said Jan, "and
don't arouse any Of the people tonight
II will be time enough to tell what
has happened in the morning"
over the stove in his own room he
cooked meat and coffee. and for long
time sat silent before the fire. He had
brought back Dixon. In the morning
Melissa would know. First she would
20 to the Englishman. then--then-
she would come to him.
He rose and went to the rude board
table In the corner Of his room.
mo. Melissa must not come to me in
the morning" he whispered to himself
"She must never again look upon Jan
Thoreau"
He took pencil and paper and wrote.
Page after page he crumpled in his
hand and flung into the fire. At last,
swiftly and despairingly, he ended with
half n dozen lines. What he said came
from his heart in French:
have brought him back to you. my
Melissa. and pray that the good God may
give you happiness. I leave you the old
violin, and always when you play it will
tell you Of the love Of Jan Thoreau
He folded the page and sealed it in
one Of the company's envelopes. Very
quietly he went from his room down
into the deserted store. Without strik-
ing n light, he found new pack, few
articles Of food and ammunition. The
envelope addressed to Melissa he left
where Croisset or the factor would
find it in the morning. His dogs were
housed in shack behind the store. and
he called out their names softly and
warningly as he went among them. AS
stealthily as their master they trailed
behind him to the edge Of the forest,
and close under the old spruce that
guarded the grave Jan stopped and
silently he stretched out his arms to
the little cabin.
The dogs watched him. Kazan. the
one eyed leader. Glared from him into
the dimness Of the night. whining soft
ly. A low mourning wind swept
through the spruce tops. and from JAMS
throat there burst sobbingly words
tol, he h,1 =,
grave more than seventeen years be-
fore when Williams choking voice had
risen in last prayer for the woman.
'May the great God care for Me-
lisse!'
He turned into the trail upon which
Jean de Gravois had fought the Eng
lishman, led his dogs and sledge in a
twisting path through the caribou
swamp and stood at last beside the
lob stick tree that leaned out over the
edge of the white Barrens. With his
knife he dug out the papers which he
had concealed in that whisky Jack hole.
1t was near dawn when he recovered
the rifle which he had abandoned on
the mountain top. A little later It be.
gan to snow. He was glad. for 1t would
conceal his trail.
For thirteen days he forced his dogs
through the deep SHOWS into the south.
On the fourteenth they came to I.e
Pas. which is the edge Of civilization.
1t was night when he came out of the
forest, so that he could see the faint
glow of lights beyond the Saskatche-
wan
For few moments, before crossing,
he stopped his tired dogs and turned
his face back into the. grim desolation
Of the north. where the aurora was
playing feebly in the skies and beckon-
Ing to him and telling him that the old
life Of centuries and centuries ago
would wait for him always at the dome
of the earth.
THE good God bless you and keep
you and care for you ever more, my
Melisse,' he whispered And he walk
ed slowly ahead of his dogs across the
river and into the other world.
There was music that night in lie
woman came out. The man was ours
ing and the woman was laughing at
hlm-laughing as Jan had never heard
n woman laugh before and he held his
breath as he listened to the haunting
mockery in it. Kazan. the one eyed
leader, snarled. The trace dogs skunk
close to the leaders heels. With a
low word Jan led them on.
Close down to the river. where the
Saskatchewan swung in a half moon
to the south and west, he found a low,
squat building with light hung over
the door Illuminating a bit Of humor
In the form Of printed legend which
said that 1t was liking Edwards ho-
tel" The scrub bush OF the forest
grew within hundred yards of It,
and in this bush Jan tied his dogs and
left his sledge. 1t did not occur to
him that now. when he had entered
civilization. he had come also into the
land OF lock and bolt. Of robbers and
thieves. 1t was loneliness and not sus-
picion that sent him back to unleash
kazan and take him with him.
They entered the hotel, Kazan with
suspicious caution. The door opened
into big room lighted by an oil lamp
turned low. The room was empty ex.
cept for solitary figure sitting in a
chair facing wide window which
looked Into the north. Making no