Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-10-03

gelv"
1T is tho little Melisse." replied the
man.
He dropped upon his knees with his
sad face close to the new life that was
to take the place Of the one that had
Just gone out Jan felt something tug
ging in strange way at his heart. and
he, too, fell upon his knees beside John
Cummins in this first worship Of the
child.
From this hour Of their first kneelin,
before the little life In the cabin some
thing sprang up between Jan Thoreau
and John Cummins which 1t would
have been hard for man to break.
That night when Jan picked up his
violin to go back to Mukee's cabin
Cummins put his two hands on the
boys shoulders and said:
"Jan, who are you and where did
you come from?"
Jan stretched his arm vaguely to the
north.
Jan Thoreau." he replied simply.
"Thees is my violon. We come alone
through the beeg snow. We stnrve
seven day in the beeg snow. Ny violon
keep the wolf of at night"
look again. Jan. Didn't you come
from there or there or there?'
Cummins turned slowly. facing 1rst
to the east and I.udson's bay. then to
the south, and instly to the west. There
was something more than curiosity In
the tense face that came back In star
ing inquiry to Jan Thoreau.
The boy hunched his shoulders. and
his eyes flashed.
ut ees not lie that Jan Thoreau and
bees violon come through the beeg
snow" be replied softly. ut ees not
lie"
There 10 plenty Of room here now"
said Cummins huskily. will you stny
with the little Melissa and me?"
with the leetle Melissa" gasped the
boy. "I-I-stay with the leetle white
angel for ever and ever!'
No man learned more Of Jan than
had Cummins. Even to Mukee his his
tory was equally simple and short. AL.
ways he said that he came from out Of
the north. which meant the Barren
lands. and the Barren lands meant
death. No man had ever come across
them as Jan had come. and ut another
time and under other circumstances
Cummins and his people would have
believed him mad.
But they knew that Jan Thoreau had
come like messenger from the angels,
that the woman's soul had gone out
meet him. and that she had died sweet
ly on John Cummins' breast while h
played. So the boy. with his thin. SEN
sitive face and his great, beautiful
eyes. became part Of what the wo.
man had left behind for them to love-
In way he made up for her loss
The woman had brought something
new and sweet into their barren lives,
and he brought something new and
sweet-the music Of his violin. He
played for them in the evening In tho
factors Office. and at these times they
knew that Cummins' wife was very
near to them and that she was speak
ing to them through the things which
Jan Thoreau played.
There were hours Of triumph for Jan
In the factors office. but 1t was the
audience In the little cabin that Jan
liked best. and. most Of all. he loved
to have the little Melissa alone As
the days OF early spring trapping ap.
preached and the wilderness for hun
dred miles around the post was crisis
crossed with the trails OF the Cree and
oxvyuU f,vr C,,p ,{n~
was absent for days at a time.
strengthening The ru,uiiany friend
ships and bargaining tor the catch
that would be coming to market about
! eight weeks later
! This was year of intense rivalry.
for the French competitors OF the
} company had established post 2OO
miles to the west. and rumor spread
! that they were to give sixty pounds
OF -four to the company's forty and
four feet OF cloth to the yard. This
meant action among Williams and his
people, and the factor himself. his son
J and all his men plunged into the will
. derness.
: The exodus left desolate ifelessness
at the post
In the silence and lifelessness Jan
Thoreau felt new and ever increas-
Ing happiness. To him the sound of
life was thing vibrant with harsh.
ness; quiet-the dead. pulseiess quiet
OF lifelessness-was beautiful He
} dreamed In 1t. and 1t was then that his
0 fingers discovered new things In bis
. violin.
He often sent Maballa. the Indian
. woman who cared for Melissa. to COS.
sip with williams Chippewayan wife,
so that he was alone great deal with
the baby. At these times. when the
door was safely barred against the
outside world. 1t was different Jan
Thoreau who crouched upon bis knees
beside the cot. His face was aname
with a great. absorbing passion which
at other times he concealed.
"Ah. re sweet leetle white angei.'
he would cry as she tugged and kick.
ed. II luf you SOL luf you an will
= stay always an play re violon! All,
you will be re gr-r-r-eat beautiful
white angel iak--her!"
He would laugh and COO like moth.
er and talk. for at these times Jan
I ThOreau's tongue was as volube as his
violin. His voice grew soft and low.
and his eyes shone with soft mist as
: he told her those things which John