The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-08-20
Biz gSnoWs
Au1thon of 1.-The Danger Trail''

ships and bargaining for. 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 POO 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 and all bis men plunged into the will derness.
 The exodus left desolate lifeIessness
 at the post
 In the silence and lifelessness Jan
 Thoreau felt a new and ever increas- ing happiness To him the sound of
 life was a thing vibrant with harsh.
 ness; quiet-the dead, pulseless quiet of lifelessness-was beautiful. He dreamed in it, and it was then that his
 fingers discovered new things in his
 violin.
 He often sent Maballa, the Indian
 woman who cared for Melisse, to gos- 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, it was different Jan
 Thoreau who crouched upon his knees
 beside the cot His face was afame
 with great, absorbing passion which at other times he concealed. "Ah. ze sweet ieetle white angel"
 he would cry as she tugged and kick
 ed. q luf you sol luf you an will
 stay always an play ze violon! An.
 you will be ze gr-r-r-eat beautiful white angel lak-her.'
 He would laugh and coo like moth CT and talk, for at these times Jan Thoreau's tongue was as voluble as his violin. His voice grew soft and low. and his eyes shone with soft mist as he told her those things which John Cummfns would have given much to | know.
 Some day you shall understand why it happened, sweet Melisse," he whispered, bringing his eyes so near that she reached up an inQuiring finger to them. ''Then you will luf Jan Tho reau!"
 Once, when Melisse straightened her. self for an instant and half reached | up her tiny arms to him, laughing and cooing into his face, he gave glad i cry, crushed his face down to hers and did what he had not dared to do be fore-kissed her. There was something about it that frightened the little Me lisse, and she set up a wailing that sent Jan in a panic of dismay for Ma
 balla. It was long time before he ventured' to kiss her again. It was during this fortnight of deso- lation at the post that Jan after short absence one day discovered the big problem for himself and John Cum mins
 Upon her knees in front of their cabin he saw Maballa, industriously rolling the half naked little Melisse about in a soft pile of snow and doing her work. as she firmly believed. in most faithful and thorough manner. With shriek, Jan threw off his pack and darted toward her like a wild thing.
 "Sacre bleu-you keel-keel ze leetle Melisser' he cried shrilly, snatching up the half frozen child. Mon Dieu. she ees not papoose; she ees ceevilize cee- vilize!'' and he ran swiftly with her into the cabin, fiinging back a torrent of Cree anathema at the dumbly be- Wildered Maballa.
 At last Maballa went into an ecstasy of understanding. Melisse was not to be taken out and rolled in the snow; so she brought in the snow and rolled it over Melisse.
 When Jan discovered this his tongue twisted itself into sounds so terrible, and his face writhed so fercely that Maballa began to comprehend that thereafter no snow at all, either out doors or ins was to be used in the phys ical development of the little Melisse.
 This was the beginning of the prob lem, and it grew and burst forth in l all it's significance on the day before Cummins came in from the wilderness. For a week Maballa had been drop ping sly hints of wonderful thing which she and the factors half breed wife were making for the baby. On the day before Cummins' arrival Jan came in from chopping wood. Melisse was smiling and making queer, friend ly little signals to him from the table. She was standing upright, wedged in a coffin shaped thing from which only her tiny white face peered out at him, and Jan knew that this was Maballa's surprise. Melisse was in a papoose sling
 "Melisse, say you shall be no pa poose" he cried, running to the table. You ees ceevilize! You shall be no papoose, not if twen' t'ous'nd devil come talk Jan Thoreaur'
 And he snatched her from her prison, l flung Maballa's handiwork out into the snow and waited >impatiently for the return of John Cummins. Cummins returned the next day. not that his work among the wild trap l pers to the south was finished, but be- cause he had suffered hurt in falling from a slippery ledge. When Jan. from his wood chopping in the edge of 1 the forest, saw the team race up to the
 little cabin and strange Cree half carry the wounded man through the door, he sped swiftly across the open with visions of new misfortune before