The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1912-08-10
CHAPTER ~.
The Caribou Carnival.

Inc CARIBOU Carnival
"HD education Of the little Me
lisse began ut once. while the
post was still deserted. II be-
i gan, first Of all. with Maballa.
She stared dumbly and with shattered
faith at these two creatures who told
her OF wonderful things In the up
bring OF q child-things of which she
had never SO much as heard rumor be.
fore. Her mother instincts were arous.
ed, but with Cree stoicism she made
no betrayal OF them
The leather tanned immobility of
her face underwent no whit of change
when Cummins solemnly declared that
the little Melisee was about to begin
teething. She sat grimly and watched
them In silence when between them
upon a bearskin stretched on the floor
they tried vainly to persuade Melissa
to use her feet
Weeks passed and williams came In
from the southern forests. Mukee fol.
lowed him from the edge of the Bar.
rens. Old Perez. partly Eskimo, re-
turned from the Eskimo people, three.
quarters starved and with half Of his
dogs stolen. From the north. east,
west and south the posts fur rangers
trailed back. Life was resumed.
There was a softness In the air, q
growing warmth In the midday sun.
The days Of the big change were near.
And when they came, John Cummins
and Jan Thoreau, Of all the factors
people, wore patches at their knees
One afternoon In the beginning of
the mush snow a long team Of rakish
malemutes, driven by an Athabasca
French-Canadian, raced wildly into the
clearing about the post The entire
post rushed out to meet the newcomer.
He was Jean de Gravois, the most i'm
portant man In the Fond du Lac coun-
try, for whose goodwill the company
paid small bonus That he had made
a record catch even the children knew
by the size Of the packs on his sledge
and by the swagger in his walk.
Gravols was usually one of the last
to appear at the annual gathering of
the wilderness fur gatherers. He was
a big man In reputation as he was
small In stature. He was one Of the
few of his kind who had developed
personal vanity along with unerring
cunning In the ways of the wild. Ev.
erybody liked Gravois, for he had
big soul In him and was as fearless as
a lynx. and he liked everybody, includ.
Ing himself
He explained his early arrival by an
nouncing In nonchalant manner that
after he had given his malemutes
days rest he was going on to Fort
Churchill to bring back a wife. He
limited with punctuating crack Of his
whip that he would make a second
visit and q more interesting one at
Just about the time when the trappers
were there In force.
Jan Thorcau listened to him, bunch
ing his shoulders n little at the others
manifest air of Importance. In turn
the French Canadian scrutinized Jan
good naturedly.
Every hour after the half breeds ar.
rival quickened the pulse Of expectan'
cy at the post. For six months 1t had
been a small and solitary unit of life
In the heart of big desoatlon. The
first snow had smothered II In lone
illness that was almost the loneliness
VI desertlon With that hrst snow he
gan the harvest days of the trappers.
Now the change was at hand 1t
was like the breath OF spring to the
awakening wilderness. The forest
people were moving. Trap lines were
being broken. shacks abandoned.
sledge dogs put to harness On the
day that Jean de Gravois left for
Hudson bay the company's supplies
came in from Fort Churchill seven
toboggans drawn by Eskimo dogs
laden with -four and cloth, 6fty pounds
of beads, ammunition and hundred
other things. to be exchanged TOR the
furs that would soon be In London
and Paris.
Fearfully Jan Thoreau ran out to
meet the sledges. There were seven
Indians and one white man. Jan
thrust himself close to look at the
white mar. He wore two revolver
holsters and carried an. automatic.
Unquestionably he was not mission
ary, but an agent OF the company. well
prepared to care for the company's
treasure.
Jan hurried back to the cabin, bis
heart bubbling with strange JOY.
'There ees no missioner, MelisseT'
he cried triumphantly. dropping be-
side her. his face glowing with the
gladness Of his tidlngs "You shall be
good and beautiful. lax her, but you
shall not be baptize by missioner Hs
has not come"
A few minutes later Cummins came
In. One Of his hands was torn ane
bleeding.
"Those Eskimo dogs are demonsv
he growled. "If they knew how u
stand on their legs they'd eat our nus
kies alive. VIII you help me "'tf