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

"Y ISTEN, John. hear muster
The words came in a gentle
whisper from the woman's
- lips. One white. thin hand
lifted itself weakly to the rough face
Of the man who was kneeling beside
her bed, and the great dark eyes from
which he had hidden his own grew
LUMINOSITY bright for a moment as she
whispered again:
John. hear music!"
A sigh fluttered from her lips. The
mans head dropped until 1t rested very
near to her bosom. He felt the culver
Of her hand against his cheek and in
Its touch there was something which
told John Cummins that the end Of all
life had come for him and for her In
this world of snow and ice and for
est very near to the dome Of the earth.
His heart beat fercely, and his great
shoulders shook with the agony that
was eating at his soul
Eyes, It is the pretty music. my Me-
lisse," he murmured softly, choking
back bis sobs. 1T Is the pretty music
In the Skies"
The hand pressed more tightly
against his face.
ITS not the music in the skies. John.
1t is real-real music that hear"
Its the sky music, my sweet Me-
lisse. Shall I open the door so that
We can hear it better""
When he looked again at the wo-
man her eyes were open. and there
glowed in them still the feeble fire of
a great love. Her lips. too. pleaded
with him in their old. sweet way,
which always meant that he was to
kiss them and stroke her hair and tell
her again that she was the most beau
tiful thing in the whole world.
"My Melisse."
He crushed his face to her. his SOB
bling breath smothering itself in the
loft masses of her hair. while her arms
rose weakly and fell around his neck.
He heard the quick. gasping struggle
for breath within her bosom, and
family again. the words:
"It-s-the-music-
ut is the music of the angels In tho
skies. my sweet Melissa. 1t is our mu.
sic. will open the door"
The arms had slipped from his
shoulders. Gently he ran his rough
fingers through the loose glory of the
woman's hair and stroked her face as
,oftly as he might have caressed the
heck Of sleeping child.
II will open the door, Melissa"
His moccasined feet made no sound
~ he moved across the little room
which was their home. At the door
he paused and listened. Then he open
I'd II. and the foods Of the white night
poured In upon him as he stood with
iis eyes turned to where the cold, pale
6ashes Of the aurora were playing
Sver the pole.
1t was an hour past midnight at the
post, which had the barren lands at
ks back door. 1t was the hour of deep
humber for its people. But tonight
there was no sleep for any Of them.
Lights burned dimly in the few rough
og homes. The company's store was
lglow, and the factors Office. a haven
1t the men Of the wilderness, shot one
cleaning yellow eye out into the white
klOom. The post was awake. 1t was
waiting. II was listening, 1t was
watching.
AS the woman's door opened. wide
aud brimful of light. a door OF one Of
The log houses opened and then anoth-
Or. and out into the night. like dim
shadows, trod the mOccasined men
from the factors Office and stood
there waiting for the word of life or
teath from John Cummins. In their
swn fashion these men. who without
knowing 1t lived very near to the
ways Of God. sent mute prayers into
The starry heavens that the most beau
tlful thing In the world might vet he
spared to them.
It was Just two summers before TIM,
this beautiful thing had come into
Uummins' life and into the life Of the
post. Cummins. red headed. 1.-THE as a
,at. big souled as the eternal noun
.ain Of the Crees and the best of thu
company's hunters. had brought Me
lisse thither as his bride. Seventeen
rough hearts had welcomed her. The!
had assembled about that little cabiI
In which the light was shining now
speechless In their alteration of thl
woman who had come among them
their caps In their hands, their face
shining. their eyes shifting before tn
glorious ones that looked at them ant
smiled at them as the woman shoot
their hands, one by one.
Perhaps she was not strictly beauti
full a. most people judge. but she wa
beautiful here, 400 miles beyond civ