Condon globe. (Condon, Gilliam Co., Or.) 189?-1919, 1913-02-28
Copyright. 1911. bu the Bobbs-
Merrill Co.
YOU did not see ~" asked Jan.


You did not see ~" asked Jan.
Uuconsclously the words came from
him 10 French Jean caught one OF
his thin hands and laughed Joyfully.
for the spirit OF him was French TO
the bottom OF his soul.
II see Il? No, neither nor lownka,
but there II was In the SNOW. as plain
as the eyes In your face. And did |
not follow the trail that staggered
down the mountain. while lowakn
brought you back TO life? Aud when
| came to the lake did not see some
thing black out upon H. like charred
log? And when came to II was Il
not the dead body OF the missioner
from Churchill? Eth. Jan Thorcau%
Jan sat up ln his bed. with a slSrp
cry.
'"rhe thaw VIII open up the lake In
a few days Then he will so down in
the tirst slush." Aud Jean looked about
him cautiously again and whispered
low-"lf you see anything about the
dead missioner that you do not under
stand think OF Jean dc Gravois."
He rose to his feet and bent over
JAMS white face.
Il am going the Athabasca way to-
day." he finished. Perhaps. Jan Thor
eau. you Will hear after time that 1t
would be best for Jean de Grayois
never to return again to this Post Lac
Balm. II so you will find him be-
tween Fond du Lac and the Beaver
river" lie passed out.
When Cummins returned be found
JAMS cheeks flushed and the boy In
fever
Devil take that Gravols!" he growl.
ed
He has been brother to me-" said
Jan simply. II love him"
On the second day nfter the French,
mans departure Jan rose free of the
fever which had threatened him for n
time. and In the afternoon he har.
messed Cummins' dogs. The last OF the
trappers had started from the post that
Ing heavily in the deepening slush. and
Jan set off over the smooth toboggan
trail made by the cOmpnny's agent In
his return TO Fort Churchill.
This trail followed close along the
base OF the ridge upon which he had
fought the missionary. joining that OF
Jean de Grnvois miles beyond. Ian
climbed the ridge. From where he had
made his attack he followed the al
most obliterated trail Of the French.
man and his malemutes until he came
to the lake. and then he knew that
Jean de Gravois had spoken the truth.
for he found the missionary with his
face half buried In the slush, stark
dead.
He no longer had to guess at the
meaning OF Jeans words. The bullet
hole under the dead mans arms was
too large to escape eyes like JAMS. Into
the little hidden world which he treas
ured in his heart there came another
face, to remain always with hlm-the
face OF the courageous little forest
dandy who was hurrylng with his
bride back into the country of the
Athabasca.
From that night JAMS eyes were no
longer filed with the nervous, glitter.
ing flashes which at times had given
him an appearance almost of madness.
In place Of their searching suspicious,
there was a warmer and more COM
panionable glow, and Cummins felt
the effect of the change.
A Cree trapper had found JAMS vio-
lin In the snow and had brought 1t to
MabalIa. Before Cummlns finished his
supper the boy began to play. and he
continued to play until the lights at
the post went out and both the man
and the child were deep In sleep.
Then Jan stopped. There was the fire
Of keen wakefulness in his eyes as
he carefully unfastened the strings OF
his instrument and held 1t close to the
oil lamp, so that he could peer down
through the narrow aperture In the
box.
He looked again at Cummins. The
man was sleeping with his face to the
wall. With the hooked wire which he
used for cleaning his revolver Jan
fished gently at the very end of the
box, and after three or four efforts
the wire caught In something soft,