Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1913-11-19

A 4 up his mind not to accom-
pany Thoreau on the trip south. The
following morning, before she was up,
Jan had gone. She was deeply hurt.
Never before had he left on one of
his long trips without spending his
last moments with her. Outside of her
thoughts of Jan, the days and ven
ings that followed were pleasant M
for her. The new agent was as jolly
as he was fat, and took an immense
liking to Melissa. Young Dixon was
good looking and trimming with life,
and spent a great deal of his time in
her company. For hours at time she
listened to his stories of the wonder
full world across the sea.
One day, a week after Jan had gone,
he told her about the women in the
land to Melissa.
""They are all beautiful owe there?"
she asked wonderingly, when he had
finished.
MANY of them are beautiful, but
none so beautiful as you, Melisse," he
IGDl1Cu, lOdlIlnS " " ACl 1h CJOo
shining. DO you know that you are
beautiful?''
His words frightened her so much
that she bowed her head to hide the
signs Of it in her face. Jan had often
spoken those same words-a thousand
times he had told her that she was
beautiful-but there had never been
this futtering of her heart before.
There were few things which IOWaka
and she did not hold in secret between
them, and a day or two later Melissa
told her friend what Dixon had said.
For the first time Iowaka abused the
confidence placed in her and told Jean.
1.-THE devil!' gritted Jean, his face
blackening.
He said no more until night, when
the children were asleep. Then he
drew Iowaka close beside him on a
bench near the stove and asked care
lessly:
"My angel, if one makes an oath to
the blessed Virgin and breaks it what
happensY
He evaded the startled look in his
wife's big black eyes.
1T means that one will be forever
damned unless he ~confesses to a priest
soon after, doesn't it? And if there is
no priest nearer than 400 miles it is a
dangerous thing to do. is it not?"
A fierce snarling and barking of dogs
brought Gravois to the door. They
could hear Croisset's raucOus voice and
the loud cracking of his big whip.
"Ill be back sOOn," said Jean, closing
the door after him, but instead of APP
preaching Croisset and the fighting
dogs he went in the direction of Cum
Minis cabin. He gritted his teeth as
young Dixon's laugh sounded loudly
in the cabin. 1.-TWO fools!" he went on
communing with himself. "Cummins
Jan Thoreau-both f0ols!"
During the week that followed jeans
little black eyes were far dis
tant from Cummins' cabin. Without
being observed he watched Melissa and
Dixon, and not even to Iowaka did he
give hint of his growing suspicious.
Dixon was a man whom most other
men liked. There were a fascinating
frankness in his voice and manner,
strength in his broad shoulders and a
general air of comradeship about him
which won all but Jean.
The trap line runners began leaving
the post at the end of the second week,
and after this Melissa and the young
Englishman were more together than
ever. Dixon showed no inclination TO
accompany the sledges, and when they
were gone he and Melissa began taking
walks in tho forest when the sun was
high and warm.
1t was on n of these days that Jean
had gone along the edge Of the caribou
swamp that lay between the Barrens
and the higher forest. He heard the
sound of voices ahead Of him, and a