Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1913-11-12
CHAPTER VIII.
Remuneration.

Y i was on the girls fifteenth birth
day. They had come up to the top
of the ridge on which he had
n fought the missionary, to gather
red sprigs Of the bakneesh for the fes-
tival that they were to have in the
cabin that night. High up on the face
of a. jagged rock Jan saw bit of the
crimson vine thrusting itself out into
the sun, and, with Melissa laughing
and encouraging him from below, he
climbed up until he had secured it.
He tossed it down to her.
Its the last one," she cried, seeing
his disadvantage, "and I'm going home.
You can't catch me-"
Jan slackened his steps. 1t was a
Joy to see Melissa springing from rock
to rock and darling across the thin
openings close ahead Of him, her hair
loosening and sweeping out in the sun,
her slender figure fleeing with the light
ness of the pale sun shadows that ran
up and down the mountain.
He would not have overtaken her Of
his own choosing, but at the foot Of
the ridge Melissa gave up. Never had
he seen her so beautiful, still daring
him with her laugh, quivering and
painting, finging back her hair. Half
reaching out his arms, he cried:
"Melisse, you are beautiful-you are
almost a woman! If you did your hair
up like the pictures we have in. the
books you would be woman" he an
swered softly. "You are more beauti-
full than the pictures!"
"You say that | am pretty and that
am almost woman" she pouted,
land yet She shrugged her shout
ders at him in mock disdain Jan
Thoreau, this is the third time in the
last week that you have not played
the game right. 1 won't play with
you any morep
In a fash he was at her side, her
face between his two hands. and,
bending down, he kissed her upon the
mouth.
''There," she said as he released her.
"1sn't that the way we have played it
ever since ! can remember? Whenever
you catch NE you may have that"
81 am afraid, Melisse," he said Sc
riously. "You are growing so tall and
so pretty that am afraid"
Afraid! My brother afraid to kiss
me! And what will you do when
get to be woman, Jan, which will be
very soon, you say?"
81 don't know, Melissa"
She turned her back to him and
flung out her hair, and Jan, who had
done this same thing for her a hum
dred times before, divided the silken
mass into three strands and plated
them into braid.
II don't believe that you care for me
as much as you used to, Jan. / wish
l were a woman, so that I might
know If you are going to forget me
entirely"
Her shoulders trembled, and when
she was laughing and that her eyes
were swimming with a new mischief
which she was trying to hide from
him. In that laugh there was some
thing which was not like Melissa.
Slight as the change was he noticed it;
but, instead of displeasing him, it set
vague sensation Of pleasure trilling
like a new song within him.
When they reached the post Melissa
went to the cabin with her bakneesh
and Jan to the company's store, where
he met Jean de Gravois.
BLESSED saints, man, but is she not
growing more beautiful every dayT'
said Jean.
EYES," said Jan. "She will soon be a
| woman"
"a womanr shouted Jean, who, not
having his caribou whip, jumped up
and down to emphasize his words.
'She will soon be a woman, did you
say, Jan Thoreau? And if she is not a
woman at thirty with two children
God send others like them!-when will
she be, ask lyou?"
81 meant Melisse," laughed. Jan.
"And l meant Iowaka," said Jean
He hoped out like a cricket overbur
dened with life, calling loudly to his
wife, who came to meet him, and say
ing to Jan:
Hurry to the cabin, Jan, and SEE
what sort of birthday gift Melissa
has got for you"
The big room was empty when Jar
came quietly through the open door
He stopped to listen and caught {
faint laugh from the other room ant
then another, and to give warning O.
his presence he coughed loudly anC
scraped chair along the floor. A mo
ment's silence followed. The farthel
door opened little, and then 1t opened
wide, and Melissa came out.
'Now, what do you think Of me
brother JAM"
She stood in the light of the window
through which came the afternoon sun
her hair piled in glistening coils upo1
the crown Of her head as they had seer
them in the pictures, her cheeks flush
ed, her eyes glowing questioningly a
Jan.
"You are prettier than / have ever