Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1913-10-22
begun Last Week.
SYNOPSIS
Copyright, Oh,
bu the Bobbs Merrill Co.

In the Tar northwest the wife of John
Cummins dies, leaving baby Melissa
Young Jan Thoreau comes from the Bar
rem Lands with his violin. Mukee, the
Cree, had once spied on an Englishman
peeping through the Cummins window.
Mukee had slain the Englishman. Jan
makes his home with Cummins and the
two resolve to bring up the baby in civ
utzed manner. The mention of a mission
airy angers Jan.
"Ah, re sweet leetle white angelw
he would cry as she tugged and kick
ed. 81 luf you SOL luf you an will
stay always an play re violon! All,
you will be re gr-r-r-eat beautiful
white angel lak-her"
He would laugh and coo like moth
er and talk for at these times Jan
Thoreau's tongue was as vOluble as his
violin. His voice grew soft and low.
and his eyes shone with soft mist as
he told her those things which John
Cummins would have given much to
know.
"Some day you shall understand
why it happened. sweet Melisse," he
Whispered, bringing his eyes so near
that she reached up an inquiring finger
to them. ''Then you will luf Jan Tho
reaup'
Once, when Melissa Strengthened her
self for an instant and half reached
up her tiny arms to him, laughing and
cooling into his face, he gave a glad
cry, crushed his face down to hers and
did what he had not dared to do be-
fore-kissed her There was something
about it that frightened the little Me-
lisse, and she set up a wailing that
sent Jan in panic of dismay for Ma
balla. 1t was a long time before be
ventured to kiss her again.
1t was during this fortnight of DESC
lation at the post that Jan after a short
absence one day discovered the big
problem for himself and John Cum
Minis.
Upon her knees in front of their
cabin he saw Maballa. industriously
rolling the half naked little Melissa
about in soft pile of snow and doing
her work, as she firmly believed, in a
most faithful and thorough manner.
With shrek, Jan threw off his pack
and darted toward her like a wild
thing.
''Sacre bleu-you keel-keel re leetle
Melisse!' he cried shrilly, snatching up
the half frozen child Mon Dieu. she
ees not papoose; she ees ceevilize-cee-
yilize!" and he ran swiftly with her
into the cabin, f1inging back torrent
of Cree anathema at the dumbly be-
wildered Maballa.
At last Maballa went into an ecstasy
of understanding. Melissa was not to
be taken out and rolled in the snow;
so she brought in the snow and rolled
it over Melissa.
When Jan discovered this his tongue
twisted itself into sounds so terrible,
and his face writhed so 1ercely that
Maballa began to comprehend that
thereafter no snow at all, either out
doors or in. was to be used in the phys
ical development of the little Melissa.
This was the beginning of the prob
lem, and it grew and burst forth in
all it's significance on the day before
Cummins came in from the wilderness.
For a week Maballa had been drop
ping sly hints Of a wonderful thing
which she and the factors half breed
wife were making for the baby. On
the day before Cummins' arrival Jan
came in from chopping wood Melissa
was smiling and making queer, friend
~ little signals to him from the table.
She was standing upright, Wedged in
a coffin shaped thing from which only
her tiny white face peered out at him.
and Jan knew that this was Maballa' s
surprise. Melissa was in a papoose
sling!
'Melisse, say you shall be no pa.
poser he cried. running to the table.
You ees ceevilize! You shall be no
papoose, not if TWEEN t'ous'nd devil
come TAX Jan Thoreaug'
And he snatched her from her prison.
flung Maballa's handiwork out into
the snow and waited impatiently for
the return of John Cummins.
Cummins returned the next day, not
that his work among the wild trap
pers to the south was finished, but be-
cause he had suffered hurt in falling
from a slippery ledge. When Jan,
from his wood chopping in the edge of
the forest, saw the team race up to the
little cabin and a strange Cree half
carry the wounded man through the
door, he sped swiftly across the open
with visions of new misfortune before
him.
But the injury was not serious and
Jan lost no time in revealing his fears
after Maballa had been sent to the fac
tors wife. With graphic gesture be
told of what had happened. Cummins
hobbled to the door to look upon the
walow in the snow and hobbled back
to the table when Jan ran there in
excited imitation OF the way in which
he had found the little Melissa In MAJ
balla's sling.
'She ees ceevilize?' finished Jan hot
~. ''She ees not papoose! She mus
Ibe lak-herP' His great eyes shone,