Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1913-12-03

"A week EdIoE DIS Cuey -SJOOQ UOSoCQer
in front of their door they saw Dixon
and Melissa walking slowly in the edge
of the forest. The woman laughed
into jeans face.
did l not say that Jan had waited
too lOng?"
jeans face was black with disappro-
baton. He was angered at the cool
ness with which Jan accepted the stu
alton.
Deep down in his soul Jan knew that
each day was bringing the end Of il;
all much nearer for him. He did not
tell Melissa that he had returned to
Lac Balm to be near her once more,
nor did he confide in Jean. Day after
day he saw Melissa and the English
man together, and, while they awak-
ened in him none of the fiery jealousy
which might have ranked in the bos-
ON of Jean de Gravois, the knowledge
that the girl was at last passing from
him forever added a deeper grief to
that which was already eating at his
heart.
Dixon made no effort to conceal his
feelings. He loved Melissa. Frankly
he told this to Jean one day when they
were on the Churchill trail. In his
honest way he said things which broke
down the last of jeans hereditary
prejudices.
81 like him." he said to himself,
"and yet / would rather see him in the
blessed hereafter than have him take
Melissa from Janr'
The big snow decided It came
early in December. Dixon had set out
alone for Ledoq's early in the morn
ing. BY noon the sky was a leaden
black, and little later one could not
see a dozen PAGES ahead Of him for the
snow. The Englishman did not return
that day. The next day he was still
gone, and Gravois drove along the top
of the mountain ridge until he came
to the Frenchmans where he found
that Dixon had started for Lac Balm
the preceding afternoon. He brought
word back to the post Then he went
to Melissa.
cit is as good as death to go out in
search of him." he said. 1--WE can no
longer use the dogs. Snowshoes will
sink like leaden bullets by morning,
and to go ten miles from the post
means that there will be bones to be
picked by the foxes when the crust
comesr'
It was dark when Jan came into the
cabin. Melissa started to her feet with
a little cry when he entered, covered
white with the snow. A light pack
was strapped to his back, and he car
ried his rife in his hand
Il am going to hunt for him." he
said softly. eff he is alive l will bring
him back to you"
She came to him slowly, and the
beating of JAMS heart sounded to him
like the distant drumming of par
fridge wings. All, would he ever for
get that look? The old glory was in
her eyes, her arms were reaching out,
her lips parted. He saw her face so
near to him that he felt the touch Of
her sweet breath, and he knew that
one of his rough hands was clasped in
both of her own and that after a mo-
ment it was crushed tightly against
her bosom.
"Jan, my hero
He struggled back, almost sobbing,
as he plunged out into the night again.
He heard her voice crying after him,
but the wild wailing of the spruce and
the storm in his brain drowned her
words. He had seen the glorious light
of love in her eyes-her love for Dixon!
And he would find him!
He went to Ledoq's now, following
the top of the mountain, and reached
his cabin in the late dawn. The French
man stared at him in amazement when
he learned that he was about to set
out on search for Dixon.
"You will not find him." he said slow
ly in French, "but if you are determin-
ed to go / will hunt with you. 1t is a
big chance that we will not come back"
81 don't want you to 60" objected
jan lone will do as much as two I'M
less we search alone. came your way
to find if it had begun to snow before
Dixon left
can hour after he had gone you could
not see your hand before your face"
replied LedoQ, preparing his pack.
'"There is no doubt but that he ci1cled
out over Lac Balm. We will go that
far together and then search alone"
They went back over the mount tain
and stopped when instinct told them
that they were opposite the spruce for
ests of the lake There they separated,
Jan going as nearly as he could guess
into the northwest, Ledoq trailing slow
ly and hopelessly into the south.
1t was no great sacrifice for Jan, this
struggle with the big SHOWS for the
happiness Of MeliSse. What it was TO
Ledoq no man ever guessed or knew,
for it was not until the late spring
SHOWS had gone that the people at Lac
Balm found what the foxes and the
wolves had left of him far to the south.
Fearlessly Jan plunged into the white