Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1913-10-29


too"
To young Macdonald the boy from
Lac Balm was find" The Scottish
youth was filed with an immense
longing for home, and as his home
sickness grew be poured more and
more into JAMS attentive ears his
knowledge of the world from which he
had come.
In the spring Jan went back to Lac
Balm with the cOmpany's supplies. The
next autumn he followed the school to
York factory, and the third year be
Joined it at Nelson House Then the
company's teacher died, and no one
came to fill his place.
In midwinter of this third year Jan
returned to Lac Balm, and, hugging
the delighted Melissa close in his arms,
he told her that never again would he
go away without her. Melissa, tight
ening her arms around his neck, made
his promise sacred by offering her lit
tie rosebud of a mouth for him to kiss.
Later the restless spirit slumbering
within his breast urged him to speak
to Cummins.
"When Melissa is a little older should
we not go with her into the SOUTH" he
said. "She must not live forever in a
place like this"
Cummins looked at him for an in
slant as if he did not understand.
When JAMS meaning struck home his
eyes hardened, and there was the vi
brant ring of steel in his quiet voice.
"Her mother will be out there under
the old spruce until the end of time,"
he said slowly, 'and we will never
leave her-unless, some day, Melissa
goes alone"
From that hour Jan no longer looked
into the box of his violin. He strug-
gled against the desire that had grown
with his years until he believed that he
had crushed it and stamped it out Of
his existence. In his life there came to
be but one rising and one setting of the
sun. Melissa was his universe. She
crowded his heart until beyond her he
began to lose visions of any other
world
Each day added to his joy. He call
ed her my little sister," and with
sweet gravity Melissa called him
brother Jan" and returned in full
measure his boundless love. He mark
ed the slow turning Of her faxen hair
into sunny gold and month by month
watched joyfully the deepening Of that
gold into warm shades of brown. She
was to be like her mother! JAMS soul
rejoiced, and in his silent way Cum
Minis offered up wordless prayers of
thankfulness.
So matters stood at Post Lac Balm
in the beginning of Melisse's ninth
year, when up from the south there
came a rumor.
Rumor grew into rumor. From the
east, the south and the west they null
tiplied, until on all sides the Paul Re-
veres Of the wilderness carried news
that the Red Terror was at their heels,
and the chill Of great fear swept like
a shivering wind from the edge of civ
ilization to the bay.
Nineteen years before these same ru-
mOrs had come up from the south. and
the Red Terror had followed. The hor-
ror Of it still remained with the forest
people, for thousand unmarked
graves, Stunned like pestilence and
scattered from the lower waters Of
James bay to the lake country OF the
Atha basca, gave evidence of the toll it
demanded
From DuBrochet, on Reindeer lake,
authentic word first came to Lac
Balm early in the winter. Henderson
was factor there, and he passed up the
warning that had come to him from
Nelson House and the country to the
southeast.
There's smallpox on the Nelson" his
messenger informed Williams, "aud it
has struck the Crees on Wolaston lake.
God only knows what it is doing to the
bay Indians, but we hear that it is WHIP
ing out the Chippewayans between the
Albany and the Churchill" He left
the same day with his winded dogs
I'm off for the Frenchmen to the west
with the compliments of our company"
be explained.
Churchill that all of the company's
servants and her majesty's subjects
west of the bay should prepare them
selves for the coming of the Red Terror.
Williams thick face went as white as
the paper he held as he read the words
of the Churchill factor.
ut means dig graves" he said.
That's the only preparation we can
makey'
He read the paper aloud to the men
at Lac Balm, and every available man
was detailed to spread the warning
throughout the posts territory. There
was a quick Harvesting of dogs, and on
each sledge that went out was a roll of
red cotton cloth.
Jan went over the Churchill trail
and then swung southwark along the
Hasabala, where the country was
with Rrov 49,