Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1914-08-15

of AK or cross-cut saw. Some shelves
had been made from pieces of provi-
sion boxes. They held a dozen we'll
thumbed books and various odds and
ends. There was also a small, bat
tered tin cash-box, which proved to
be unlocked.
Without the slightest compunction
the agent opened it. 1t contained a
few dollar bills, some loose silver,
and some large Canadian pennies.
The amount was not sufficient to in
terest him. There were no legal
looking papers, but he found a bun
die of old letters, which he opened
and looked over idly.
One of the letters caused him to
stop when he reached the few lines
above the signature.
81 remember he read this to me,
when it came" Curran told himself.
"Any old thing was good enough to
read aloud in this neck of the woods.
Told me that sister of his was mar
ried and had two kids"
He read the last paragraph over
and over again. His keen, evil mind
had been quick to seize a distinct
point of vantage.
After this he read over the whole
letter carefully. 1t gave lot of de-
tails that could interest no one but
Lorimer, but there was nothing in it
that would hinder Curran in making
use of it.
The man grinned to himself. Here
was chance for a neat, little stroke
of diplomacy. He went back to the
living-room after putting everything
in order. The letter he put in his
pocket.
"Cyprien! he called, and the lame
old Indian retainer promptly re-
sponded.
"Go over to Nimissut and tell him
/ want to see him and his daughter
on a very important matter" ne or
dered. "Tell them to come here"
AS soon as the old chief heard the
message he spoke to Ameou hurried
ly. The young woman had always
refused to enter the post building
when Curran was there, giving one
excuse or another. Now, however,
she had no fear since her father
would be with her. She thought
that the agent perhaps had obtained
SOillC lIlIOIHldllOIl VI Tic Cllllus Ciic
hurried her old father, so eager was
she to hear the news.
Curran babe her entel, assuming
a sad and friendly expression that
befitted the occasion. He offered
Ameou a chair and placed tobacco
within reach of the old man.
81 am afraid that all this seeking
has been for nothing" he said, shak-
ing his head sorrowfully. "You are
all going away against my advice for
the winters hunting. | want to say
that Ameou should take anything
she wants that belonged to Lorimer.
"Any of his things that she may
want to keep, yet not take away with
her, she can place in empty boxes
from the storeroom. They shall be
kept safely for her. ] am sure that
there is nothing here which the peo-
pie who really own this property
could object to her taking. They
would not want them to be taken
over the great water"
He spoke in Montagnais slowly,
watching the two Indians as a lynx
might watch the fedgling brood of
a partridge.
"The men of the brigade who have
gone away" said Chief Nimissuts,
"told us that they had made a paper
which states that everything that be-
longed to Yellow Hair is now my
daughters"
The old man was looking at Cur
ran keenly. He had been quick to
discern some strange meaning in the
mans words. But the young woman
l. l,,l1x oh
matters were of no import to one
who had met with her losses.
"Ah, the paper" exclaimed Cur
ran. "True, there is such paper. /
have it here. Ameou can take it if
she wishes, but / fear such a paper
is not of any good. 1t must be worth
less, because it is the custom of the
white people that there can be but
one wife to a man. When there are
two the second can have nothing
when the man dies, for the second is
not really a wife"
Ameou sprang up, with eyes flash
ing and limbs trembling with eX-
element. She walked close to the
agent.
T am Ameou," she said. Il am
the one who was the wife of Yellow
Hair-and the only one. / am the
mother of the child that was his. He
never told me any tale of another
woman Of his, and many times told
me l was the only one he ever
loved"
Curran looked at her, sinking his
head in plying fashion.
"Alas! men will say such things"
he said. "The last love of man is
ever the only one. 1t is tale that
has been told times in greater num-
Der than the stars in the sky. He
should not have said such things to
an innocent maiden. But you, too,
look as if you did not believe me-"
The young woman was dazed and
haggard, as if the last great treas
ure had been torn away from her
faith in her husbands goodness,
truth, and honesty-and all that
made him the only man in the world
to her.
The very teaching he had impaired
to her on those long, happy evenings
spent together had been directed to
showing her, simply and in few
words, the higher ideals that move
the conduct of decent men. And
now all this was nothing but noc,-