Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1914-08-08
CHAPTER X.
Goals Fire.

padding and watched the canoe con-
tanning Mashkaugan and Ameou.
The hunchback had looked neither to
the right nor left, and the woman,
lying senseless in the bottom, gave
conclusive evidence that their search
had been unsuccessful and that they
were returning defeated.
The agent of Tshemuak Post
grinned again in evil fashion. Every
thing was working beautifully.
He would just go on and pick up that
baby, and after he brought it back
Ameou will fall in his arms in tear
full gratitude, ready to fulfill her
promise.
He kept on, padding strongly, and
reached Many Beaver Lake. From
the outlet, not mile away, he could
see the fallen birch and pointed his
canoe straight toward it.
The wind was beginning to blow
in gusts, and he had fairly hard
Job to reach the place. He noted the
bent reeds where the canoes had al
ready passed and followed them to
the shore.
Here, however, he was greatly
puzzled to account for the num-
Der of tracks o. the bank. He
also realized that two boats had
landed.
Scratching his head in wonder.
ment, Curran followed the plain trail
until he reached the place where the
child had been abandoned.
what Internal mess is this ?" he
exclaimed, thorough. unable to
solve the enigma.
1t was clearly evident that some
thing had gone wrong. The place
was all tracked up. He could see
plainly that three or four people had
been there.
He decided to follow the tracks
and kept on for some time, but after
he. had reached a great fiat, rocky
place he lost the trail. A good man
in a canoe, he did not compare with
Mashkaugan as a tracker. Besides,
the imprint of feet had shown that
people had come and returned by the
same way.
81 think I've been fooling myself"
he decided. Shouldn't wonder if
that baby was in the canoe, after all.
1t can't be dead, surely, for it
wouldn't starve TO death in this
short time. Maybe some wild ami
malw
This thought disturbed him ex-
ceedingly. He had not the slightest
objection to the death of the child.
but he did not wish it to occur until
after Ameou had been safely Sc
cured by him in marriage.
He retraced his way and returned
TO is canoe. AS he crossed the lake
the wind had strengthened until he
had to pay much attention to the
waves that were trying to break
over his craft. Once on the river,
the going was perfectly safe and he
padded hard, much disturbed in
mind.
He had so greatly depended on the
effect that would have been produced
by his triumphal return with the
baby that he was bitter with anger.
Early in the afternoon he was at
Tshemauk Post in the chiefs tent.
us the child found ?" he asked
eagerly.
Old Nimissuts came out, shaking
his head dolefully.
"The child is utterly lost" he
said. at may be dead by this time.
Others have returned from up the
river, where they searched a long
time to the south-but they found
nothing"
Some Indians had gathered around
them. CurTan suddenly thought of
way to obtain at least some graft
tude from Ameou.
"You must all seek again. he
cried. "The child must be found
One hundred dollars-which is two
hundred skins will give to the
man who brings that baby back to
the poor, suffering mother! See that
you all hunt until AmeOu has her
child again."
In justice to the Indians it must be
said that every one had searched and
hunted already to the best of his
ability. Yet the proffered money
started them again. Some sailed
forth through the woods, while 9TH
ers, taking a few provisions with
them, padded away to the north and
the south.
Ameou came out of the tent so
broken in body and mind that she
was a pitiful sight.
CuTTan's offer to the Indians i'm
pressed her as a kindness to herself. |
She put out her hand weakly, and
the IndH tTdSpeu IL WHlle she lndllh- |
ed him in a low, sobbing voice.
Curran patted her shoulder, as if I
she were a child She did not resent |
it. probably being quite unconscious
of his action.
"Dont despair" he said. "At any
moment some one may return with |
the little uash. There surely is much |
hope yet, for the child cannot be |
dead. Scarface had sur no rea-
son to kill it, but only TO play a trick
for which he will be terribly pun
ished unless he himself brings little |
Yellow Hair home"
Curran was a fine actor, playing /
his part with consummate skill, His
voice was expressing deepest sympa-
thy. While the Indians had never i
liked him, many of them began to be
greatly impressed in his favor until
Mashkaugan, who had also come
near, suddenly burst out in a short,
rasping laugh that caused a chill to
&c down the agents spine.
Curran turned on the hunchback {
savagely, but met heinous, staring