Charlevoix county herald., 1914-07-11

Her huntlng-ground is gOod ana
worth many pelts a year. See that
thou demandest enough for her when
the time comes" said the woman,
who was of a practical mind
Il have been thinking that these
white men take our women, some
times, and live long with them until
day comes when their own places
call to them. Then they go away,
promising to return, and are never
seen again, taking other women OF
their own people. 1t shall not be so
with AmeOu,p said the old man firm
ly.
"Men go away" observed the wo-
man, land others are taken away in
billiards. or by the high floods.
Some are overcome by the cold or
crushed by falling trees. Always a
woman may chance to remain alone.
Yet if this should ever befall Ameou
she would be left with more than if
she had taken one of our own peo-
pie, and perhaps could marry again.
Also, she may help US greatly"
Nimissuts nodded again, feeling
that there was much wisdom in the
woman's speech, but he made no
further answer, as it is not BETTING
an Indian to take too much heed of
a woman's chatter.
Lorimer, unconscious that his af-
fairs were already being discussed
far and wide, continued his atten-
tions, which gradually turned to
wooing.
He followed the girl into the
woods and met her as if by acct
dent. Little by little his words, at
first subdued and tentative, became
stronger and ardent. The young
woman uplifted eyes that seemed to
search his soul-and she would
smile before looking down again at
her little moccasins.
One day. in the deep woods, when
the glow of the setting sun fired the
tops of the trees with lambert flames
of yellow and red and purple, Lori
mer spoke again. He slipped an
arm about the girl. Her forehead
nestled on his shoulder, and he heard
the softly spoken words:
"Tshe shatshiitin." 1t means, Il
love thee"
Lorimer took her in his arms,
crushing her to him for a brief in
slant. When he released her she
fled like a deer to the tents Of her
people.
For many days Lorimer had to
possess his soul in patience while ne
bargained with the young woman's
family. For three years he had
spent practically none of his salary,
and he would have consented at once
TO all demands had Ameou not
shrewdly counseled him, for his in
terests were now her own.
Things were nearly settled when
one day Father Gregoire, the travel
ing missionary, landed at the post
with his two Indian acolytes.
"Now the time has come" said
Anishku to the old man. "The an
cient bearded one is the Manitou
limo, the Medicine Man of the white
people. The weddings he makes can
never be broken, and therefore thy
daughter Ameou will be very safe.
Thou hast heard him say in our
tents that his medicine is such that
the people joined together by his
words are bound to one another for
life. Seek thou young Yellow Hair
and say thou hast decided to give
in about that red blanket, out that he
must cause the Manitou limo of the
whites to say those words over
them"
The old Nascaup. FASTENED to
follow such excellent advice, and on
the following morning Father Gre
goire pronounced his benediction,
boarded his canoe, and padded away
to the south with his men, for there
were many tents TO visit.
The summer was a delightful one,
and when the cold weather finally
came all the Indians scattered to
their hunting grounds, leaving the
two alone, except for the presence
of Cyprien, a lame old Montagnais
who did odd jobs around the post,
and his wife Anne, who could cook
and wash.
A couple of dogs represented the
remainder of the population. Their
company, Lorimer once thought, was
all that stood between him and in
sanity during the previous long win
ter.
He. anticipated the coming winter,
however, with perfect eqaunimity.
His wife had transformed the place
by her mere presence. He never
tired of looking on her beauty or
watching her at her household work.
He had hardly dared to hope for
anything more than quiet, submits
SIVe woman, VINO WOulO 90 MS Do
ding pleasantly while showing some
appreciation for the comfort of
life far easier than that spent in the
trapping camps.
But now he often marveled that
Ameou's had become a deep, genuine
love. 1t was delight when he left
the house for few hours TO see the
Frightening of her eyes on his re-
turn.
The long evenings were no longer
stupid and irksome. Ameou was
teaching him the Mantagnais Ian
guage, and he made rapid progress.
She kn,w little French, but he
taught her English. She was learn
ing also to read and write, and he
wondered at her intelligence and
memory.
II seemed as if her shapely head
had been full of little spaces, hith-
erto untitled, in which she now
stored new things.
Lorimer often went hunting with
the dogs and killed caribou on the
barrens beyond the valley. The
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