Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1914-06-27

ing their pipes with long splinters of
! jack pine.
The agent handed each plug
without the slightest question of
payment. Trading would come later.
! After their smoke they went down
to the shore, brought up their bales
of fur, and scattered the contents
over the counter.
The others crowded around. Fur
is always of absorbing interest to
men of the north They handled the
pelts critically while commenting on
them.
There were hides of lynx with
black tufted ears, underlined pelts
of mink, glossy brown offers, white
winter weasels with black-tipped
tails, and brownish-yellow martens.
There were exhibited a.so the long,
gray brown skins of fishers and two
chestnut banded dark wolverines.
The two Indians mad moved away
indifferently, and presently the others
began to make inquiries about re-
cent happenings in the up-country.
These two made up the first party
that had come in that spring.
Very deliberately, though pleased
at the attention they attracted, the
recent arrivals gave the news.
eyes, the catch of fur is fair, but
you will see none better than ours,
said Passigan, whose Montagnais
name meant The Gun. Acting as
spokesman, he continued: otter
was rare up north. T'tey had heard
that the wife of Pete Memepil, the
Tete de Boule Indian, had died of
the coughing sickness and, of
course, her baby was dead, too.
Charlie Alakapeshagan's gun had
burst and he had lost two fingers of
his left hand. The ducks and geese
would be very plenty, for the rivers
and lakes were already occupied by
many couples beginning to nest.
"Oh, yes! They Rad also heard
that the assistant agent at Tshem-
uak Post had taken wife. She was
a girl called Ameou, the Bee, who
was the daughter of old Nimlssuts,
the Nascaupee chief.
"Gone and got married! Has he
really married her. interrupted
Curran eXcitedly.
eve met Father Gregoire, the
priest with the white beard. He told
us that he was at Tshemauk and
married them. Therefore, it is So"
put in Jim Michaux, who, in spite of
his name, was a dark, pure-bred
Montagnais.
Boyce Curran had freque atty cast
his eyes upon that girl, who certain
lv was tn. best-loOking young WON
an of her race he had ever seen. He
remembered that she WIS second to
none as a worker and a maker Of
the finest moccasins.
"The deuce he has" he muttered.
He was no longer listening to the
gossip of the Indians. He hacked
impatiently at plug of tobacco, and
was feeling angry.
"Wonder why he married herr"
he asked himself.
A couple of wolfsh dogs outside
hogan to bark and he looked out of
an open window. A man in 6 rickety
buggy was arriving. He drove a
spawned horse chiefly clad in rope
mended harness.
Heres yer letters" he said
"Train was late and ] got stuck in
the Drumleigh swamp. The cordu-
ROY is all to pieces and the mud that
deep faint fit to travel on. My horse
here he pretty nigh broke his leg"
The grouchy man got out, paying
not the slightest attention to his
steed. as he was aware that it would
never move without tug at the
reins and an application of the whip.
He carried worn bag which con-
tanned the scanty mail for the post
and the few adjacent dwellings.
of they don't fix that road pretty
soon" he continued to grumble,
you'll be gettin' glad to have yer
mail once a week, lettin alone
twict.'
Nobody paid any attention TO him.
The contents of the bag were far
more interesting.
There were some rather official
looking envelopes for the post, few
newspapers, and nondescript matter
for some of the settlers. Il was all
seized eagerly, howeve' as was
ever thing that came from the out
side world. At Big Rat even a pat
ent-medicine almanac was deeply ap-
preciated and passed through
dozen hands.
"Say, Boycel Here's a letter for
YOU from Winnipeg. Two for Lori
mer, which you'll take up to him.
He1l be glad to hear from. folks at
home. was afraid there'd be moth
in for him. Then here's a paper for
me from across the water. Ny
brother sends it when he thinks Of
it. You can look at it while | see
my letters. got t" write some,
too
Boyce Curran opened his letter,
which proved of no Importance, and
placed those for Lorime~ in his pock-
ct. Then he sat down on the edge of
the porch and leaned against one of
the swamp-cedar pillars.
He lit his pipe and tore the wrap
per open to peruse the long columns.
There was a lot about parliament,
which drew from him a long yawn.
News about the Balkans, which to
him was some sort of heather coun-
! try, interested him as little. He
turned page after page Without the
| slightest show of interest, vainly
, looking for the report of some good
| prize-fght or murder. II was utter
/ ly tiresome.
Yet he continued, HOPING to find
something worth reading, and his
ewes fell unon long column of