Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-07-28
Nv eyes met his In surprise.

why w yOu d0oAC6b III AAC Oldt
Because you treat me as though I
were a criminal" he said earnestly
"As II I had done you an evil In max
ing you my wife. Twas not l who
fastened the matter, but La Barre.
TITS not just to condemn me unheard,
yet 1 have been patient and kind. I
thought 1t might be that you loved
another-in truth I imagined that
D'Artigny had cast his spell upon you;
yet you surely cannot continue to trust
that villain - the murderer of your
uncle"
"How know you that to be trueT"
I asked.
Because there Is no other account
ing for it," he explained sternly. THE
quarrel last evening, the early depar-
ture before dawn"
"At your orders, monsieur"
GAY, but the sergeant tells me the
fellow was absent from the camp for
two hours during the night; that in
the moonlight he saw him come down
the hill. Even II he did not do the
deed himself, he must have discovered
the body-yet he voiced nc ALARM
I was silent, and my eyes fell from
bis face to the green water.
"'Twill be hard to explain" he
went on. "But he shall have a chance"
"a chance! You will question him;
and then"
He hesitated whether to answer me,
but there was a cruel smile on his
thin lips.
Faith, I do not know. IT'S like to
be a courtmartial at the Rock, If ever
we get him there; though the chances
are the fellow will take to the woods
when he finds himself suspected. No
doubt the best thing I can do will be
to say nothing until we hold him safe,
though tits hard to pretend with such
a villain"
He paused, as II hoping I might
speak, and my silence angered him.
bah, II l had my way the young
cockerel would face a file at our first
camp. Az! and It will be for you to
decide If he does not"
what is your meaning, MONSIEUR
"That 1 am tired Of your play-act-
ing; of your making eyes at this forest
dandy behind my back. Sang dieu! 1
am done with all this-do you hearP-
and l have a grip now which will
make you think twice, my dear, before
you work any more sly tricks on me.
Sacre, you think me easy, hey? have
In my hand so," and he opened and
closed his fingers ~suggestively, "the
life Of the lad"
I had n glimpse of his face as he
leaned forward, and there was a look
In it which made me shudder and turn
away. His was no idle threat, and
whether the man truly loved me or
not, his hatred of D'Artigny was suf-
f1cient for any cruelty.
I realized the danger, the necessity
for compromise, and yet for the mo-
ment l lacked power to speak, to ques-
ton, fearful lest his demands would
be greater than I could grant. 1 had
no thought of what l saw, and still
that which my eyes rested upon re-
mains pictured On my brain, the spar
kle Of sun on the water, the distant
green Of the shore, the soldiers hud-
died in the canoe, the dark shining
bodies of the Indians c~easelessly ply
ing the paddles, and beyond us, to the
left, another canoe, cleaving the water
swiftly, with Pere Allouez' face turned
toward US, as though he sought to
guess conversation. I was aroused
hu %hn n-41 80 NnzolA.pn hond
"Well, my beauty" he said harshly,
haven't I waited long enough to learn
IL it is war or peace between usw
I laughed, yet I doubt If he gained
any comfort from the expression of
the eyes which met his.
"Why l choose peace of course, non
sieur," 1 answered, assuming a care
lessness I was far from feeling. Am
I not your wife? Surely you remind
me of 1t often enough, SO I am not
likely to forget; but l resent the in
suit Of your words, nor will you ever
win favor from me by such methods.
1 have been friendly with Sieur d'Arti-
gny, it is true, but there is nothing
between as. Indeed no word has
passed my lips in his presence 1 would
not be willing for you to hear. So
there is no cause for you to spare him
on my account, or rest his fate on any
action of mine"
you will have naught to do with
the fellow?"
There would be small chance II I
wished, monsieur; and do you sup
pose I would seek companionship with
one who had killed my uncle"
"'Twould al seem SCI yet 1
know not what you believe"
Nor do 1 myself; yet the evidence
is all against the man thus far. l con-
fess 1 should like to hear his defense,
but l make you this pledge in all honor
I will have no word with him, on
condition that you file no charges un-
til we arrive at Fort st. Louis"
"Ahr suspiciously, you think he
has friends there to hold him limo