The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1916-12-22

a-AS Va ~ IVA ~ SAt NJ
LOUISE"
mo"
"Nor at st. Ignace, rere Alouez
assures me. I shall have no rival
then in al this wilderness; you think
me harmless, monsieur Look at me,
and say"
II do not need to look; you will
have your game. have no doubt, al
though the Anal result may not prove
what you DESIRE"
You fear the endr"
1T may b 90: you play with fire.
and although I know little Of women,
yet I have felt the wild passions Of
men in lands where there Il no re-
straint Of law. The wilderness sees
many tragedies-fercc. bitter, revenge
ful deeds-and It's best you use care.
IT'S my belief this Francois Cassion
might prove 4 devil, once his heart
was tricked. Have you thought Of
this?"
had thought OF 1t, but with no
mercy IN my heart, yet as D'Artigny
spoke l felt the ug'iness Of MY threat
more acutely, and, for an instant,
stood before him white-lipped and
ashamed. Then before me arose Cas-
sion's face, sarcastic, supercllioEs,
hateful, and l laughed In scorn OF the
warning.
Thought OF it," I exclaimed, Eyes,
but for that l care nothing. Why
should I, monsieur? Has the man
shown mercy to me. that l should feel
regret because he suffers? As to his
revenge. death is not more to be
dreaded than q lifetime passed in his
presence. But why do you make plea
on his behalf-the man Is surely no
friend OF yours?"
Il make no plea for him." he an
swered, strangely sober, land claim
no friendship. Any enemy to la Sale
Il an enemy to Rene d'Artlgny; but
I would front him as a man should.
II u not my nature to do a decd Of
t~reachery."
You hold this treachery"
"What else? You propose Turing
him to love you, that you may gain
confession from his lips. To attain
this end you barter your honesty. your
~womanhood; you take advantage OF
your beauty to enslaye him; you count
as ally the loneliness Of the wilderness:
az! and, II l understand Alright, you
hope through me to awaken the mans
Jealousy. Is this not true?"
l drew a quick breath, my eyes star
Ing into his face, and my limbs trcm-
bling. His words cut me like a knife,
yet l would not yield, would not even
acknowledge their truth.
You are unjust, unfair" I burst
forth i~mpetuously. You will see but
the one side-that OF the man. | can
not fight this battle with my hands,
nor will / submit to such wrong with
out struggle. He has never thought to
spare me, and there Is no reason why
I should show him mercy. ] wish
your good will. monsieur, your respect,
but 1 cannot hold this plan which l
propose as evil. Do your"
lie hesitated, looking at me with
such perplexity In his eyes as to
prove his doubt.
Il cannot Judge you," he admitted
ut last, "only that 10 not the way in
which I have been trained. Neither
will ! stand between you and your
revenge nor have part in 1t. l an
your friend-now, always. In every
honorable way I will serve you and
your cause II Casslon dares violence
Of insult ne must reckon with me,
though I faced his whole company. I
pledge you this. but l will not play a
part or act q lie even at your re-
quest"
You mean you will not pretend to
care for mel" l asked, my heart
leaden Mt his words.
There would be no prctcnsc," he
answered frankly. II do care for you,
but l win not dishonor my thought OF
You by thus deliberately scheming to
outwlt your husband. am a man Of
the woods, tho Wilderness; not since l
was q boy have I dwelt in civilization,
but in all That time l have been com
panion OF men to whom honor. was
everything. have been comrade with
Sieur de 10 Sale, with Henri de Tonty,
AAu NAAAOb ~ 6uIINy VI III ACI VI
~treachery. even for your sake. Fer
chance my code n not the same as the
perfumed g~allants' Of Quebec-yet 1t IL
mine, and learned in a hard school,"
He went on quietly. There are two
things ! cannot ignore-one Is, that
I am an employee Of this Francois
Cassion, pledged to his service by my
| own free will; the other is, that you
are his wife, Joined to him by Holy
church, and although you may have
assumed those VOWS under coercion.
your promise n binding. l can but
choose my path OF duty and abide
therein"
His words hurt, angered me; /
lacked power OF expression. ability to
grasp his full meaning and purpose.
"You-you desert me then? You
you leave me to this fate?"
=" leave ron TO reconsider your
choice Of action" he returned gravely.
his hat still In hand, his lips unsmiling.