The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1920-02-26

tween on these northern waters, and
at this time, II the report of war was
true, everything afoat would be head
ed upstream, laden with troops and
provisions. That the report was true
I had no doubt. The probability of an
outbreak was known before I left Fort
Armstrong; the crisis had come ear
lier than expected, that was all.
This, then, was the situation
through an odd intervention Of Provi-
dence here we were all together on
this steamer, which was steadily |
churning it's way %northward, every
turn Of the wheel bearing us deeper
into the wilderness. The chances
were that we should thus be aboard
for several days; certainly until we
encountered some other boat, bound
downstream, which would accept us
as passengers. Meanwhile what should
I do? How escape observation? How
reach Rene, without encountering
Kirby? The S W. was not an easy
one. The deputy would not know me,
for I had never been seen by him.
Kirby believed me dead, yet might
recognize me in spite Of that convic-
ton if we met face to face. Still,
would he? The daring hope that he
might not came to me in a fash. Might
it not be possible to SO disguise my
self as to become unn0ticeable? |
sprang up to stare at my features in
the small mirror hanging over the
washstand. The face which confront
ed me- In surprise was almost a
strange one even to my eyes. Instead
of the smart young soldier, smoothly
shaver, with closely trimmed hair, and
rather carefully attired, as l had ap-
peared on board the Warrior, the glass
reflected a bearded face, the skin Wis.,
IDLY roughened and Redeemed by ex-
posture, the hair ragged and uncombed.
Even to my view there remained
scarcely a familiar feature-the lack
Of razor and shears, the exposure to
sun and water, the days Of, sickness
and neglect, had all helped to trans
form me into a totally different
appearing person from what / had for
merly been; the officer and gentleman
had, by the mystery of environment,
been changed into the outward SEM
blance of a river r%oustabout. Nor was
this all. The new character was en-
phasized by the clothes I wore-far
too large to fit; also the texture and
color, not to mention the dirt and
grease, speaking loudly of a rough
life and the vicissitudes of poverty.
The metamorphosis was complete; so
complete that I laughed aloud, assured
by that n glance that the gambler,
confident that I was dead, would never
by any possibility recognize me in this
guise, or while habilitated in such
nondescript garments.
But the girl-Rene? And so this
was how I had appeared to her. No
wonder she questioned me; doubted
my first explanation. I had ap-
preached her confident that my ap-
pearance as a gentleman would awak-
en- her trust; I had felt myself to be
q most presentable young man, in
whom she must instantly repose faith.
Yet this had not been true at all
instead I came to her with the out
ward bearing Of a worthless vaga-
bond, a stubble-bearded outcast. And
yet she had trusted me; would trust
me again. More: she could Eve be
deceived, or fail to recognize my pres.
ence aboard if she had the freedom Of
the deck. Kirby might be deceived,
but not Rene. IF I could only plan to
meet with her first alone, the peril of
But I must also figure upon the
other woman. Who could she be? Not
Eloise Beaucaire surely, for the mate
had only mentioned n Of the two as
being sufficiently white to be notice
able. That one would surely be Rene,
and it was scarcely probable that
Eloise, with nc drop Of negro blood in
her veins, could appear colored. Per
haps this second woman was Della,
the quadroon mother. But If so how
did she chance to fall alone into Kir-
by's clutches? Was she aboard the
keelboat, locked below in the cabin,
when it rammed into us? If she had
been captured at Shrunk's camp dur
ing their murderous raid, what had
become of her companion? Where was
Eloise B%eaucaire? The harder ]
sought to s%traighten out this mystery
the more involved it became.
With every additional glance at the
face reflected by the mirror my conf
dence strengthened in the ability t.
encounter Kirby and pass unrecog-
nized. Convinced as he undoubtedly
was of my death in the black waters Of
the river he could not possibly mag
inc my presence aboard the Adven-
turer, while my personal appearance
was SO utterly changed as to suggest
to his mind no thought Of familiarity.
The conditions were all in my favor
I was smiling grimly at this conceit,
well pleased at the chance thus af.
forded me, when the staterOom doc
was suddenly flung open and the hair.
face Of the mate thrust within.
II reckon yer better tote them wet