Evening star., 1924-11-30

black, with so large an iris that 1t
swam against the edges of both lids
at once with indescribable beauty.
Her arms We're long and round, ta
pering from the slow moving brown
fingers to the imperious shoulders
and the rest of her was in keeping.
She walked slowly. for the most
part, with an undulant swing that
made every manjack who beheld her
turn round. but when need was she
could leap like a cat, s quick and
as far.
She lived in a cabin on Bissarge
Flat, and she had a family.
That is. she had received as a part
ing gift from her twin brother. who
had died of smallpox at Fort la
Baine, his spindling wife and three
obstreperous offspring. That was
heavy load to hand a girl. for Lo-
rene, the wife, was the wailing kind.
and the three small ones were imps
of Satan.
When poor brother Cine had been
decently buried by the factor and
the surplus of his credit for his last
years catch delivered to his widow
Francine Gitou put her hands on her
hips and surveyed the situation.
Five to feed instead of one" she
murmered. But, chere madre, l am
of good health and the strength
magnifique, for which l thank thee
D.. Maria, stop stealing your sis
ter's bread
AS Maria did but glance at her
sidewise under scowling brows and
declined to obey, Francine reached
for her and proceeded to administer
the first punishment of Maria's short
life. Lorene shrieked and bridled
like an angry hen, but Francine, with
the yelling child on her hip, faced
her.
You are alone in the world. and
helpless, and Cine has given me all
four of you to keep. is it not so?'
Yes" said the other. But
There is no but, There is my
cabin on Bissarge Flat and my good
years credit from the trapping. II
/ am to give up all my quiet and my
comfort-Voila. 1t is at the price of
| decency from these wild brats. DO
YOU come? Say quick, for l make
ready soon for the return journey
Lorene had agreed. and that was
the end TO that. As the weeks OF the
Winter drew on there was 4 mar
j velous change in the three wee ones
and they fervently adored their
Tante Francine.
There was softness in Francine. as
her laughing eyes attested, and many
were the romps the four of them had
on the cabin floor of nights when she
was mans work she did, cold, lonely
work. and il was somewhat grim
but what would you? The twins had
been left orphans in their teens. with
nothing between them and pauper-
- ism save their inborn knowledge OF
their fathers trade and the CABIN on
Bissarge Flat.
H. 3. post had offered flatterng
arrangement--so f1attering as TO seem
suspicious to them, and they had
courteously refused. So they lived
on in their lonely cabin, set amid Its
SHOWS in Winter, its wilderness OF
green in Summer. and were happy.
Then came the Spring when young
Cine met the pale I<orene at Fort la
Baine and fell in love with her. This
was a hard blow for Francine, but,
stout heart that she was, she put her
arms about her brother and bade him
go to his destiny. p. -
So for five years she lived alone
but for her dogs, her tame boocat
and the spnster moose she had be-
friended through the outcast misery
induced by A broken leg. She fol-
lowed her traplnes by day and slept
in peace at night, with her dogs out
side to give her warning, and the
good gun that hung just above her
bed.
And now the cabin was riotous with
noise and she was sometimes glad
to leave it in the mornings. That
was a good Winter. She took many
pelts.
ON a day when the warm sun
" threatened the last of the melting
she whirled into the stockade of Fort
La Croix and dashed up between the
cabins, as was her wont. John Cam
eron, the new factor. saw her come
and looked his establishment.
TT is F'rancine Gitou," they told
him, "Francine. the Lawless.
"Eh?" asked the factor. why law
less?"
Arnot, the clerk. laughed. Because
she does as she Wills. There was the
clerk at a la Baine who kissed her
on the cheek-mon Dieu! How she
beat him., He was no good to the
factor for a matter Of week and
the factor was all for fining her three
fox skins, but she snapped her fin
gers in his face and told him to come
take them. He did not, for fear OF
her fists"
Cameron shook his head in disap-
proval He was Scotch to his founda-
tfons and had his own ideas concern
ing women and their behavior.
Therefore he did not go out to his
step to meet the new arrival. but sat
sternly al his desk behind the breast
high railing in the big room of the
factory. And presently the door flung
open and Francine strobe in, smiling,
pulling off her mittens.
She stopped at the railing with her
hands upon it, THE factor?" she
asked. Il would see him."
"You see him." said Cameron.
The smile went off her lips. IT do
not jest, Msieu," she said. Where
is NJ. Mcdonald, factor of Fort La
Croix?''
Dead" said the other shortly.
where have you been that you do
not know what is doing at your trad
ing post?"
about my business on the Upper
Attibbi," fiared Francine, where even
the sledge dogs have their manners"
A red flush rose under the mans
fair skin, dying it scarlet, and from
somewhere in the dim regions of the
big room at the back there came a
peal of laughter in a boys voice. A
slim stripping came round a pile Of
fur bales to look at the owner of this
two-edged tongue which made SO lit
tie of the new factor, his brother.
But F'rancines wide black eyes be-
L came slowly moist with unshed tears.
She stood for a time looking back
into that hard past, when she and
Cine had refused McDonald's fiatter-
ing aid Though they had refused his
offer, he had continued their friend.
Il Therefore Francine stood silent by
his old desk and granted him his need
of grateful memory.
when she looked no e was to meet
the deep blue eyes of the Scot. bor-
inS like gimlets in their alert scruti-
ny. So Che made settlement for h.r
l4If IrSx yFr0 d q VIZ q