Evening star., 1924-11-30
THE LAWLESS. ! 4! :. Y!


| Spring A soft snow was falling. So
| she fell asleep under Nina's warm
| coverlets-to sit up sharply in the
dark, her every sense alert: What
| had awakened her? What had called
| to her out of the night and the
| silence? There was a sound at the
little window at the SOUTH as of
| hand fumbling. and voice thick
with anguish. Francine leaped from
| her bed to push the pane outward
on Its hinge.
Who's here?" she said distinctly.
For answer a cold hand touched
her face and voice said:
"Lassie! Is 1t you? Thank God"
And Jamie Cameron lurched in
across the sill. his fair head in the
bend of her arm.
Am deein'!" he gasped, whimper-
| ing. Shot through-an by ma ain
brither" Francine raised him up.
Tell me-" she demanded. sternly.
whats this? All of it,
II cam back-for the money" he
painted. THE money in the-b.g
desk. Picquard-waitin' for me
| ahint the bend of the river-I got
the bag-but John-shot at the win
| dow as I was gaein' oot! Oh, Iassie-
TAX me to Picquard by the bend. I
Gamma abide Johns knowin'!" No
| more can T." she gritted through set
| teeth. She was hearing again the
| factors apologetic voice saying, For
| the sake of his dead mother" The
| factor who had tried So hard to save
| the boy, who loved him deep down
In his stern heart, who had rather
see him lying in his shroud than sin
ming away his youth in Quebec. How
oh, how would John Cameron, with
his deep, fanatical sense of justice,
ever support this CHASTITY knowledge?
| 1t seemed that all the cold Of the
| great North was creeping in around
her heart. chilling 1t with the touch
| or death. Then the strength and the
spirit which had borne her so gal
! lantly. through her lonely life. came
flooding back upon her. and she took
her course upon the instant
Show me the wound. Jamie" she
| said. taking his cold hand in hers. Il
would know If 1t is vital"
1t was in the left shoulder Fran
cine tore the sleeve from her gown
and rolling 1t into a ball thrust 1t
tight against the spot.
Hold 1t there" she commanded
and stay still. I'll need FIVE min
utes-ten."
With flying fingers F'rancine dress
ed herself The factor would arouse
the poSt-in half an hour every Way
| would be full Of figures She
| must be quick and silent When she
was fully clad she hung a blanket
over the latch of the door between
| the rooms and lighted the candle on
| the little table. With stub of pencil
from her pocket she bent above the
light and wrote for a moment on a
fy-leaf torn from Nina's prayer book,
which lay within reach Of the bed:
Monsieur lie Facteur: 1 am a liar
| and a thief. 1t was / who took your
| money-and ] will not marry you.
leave my useless load-that 1 may
have light going for my dogs For
the shot you sent throught the win
dow after me l Will take payment
| from the first who follows. The love-
play, 1t has been amusing, perhaps
| unfair, you were SO earnest, but what
would you when woman plays for
higa stakes. like the heavy bag from
m'sieu.
''FRANCINE-THE LAWLESS."
Then. with noiseless haste. she
forced her big body through the win
| dow. tore the load from her sledRe
and covered Jamie Cameron deep
| among the robes. setting back a scaht
portion OF provisions. 1t took but
| short time to harness and hitch, and
| then the sledge pulled away into the
| white darkness Of the heavy night
| y = X x
TT was five days later. On the banks
of a frozen stream a little fire was
burning, It's ghostly radiance lighting
up the pale trunks of a thicket of
| birch trees. Close in five dogs were
curled in accomplishing quiet In the
lee OF the sledge, amid a. huddle of
robes, a pale. boy lay and looked at
| the woman who sat across from him
"Lassie." he said haltingly. will
We no say that prayer for me again
| tonight? I'd rather Ye drove a knife
| into ma vitals"' The girl looked at
him.
III you do not wish." she answered
gently. But how can / not, when
| the Blessed Virgin has let the wound
heal so well-and we have come so
far on our journey to my friends, the
Crees? All Is 80 we'll with you"
But here the boy rolled over on his
! face and began to weep.
The knife" he sobbed, you turn
1t with your kindness, Francine! I
wish that 1 was dead"
For the first time on the tragic
journey FraIcine Gitou smiled
When the soul is sick unto DEATH"
she said softly. 'it is getting ready
| to live. Jamie. thank lie bon Dieu-"
1T was Picquard put me up to the
theft" he walled. will ye no
believer Francine rose and going
around the fire sat down beside him
that she might take the fair head on
her knee.
AN maybe some day yell tell John
for NOR Again the girl smiled, and
the sight was pitiable. --.
"John," she said gently. .is a good
man and would cruelty his own
heart for the right. He would send
you to Jail" ~
The boy had ceased his crying ana
stared at the flame with blue eyes
that were aging daily, while Fran
cine's thoughts were as tragic as
death. A spruce tree cracked sharply
| under its white burden, and some
where far to the right a wolf howled.
Francine reached for moro wood and
laid 1t on the fire, which leaped in
answer. She did not see the right
ear of her leader prick to attention
nor feel the sudden tension in his
motionless body. But presently two
more of the team reused to listen,
and this time Francine stirred.
Peace, mes enfants," she said
drowsily. then saw that cooked ear.
!! In one instant she was wide awake.
Sho had barely time to get to her
feet a tall figure In the fire's glow
with her gun at ready, when out OF
the. darkness beyond a voice cried
sternly: Surrender. Francine Gitou-
in the name Of the lawi" and the
faint radiance picked out palely from
the shadows the face of John
Cameron, factor of Fort La Croix!
1t was a dead face, gray and drawn
and thinned in the cheeks, and but
for the flaming blue eyes that lighted
It would have been hardly recog-
nizable. There were others behind