Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1925-11-13

fortunes of the summer. Inc darK
ewes of Denise ST. Onge, fixed on the
window, were cryptic. Then the fac
tor smiled inscrutably as he said:
Monsieur, / am furtrader on a
river believed to be haunted 1t would
he policy most ruinous for me to ad-
NIT a belief in the supernatural--in
this Indian tradition. Is it not so?
But" and the speaker glanced at his
daughter, 'as well believe 1t the
Windigo; what other solution Is left?
Men and canoe disappear that J!
and he snapped his fingers.
1t was clear that st. Onge was dis
loath to give his guest the whole
story. But why? What was there in
this tragedy Of fear and death that a
stranger should not know? Why, since
st. Onge had so frankly revealed the
crisis he faced at Wailing River-the
threatened loss of the trade and
abandonment of the post, due to the
superstition Of the Indians-did he
withhold his own solution of the rid
die? Certainly there was more, much
more, in this strange situation which
Steele had accidentally stumbled upon,
than the loss Of the fur canoe. The
furtive glances of father and daugh.
ter at Steele's reference to Latiamme,
the free-trader; her evident embar-
rassment at the mention Of Lascelles.
Inspector at Albany; and above all.
her mood of despair at the rapids,
voiced so poignantly by her violin;
these could bear no relation to the
tragedy of the fur canoe-to the panic
of the Indians at the ill-starred post.
Were your men trustworthyW he
suddenly asked
Absolutely. They could not de
sert and hope to dispose of the fur.
We and the Hudsons Bay people have
an agreement On the Albany at that
time they would surely have run into
the Fort Hope York boats and the
Martins Falls and Henley House
brigades. Besides, two Of them left
young wives here"
"Still. I'm sure Michel Is wrong
about the eddy" ventured Steele,
hoping to draw out the factor The
Big Pelican Whirlpool below Lac Seul,
the worst I've ever seen, always
throws out the stuff sucked into 1t in
the course Of few hours"
st. Onge lifted his heavy eyebrows
in nod Of assent. "Oh, Michel Is in
doubt about it also, but that is what
he tells the Indians. A man of parts
Is Michel, monsieur. He is more than
my right hand here"
"Yes, he looks like a good man. Did
you notice David, colonel" Steele's
face lighted as he mentioned his
swarthy comrade.
"He seemed most intelligent" re-
piled st. Onge, land looks as if he
could pack four hundred over a port
age, If he wished.
HE can, colonel" Then Steele gam
bled with his hosts curiosity. What
worries me is how to keep him from
wringing Laflamme's neck when we
reach Ogoke-and, aside from getting
supplies, we wish to stop at Ogoke,
Colonel st. Onge."
The factor was palpably interested
His narrowed eyes seemed to search
those Of his guest In an endeavor to
read his thoughts. Then, leaning for
ward, elbows on table, he asked
tensely:
"WhyT
II am sorry, but that is David's Sc
cret"
"Oh, see 1t is right, then, that
you do not tell. But I was curious,
monsieur, for today when he reached
here he asked at once how many
days travel 1t was to Ogoke lake."
That st. Onge should be vitally In
terested In the man, who, by the use
Of whisky, was winning the fur trade
Of the whole headwater country of the
Wailing, was natural, but the observ-
ant Steele sensed more to the story
than mere trade rivalry, in the atti-
tude Of the factor. However. he
dropped the subject and returned to
the lost canoe.
TITS by far the strangest case have
heard of-four men in a loaded canoe,
wiped out without leaving a scrap of
birchbark or a silver Of spruce as
clue, and wonderful opportunity for
the study Of this Windigo superstition
at first hand"
Eighteen thousand dollars In fur p
sighed the factor, whose face was
drawn and old, as they left the table.
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