The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1926-06-11
Chapter VII-continued
ID

mead IN her hands. "Baree!
Her touch thrilled him. It sent
little throbs through his body, a
tremulous quivering which she could
feel and which deepened the glow in
her eyes. Gently. her hand stroked his
head and his back. 1t seemed to
Nepeese that he did not breathe. I'm
der the caress of her hand his eyes
closed. In another moment she was
talking to him, and at the sound of
her voice his eyes shot open.
"He will come here-that beast
and he will kill u.s." she was saying.
-'He will kill you because you bit
him, Baree. Ugh. wish you were
bigger, and stronger, so that you could
take off his head for met"
She was untying the babiche from
about the table-leg, and under her
breath she laughed. SHE was not
frightened. It was tremendous adj
venture-and she throbbed with ex-
ultation at the thought Of having
beaten the man-beast in her own way.
She could see him in the pool struggling
and beating about like great fish.
He was just about crawling out of the
chasm now-and she laughed again as
she caught Baree up under her arm.
"Oh-oopi-na0-but you are heavy!"
she gasped. "And yet I must carry
you-because l am going to run !"
She hurried outside. Pierrot had
not come. and she darted swiftly into
the balsams back of the cabin, with
Baree hung in the crook of her arm.
like a sack filled at botlr ends and
tied in the middle. He felt like that,
too. But he still had no inclination to
wriggle himself free. Nepeese ran
with him until her arm ached. Then
she stopped and put him down on his
feet, holding to the end of the carl
bou-skin thong that was tied about his
neck And then the Willow spoke to
him softly.
"You are not going to run away.
Baree. Non. you are going to stay
with me, and we will kill that man
beast if he dares do to me again what
he did back there" She flung back
the loose hair from about her flushed
face, and for moment she forgot
Baree as she thought of that half
minute at. the edge of the chasm. He
was looking straight up at her when
her glance fell on him again. "Non.
YOU are not going to run away-you
are going to follow me- she whis-
pered. Come"
The babiche string frightened about
Barees neck as she urged him to fol-
low. 1t was like another rabbit-snare
and he braced his fore-feet and barred
his fangs Just a little. The Willow
did not pull. Fearlessly she put, her
hand on his head again. From the
direction of the cabin came a shout,
Yand at the sound of it she took Baree
up under her arm once more
"Bete noir-bete noir!" she called
back tauntingy, but only loud enough
to be heard few yards away. go
hack to Lac Bain-owases-you wild
BEAST"
Nepeese began to make her way
swiftly through the forest 1t grew
deeper and darker and there were no
trails. They came at last into an
open. 1t was tiny meadow in the
heart Of the forest. not more than
three or four times as big as the
cabin underfoot the grass was soft
and green, and thick with flowers
Straight through the heart of this
which the Willow jumped with BARGE
under her arm. and on the edge of the
rill was small wigwam made of
freshly cut spruce and balsam boughs.
Into her diminutive mekewap the Will
low thrust her head to see that things
were as she had left them yesterday.
Then, with long breath of relief, she
put down her four-legged burden and
fastened the end of the babiche to one
of the cut spruce limbs.
Baree burrowed himself back into
the wall of the wigwam, and with
head alert-and eyes wide open
watched attentively what happened
after this. Not movement of the
Willow escaped him. She was radiant
and happy. Her laugh. sweet and
wild as a birds trili, set Baree's
heart throbbing with desire to jump
about with her among the flowers.
For time Nepeese seemed to for
get Baree. Her wild blood raced with
the JOY of her triumph over the Fac
tor from Lac Balm. She saw him
again, laundering about in the pool
pictured him at the cabin now, soaked
and angry. demanding of mon pere
where she had gone. And mon pere,
with a shrug of his shoulders, was
telling him that he didn't know-that
probably she had run into the forest.
1t did not enter into her head that in
trucking Bush McTaggart in that way
she had played with dynamite. She
did not foresee the peril that In an
instant would have stamped the wild
flush from her face and curdled the
blood in her veins-did not guess that
n I'm L.