The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1926-05-21
By JAMES OLIVER CuRwooD
&c. Doubleday. Page q Coz
WNU Service

him king of domain in which there
was little law except his own. And
in return he gave back to the Com
pany bales and bundles of furs beyond
their expectation. 1t was not for them
to have suspicious. They were a
thousand or more miles away-and
dollars counted.
Gregson might have told. Gregson
was the investigating agent of that
district, who visited McTaggart. once
each year. He might have reported
that the Indians called McTaggart
Napao Wetikoo because he gave them
only half price for their furs; he
might have told the Company quite
plainly that he kept the people of the
trap-lines Mt the edge Of starvation
through every month of the winter,
that he had them on their knees with
his hands at their throats-puttlng the
truth in mild and pretty way-and
that he always had woman or girl,
Indian or halfbreed, living with him
at the Post. But Gregson enjoyed his
visits too much at Lac Balm. Always
he could count on two weeks of coarse
pleasures; and in addition to that, his
own womenfolk at home wore a rich
treasure Of fur that came to them
from McTaggart.
One evening. week after the adj
venture Of Nepeese and Baree under
the rock. McTaggart sat under the.
glow Of an oil lamp in his store"
For six weeks there had been in him
a great unrest 1t was just six weeks
ago that PierrOt had brought Nepeese
on her first VISIT to Lac Balm since
McTaggart had been Factor there.
She had taken his breath away. Since
then he had been able to think OF moth
ing but her. Twice in that six weeks
he had gone down to Pierrot's cabin.
Tomorrow he was going again. Marie,
the slim Cree girl over in his cabin,
he had forgotten-just as dozen
others before Marie had slipped out
of his memory 1t was Nepeese now.
He had never seen anything quite so
beautiful as Pierrot's girl.
Audibly he cursed Pierrot as he
looked at sheet of paper under his
hand, on which for an hour or more
he had. been making notes out of worn
and dusty Company ledgers. 1t was
Pierrot who stood in his way. Pierrot's
father, according to those notes. had
been full-blOoded Frenchrnan.
Therefore Pierrot was half French,
and Nepeese was quarter French
though she was so beautiful he could
have sworn there was not more than
a drop or two Of Indian-Chippe-
wayan, Cree, Ojibway, Dog Rib-any-
thing-there would have been no
trouble at all in the matter. He would
have bent them to his power and
Nepeese would have come to his cabin,
as Marie came six months ago. But
there was the accursed French Of it
Pierrot and Nepeese were different.
And yet
He smiled grimly, and his hands
clenched tighter. After all, was not
his power sufficient? Would even
Pierrot dare stand against that? If
Pierrot objected, he would drive him
from the country-from the trapping
regions that had come down to him as
heritage from father and grandfather.
and even before their day. He would
make of Pierrot wanderer and an
outcast, as he had made wanderers
and outcasts of a score Of others who
had lost his favor. No other Post
would sell to or buy from Pierrot II
LIE Beetle black cross-was put
after his name. That was his power
Ia law Of the Factors that had come
down through the centuries. 1t was
tremendous power for evil. 1t had
brought him Marie, the slim. dark
eyed Cree girl, who hated him-and
in spite of her hatred "kept house for
him." That was the polite way of
explaining her presence II explana-
lions were ever necessary.
McTaggart looked again at the notes
he had made on the sheet of paper.
Pierrot's trapping country, his own
property according to the common law
Of the wilderness, was very valuable.
During the last seven years he had
received an average Of thousand dol
lars a year for his fllrs. for McTag-
CART had been unable to cheat Pierrot
quite as completely as he had cheated
the Indians. A thousand dollars a
year! Pierrot would think twice be-
fore he gave that up. McTaggart
chuckled as he made his way through
the darkness to the door. Nepeese as
good as belonged to him. He would
have her if it cost-Pierrot's life. And
why not? 1t was all so easy. A
shot on lonely trap-line, single
nift-thrust-and who would know?
Who would guess where Pierrot had
gone? And it would all be Pierrot's