Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1931-04-02


of Thunder Shield, a valiant warrior
and a splendid hunter They were 60
ing toward Lake Ontario. Toinette
WAS given to All De Bah, the Tall
Man. relative of Tiaoga's.
Hiding their disappointment, Jeems
and Toinette encouraged themselves
with visions of future which they
tried to paint In bright colors. The
months would pass quickly. With the
earliest days of spring. they would re-
turn tn chennfsio. Every hour they
would live in each others thoughts,
and nj night their prayers would cross
in the wilderness. Next year there
would surely he way Fate would
not separate them again In their
final moments together, Toinette's eyes
elowed with depth cf faith and
love which It was impossible for Jeems
to measure fully
In this way they parted
He went north and west with Wus-
koo toward the Tyanagarnnie river
which emptied into Lake tlnfarlo. Odd
struggled between his devotion for
.Ieems and for Tnineftp lie followed
his master distance. then hesitateh
and turned hack. 4 lump rose in
Jeems' throat. and he could not see
clearly as his comrade sat in the trail
and watched until he disappeared
Wusknn led The way TO hardwood
country In which he was sure there
would he hunting that would last
! through the winter. There were plenty
| Of raccoons. and the mergansers. or
fish ducks. would come to the swift
running headwaters to feed AS soon
as ice closed The lakes and the mouths
| OF the streams Here they made their
lodge of sanlings 1t was new kind
1t with a cooking hearth and chimney
| and tiny room set apart for Wood
/ Pigeon herself The chid's eyes
! qlowed with delight at this possession.
Each day Ieems told her more about
| Toinette--how Sol Van Makwun cared
for her beautiful haIr. how 1t was part
of her religion to keep herself clean,
how and why she did this thing and
that, until thoughts and desires grew
/ In Wanonat's head and she employed
the comb and the brush which Jeems
mnde for her until her sleek black hair
was never nntidy
Heavy snow and extreme cold came
early in the season. by the middle
| OF December. Jeems was compelled
i to hunt on snowshoes. and so hitter
were the nights that the first OF jan
uarv found even the headwaters freez-
Ing out the mergansers.
This was the memorable winter OF
1755 and 1Tld. the story Of which the
Senecas handed down from father to
! son for many gpnerations-a winter in
which all game seemed, to have gone
from the face If the earth. and when
hardship and starvation Killed a tenth
of the three westernmost Of the Six
Great Nations. The Senecas. the Cayu-
gas. and The 0nondagas.
At first Jeeins was partly prepared
because he had killed hufk. and with
Wuskon's shreWd assistance had
marked number of trees In which
racc0ans were sure to hibernate. But
late In January famine drew closer
about the cabin on the Little Selus,
and .1eems Travelled farther in his
hunts. until lie was gone two days at
a time In February. he made four Of
these hunts and found no game. Tile
cold was terrific. Trees cracked like
rifles In the woods. Bitter winds con-
tinned night and day. Wood Pigeons
eyes grew larger and her body more
fragile as the weeks passed. Each
time Jeems came In from his hunts
she blazed up like fire in her hapni-
ness. but he could mark the steady
fading OF her strength. lie hunted
with almost insane energy. Every
thing was for her when famine
clutched at them hardest
Torturng fears assailed Jeems. Toll
nettc was never out OF his mind, for
even In his sleep he dreamed OF her.
She. too. was part Of this fight to
hold life together
At night, when the wind howed and
trees walled In their distress, he
sweated In fear. and more than once
the thought came to him to abandon
his family and 60 In search OF Toi-
nette. His visions of the fate which
might be overtaking her became al
most unbearabe. His hunts were not
long now. and seldom took him more
than three or four miles from the
cabin, for his own strength was ehblng.
His only hope was to XIII an occa-
sional bird, and 1t was In the darkest
hour that an answer came to his
prayers In a blizzard against which
he was working his way in half blind
ness, he stumbled upon doe as weak
as himself and killed her. Without
this stroke Of fortune. Wood Pigeon
!, and Wuskoo must have died When
the thaws came. they were alive. Rae
coons began to appear and fleshy roots
could be gathered out OF the opening
streams. Early March brought Il
warm break in which Jeems and his
companions started for Chennfsi0.