The Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1931, 1931-02-19
CHAPTER IV-Continued

OF these things Jeems was
thinking as winter grew into
spring and spring into summer.
Only love held him from leaping
to the temptations which were
drawing closer about him, love for
lis mother whose happiness
marked the beginning and the end
Of all action on the part of her
men folk. And in this hour, when
three out of four of the fighting
men along the Richelieu were pre-
pairing to join Dieskau, when half
of his acquaintance at the Ton
teur seigneurie had already gone
to fight Braddock, when the for
ests trembled at the stealthy tread
of painted savages, and when the
Frenchman who did not rise to
his country's call was no longer
a Frenchman, Jeems observed that
the strain upon his father was
more difficult to bear than his
own. For Henri, in spite of his
worship of Catherine, was of New
France to the bottom of his soul
and now that other men were
making a bulwark of their bodies
against her enemies, his own de-
sire to make the same sacrifice
was almost beyond the power OF
his strong will to control. In theil
years of eomradeship, Ieems an6
his father had never come so neal
to each other as in these weeks oil
tension.
Almost as painful to them as
the sting of a wound was the day
when Dieskau came up the Rich
ellen with a host of three thou
sand five hundred men and made
forever a hallowed ground of the
Tonteur seigneurie by camping
there overnight.
When she knew they were com
ing, Catherine had said:
IF your hearts tell you it is
right, go with them p
But they remained. For Henri il
was a struggle greater than Die
skau fought, greater than that il
which Bra ddock died. For Jeems
it was less a torment and more
the mysterious madness of you'll
to tramp to the clash of arms. Fol-
Catherine it was the gehenna Of
her life siege of darkness anf
uncertainty in her soul which gave
way suddenly before news which
swept like a whirlwind over the
land
God had been with New France
Braddock and his English in
vaders were destroyed
No triumph of French arms il
the New world had been so com
plete. and Dieskau, the great Ger
man baron who was fighting fol
France, moved southwark to crust
Sir William Johnson and his Co
lonials and Indians. planning no
to stop until he had driven then
to the doors of Albany.
With him were six hundred ant
eightyfour of the loyal men wht
were beginning to call themselve!
Canadians
Tonteur rode over to bring thu
news to Henri Bulain. To Cath
crime he recalled his prediction
that the English would never ge
into this paradise of theirs. Nov
the whole thing was settled fol
mary years to come, for Dieskal
would sweep their last enem!
from the Champlain country a,
completely as new broom swep
her home. He had sent almos
every man he had to the scene O
fighting, and only his wooden les
had kept him from joining Dies
kan.
Even Toinette had wanted t.
go
This recalled an important mat
ter to his mind Toinette had en-
trusted him with letter foI
Teens. Boiling over with his OWL
selfish civilizations, he had forgot
ten it, He hoped it was an invita-
tion for Jeems to come to thu
seigneurie. He had often told hi
girl she should be more friendl,
with the lad.
Jeems took the letter and wen
off by himself 1t was the frs
recognition from Toinette since
the day of the levee. He had no
seen her and had tried not t.
think of her. Alone, he read thu
words she had written him.
With pitiless GOODNESS and brew
ity. they called him renegade
and a coward.
y Il
On a September morning some
days later. Jeoms stood watching
his uncle as he disappeared int
the frost-tinted woods of Forbid
den valley. 1t seemed to him tina
Hepsibah's suspicious and guard
ianship of the valley had becom,
greater with the growing news o
French triumphs in the soutl