The Coolidge examiner., 1931-07-17

| this continent" preached Thomas
| FOXcrOft, pastor of the Old church
| in Boston, for like a million others
of his cOuntrymen he did not for
see the still greater conflict for
American independence less than
| fifteen years ahead. And the echo
was repeated-"At last there is an
end to war" Again the sun was
golden in its promises Men called
the days their own, the frontiers
| Slumbered. the most vengeful of
the savages retreated TO their fast
nesses. women sang and children
played with new visions in their
eyes. These were the days Of
nations birth, when the Briton
mingled with those whom he had
defeated, and transformed New
France into Canada.
In the spring of 176l Jeems re-
turned to the Richelieu. Madame
Tonteur. her spirit subdued and
her malice chastened. placed into
his hands and those of her daugh-
ter the broad domain of TOnteur
manor, which it was her desire
never to see again. That the home
of their future was TO be built
amid the scenes OF a tragedy
which had brought Them together,
and where they would feel the
presence of loved ones who had
found happiness there as well as
death, brought 10 Toinette and
Jeems a joy which only they could
understand. For the charred ruins
of TOnteur manor and of Forbid
den valley were home, even to
Hepsibah Adams; and when Jeems
reached the hallOwed ground he
had left five years before. he wrote
TOinette. who waited in Quebec.
telling her how the hills smiled
their welcome, how green the
abandoned meadows were, and that
everywhere flowers had come to
bless the solitude and the rest
ing places of their dead. Then he
set to work with the men who had
come with MIN. and in the golden
flush of September he went for
Toinette and his boy. A haze of
smoke drifted once more from the
chimneys of cottages I'm the valley
lands. and with another summer
the lowing of cattle and the bleat-
ing of sheep rose AT evening time.
and the old mill wheel turned
again. and often TOinette rode be
side Jeems toward Forbidden val
ley, sometimes with her hair in
curls. with ribbon streaming
from them.
Ii was in this second year, when
the chestnut burrs were green on
the ridges. that strangers came
down tine trail from TOnteur hill
one evening, two men and woman
and a girl The men were Senecas,
and the miller, who met them first,
eyed them with suspicion as well
as wonder. for while the girl was
pretty and the woman white, the
men who accompanied them were
fierce and tall and marked by
battle. They were also extremely
proud. and passed the miller with
out needing his command TO make
themselves known, stalking TO the
front of the big house. followed by
the woman and the girl where
Toinette saw them and gave such
a cry that the miller ran back for
his gun. In this way TiaOga came
TO TOnteur manor TO show Jeems
the scar his arrow had made. and
with MIN were Wood Pigeon and
Shindas and Mary Daghlen. For
many years after this until he was
killed in the frontier fighting which
preceded the American war for in
dependence. Tiaoga returned often
TO the valley Of the Richelieu, and
as time went on, the pack of soft
skins and bright feathers he
brought with him grew larger, for
another boy was given to Toinette.
and then a girl, so that, with three
children always watching and hop
ing for his arrival, the warrior
was kept busy accumulating treas
ures for them. Once each year
Mary and Shindas visited Tonteur
manor. and with them came their
children when they grew old
enough TO travel through the will
derness. Wood Pigeon did not re-
turn TO ChenufsiO. Tokana, her
crippled father, had given up his
valiant struggle the preceding win
ter and had died. She lived with
Toinette and Jeems until she was
nineteen, when she married a
young French landowner named De
Poncy.
From one of a sheaf of yellow
letters may be read these lines,
dated June IA, 1867. written to
Nancy Lotbiniere Gagnon by Marie
Antoinette Bulain.
'My Own Dear Nancy.
Sadness has fallen over us here
at TOnteur manor. Odd is dead.
no longer have a doubt that God
has given souls to the beasts. for
wherever we look we miss him,
and a fortnight has passed since
we buried him close 70 the chapel
yard. 1t is like missing a child
who loved us. or, more than that,
one who guarded us as he loved.
Even last night little Marie An
toinette sobbed herself to sleep be-
cause he cannot come when she
calls him. | cannot keep tears
from my own eyes when | think
of him, and even Jeems, strong as
he is, turns from me when we pass
the chapel yard, ashamed of what
| might see In his face. Odd was
all we had left to US of other days
he and HepSibah. And 1t is Hep
Sibah for whom nv heart aches