The Coolidge examiner., 1931-06-26

than child's when he clasped
her. Then she began TO cry soft
ly with her face against his
! breast.
He carried her to the tepee. Her
clothes were in tatters, her moe
casins worn TO shreds. She was
so small a burden that her light
ness sent horror through him and
his eyes were blinded by a hot
! fire when she raised a cold hand
to touch his face. He placed her
on the soft skins in the tepee,
| then he was conscious of Wood
Pigeon near him. in a moment
| Mary Daghlen came in. Jeems
made way for them. He went
outside. and in his path was a
creature who Ieapt weakly against
him. 1t was odd, a skeleton with
red and watery eyes and jaws
! falling apart. Jeems waited un-
! til the Thrush came out and told
| him she was going for warm wa
| ter and food and that Wood
Pigeon was undressing TOinette.
/ Then he sought the others. All
but An De Bah had disappeared
and were being cared for. The
Tall Man could scarcely stand as
I he told his story. He had brought
his eleven people back alive-the
dog and he. Like the truly great,
he gave credit to his inferior.
Without the dog, he would have
failed in his struggle TO feed
eleven mouths-and Jeems knew
why odd had not been eaten.
After a time, Mary Daghlen let
him see Toinette again. She was
in her bed of skins The look
which mad frightened him was
gone from her eyes. and they were
bright with the JOY of his pres
ence. She held out her arms to
him, and he knelt beside her
Wood Pigeon looked at the two
with shining eyes, and a soft mist
gathered in Mary Daghlen's.
After this. Jeems did not see Toi-
nette again for an afternoon and
a night. During this time she
slept. and the Thrush and Wood
Pigeon were never far from her
side. The next day she walked
with him about the town.
What was in TOinette's heart
was also in Mary Daghlen's. The
young girl who had known no
other life than that of her adopted
people since babyhood, but whose
mother had kept God and Church
alive in her soul, watched with in
creasing anxiety for the return of
Shindas, and she told Toinette
that at last she was prepared TO
yield to her environment, and If
no priest came that spring or sum-
mer she would marry Shindas in
the Indian way. This thought
now held less of horror for Toi-
nette. She had seen the fidelity
and courage of an Indian family
in its struggle against death; she
had seen the Tall Man gnaw at
bitter bark that his women and
children might have scraps of skin
and flesh; she had seen a mother
hide her portion of food day after
day that she might save ii for her
children; she had witnessed a
faith and devotion which could
have been inspired by nothing less
than the strength of God in their
souls. Her prejudices melted away
in spite of their background of
unforgettable tragedy. and she be-
gan to experience emotions which
had not come TO her before. And
though she said nothing of II to
Jeems, the conviction was growing
in her heart that she would not
allow another winter to separate
them, even if a priest did not
come to Chenufsio.
But he came, following closely
the months of starvation. He was
1t gaunt, death-faced man, on his
way to take the place of a brother
who had died among the Indians
OF the Ohio. That was what he
said. History was to relate other
wise, for a year later he was the
force behind the Abenakis in their
slaughter of the English at Fort
William Henry. His name was
Father Pierre Roubaud. He was
a cold. terrible man of God. Yet
/ he was the Church. He would
/ have died thousand deaths for
| the Cause of which he was the
spiritual if not the moral repre-
/ sentative. He would have eaten
human flesh in defense of it. He
/ did see such flesh eaten by his
savage disciples at Fort William
/ Henry. He remained in Chenufsio
/ two days. On the second of these
days he married Jeems and Toi-
nette according TO the ritual of
the Catholic church.
The gloom he brought with him
was dissipated by this event.
ChenufsiO gave itself up TO a few
hours of rejoicing in honor OF
Tiaoga's daughter and the son of
| WuskOo.
But this happier spirit could not
endure long with the people.
Death had settled on them heavily.
No word had come from Tiaoga
and his warriors. There were
whisperings that they had been
| annihilatPd in battle and would
never return. Anxiety grew into
fear, fear into certainty. The
grimness of a tragedy darker than
the sable robes of the priest how
cred over Chenufsio.
In their happiness, Jeems and
Toinette did not feel the under
current of change about them.
Their abiding place became a
| homo uhoSa rootS SDraad SO So