The Ely miner., 1932-11-11

at-Wdt you 90, MeeSter Jeemg
she feebly gasped. overwhelmed with
embarrassment.
"She's been in the lake. Marthe." ex-
planned Stuart. "She upset and drift
ed across from LeBlond's. Needs hot
soup and tire-quick! I'll rustic dry
clothes for you. Miss-Miss-"
With flash of white teeth the girl
laughed: "Oh, didn't you guess? I'm
Aurore LeBlond!"
Jim Stuart was startled. The blood
showed In his tanned cheeks as he re-
piled: mo, l didn't know" Then he
said: "Marthe will take care of you.
Miss LeBlond. Get those wet clothes
off and dry out. My cook will have
some supper for you shortly"
LeBlond's daughter, at Sunset
Housed Impossible to get her back
across that lake until the wind died !!
What situation! What would Le-
Blond, his rival and enemy. do? He'd
saved the life OF LeBlond's girl II
was huge joke on the free-trader.
Now what would he do?
AS the girl followed the Ojibwa
woman into the log house, she turned
in the doorway and called to Stuart ::
''Merci, monsieur, oh very many thanks
for saving me from a watery grave I"
With laugh she disappeared.
"Well, Omar, she's surely cool one
Half frozen In those clammy clothes,
she stops to make fun of our breaking
.Aa lor
go that canoe. Gratitude, eh-and
nerve?"
"Ah-hahi" grunted the half-breed,
Louis LeBlon', he ees lax dat. He
dom care for nobodee. How you get
her homer"
Get her back-against this wind?
She'll have to stay till it drops"
With a grunt Omar stopped in his
tracks, his face black with disap-
proval "You know wat dat meanT
81 know. He'll make a fuss, no
doubt, but there's no help for it. She
can sleep in my quarters with old
Sarah. I'll stay with you"
"We breeng her back to LeBlon' cen
de morn an we have troubP. You
dom know dat feller."
mo, | don't suppose / do, Omar.
But | know that he's putting US out
of business, and that will mean all
our work here Is lost. No, l don't
know LeBlond, but he'll know me be-
fore I quit"
The squat Sarah, the Scotch-Ojibwa
who presided over Jim Stuart's kitch-
en-, was in ferment of irritation, as
she hustled about her stove. She had
seen the canoe land and watched
Stuart, followed by Omar, lead what
she imagined half-drowned boy to
the cabin. Then, to her astonishment
and wrath, Stuart had appeared to an
nounce that this girl in mems clothes
this shameless daughter of his rival
across the lake. was to be fed.
With her fire well started and the
kettles on, the outraged Sarah had
lost no time In shuffling over to the
rear entrance of Omar's cabin for
whispered council of war with the
equally indignant Marthe. Yes, it was
true what Sarah had seen. Short hair
and mems breeches! No Ojibwa wom-
an would bring shame to her sex by
shearing her hair, and as for the
gibodiegwason'-the breeches? Mar
the's rolling eyes and hunched shout
ders eloquehtly portrayed her thoughts.
But then. some white women are mad
With much wagging of dark, braid
ed heads the women parted.
Jim Stuart's knock at the door OF
Omar's cabin brought the reply:
"Comirgi"
Shortly the door opened and the
daughter of the man who was rapidly
driving him out of the fur trade at
Mitawangagama-Ojibwa for the Lake
of the Sand Beaches-stood In dry
woolen blouse caught at the neck by
scarf of crimson silk, and whip
cords; on her stockinged feet pair of
the begrudging Marthe's beaded moe.
casins.
You're warm again-no chilli" he
asked, poignantly aware of the picture
she made in the frame of the door.
.'Yes, my heroic rescuer." she began
archly, ''and now Monsieur Sourface.
that I'm warm and dry again and look
less like a drowned fish, do you not
like me betterP
The fluttering of her black hair IL
the wind; the allure of her thick
lashed eyes; the clean lines of her
build held the appraising sweep of
hips, free of all self-consciousness.
watching him in frank amusement.
"No, Miss LeBlond," he replied in
mock gravity, 81 think l prefer you
as a drowned fish, You were then
more respectful to your heroic res
cuer.'"
"But my hair was plastered with
water and my eyes redl" she objected,
vehemently. "See it now-how II
waves when it's dry!"
"Yes, it's very-nicev" he replied,
aghast at her amazing candor. as he
walked beside her toward his quar-
tiers. So this was the new girl, the
younger generation! He had not been
outside" down to the railroad and
civilization, since his discharge from
the army on his return from France
But in the stray papers and magazines
which had reached him in the hinter-
lands of Kiwedin, he had read Of the
manners and dress of the younger
generation. The frankness of this
specimen" however, was startling.
He said. "Now. you haven't told
me how you happened to paddle that
canoe out from your shore past the
lee Of the islands. You see what a
risk you took?"
"Oh, was tired Of listening to that
fool Panl ParadiS" she exnlained