The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-02-24
UNDER FROZEN STARS

uui oSouy VI ucSpdiI, joy hoi
poignant than pain held him inartic-
ulate.
He raised his hand to his hot fore
head, as his dazed eyes turned to the
woman who watched him.
"She come wild sled to see you,"
explained Sarah. "She cry wen / tell
her you travel nord wild de dog. l
not let her cen de house ontil she say
she ees your woman. Den she write
dat lettair and tell me to say noding
ontil you read it."
Jim's heart was beating with deliri-
Gus joy. She had cast MacLauren
aside-Iaughed at the lure of the city,
to come to him. Her heart was too
wild to be Gagged down there In Winni-
peg; she belonged to the forests, to
the land of the ''long SHOWS"
His face darkened with disappoint-
ment as he looked at his watch. 1t was
too late-too late to gallop his tired
dogs across ten miles of frozen lake. The
post would be asleep. Tomorrow
morning he would go to the girl who
had fiouted the smooth MacLauren to
come back to her fur trader, and de-
mand his daughter of LeBlond-take
her by force if it came to that; for she
loved him, loved him. She had said
she was his-his woman. In the face
of LeBlond he'd take her. They'd be
married by the missionary at Fort
Hope. Shed never escape him again.
For he was a made man, now. SUM-
set House would startle headquarters
at Winnipeg with its trade. Now, he
had more than a heart and empty
hands to give her. Aurore! Aurore!
AS the famished and half-mad Jim
ate his supper, his eye was caught by
the dark stuff circling the lowering
Sarah's thick neck.
"What's that you've got around your
neck?" he demanded.
The copper-hued features Of the
Ojibwa lit with pride. dat ees seek
ajigan she breeng Sarah"
"What? A stocking? On your
neck?"
Sarah Strengthened with dignity as
she countered with disdain: you
t'ink I wear eet on my foot-dat YER
nice seelk?"
His penr emotion found release in
uncontrolled laughter, while Sarah
stoutly held her ground with sober
face. Then he appeased her with:
you'll be good to her now she's come
back to Jim?"
The Ojibwa beamed until her black
eyes were Sits in her broad face.
Gwen she go, she hug Sarah. She
geeve her wan beeg kiss on dis place."
And Sarah pointed proudly to an ex-
panse of dusky cheek.
"That's like her-all heart and i'm
pulse. Sarah would die for her now"
thought Stuart, as he rose and, TAX
ing his cap, went to the trade-house.
Already Omar had started opening
the fur packs brought from the north,
and the two men ran their fingers
through the shimmering pelts, classify
ing their primeness and making an
estimate Of their value down on the
railroad. They were admiring a large
black fox which for size, thickness
and sheen of its fur was the prize of
the trip north.
at will bring q thousand In Winni-
peg, Omar" commented Jim. II never
saw better one"
"Ah-hah! Dat ees good wan for"
The hurried entrance Of Esau drew
the eyes of the men at the counter.
"De sky look YER queer cross de
lak!" he announced. II watch eet
for long piece"
"Where?" Jim demanded; '.south,
toward LeBlonds?"
"Ah-hah! De sky ees light lax bush
fire max cen de summer"
"Then it's the buildings at Lee
Blond'sl" said Jim, starting for the
door, followed by the others. "Its out
of range of the northern lights, and
there're none tonight, anyway! It's
too thick !" .....
A fire at LeBlond's! What could
it mean?
Outside in the snow the three men
gazed through the gloom of the thick
night across the frozen lake where q
dull glow hung above the horizon.
Dat ees fire for sure" muttered
Omar.
Fire! thought Jim. 1t might be the
living quarters, the trade-house, too |!
If so, she'd have nothing but the In
dian shacks for shelter. He would go !
glitch our dogs, Omar, I'm going
overt"
IVY you worree eef dat place
burn?' demanded the half-breed.
Jim thrust his face close to the al
most invisible features of his friend.
Because" he said, "she's come back
to me-my girl! She's there! She
may need help; understand"
For answer, calloused hand fum-
bled in the dark, found Jim's, and
closed in a hard grip. 81 get de dog I"
And Omar hurried away.
Ten miles of lake trail broken only
by the passage Of the sled which had
carried Aurore to Sunset House lay
before Jim and Omar, as they started
with the empty sled through the murk
of the starless night. There were
| reaches, where the snow had drifted
as it had fallen, which drove the hur-
rying men ahead to break trail
on their snowshoes, while the will.
| ing dogs fioundered to their Shout
ders. On went the team toward
the glow in the sky across the great
lake, and, as they travelled. Stuart
wondered what awaited him at what
was once Bonnie Chance 1t was
early; they couldn't have been caugh,
in their beds he assured himself
They reached a strait between two
of the islands through which the wind
| had swept as through a funnel. scour