Year: 1877




names, when I've always treated you
WELL"


" Treated me we'll with vengeance!"
cried Ben, his face white as star, and
his eyes like thunder-bolts. " Do you
call it handsome treatment to let me go
on loving you year after year, while it
strengthened with my strength, without
a hint that you couldn't return measure
for measure? And then to go back
upon fellow and throw him over be-
cause he doesn't live like "a nabob, though
he loved the ground you walk on, and
thought nothing too hard to do for you
If that's what you call treating me well,
good bye-I don't want ever to see you
again"


Lonisa had been looking at him with
sparkling eyes, she rather liked to see
him angry; it was vastly becoming.
And then he loved her so desperately.
She felt strange, delightful thrill at
her heart, as if it responded secretly.
She had half mind to go to him and
hold out her arms and be clasped to his
beating heart, and forget ambition and
luxury and choose rather a heaven on
earth; and while she had hesitated he
had said, "Good bye-I don't want
ever to see you again-good bye"


1 return the sentiment" said she, in
stead. 81 believe 1 can live without
you. Good bye" And when he was
safely out of sight she took revenge in a
good cry.


But now that he was gone, she began
to find how much she had depended up
on him, how much more his mere pres
ence was to her than any dream of world
ly prosperity, however golden. Per-
haps but for this breach she might nev-
er have known how dear he was to her,
nor how little she valued the superflui-
ties of life in comparison.


Well one of the three was to return
before the winter season of logging be-
gan, in order to lay in provisions for the
camp-as they had only taken up enough
for week or ten days-and perhaps
Ben would be the one to come; in which
case he could hardly avoid bringing her
some word of her father and uncle. And
then who would predict but he might
think it worth his while to reiterate his
love in his eloquent style? And then
Louisa laughed wickedly at the prospect,
and decided that if he was enough in
love to do thus, it would be safe for her,
beyond peradven ture, to take her own
time about making up, to show SUI
preme indifference to his regard. No
more heart than an adder, indeed What
was it then, that ached so, day after day
as the dull, cold November wind sighed
about the house, and touched the neigh
boring pines into Eolian harps and
swept up the dead leaves only to scatter
them again? Why was she always
straining her eyes down the frost-whit-
ened country roadp And what was it
that trembled in her bosom whenever
speck. appeared against the frosty sky?
But Louisa had reckoned without her
host. Ben was not the man who was
fond of reiterating love that had been
received so coldly. He didn't mean to
leave the woods till March, if he could
hold out so long. Moreover, it was Mr..
Bruce himself who proposed to go back
with the OK team and bring the supplies
and hire the men.


81 don't feel quite right about the
head" said he, ''and want Louisa to
cosset me. Then I'll go out to Shopton
and see Scales and Weight about the
supplies, and be back before you and 81
have eat up all this ere victuals."


"All right, sir" said Ben, smothering
twinge of disappointment which he
wouldn't own to himself. Wen get
the hovel ready for the cattle while you
are off, and take tramp through the
woods and spot the best timber for fell
ing"


" There's enough to do" said Uncle
Simon.


g You'll be back in five days, say 2"


eff I'm lucky. How's the stores,
SIP"


"Good for week, / should say, such
as they are. But the sooner you get
back the better. It'll be easier for you
If you can manage to get up before
heavy snow comes. You see, we have
not had anything but spits, yet, though
maybe we're going to have an open win
ter"


"Ay, ay," answered Mr.. Bruce, as he
drove off through the woods with the
OK team. Provisions for week, eh