Show IT P the h e plains pm a ins 0 of f abraham by vames jjames oliver curwood f C by doubleday doran co inc f service THE STORY with hla his english wife cather 4 ine and non BOD jeems deenis henry 1311 bin french settler lettler in canada Cin nija its in 1749 cultivates a farni farm adjacent to t the seigne urle As aft the th atory ol 01 ory opens the are re turning ram fram a visit to the lie ton tours catherines catherine wandering brother meta them with ith arese pree presenta rite enta for or the family CHAPTER 11 II continued 3 Cather catherane lne took off her actipe mid and and patted lier her hair more properly aly into place before ft a mirror hall linns ng g on the wall knew liow how fust fast er heart was tripping as lie he took tier her lands ands and held then them for a moment nd ind saw a nilst mist of tears behind her ash ashes it hail had been two years since the ie had bad seen two years of earn lug and praying and hoping for its irresponsible brother the list last of ier er close blood ties who came anti rent ent with the inconstancy of the winds ind nd yet had never succeeded in spoil ng g her ter drean dream of haying him some day in a permanent member 0 of f her ter little smily each time he came to them was full of promise swear pg g upon ills his soul that lie he had ninde up Is mind to remain with them forever 8 catherine pleaded with him to do nd then soine gome day or night lie he would Is appear with all ills his belongings and 6 one would seo see or hear him go nil and t might be six months or a year or B s in this instance even longer before e returned ready to promise and year ear upon ills his soul till nil over again ut at sure to steal away in the end as afore each time that he came he bore a 9 uge age pack on his fits shoulders as if atly in penance and the lie opening of Is ils pack and the distributing of its intents had come to be the biggest ent in jeems life and also in his fits others in a slightly less degree dut but eras ems had no trespassing tres passing thought of e never falling bundle as he dewent went ick ek for hs his gun in the company of a beloved uncle hep at the most evidential of moments his hero of I 1 I 1 heroes was at tits his side and cecur this mighty personages pledge of recy crecy he lost no time in telling him out ut the boy he hated late marking the ip p of jeems hand and citi catching ching tile the itale tremble in his fits voice 1 down upon the bag of ground corn d did not leave it until by shrewd estion ing and sympathetic interest had drawn from jeems heart a ge part of what it had withheld m lils its parents at a second loud wing of heirls dinner horn they e to feet and as ul dered the corn his round reil red ce e was like a full moon of promise d I 1 cheer it tahe size to win a fight amsy he said speaking in a eon con estial way barring tills dutch n n at albany ive never been rib sted by a big man yet and im only rable erable sized you you observe ive ats ays eys I 1 had ia d a reasonable preference for e bg ones come as come can for ey are slower to move and fall harder d nine out of 0 ten of them carry fat lapaul 3 paul tache now I 1 know by your aling g of him film that you can cob and tab b etim until lie begs for mercy all what youve got your mind de ie up to nothing more ingre d nothing less and youve got ur mind made up to warm him so ind and do it I 1 say atherine came around tile the corner the cabin to meet beet tile tho plotters and albah discreetly held back further ads is as lier he winked inked broadly at jeems t was the great night of two long rs s in the I 1 cabin and oath cath ties is three betty lamps and tier her ibe ebe lamp and a dozen candles candies as aa I 1 were lighted in honor of it so t phen darkness fell thick and rs t about tile the wilderness with 1 iea of rain clouds gathering over d the home at the edge of for en vaclev la 18 was bright wt with slow glow cheer che h r the roast was its cut open with v th attendant dishes of aali ra J 0 pa potatoe pot atoe 8 and ts and hasty pudding with maple it gave opportunity for such feast an hour ow was vall gon before ibah sabah adams thrust back ills hla end the e long table fable bench and brou broa gilt t h his Is fat pack from under the 6 9 which leh led up to lo jeems sleep leep list t a few little trinkets lie bo be using the iii I 1 wp W ads lie liar had M one year after another an af A whim S and baubles for the a a bit b of trumpery for SIF alster and alg worth of nothing 9 in n nar tar for you ijen rl ah here we the he first pack package age with writing on oil theland the hand of abl otholar who adlo lie 5 7 a cap cal a rune ruffe a tr a abol bolt of lace at foje shillings a st I 1 now who in tills room can such be for unless and at SK delighted lie tossed andle to cpr but 1 h H scarce ro ad I she a it it with her ayea business us iness is then unfurled silk petticoat ln in tile canne candle pw glow tills la time catherine sprang to her with 1111 amazed ed intake of breath 0 well bad arranged fits lse one after another he it white love hood a black love and as three more petticoats on the ne of scarlet with bip ck lace of colored drugge with poin tei and a thir d of blaik slik with ray lining and as catherine upon these measures rea ili alleen tip added to two pairs of stays for an inch waist and then showered over oer them such on nit array of lace ince droblas dro droN wlas vIns gor gets and other necker chiefs that catherine closed tier her eyes eca for a and then opened wide as if there might be it chance cl ianco of some clever trickery lit in it IL dear mother other 51 in heaven I 1 she cried are nit B il of these ravishing things to for r me cio they must mua have cost n fortune I 1 pausing to look tit at tier lier su smiling illing brot jer and at file he same time holding up tip tile scarlet pelt loat with black lufe lave tills one for instance two pounds fifteen opening ills hio anek wider MII alid working his linnis Kly and to go with these dresses I 1 liao hava here bullies P V As long as you live you must munt never part with this pistol jeremay 11 and tuckers and threads and buttons and ribbons find four pairs of t the e nicest slices shoes that ever came up the hudson and placing these last named articles on the table with a flourish of arms gave it ft gloating chuckle and paused to fill tits ills pipe jeems heart was near breaking with suspense and it seemed to give an audible crack when ills uncle gnarled hands hanas went into the pa pack ck again lie he drew a bulky package from tits his store and passed it 11 to jeems father three of the finest pipes I 1 ever laid my eyes on lie announced one mado made in holland oae onar in london and one in america and five pounds of virginia tobacco to go with them henri along with a hat a coat and a pair 0 boots that may take you with honor to any rree or gentry merrymaking tilts side of the sea now hows that and ho he stepped back as it if his pack were entirely empty and held field nothing at all for jeems for an eternity it seemed to jeems his uncle remained in tills this ying posture then with deliberate and aggravating slowness hepsibah adams returned to his pack no one of the three who were watching him would ever aver have guessed that act was one weighted heavily with the force of destiny nor mgt with dramatic inevitableness it was to change the course of human lives bringing the high down to earth and the earthly to great heights loosing passions and hatreds and loves loies breeding tragedies and joys and ending at last baat in what it Is the purpose of tills this humble chronicle of human events to narrate A swift coming thought a doft deft return into the pack of a small bundle which ito hr had Ini intended ended for catherine and Heps loah had changed a world on such happenings do the most powerful of the fates sometimes rest out of the farthest corner comer of the collapsing pack lie he brought this bundle to light once i more and unwrapped it as he furn turned ed tit toward ivard deenis big eyed anxious face Je emsy lie said it if ive put the notches in my memory right you were horn born on in the coldest january alaj I 1 ever evec saw raw unit and that makes you just twelve years and four months old this evening which means that only three years ears and eight months lie be twixt you and the day when you e can an lie counted a man according to 1 law aw you are a kings subject ct of maturity ty from that day and can tak take e life bret and all ali its belongings into y your ur own litin hands litinas ds so long us its vou are honest alnut it and can stand up in equality before the stiffest peri perl wigged judge in the colonies or new france in other words I 1 mean that in less than inn abri ci short years you will ft be a full fledged ninn mail having delivered himself of tills this introductory peroration nil gil shed dished unwrapping tile lie package and never had catherine beheld kich ft a handsome piece of velvet ns as that which her brother brot lier displayed lit in tho the candle glow it was pr excellence the finest of nf the lite treasures lie he had brought n alloth of matchless be beauty it a crimson glory so till tilled ed with cl changing taligi I 1 9 humors tilt and colors that it keenn d to be alive lit in ills fits hands surely tilts this was another present for tits lits mother jeems nut to ills anti catherines fc gurp rIso thrust the alic cloth into jeems hands ifor merle antoinette from tier her devoted admirer vaniel james Idil 1 lie he announced J dont blush blitsh twelve and ten are not fur far from lateen HUI and fourteen when you will he be ninn man and woman and it if ever a seigneurs seigne urs daughter bluds herself lucky it will be on the day she man marries a son BOH of the he tribe of adams tile the writing on it deenis lee nisi tells cheret cattle came from anti lw lucli it cost and along with alth it I 1 have brought you some nali nankeen keen for brI telles ind and clothes four shirts and A three cornered hat flat with a blaik ribbon six handkerchiefs band ker anti and it jackknife two pairs b serge bri telles as many of new shoes and tills this nad fron the now nony completely emptied bilick lie he drew forth a beautiful long pistol ills pes aglow with a tight tigi ing ting mans mails pride its as lie he fondled it in the light or of the candles ile and pointed out its merits to tn deenis As long lone n as you live you must never part with tills pistol lie still said it new you see but its record la Is one of glory as long its as my arm anti and ill tel fell you about it some I 1 day I 1 ita ts it a killer lad a killer deadly and sure good for a hundred p paces cices tices with less than an inch of drop and lie havethe ga gave alie weapon into jaenis ha hands rids an instant of disapproval gathered in catherines eyes it was kind of you ou to bring the cloth for antoinette but I 1 do not care for the pistol ll 11 slip said A pistol makes me think of men fighting men and hero here we are at peace having hang need heed only of the rifle and of Jeems Jee mays ys bow and arrows to bring us meat I 1 feel it Is not best bastl 1 As she spoke thus thug of I 1 peace a cloud came over face but in a moment lie he had laughed laug hedl it away and was telling her that within a vv week ek she would be as proud of her ter boys marksmanship as silo she now italy seemed fearful of the pistols influence upon his future the next day was the day of the auction sale safe tit at cussans Lus sans pince lua its san was a wealthy farmer ati at the edge of the next ten malpa awny lip ile was returning to ills old houie home near tile the isle of orleans a country lie he liked better than the richelieu and was selling most of hla fits goods among these were i a plow with an iron point it a forty gal gallon lon soap kettle and a loom which wh feb teems father wanted wati ted SQ he had planned to start with the ox early ln iti deellis Je ellis had heard say lie he intended to buy lust lus sars sans three hlaves a mother and father and daughter ano and that mat the young wench was for tobnette Tol nette Tol nettei netto would be with her father he would take his treasure package ath him to cussans Lus sane sans and find an opportunity to give it to tier her should paul tache be there anaf dare to overlord hini him again or laugh in his meanly suggestive way any or speak sneeringly or sp rip much as say a word against tits lila gift for Tol tobnette nette A rumble of fresh growing thunder was advancing out of the west and preceding it came a roar of wind and a delugg of lightning cut once more mor e in ill vivid across tile narrow panes of the bedroom bp droom and the roof seemed to bend and groan under a sudden torrential twin bom bar dment jeems fou fought ailt in unison with tha elene elements its ills spirit mounted moun tedi savagely with the turmoil ile he hall had lila his enemy down and was thrusting his head into wet ivet and slimy mud lie iio was beating his face and eyes and spoiling pot ling ills his splendid raiment ral ment pulling out his hair and and harac antoinette was looking on with tile the gorgeous red vely velvet et in her hands and her har leyes eyes big and starry slie she way watching him blin ansbe as he choked and kicked kicked and pom mulled the life out of paul tache the outburst of thunder and wind aad deluge a whim of playful spring passed ns as swiftly ni it had come and in ill passing it left jeems breathing quickly ond fiercely in his big bed jle had risen in these moments to reckless heig heights ts and ils mind hot its for action biad settled wath wath w tb gam assurance desu aes rance urance what wham would happen tile the next day first lie he would I 1 present his fits gift to tourette Tol nette rette then lie would do what his uncle lap hd had told him to do ile he would whip paul tache TO uld CM CONTINUED |