Show tc 4 t it J Ya Y- Y ij l. l t- t 0 f t I i 7 I a r S T r ff 7 If 1 fJ 1 t Ii a hl rp rv li I n. n t 1111 I 1 T I 1 rn V I. i B P r 1923 A L. L I i i i i. i A QUERN MAID t SYNOPSIS Traveling eUn b by canoe cane on his hie ito wa 1 ln the early earl day daya ot or the or of William Brampton English spy py known to Indians IndIan and settler aa a. the White Whit Indian see a a Indian post peat a declaration of or war against the French For his hIli own ha to entry oIry the news nw to French governor Brampton meets an old friend Joe Labrador In In- dlan half halfbreed breed who i warns him has threatened to hang hane him as a. aa spy api Brampton ret to turn backs back I He Ie tall falls In with Jul Jules and Basils Bailie 1 Matter on os theIr way to to secure eure wives from froma a ship the women woman from France krance At DUos Brampton protects a woman from I sergeants sergeant's brutality She tells tell him she ehe Is II Claire Clair picked up In tn a raid In Part Paris Evidently Evi dently well bred and nd educated she Ibe she Is la a mystery to lie He Intervenes to prevent a man man English known as all Old i FIni gers er tier following to New Or Or- leans lean A Frenchman Francois Francol Narbonne slightly demented by bJ by stories he hu heard of or the riches or of tb the New ew aw World IntroduCes Introduces Intro Intro- duces cluce himself accuse accuses accuses' Brampton of ot treachery treA but the latter secures a respite from death by revealing the Matches declaration of war He lie Is I to await the arrival of or a former companion the tho Fox Foz who will will exonerate or condemn him has documents nt proving provine Brampton rampton Ian an spy apy Brampton r receives receives' a message to help her her reach teach the English Ena settlements settlements settlements' settle settle- ments ments' trusts trusta Nar Narbonne t Nar-t bonne bonna with a a note to to Claire promising to m meet et her hr at New Orleans Orlean lie He plans plana his escape After Attar a II struggle Ie Brampton wrests the Incriminating paper from and escapes from He lIe me meets meet tl the Matter Matto and Ind to New Orleans Orleane In a a. a sailing packet At the landing place Brampton again encounters encounters I Joe Labrador whom whom he sends lend to bring brine Claire to him Brampton questions question her bel closely but she ahe will toll tell him tittle or her history With Labrador Brampton Iton ton and nd Claire leave In In two canoes for tor the hr settle ments CH CHAPTER Continued I VII VII Continued 9 9 We now cometo to the Uie great river sl l pl laIn Tain positive the man manDim man Dim a and his hi Indians IndIana are coming up the river to look for me I have ave paddled bard hard to make the big river ahead of ot them Now I am nm wondering If It Is II wise wile to go ahead of th them m. m But Rut how can we flee nee from them unless we we be ahead she abe exclaimed It If the they are are ahead abed and find we can follow tol fol low them I should like Uke It better I replied Oh la Ia I I. I La JQ Lai I To think of ot that I 1 And for the the moment moment she ahe was an nn entirely en tn Urel new V and most moat tantalizing y young woman oman She ll laughed softly and with such luch zest that I wa was wa amazed d and t Oh monsieur I Now I do feel teel safe late when you can plan so 80 she cried To be sure surel I They seek us ahead of ot them hen tI their eY eyes s are to the front and we we come coma softly after them like Uke a moue the cat catl I The big river rooM Pooh I i will not be afraid of ot It any more ItO How old are you your I shot over my shoulder Nineteen Twenty In December she promptly replied Have i you paused to think what people may say lay when th they y are told you traveled with me fr from tn the Mississippi Mis MIs- sl to to the coast t tHer tier Her grave crave eyes eyel stared at ine- ine me lu In deep perplexity and I could have hav kicked myself for putting the question What will they say she slowly repeat repeated ell with a n little frown wrinkling her ber brows Certainly they will lIa say Monsieur a anti and compassionate gentleman to help a poor girl find a place of safety I wa was glad Klad tobe out pt of It thus easIly foal foal- easily ily lIy and and to tot pr prevent v nt b bet l' l taking time to analyze the query queI and arrive at a B amore amore more world wise conclusion I II I spoke of ot lIer Her face tace reflected terror terror ter ter- ter and she whispered red That man mun Is y tte e devil or 07 the dev devils devil's ls l's man mani I It of hIm that I wear vear this s. s And from her bel blouse she ho pulled a small dirk In a sheath and secured by bya a string around her ber slim neck lIe He bothered you OU In in New v y e Orl Orleans ans The French rench gentleman the one who gave me sue your note and who went away before I could thank hIm kept very close to the bad one Ant ut I do donot donot donot not think the bad one wished to talk with mo rue In New r Orleans However he will follow me inc If It he ha cnn can can nut Hilt what bus he lie to do with you How now long have e you ou known him Known him monsieur she gasped me In amazement One d. d does ell not know such stich cattle As she ehe finished the scarlet of ot con con- Vision her tier face sad nd she ehe turned fumed jl h her If r Wad pad and 14 ld lie He did dla not on ih the ship But ut over here bere in this country count If If a aman aman man mIlD Is strong and has haa a black heart heart- And has haa been a pirate I sug lur rested Yes yes I He lIe has haa been a t Terrible be toldon the voyage Over overt overl It He lie hari lone monstrous things lI He ho Is a a pirate evil heart I This perfervid explanation dec deceived ive 1 me none she had lIed not thought of him himas as a pirate until I gave her ber the he Idea And nd what righteous Indignation wb when n I 1 assumed she had ii known own him In the past I 1 It was all most bewildering My lIy estimates of ot her ber had hd ranged from a guttersnipe to ja fine tine lady lady i from a I street lam gamin In to a refined and worldly worldly- Ignorant child it appearances and speech went ent for tor anything she p pos pos- s- s of the Ibe lady arid and the Ignorance of- of the child If her conflictIng conflict conflict- Ing stories of ot how she came her obvious poverty and her ber useless hands s were to be considered consid conald- ered cred there could Remain remain only the hateful conclusion that she sile was a product of the streets and that life Uto had been 1 h horribly unfair to her We Veland land h here re madem mademoiselle I announced an drawing I up to the bank The river is III just ahead I must ask you to stay here while I look about a a bit Stay here alone s she exclaimed d I glancing about as If expecting to find i danger r In her Innocent nt surroundings I You will be safe sate I would not leave r f there ht liere n f tn dang danger ri kels my pistol It If you feel Very very much afraid you rou can fire It It Is nU all so strange you will hl havethe have havethe e ethe the good heart to to excuse I do not c care r for tor th the weapon Go This was delivered with the poise pohle and composure of ot a mature woman woman And Ct I. I reached the bend nod and nd tole a backward glnn glance e and saw saw Il her r standing where I had left her lier her hi hands hands' clasp clasped d before her her hei bead bent In mournful attitude she became a child achild I again I suddenly was Wal loath to leave her there disconsolate think ing she sho might be e f frightened durl u I pushed shed tor forward ard rapidly and at last st stood stood od odon on the shore ot of the Mississippi sippi I stood for tor moment looking hooking across Its broad expanse then I wason wason was on my ands hands and knees knee among the bu bushes ti watching two g the bend below The one ahead was' was large and filled I with Indians In the second w were re three men two of ot whom were white men I hastily retreated a considerable distance L 1 Secure 0 In my ne new po position I waited for fog the pirogues to cross my ruy line Une of Vision and arid as I watched I was startled star Itar tied by ii a a light step behind me WheelIng Wheel Wheel- lag Ing apprehensively I Iwas was In time to detect a n slight motion In the bushes I crawled toward oward the bushes to Investigate laves laves' but before I 1 could reach rench them Mademoiselle stepped Into view Into view also allo of anyone on the river passing the Iberville I grabbed one one of ot her be ankles and yanked her to the ground and glared savagely as she would have opened her mouth to s scream ream Then toward the Mississippi I turned to learn Itai the worst The Choctaws were gazing upstream Non None was Will looking In lu our direction But In the other canoe one of at the white men was touching the Indian on the shoulder The Indian ceased paddling paddling pad pad- tiling and stood up and peered under his hand liand to toward ard our hiding Then he dropped on his knees and resumed paddling The white mm man who had been suspicious gesticulated with the tho other white man who gazed toward our hiding pi place pace ce then sank back Ills JIll c companion not yet satisfied stood up and fed ted isis his gaze on the thick growth grO because because because be be- cause he hewn W I the Fox And he thought h he had seen leen something lIla Hie companion wore a blanket over his Ills shoulders and and had his hili hat pulled low and I could not make out his Ills fea tea tures The Fox reluctantly resumed his isis paddling but so long as III the Iber Iber- yule vUle was Insight he be looked back The two pirogues passed from trOi view yiew w. w I remained d motionless for tor some twenty minutes waiting to see If It they were playing pl i a rus ruse and after making us lS believe they had gone would be Le st stealIng steal al Ing tag buck back to surprise us At lust last I was satisfied that at the mo most t bath lim caught only a suggestion of motion from the corner of ot his eye Doubtless Doubt l less ls he decided It was some souse animal I Irosa Irose rose rosa and returned to reproach mademoiselle made made- moiselle for tor her Indiscretion What I saw held me tongue tied I It was 61 an entirely new phase of ot her hinge Ilage In her eyes yes like war beacons Her breath came fast fust and furious and the Ivory hory of her ber face tace was stained a vivid scarlet She wa was glaring at tit me mo like a madwoman an and the small dirk was wu dra drawn wn back Lack for tor a Y You ou canaille I this amazing creature cren crea ture hissed at me mf as 81 I stood there therewith therewith therewith with my mouth open like an expiring fish You dare lay a hand on we tut lj in f. f urell I- I D Dont Don't nt lie Ue I I I 1 read your eyes and you OU dared dred 1 hay ay a hand tand on ma nae while to so base basel I IV f i i I uld oily only think of ot whelp spitting and nd clawing She wu was such euch a tiny tornado that I must have hue smiled Certainly there was In my ml face tace that caused her herJe hert t Je Jean o forward td The I Iwa wa was ashamed if d myself and felt only pit pity for her ber 1 I dropped my mI arras tomy to my side and aWalt awaited her Iter pleasure sh Bhe he pressed close ber er gaze tze ze b dul and vengeful meeting mine squarely Jn lut as bt ehe Was Was- as- as gol t ti strike she ta ei J bick ild kittle cry tj dropped the weapon and sank on her hern n neLan and ld e hanCs lt- lt t- t wu was ho horribly rl and nd wished I or or any Bother tI ie l Uld ohie be bethere bee been there liero td rive me me kine of the kicks I I I felt elt I e ope r stood her on te replaced hh dirk in the l blouse Ulle and patting her awkwardly on the shoulder said There The e there child I a am sorry With her bel hands hand still pressed to her ta face tace e she managed to to rep t- t You laid labia a h hand nd on me In anger n ItI I Im sorry I simply reiterated d. d We Ve creatures of of fhe the woods lose all sense o of fineness fineness' ss We ar are crude My only tb thoU h was Waa that the Fox would see you then we we would be hard jr put st t tto to o escape him and his his' Ch Choctaws e I meant well She rn and j walked Iback to the pirogue her bel brais over her shoulders and hanging down 10 n front like an Indian In II dian womans In In truth I h bad d b been extremely mely p ovo e at h her r blunder r and I feared rat my grip on her ber small ankle had bad be ben been n unconsciously s severe sEver That Man Is II the Devil or the Devils Devil's Mani It Is II Because of Him I Wear This Thi i t tw w is e 5 she J li walked nw away y with SID small all head b bowed wed to see lit she limped and I I r rejoiced when I she he showed no signs of ot hurt from tram her ber rough tumble And what a spun line sensitive nature I 1 With perhaps perhaps' her life In peril pern she took ex tomy my mode of preserving It plies superiority On what did she base her autocratIc autocratic autocrat autocrat- t- t ic resentment of my style of ot making her duck from view of ot the Fox This little forlorn from the streets street of ot P Paris Paris Paris-it It lt all was completely corn com m. m 1 beyond me And yet et th the pain at nt having baying c caused her ne nethe the leIS leIS' poIgnant Taking 1 I also aillo returned to the th th seated seat ed myself apart from her herand and lighted my pipe Why do we not proceed r she asked without looking at lIt me and his red butchers must be he given Ilven time t to draw ahead hea l I told her I think Monsieur Monseur Brampton you had best beat take m me back to the to-the the Bayou ayOU St St St. i Jean where I can make my way to l la N Nouvelle uvelle Orleans If that be too much bother hollow a log like Uke this and I I will make my own way Or a raft I was most careful to maintain my ray gravity as I listened to her absurd request re se- quest I took some time to think It over apparently Then I gently replied replied re re- re- re plied piled You are your own mistress I wish you to act wisely If It you really de desire Ire to go back of at course 1111 take you yoo Do you care to tell m yo your i re reason season sea rea Ion son for tor returning Is it It because you cannot trust yourself lon longer er to tot t tn thy Jy vrn M My q question worked the the last effort effect I could have desired It It-I i reduced herto herto berto her ber to humility Her lIer transition from the theone tone lone one of da dame e afire with In in- donation n o that of ofa a gIrl sup made me feel teel like a zany She was ws kneeling lIng before the rne and stretch ng up her small bands bands' and like a n penitent child chUd begging m me to overlook over look her b behavior For Gods God's sake dont don't I 1 I cried In In l English catching her wrists anti and pullIng pull Ing her to her bel fret feet But But I. raised raised raised a mortal morta weapon weapon against against you she sobbed Luckily my Impulse to ridicule th the tiny dirk was checked In time to toper per mit my expression of ot gravity to remain re re- re- re main It was but your wa way of showing resentment I 1 said soothingly It was perfectly natural One doe no not like to be mauled abo about t unless on one knows its it's for ones one's own own best goot rood good Now that you know that It Is isas as If I It never happened You Too Youre are nervous Mademoiselle Yon You are art not You have hue suffered much tI say lIay ay a. a t 1 It ItIS th r after fter fter ODe bat aJ and reit rested reite d. d 8 s. s shall thaIl f fal gain i I It ILis ri nowise wise Ito t tes let e. e 01 out ouY pray get lef too far tar ahead Without a t word she entered the pl pl- rogue and lea I placed my musket the boW r ready di for tor my hand band and paddled slowly around the last lut bend my eyes eyel Impatient imps tient trent to tG J. J the river Lier r. r was waa no D. of ot the two 4 3 if f v Ibe h softly sn said d aIl asI lo dr the against |