Show E OZEN S TAR JL JU JL XV JL jle CHAPTER III 5 that afternoon on the shore at sun not cot house omar sat pulling pull gloomily at t his pipe beside the loaded find and waiting peterboro peter boro scanning the wide reaches of the still lake for a sign of jims canoe he ha go for to see dat woman he muttered with an ominous shake 0 of f his black head bead as he cut a from a plug of company digger head then he turned with it a scowl at the sound found of shrill voice were ees beem As A he be glanced around at her omars swart features in a smile mile sarah coal black head was resplendent in a crimson scarf why you yon laugh I 1 she demanded angrily her black eyes snapping as omar mouth month widened into a leer he liked to bait the fiery sarah you toil look lak de sky wen ven de sun set marthe she see your you the thickset thick set sarah wrathfully stamped her foot on a pebble and as aa quickly lifted it with a grunted 10 lo I 1 of pain were ees hell he you ton not go to lak expanse she snapped napped ignoring the allusion to her scarf cart ah bah gahwe we go replied the amuse amused d omar refusing to share his suspicions with the inquisitive ojibwa who had evidently been won over by aurtres Au gift she geeve you dat you lak ink dat brazee girl of leblond tossing her gaudy head the self tons clous sarah turned away as she proudly threw over her shoulder act tak manee mink skin to buy als shawl with a shrug of his heavy shoulders at tho the fickleness of women omar resumed his vigil by the lake in jims birch bark slid in to the shore 0 0 0 all 0 0 0 leaving esau in charge of the post planning his coming campaign in the pipestone Pl country stuart and omar with smoke running the near shore paddled late into the june twilight should he ever see her again jim wondered it would be august when he returned from lake expanse and then they must mot start north with esau when they returned from the summer camps of the pipestone Pl ojibway she would be gone and now when paradis told old his story leblond would have her watch watched ed followed there would be no message at the split rock not even it a goodby good by As the stem of the canoe nosed a wedge shaped ripple over the still lake tinted with the rose of the afterglow past the silhouettes of spruce ridges purple against the flushed sky the poignant memory of the bewildering girl the storm had brought to sunset house accompanied the bowman at last while there was yet light to make camp they landed and before the supper was cooked smoke appeared wet from his swim across the mouth of a wide bay well old sport you left the shore to follow game eh jim rubbed the black ears of the great head as the panting smoke swished his tall in pleasure at reaching reach lc his master after supper with pe fhe dogs great head bead between his knees jim described his meeting with paradas ls while the seamed face of omar reflected his disapproval ap in a set scowl much as he shrank from bringing aurore leblond into the nar narrative raffie the staunch loyalty of his friend deserved in return jims 0 complete confidence omar had bad already guessed why he had taken that morning paddle you lak dat daf woman ver moch the halfbreed half breed asked gravely when stuart had bad finished beet mak trouts for you I 1 vot tot you yon lak dat girl of christie at lak expanse well I 1 like her too omar ashes a fine ane woman mary christie but beef eef you lak dat french girl why you not let heern heem drown dla dis ls jim shook his head 1 I do that lie ile swim I 1 had upset the boat ile he weel mak moch for us let heern heem drown no one know the indian in omar had spoken you cross de lak azain omar go wid you you yon old wolf you let paradis off if you got those paws of yours youra on him their beating us tor for the trades got under your skin with a guttural growl omar nodded we deex dem yet you and esau and omar we get fur from de Pl ri countree dis dig long snow enow or pelt sunset house she bust and knocking out his pipe the loyal french ojibwa prepared to roll himself in his blanket two days later jim and omar were packing over the portage between the lake of the sand beaches and the woman river which flowed into lake expanse ahead smoke thrashed through the bush to in search of rabbits halfway half way across the carry omar rested ti tle tie e bow of the canoa in a birch and jim slipped the tump line lashed to his backlond back load from his forehead then they sat down and filled their pipes christies christias Chri sties going to tear his hair over our small spring trade said jim 1 I suppose holl hell blame it all on me ah hah lie he forget wat you did at gods lake prodding him pretty hard from winnipeg lies hes a bit worried thinks they might retire him the furious yelping of the lie husky up the frail caused the two men to lift life their heads in curiosity lie he got there queried jim hes not running cant have ampil TM into it a sulky bulky bull moose by GEORGE MARSH copyright ly by penn pub co CV service PROM FROM THE BEGINNING from his fur post sunset house in the canadian north jim stuart trader in charge with his headman omar rescues a girl from an overturned canoe in the lake she is aurora leblond daughter of stuarts stuart rival in the fur business and proves to be a charming companion in a spirit of fun she and jim arrange to exchange notes on a certain island leblond with paradis his halfbreed half breed lieutenant arrives in search of the missing girl paradis displays enmity toward jim though leblond acknowledges his debt of gratitude to sunset house going to the island jim is ambushed by paradis and forced to travel toward the leblond post on the way he overturns the boat leaving his half drowned enemy on the beach 11 omar shook his head ile he got some ving een a treo tree well lets start along 11 said jim iles hes near the trail well find out taking up their loads the two men continued over the carry shortly they came up with smoke yelping excitedly a tow few yards off the trail slipping the tump line from his head jim dropped his load and turned oft off the path to see what the husky had treed when an angry voice rose above the bedlam of the yelps call off that ahat dog I 1 in the thick branches of 0 a spruce perched a stranger treed by smoke here smoke 1 stop that noise 1 secretly amused at the discomfiture of the man in the tree jim reached his dog iles hes all right now he wont bother you he said what druh mean having a wolf like that loose in the bush it if id had my gun id have bored him oh no you kill a valuable dog because he yelped at you if spoken to him he have hurt you jim scrutinized the stranger w who ho suspiciously eyed smoke now calmly surveying his former quarry evidently from his good clothes and general appearance he had bad come from outside who could he be speak to him I 1 spoke to him in four languages but he listen laughed the other well smokes satis satisfied fled that youre all right now said jim impressed by the good nature mature of this man in new whipcords whip cords with the stamp of the city on face and manner you left your outfit at the end of the portage yes youre hudsons Hud sons day bay people I 1 suppose the stranger smiled im mclauren of the northwest north west trading company oh yes mr mclauren ive heard of you jim had indeed heard of the man who had furnished the financial backing for Le Blonds string strang of fur posts but he was surprised surprise to find him so young hardly forty from his looks my name Is stuart im in charge at sunset house for a space mclauren McL nuren seemed to measure the caliber of the tall fur trader with the leyel level gray eyes which coolly looked into his then lie he said so youre the chap chos bucking us at sunset house yes mr mclauren said stuart his face hardening im bucking you in the last three years youve had the laugh on me but I 1 want to tell you that have hare to work for the fur in the future mclauren with a smile extended his hand good day stuart he said ignoring jims remark from what I 1 hear of you youre too good a man to be sacrificed at sunset house the odds are too heavy a against you this winter the odds are going to shift said jim as Mc Laurens rons len men came up with the canoe and dunnage and the partner of leblond left him you mak moch talk wid dat feller grumbled omar walking to the canoe ile he tak de fur from you an you shake hand let smoke eat hoem heern up ehr eh youre certainly a good hater omar laughed jim but the nan man was friendly find and I 1 was glad to have a look at Le Blonds partner ah hah grunted the halfbreed half breed lifting the peterboro peter boro to his 1 shoulders boulders ile he steal de fur an he steal de girl across the remaining mile of portage to the woman river omars gloomy prophecy dominated jims thoughts already he had bad put the hope of again seeing aurore leblond that summer behind him but the thought of me mc lauren monopolizing her tor for days weeks possibly aroused in him a deep resentment over the duty which had bad sent him south to lake expanse lie ile found himself wondering it if this mclauren cn were a single man then laughed at a jealousy based on a few hours with a girl whom in all likelihood he would never see again the peterboro peter boro approached the post asleep in the soft july sun sam for two hundred years this post had guarded the frontiers of Ki wedin at the big log trade house christie and his clerk mccomb turned from the slab table where they were bent beat over a book of accounts heads together when jim entered good day mr christie mccomb 1 greeted jim the dour face of andrew christie framed in an iron gray beard turned on the voyageur voyage ur with the effley of a smile on the stiff lips so yere here at last ive been expecting yen yeh jims teeth clamped hard at the coolness of his reception from the inspector of the district 1 I came by canoe not airplane be countered well marys waiting to see yeh at the house and sup soon be ready so well not talk business now answered the older man turning to his bis figures at the factors quarters a woman watched jims approach ue he waved his hat and she lifted a hand in reply As he be reached her the fair skin of the girls face was touched with color her blue eyes beneath the thatch of gold knotted at the back alight with pleasure well jim how are your you said mary christie as he took her hand it seems years since you were here in january seems longer than that to me mary he returned how well youre looking this spring As they entered the house the girl threw a sidelong glance at the bold profile of the man beside her im glad you think so jim jim thought ot of aurore leblond sooner or later the news of the girls mishap and the visit of her father to sunset house would reach lake expanse ne ile would have to report it to Chrls christie tle cut but he be would tell mary now before her father and mccomb appeared did you know that my rival leblond has his daughter with him this summer he boldly began the indians saw them when they passed through have you seen her demanded the girl with interest well said jim with a smile 1 I should say that I 1 have hare we found her in a big blow clinging to a canoe drifting in the lake mary christie leaned toward the speaker her face eager with curiosity you saved her life pulled her out of the lake she like the feminine curiosity evidenced in the question drew a laugh from the trader well she had bobbed hair and wore knickers what ayou think of that 1 I dont think mink much of it said mary but youre not telling me what ashes like are you interested to hear bear the rest of the story he demanded what la Is she like jim what happened did you take her to sunset house ashes dark of course like ilke her father A good look looker er striking in fact he stumbled on even with her hair bobbed and knickers yes even with her short hair and the knickers in fact the knickers were becoming he laughed marys regular features fen tures suffered ened they must have been very when you pulled her out of the lakes lake then jim briefly narrated the events event of the even I 1 the coming of aurore leblond to sunset houst house when he be had bad finished flamed the girl who had listened while her eyes furtively ranged from crisp brown hair and bold weather burned features to the well set shoulders and capable hands said quietly and to think that never see this what dehey athey call em flappers this flapper again the daughter of your bitter rival poor jim I 1 the sound of voices checked jims reply as christie and mccomb entered the house that evening the inspector sat late with stuart the spring trade at sunset house had been little better than that of the year before it was a great disappointment to andrew christie and he made no effort to conceal his chagrin be after me again at winnipeg when they see yer returns return ii he said squinting at jim through hla his steel rimmed glasses its three years now since we set you up at alta wang agama and behre making little headway against the frenchman yeve been a great disappointment to me stuart knowing yer father and yer own record at gods lake I 1 picked yeh as the man to beat louis leblond at his own game jims blood heated at the unfairness of the thrust yes he said and how have you backed me up youve held me to lake expanse prices and allowed leblond to outbid me tor for the fur but the hudsons Hud sons day bay goods are better worth more true they are but le blonds got a mysterious hold on all the northern hunters dhove kept away from us omar and I 1 think weve stumbled into a clue were going to follow it up this summer well its high time the post was getting its share of that trade its ita beyond me why yeve not done better yer father it if alive would be sore disappointed jim choked down his anger as the old man went on now not be thinking of a change this year but but what broke in the exasperated factor of sunset house if meant to be a threat sir mr christie make it specific ive worked hard to make a go of it but you yon know and I 1 know that weve got the cleverest fur man in the bush as a competitor and if you and headquarters think some one else would do better say so now send another man and see what hell show I 1 tut I 1 tut not so fasti fast I 1 besent I 1 sent yen yeh up there and I 1 aint ordered yeh out yet the gray eyes of the younger man glittered what you mean he said staring through half shut eyes into th the face of andrew christie circled by its stubby beard Is that youre giving me one more chance a year perhaps aye that would be fair jim smiled sourly knowing the odds against us you nevertheless think we ought to be on our feet by another year christie nodded well said jim rising and expelling a deep breath unfair ns as it Is ill take you it if I 1 dont double the trade next year ill quit the following morning as he walked on the shore of 0 the lake with mary christie he told her of the year of grace given him by her father oh jim she protested he mean that worrying him at winnipeg and hes taking it out on everybody ile he was the same way with mccoy from jackfish last week 11 well jim turned to surprise the veiled look in her eyes a look now close to pain its hard to work three years as we have worked and in the end get kicked for our pains 1 I appreciate what youve done up there jim she gazed at him through eyes unabashed empty of all subterfuge as she said slowly it mean anything to you to know that I 1 believe in you lie he saw the girls heart in her steadfast gaze and a strong impulse to take taka what she so freely offered swept him when a hash flash of dark eyes framed by wind tossed hair crossed his vision slowly he be nodded it does mean a lot to have your confidence your friendship mary with a sigh the she turned from him and they continued their walk that afternoon as the canoe left the post bound back to sunset house and jim waved his bis lint hat at the lone figure |