Show au UNDER TN vl E 1 1 FROZEN F K L E N TAR STAR S CHAPTER III 5 that afternoon on the shore bhore at sun not et house omar sat eat pulling gloomily at his pipe beside the loaded and waiting peterboro peter boro bom scanning the wide r reaches eaches of tho the still lake for a sign of jims tim s canoe lie go for to see sec dat woman he in uttered muttered with an ominous shake of hla his black head as he cut a fro from m a plug of company head then n he turned with a scowl at the sound bound of sarahb thrill shrill voice were ivere ees beem As he glanced around at her omars 0 aars ain baart w art features slowly expanded d in a mile sarahi coal black head was resplendent in a crl crimson m son sc scarf rf why you laugh she ile demanded angrily her black eyes snapping as a omars omar mouth widened into a leer lle ht liked to bait the tb 0 fiery sarah you look lak ink de sky wen wan de sun set marthe she see fee you yon the thickset thick set sarah wrathfully camped tamped ped her moccas ined foot on a pebble IT b and as ai quickly lifted it with a bunted ae 10 lo I 1 of pain were ees he be you on not go to lak expanse she snapped napped ignoring the allusion to her scarf cart ah hall hah we go I 1 replied the amused omar refusing to share ills his suspicions with the inquisitive ojibwa who ft ho had evidently been won over by aurtres Au gift ift she geeve you dat datt you lak gat flat brazee girl of leblond Le BIond tossing her gaudy head the self conscious sarah turned away ns as she proudly threw over her shoulder net bet tak manee mink skin to buy dis shawl 11 with a shrug of his henvy heavy shoulders at the fickleness of women omar resumed his alg vigil I 1 by the lake in it jim jims birch bark slid in to the shore s a laving leaving esau ln 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 ho he returned from lake expanse and then they must start north with esau when they returned from tho the summer camps camp of the Pl ri ojibway she would be gone and now when rara pnra dis told his story leblong would have her watched followed fol awed there would mould be no message tit at the split rock not even a goodby good by As the stem of the canoe nosed a wedge shaped ripple over ever the still lake tinted with the rose of the afterglow atte iglow anft the silhouettes tf f spruce ridges purl purple against the flushed flu shoil sky ski the poignant memory of the bewildering girl the storm had brow flit to sunset house accompanied the bowman at last while there was yet let light to make caknip 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 iou left the shore to follow game eh eha jim rubbed the black ears of the great head as the panting smoke swished his tall in pleasure at reaching his master after supper with the dogs great head between his knees jim described his meeting with ls while the seamed beamed face of omar reflected his disapproval in a set scowl much as he shrank from bringing auroro aurore leblond into the narrative the staunch loyalty of his friend deserved in return jims complete confidence omar had and already guessed why he had taken that morning paddle you lak dat woman verl ver moch the half halt halfbreed breed asked gravely when stuart had finished get bet mak for you I 1 vot tot you iou lak dat girl of christie at lak ank expanse well I 1 like lier too omir omar ashes a fine woman mary christie but eef beef you ink dat trench french girl why you not let beem drown ills ra garadis radis ls jim shook his liend hend 1 I do that ile he swim salm I 1 had upset the boat he weel mak modi moch for us let heem drown no one know ow the indian in omar had spoken I 1 you cross de ink again omar go wid you you old you let garadis off if you vou pot got those paws of yours on him their beating ug ng for the trades got under your skin with a guttural growl omar nodded we feet deex dem yet you and H isau sau and omar we get fur from de le Pl countree dis long snow or sunset house she bust bast I 1 and kno knocking e k out his pipe the loyal fren brench ch ojibwa prepared to roll himself in hla his blanket two days dais later jim and omar were packing over the portage between the lake of the sand beaches and the woman river which loved flowed into lake expanse ahead smoke thrashed thrasha d through the bush in search of rabbits half way across the carry omar rested the bow of the banoo in a birch and jim slipped the tump line lashed to his backlond baik 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 hell blame it nil all on me ali ah linh hah he forget wat you did at gods lake prodding him pretty hard from winnipeg lies a bit worried thinks they might retire him 11 the furious yelping of the husky up the evall caused the two men to lift tbell heads in curiosity he got there queried jim iles hes not running cant have hae halpri into a sulky bull moose by GEORGE MARSI MARSH I ly by penn tub pub co ca CW servient Berv Ser viet lct PROM FROM THE BEGINNING from his fur post sunset house in the canadian north northeim Jim stuart trader in charge with his headman omar rescues a girl from an overturned canoe in the lake she is aurore 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 leblon post on the way he over overturns turris the boat leaving his half drowned enemy on the beach omar shook his head ile he got some ving een a tree I 1 well ae lets t in start along said bald jim nes iles 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 few yards off the trail slipping the tump line from his head jim dropped his load and turned oft off the path to see bee what the husky had treed when an angry voice rose above the bedlam or of the yelps call off that bogl in the thick branches of a spruce perched a stranger treed by smoke Il here lere smoke t stop that noise 1 secretly amused at the discomfiture of the man in the tree jim reached hla his dog lies iles all right now he wont bother you sou he said what druh mean having a wolf like that loose in the bush if id had my gun id have bored him oh no you kill a valuable dog because he yelped at you it if spoken to him he have hurt you jim scrutinized the stranger who suspiciously eyed smoke now calmly surveying his former quarry evidently from his good clothes and general appearance he be h had 11 d come from outside who could he be speak to him I 1 spoke to him in four languages but ut he listen laughed the other well smokes satisfied that youre all right now said jim impressed by the good nature of this man in new whipcords whip cords with the stamp of the city on face and manner you left your outfit atthe at the end of the portage yes youre day bay people I 1 suppose tile the stranger smiled im Ar cLauren of the northwest north west trading company oh yes 3 os mr Me mclauren Lauren ive heard of you i ou jim had indeed heard of the man who lo 10 had furnished the financial backing for Le Blonds string of fur posts but ho he ans was surprised to find him so young hardly forty from hla looks my name Is stuart im in charge nt at sunset house 11 for a space mclauren Mc Lauron seemed to measure the caliber of the tall fur trader the level gray eyes which coolly looked into his then he said so youre the chap chos bucking us at sunset house yes mr air mclauren 11 said stuart his face hardening im bucking you in the last three years youve had bad the laugh on me but I 1 want to tell fell you that have 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 ara too heavy against you this winter the odds are going to shift said jim as Mc Laurens 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 he tak de fur from you an you shake hand band let smoke eat heem beem u up P eh youre certainly a good hater omar laughed jim but the man was friendly and I 1 was glad to have hae a look at Le Blonds partner ah hah 1 grunted the halfbreed half breed lifting the peterboro peter boro to his shoulders he steal de fur an he steal de girl across the remaining mile of portage to the woman river omary omars gloomy prophecy dominated jims thoughts already he had put the hope of again seeing aurore LeIl leblond lond that summer behind him but the thought of me mc lauren monopolizing her for or days weeks possibly aroused in him s t deep resentment over the duty had sent him south to lake expanse ue ile found himself wondering it if this mclauren were a single man then laughed at a jealousy based on alfear hours with a girl whom in all llvell hikell hood he would never see gee again the peterboro peter boro approached the post asleep in the soft july sun for two tw hundred years this post had guarded the frontiers of Ki wedin at the big log trade house christie Chrls tl and his clerk cleric mccomb turned from the slab table where they were bent over a book of accounts heads together when jim entered good day mr air christle christie mccomb I 1 greeted jim the dour face ace of andrew christie framed in an iron gray beard turned on the voyageur voyage ur with the effigy of a smile on the stiff lips so yere here at last been expecting yeh 11 jims teeth clamped hard at the coolness of his reception from the inspector of the district 1 I came by canoe not airplane ho he countered I 1 well marys waiting to see yeh at the house and sup soon be ready so well not talk business now ant an the older man turning to his figures at the factors quarters a homad woman watched jims approach he waved his hat and she lifted a hand in reply As he reached her the fair skin of the girls face was touched with color her blue eyes beneath the thatch of gold knotted at tale ali e back alight with pleasure well jim how are you said mary christie as lie 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 tills this sp spring 1 As they entered the house the threw a sidelong glance at the bolt bold profile of the man beside her im glad you think so jim jim thought 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 ue ile would have to report it to christie but he 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 Ind indians laris 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 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 ber life ilfe pulled her out of the lake she like the feminine curiosity evIde evidenced aced in the question drew a laugh from the trader well she had bobbed hair and wore ore knickers what ayou think of that 1 I dont think mink much of it 11 said mary but youre not telling me what like are you iou interested to hear bear the rest of the story he demanded what Is she like jim what happened did you take her to sunset house ashes dark of course like alke her father A good I 1 looker ook er striking king in fact he stumbled on even with her hair bobbed and knickers yes even with hr her short hair a and d knickers the knickers in fact the knickers were becoming he laughed marys mar y Is regular features stiffened athey they must have been very when yoli you pulled her out of the lake then jim briefly narrated the events event of the evening following the coming of 0 aurore leblond to sunset house when he had finished the girl who had listened while her eyes furtively ranged from crisp brown hair and bold weather burned features to the well wel set ls shoulders and capable hands sald said quietly qui efly and to think mink that never mover see this what dohey call em i Bap flappers pers 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 I 1 the house that evening the inspector sat late 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 be made no effort to conceal his chagrin be after me again at winnipeg when they see yer returns re he said squinting at jim through his big steel rimmed glasses its three thre years eyears now since we set you up at mites mita wang agama and achre 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 hta 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 bat the hudsons Hud sons 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 beyond me why yeve not done better yer father if alive would be sore disappointed jim choked down his anger as the tha old man went on now not be thinking of a change this year but J but what broke in the exasperated factor of sunset house if meant to be a threat mr christie make it specific 1 ive worked hard to make a go of it but you know and I 1 know that weve welve got the cleverest fur man in iii the bush ns as a competitor find if you ani headquarters think some one else would do better say so now send bend another man and see what hell show I 1 tut I 1 tut I 1 not so fasti fast I 1 I 1 sent yeh up there and I 1 aint ordered yeh out yet jet the gray eyes of the younger man glittered what you mean he said staring through half shut eyes into the impassive 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 as it la ii ill take you if I 1 dont double the trade next year ill quit the f following morning as he walked on the shore of 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 well jim turned to surprise the veiled look in her eyes a look now clote 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 ns as she said slowly it mean anything to you to know that I 1 believe in you lie he raw |