Show flam fraai stor iza X CHAPTER XII 16 under the bitter stars for or the snow had ceased the two dog teams jingled out 0 of f the or post clearing to the lake ice ls A they left the shore and took the snowed over trail up the purple plain of lake expanse to the mouth of the woman river jim glanced back at the huddle ot of dark buildings from the second floor of the inspectors house a window shone yellow through the dusk it was the room of mary christie ashes sorry poor girl I 1 he thought ashes saying goodby good by telling me ashes sorry orry bless her big heart 1 he stopped and waved his hand wondering if the she could see him out there in the starlight then with his bitterness turned and nd followed his trotting dogs A week later jim esau and with three loaded sleds left sunset house bouse bound for the pipestone lakes while onar omar remained at the post to prepare for the christmas trade night after night the hurt which tortured jims days waked him with the poignancy of the dreams it brought and after supper as he conjured up the face of aurore in the alre which held his brooding eyes often from old habit his hand instinctively groped for the furry ruff the pointed ears on an the massive skull of smoke lying beside him to meet no touch of a moist nose no lick of a warm tongue ile he had lost them both the two creatures he loved at the lake of the great stones old who had acted as his agent waited at a large camp of hunters tor for jims sleds loaded with trade goods in two days stuart and esau turned south couth with more black and silver fox lynx and marten than had reached sunset louse house the previous year and according to jinai the bulk of the christmas trade was yet to come christies christias Chri sties stick out of his head when he be sees tie the fur we send to expanse after christmas jim said triumphantly to esau weve got snore more than double the value of last years trade on the sleds right now he patted the old mans shoulder affectionately tiona tIon tely arely and you are responsible for it it esaus seamed face beamed in his pleasure your tour fader he feel happy now to know dat sunset house get do de fur for all ah hah bab the man who carried a wound no material erial success could heal beat smiled at the quaint fancy of the loyal old ojibwa yes father will be happy now he knew he left jim in good hands bands through the dusk of one starless night might three trail weary teams of huskies left the lake ice fee and turned into the clearing where the candlelit candle lit windows of sunset house beckoned warned by the yelping of the dogs omar threw open the trade house door and hurried to the sleds with welcoming bo jos you get de fur demanded omar peering at the sled wrappings heaps of it emarl cried jim jiner and old are bringing the whole hunt bunt of the country with them christmas weve got leblond licked to a standstill I 1 when the sleds were unloaded at the trade house bouse door and the dogs fed the hungry and tired factor of sunset house sought his supper in his kitchen he found sarah busy over a pan of sizzling moose steaks botjo bo jo boi bo jo heern I 1 tried cried the red faced cook brandishing a fork la in one band as she welcomed stuart with the he other you home all safe you make de beeg trade ah hall hah I 1 I 1 head you tell omar but you breena back de face so go thin sarah she bhe feed you up then with a questioning look of her snapping black eyes she ehe asked as she nodded toward the living room you see boding een dere no what druh mean flat face divided in a wide grin you look 1 curious jim walked into the living room there on the table lay one of tits own envelopes casually he be picked it up on the envelope he be real his bis own name in the handwriting of aurore leblond dazed mystified jim stared at the paper he held in his shaking hand band sarah the ojibwa stood in the room her black eyes on the twitching face of the man who stared at the unopened letter now did this get here the indian her head you look and see you know den jim studied the envelope what could it mean what trick were they playing on him now she was at winnipeg and yet here was tier lier handwriting on one of his own envelopes without address or stamp ile he turned angrily on the woman who waited who brought this why dont you tell me the the complaisant smile of the ojibwa as she fingered some dark stuff which circled her throat anil and was tucked into her woolen blouse drove jim to open the envelope she was bidding him goodby good by telling him what be had bad already learned from the winnipeg paper then he read jim darling ive come back I 1 I 1 was hurt tried to close my heart to you but it was no use you already were there had all of it I 1 you just be driven out oh ob ive been so unhappy since leaving that note they tried to drive roe me into a hateful thing bul bl my magician in the forests held tue with his spell jim I 1 wait tor for spring ive come back to yn dear maker of magle magic do you went me now after the vain pain I 1 gave BY george core marsh marsea copyright by penn pub co ca service you I 1 reached bonne chance by dog doe team yeat yesterday erdity and here I 1 am at sunset house writing you BO 80 you may know on your return I 1 wanted those big arms of yours around me again wanted anted to know you still loved me 1 I beg of you come to bonne chance when you get this and tell me I 1 lost you brought my heart through the snows to YOU yon in valm vain I 1 love you love you yon jim AURORE jim stuart read and reread the letter until the words grew illegible to hl his blurred eyes like the thrust of 0 a knife had come the thock shock of her ant letter and now numb with tie the dull agony of despair a joy more poignant than pain held him inarticulate he raised his big hand to his hot forehead as his hl dazed eyes turned to the woman who watched him she come wid sled to see gee you explained sarah she cry wen I 1 tell her you travel nord wid de dog I 1 not let her een de house boutil outil she say eay the she ees your woman den she write dat lestair and tell we me to say onell you read it jims heart was beating with delirious joy she bad cast maclauren aside laughed at the lure of the city jim stuart read and reread the th letter until the th words word grew illegible to his hi blurred eyes eye to come to him her heart was too wild to be caged down there in winnipeg she belonged to the forests to the land of the long snows his face darkened with disappointment as he looked at his watch it was too foo late too late to gallop his tired dogs across ten miles of frozen la lake keThe the post would be asleep tomorrow morning he would go to the girl who had bad flouted the smooth Mac maclauren Laurea to come back to her fur trader and demand his daughter of leblond take her by force it if it came to that for she loved him loved him she had said she was his his woman in the face of leblond hed take her be married by the missionary at fort hope shed never escape him again for he was a made man now sunset house would startle headquarters at winnipeg with its trade now he be had more than a heart and empty hands to give her s 0 0 0 0 As the famished and half mad jim ate his supper hla his eye was caught by the dark stuff circling the hovering thick neck that youve got around your neck he be demanded the copper hued features of the ojibwa lit with pride dat ees arigan she beeking sarah what A stocking on your neck sarah straightened with dignity as she countered with disdain you cink I 1 wear beet on my foot dat ver nice his pent emotion found release in uncontrolled laughter while sarah stoutly held her ground with sober face then he appeased her with be good to her now ashes come back to jim 7 the ojibwa beamed until her black eyes were slits in her broad race face wen she go she hug sarah she reeve geeve her wan wall beeg I kiss iss on dig place and sarah pointed proudly to an expanse of dusky cheek like her all heart and impulse sarah would die tor for her now thought stuart as lie he rose and taking his big cap went to the trade house houm already omar had and started opening the fur packs brought front from the north and the two men ran their fingers through the shimmering pelts classifying their and making an estimate of their value down on the railroad they were adail ring a large black fox which for size ill lekness ond and sheen of its fur was the prize of the trip north it will bring brine a thousand in winnipeg omar commented jim 1 I never saw a better one ah ab hahl hah I 1 dat ees good an anfor for il the hurried entrance rance of esau drew the eyes of the men at the counter de sky look ver queer cross crosa tie de alakl he announced 1 I watch beet tor for long piece where jim demanded south toward LeBlond sV ah hah I 1 de sky ees light tak lak bush fire mak een de summer 11 then its the buildings at le 13 Blond londel sl said jim starting for the door followed by the others lits its out or of range of the northern lights light and therece ther ere none don tonight anyway I 1 its it too thick I 1 A fire at what could it mean outside in the snow the three men gazed through the gloom of the thick night across the frozen lake where a dull glow flow hung above the horizon dat ees fire for sure muttered omar fires fire thought jim it might be the living quarters the trade house tool if so shed have nothing but the indian shacks for shelter he would got go I 1 ilitch our dogs omar im going over P wy you borree eef beef dat place burn demanded the halfbreed half breed jim thrust his bis face close to the almost invisible features of his friend because he said gald ashes come back to me my girl I 1 ashes there 1 she may need help understand r for answer a calloused hand tumbled fumbled in the dark found jims and closed in a hard grip 1 I get de dog I 1 and omar hurried away ten miles of lake trail broken only by the passage of the sled which had carried aurore to sunset house lay before jim find and omar as they started with the empty sled through the murk murit of the starless night there were reaches where the snow had drifted as it had bad fallen which drove the hurrying men ahead to break trail on their snowshoes while the willing dogs doga floundered to their shoulders on went the team toward the glow in the sky across the great lake and as they traveled stuart wondered nhat an acted alted him at what was once bonne chance it was early they have been caught in their beds he assured himself they reached a strait between two of the islands through which the wind had swept as through a funnel scouring the lee ice of snow shortly the post clearing would open up before them and they would know what had happened marche SI arche wolf jim snapped hla his long dog goad in the biting air as he called to the lead dog who had taken the place of the lost smoke shortly the racing team rounded a point of island and there a mile away an inferno of red flames leaped from the ruined trade house of louis lebond the trade housel house 1 cried jim with relief nis ills quarters are safe she was there among those dark figures and in minutes he would look in her eyes hear her voice yelping as they ran the excited dogs took the sled up from the lake ice into the clearing running to a group of awed indian women jim cried Wb wheres eres Le heelond LeEl Elond as his bis roving eyes circled the clearing tor for the familiar figure he sought bought A gray faced squaw pointed to four men carrying bags of flour on tump lines from a heap of salvaged provisions to the stockade gate leading to Le Blonds house following stuart overtook the packers as they reached the house bouse and dropped their loads on the slab porch leblond LeEl I 1 he be called at the name one of the packers turned and from a face blackened with char the reddened eyes of leblond glared at jim what druh want herer here we saw the light in the sky replied jim unruffled and I 1 came to offer you my quarters if you needed them im glad that you dont donl thais not cot why you camel you came for her well y cant have her I 1 and the smudged face of leblond tightened with passion as his red lidded eyes glittered where la Is she sher in the house you ton cant see herl her then the black brows of leblond slowly contracted he raised a mit alt bened hand to his face as if dazed groping for something he could not recall and looked blankly at tim jim youre all in leblond im sorry this happened this loss to you yon let me see her for a minute and ill go As though he had not heard leblond turned and staggered into the house aurore I 1 aurore I 1 he called as bli head bead man renault and the two company pany indians indiana went back to their work leaving omar and jim at the door Que queer erl 1 thought jim as the voice of leblond shouting his daughters name reached them where can she be she must have been at the fire and left booro I 1 AT arsa iron br bor amr no heard lablond call in french Fren cb th MOD afon vent dieul this jim and omar looked into sack ch otter others startled eyes as the tt trader appeared la in the door come coma la in herel berl thoro theres something wrong pa with a bound jim was in the th house omar at his heels beels what can it be bet what happened happe nedr T he gasped sud ud denly cold with a great fear ear looka commanded LeD lealond lond on the floor of the large living room bound and gagged lay an indian woman unconscious a red welt smearing her forehead overturned chairs chair bore evidence of a struggle ive searched the housel house 1 ha be cried la in his desperation desper atlon she not here sties bhea gone ronet they took her when they bound fiore berel the brutal swiftness of the blow left jim dazed incapable of thought aurore aurore 11 1 he groaned what have they done to you youl then his hi brain cleared there was wa no time to losel lose he amt mu it think acal act youre sure bura ashes she not in the house 1 ashes not met herel beret she not herel cried the shattered father omar circle the house home and stockade blockade for tracks 1 leblond tell your people I 1 we must bring this woman to and ret get tier lier story get some whisky I 1 quick I 1 jim slashed the rawhide thongs binding the unconscious ojibwa removed the gag and forcing whisky down her throats throat got a weak pulse from tier her wrist as omar burst into the room trail of dog team from behind stockade blockade to lak lie ile got her wen dey fight tie de fire at trade house 1 rare para dees paradis had come for his revenge I 1 Aur orel aurore Aur orel groaned jim in his agony then he straightened where he knelt at the side of the indian and the face which met omars pitying eyes was flint hard with a savage ruthlessness sg well trail him omar night and day until his big dogs dog die on their feet I 1 if you get him first hes minot bring him to me alive 1 hes minel 1 I breena beem ile he weel die slow I 1 breena heem beem As the he hurt ojibwa revived under u the stimulant the halt balf crazed leblond appeared with renault weve found his trail on the lake I 1 hes headed tor for the outlet I 1 jules and I 1 are starting now I 1 no one would be mad enough tor for this but paradis 1 yes its paradis said the tortured jim im crossing the lake for two six dog doe teams look herel you cant hold his tracks in a night like this nan man youre worn out get some rest start at daylight and wait for me at a the nipigon trall it if he be turned south there hell take the albany the pipestone Pl or the deer lodge trail trai north and well separate and get him renault nodded dat ees right tang to do hell have hours the start of us leblond jim rose to his feet and rested his hand on the shoulder of th the other cut but if hes ahead of me ill get him if he goes to the winisk bar ren grounds leblond gripped jims hand as he be murmured his big gratitude thon then flore fiore found her voice and kneeling beside her the two drawn faced men got her story when the cries |