Show is A C 0 harold titus J CHAPTER X continued 13 she had run along the lake shore land insisted on being brought here to serve shaw when the last time he had seen her she was lavishing her arms and lips on burke rickman hickman maril I 1 it was too much for the old fellow to fathom and he did not have in him the impulse to ask of her the questions which would relieve his perplexity so long as she was of aid to shaw he was satisfied she sent men into the forest searching for the herbs her midwife I 1 aunt had used leaves and stalks to be cooked to pulp and bandaged over the gaping wounds in shaws flesh quietly he lay there now and again at first he moaned occasionally I 1 sio nally his eyes would open and his brows gather as though he struggled with some complicated problem he licked water dropped from i a cup to his lips with growing greediness and that was his first word water I 1 faintly but with ties des need beverl Fe verl annette moaned looking hard at basile and helpless appeal was in her eyes fever follows wounds the man said eaid and shrugged slowly in some athing athing of a shudder its upon rickman iman one would wish fe verill nl the name repeated in that strained echo ot of shaws voice was startling his eyes were open he frowned upward blankly and his fingers I 1 I 1 worked worked rickman nl he said in a high pitched monotone my hunters its my trade you cant chave have any of them any of it rick mant youre a braggart rickman atit i but youve parts youre no fool jyoune eyes and ears and wit but but 0 o trying to rise as annette on her knees arms about him strove to prevent the struggle which set him panting but it was that vixen behind youl you he I 1 screamed 1 I told my secrets to I 1 I 1 lier her and she told I 1 tell you let go 90 let me go ri rickman or ill send your heart smoked and cured back to astor himself I 1 it water from the spring ngit annette said to basile she stroked brow soothingly zes eyes and he smiled closing his crooks gave me his voice was only a murmur crooks i black feather crooks said i said crooks gave it to ln me e rickman As a jest but ive held itt it pawing weakly at the blankets ive held the black feather against your damned compa company they cant take it from me he know his jest stood for surrender it go I 1 put he struggled to sit up searching his bed and annette slipping a hand into her bosom brought out folded in thin cloth what remained of the black feather she had picked from the sand at mackinac alter after shaws arrest here Rod Rodn neyl eyll breathlessly you have the black feather burke rickman taken well keep it safe safe tor for you see it is herel here something in the nature of a smile twitched at his cracking lips as she thrust the feather into his hands fingers closed on it he relaxed and lay mumbling in whispers no longer striving to rise the water came cloths claths were soaked in it and placed across his brow about his wrists and ankles changed and recharged changed re to cool the fevered blood wordlessly the girl worked after the routine was established now and then she gave an order by gesture when he tried to rise she held him back when he rolled in torment she kept him on his pallet now he slept heavily unmoving his breath alarmingly loud again he mumbled incoherently on occasion he cried out sharply and fought them dawn and they did not notice and dusk again and still the girl sat there changing her co compresses mp d dribbling rib b ling herb teas into his mouth holding him quiet toward morning she slept fallen to her side curled close to his blankets like a bride half repulsed but before sunrise he was raving again and she was up refusing food which basile tried to force upon her until he said that perhaps t the ie masters life depended on h her er strength then she ate though they could see that the sustenance was repulsive to her day and night night and day with his eyes giving b birth i r th to an orange flare skin of his face stretching ht tight over the bones dyed wi with h the stain of fever with his wrists wrist s shrinking and his body trembling chills came and the hot stones stone s were snuggled close to him again and once more the fever and then one afternoon a queer sudden tranquility qui lity basile and annette knelt there as shaw drew a deep sigh and raised I a hand to his brow and opened his bis eyes the fevered flare was gone basilea Basi lel he whispered a and n d smiled he closed his eyes and sighed deeply in relief after all these these dreams amsl he said and feebly groped for the mans hand good basile my friend basilea Basi lel annette had not moved except to work the fingers in their tight clasp aga against 1 st her breast hope rode with th the e achievement in her eyes and her breath was quick she had brought him back from death this man she had loved and wronged and lived to save 1 I been here for long lie he whispered looking again into babiles Ba siles face 1 I I 1 remember little duck and and being cold and hot I 1 face clouding ive had dreams my friend terrible dreams idill still shaw had not looked at annette those dreams must ive ve been fever I 1 I 1 dreamed that damned vixen was here basile Q 1 V rt basile and annette knelt there making a wry face 1 I dreamed I 1 saw her felt her touch me evell uehl such a 1 I dream the old man holding his han hand d stirred uneasily his quick glance went to the girl and rodney seeing moved his head slightly then stared eyes upon her as if transfixed Is this another dream he cried brokenly Is this more torture still are you real do you live Rod neyl the girl broke in Rod rodney neyl 1 it is II if it is no dreamt dream 1 and I 1 came this way to beg you to forget the terrible thing I 1 forget he cried struggling to sit up you ask me to forget hol hoi things come back now pain in my back A bullet that must have been rick rick mans whose else your sweethearts h eart s bullet eh dear god to awake to find you here to basile alarm stamping his face gestured her to leave them and annette slipped from the tent standing alone in the dappled sunlight s eyes closed against tears pulse faint and slow tears had blinded her and she brushed them away to see that she had come near to jacques sitting cross legged mending a moccasin the trader livest lives she said tremulously and in patois jacques exposed his white teeth in a ma magnificent 9 bifi grin we W will want now partridge you 9 go 0 jacques to he went at her co command m mand as they all had obeyed cef her orders and mon living in in a spruce thicket across the stream where he could see and could hear wriggled softly backward into a shallow ravine where he had come the way he had been coming thesel these many days now to see what he could see and hear what he could hear A aged man burke rickman after that first night that shaw was known to be lying with life in the balance ba lance did he leave his fort by canoe and head up the lake another canoe from shaws establishment appeared menacingly when he went down the lake away aw ay from fort shaw in a direction opposite that where the little trader tr ader lay none followed the westward courses only were watched and forbidden him Mong azid had come demanding his three packs of 0 beaver but this was after babiles Ba siles messengers had returned for what was needed from fort shaw bringing word that their master lived skins tor for you rickman rick man scoff scoffed ed when your hand trembles when your eye goes blind no Mong azid F flat lat mouths mouth a vengeance is still a shadow across your path but bu t there may be a way be may and so Mong azid unsuspected by shaws men went about rousing no suspicion keeping safe for long hours in Ws his concealment across the river from where annette made her fight for life and reporting nightly to rickman what transpired lie he came this evening the little trader will live he said and shifted his gaze from Rick mans face the white woman speaks it I 1 heard her words heavy drinking then in the traders quarters mutterings rings and and rickman paced the room like a wolf dragging an iron trap back and forth up and down and once stopping he snatched the girls cloak from the peg where it had hung this fortnight and ripped the fabric to shreds silently more terrible in his silence than he would have been shouting threats annette did not again enter shaws tent another which she could occupy now that delirium was gone was at a little distance she lay there sleepless that night and at dawn was up partridge were dressed and from the breasts she made a broth cooked slowly thick with the nutriment of succulent flesh when shaw roused she heard and gave basile a jot of the broth in a cup to carry to him shaw slept quietly most of the day rousing thrice for more doles of nourishment and the morning found him with renewed vigor but before he drank broth again he asked the question that had been on his mind basile is she is the is the mam selle still in camp yes she stays face clouded 1 I felt it with an uneasy movement like an abortive shudder she came from where the company fort As we had the word of you she came running she one did not want a woman here but she commanded that she come and shrugging one does not deny a woman like that who demands prom from the company fort e eh shed been there before me I 1 saw her cloak shaw swallowed slowly shed come to him who refused to stay with her eh the gift of god her coming the old man said earnestly she has healing powers from her aunt without her we would have been helpless she she cheated death of you master errand of mercy eh shaw asked bitterly shed do that for a dog A dog or her sweethearts rival he drew a great and weary breath get her away basile get her away I 1 cayll and he closed his eyes wearily so basile went to annette I 1 words at first stuck in his throat and then emerged in volleys of unfinished sentences one humors the sick he protested as if she had hurled argument at him when she had only stood silent when the body is weak thoughts have no health but he is not a man for woman he is a trader married to trade truly the mademoiselle has cheated death of him but he w will ill not grow strong again with her about 1 I will go basile she said quite simply when he having heard much and known little about women had expected an outburst this overwhelmed the old man made him jubilant and engendered a feeling of great friendliness for her he would return her to the company fort in an hour he declared but I 1 do not go to the company fort she said eh dieul where then mademoiselle 1 I have my own encampment on an island nearby my men are there or should be 10 she smiled wanly so little had she thought of self in these days BU but you ou came cam from there 1 but I 1 cannot return there baslie basile his fingers fumbled at his lips wondering at her manner so low spirited and hopeless may I 1 would it not could one stop at fort shaw and prepare for the homeward journey yes she co could indeed she could I 1 shaw would not need to know and she wo would uld be out of this encampment camp ment with the trader threatening to fall into heavy sickness again at thought of her presence with within in the hour he would take her there within the hour then she gave basile minute e directions for the preparation of other foods naming the days when rodney might taste the flesh of fowl and have fish she told him what to expect by way of good sign and bad in his condition 1 I will be near for a few days she said if he should not grow steadily strong she did not finish that her lips trembled and she turned away she embarked with jacques and another in the canoe but as they prepared to shove off basile ran back and whispered a delaying word but wait I 1 here mademoiselle this was found in his blankets it was yours I 1 saw you give it to him to quiet his fever strange creatures women shed taken the remnant of a black ostrich plume from her bosom and pressed it into hand it must be something of value to be carried so it had served its purpose it should be returned annette took it with an odd smile and turned her face away the canoe slid out into the current shaw roused and drank a more generous portion of broth and smiled at basile what happened he asked just what 11 the other told piecing the tale together as well as he could from the time the fabricated story of Rick mans flight to black beaver was spread until they found him there the mademoiselle took command basile said gravely she gave the orders she 11 he stopped as shaw turned his face away has she gone he asked yes while you slept she went then she is wholly gone we will not even speak again of her and so at fort shaw a woman slept in the traders bed slept long and heavily and awoke still weary her boatmen were summoned from their island and brought within the enclosure jacques took command and tended her solicitously had she not saved the life of his idol his trader who had humbled even his mighty back on the portage basile came on the second day staying but briefly to secure needed articles yes he reported shaw was stronger he had a great hunger now his smile flashed through a set perplexity he was unea uneasy sy anticipating the time when rodney would demand that they bring him here he did not want him to find the woman here but said no word of leaving A great lethargy settled upon annette she had no hope she was hurt and bruised beyond hoping neither did she have resentment because she reasoned nothing that she ever could do would 0 offset the injury she had brought to rodney so she stayed on not because hope lived in her h heart eart she tol told d herself but because becaas e she was inexpressibly weary and the thought of amb emb embarking arking for the long homeward journey with nothing for her when she reached her destination was too much to face TO HE BE CONTINUED |