Show B BLACK AC K AT H a harold titu W service by HAROLD TITUS SYNOPSIS shaw independent trader arrives arrive rodney to 0 o in Michili mackinac in 1818 determined the established by the trade monopoly fight john jacob astor company in the northwest NorU ier territory he Is n met iet by conrad rich rl an elderly clerk ramsay ramsa y crooks astor a domi dom it figure and annette lAcI cre I 1 ocal ty and inspiration ACT to ail the traders S trader gsg specially who to Is burke the instrument rickman of a destruct ruthl with ess tion to traders refuse ng to amalgamate the ko astor company roussel the town bully wearing the black feather symbol of t bolly knocks aits do down S hea head d oarsman babue a and d shaw h in return th thawn a R ko 0 asse in to the water tile ra ramsay to rayc reeks crooks pres presents crit th hii symbolic b be c bl black C it f leather aher t t to sha shaw later at t t conference 0 r nc sh shaw w scorns C or n A As st or a pro coial 1 virtually to surrender hj his ld independence pend CHAPTER I 1 continued 2 because of this thing amalgamation I 1 because of what youre doing to the trade I 1 speak so because you draw independent traders into your net and shake from them not only their just profits but their freedom to come and go as they choose because when a trader puts a higher price on liberty than you can understand mr astor you resort to any means to deny to him the rights a man expects of this america 1 61 I was in this northwest before you began your damned amalgamation my partner and I 1 were liere here my partner belleau we asked for nothing except what we could take with our wits and our backs we had no quarrel with richer traders so long as the they y met us face to face so long as it was their personal power and not their money power that we competed with we did not fancy your swelling enterprise so we refused to trade with your hirelings and then what happened this you crushed us as betwixt millstones his voice dropped to a whisper and he paused a dramatic moment 1 your orders perhaps not your intent yes your intent to crush opposition by any means at hand first by raising prices to the hunters but that had little effect we could work for no profit next by threatening us and spreading lies among the indians but we grew fat on such and then finally it was your rickman who came to ravish and destroy this man the hunters call flaming hair this man whose hired task is to hound independents when all others have failed lie he laughed shortly and bitterly A successful vassal this rick danl I 1 was far up the kalamazoo trading with scattered hunters belleau was at our fort on the st joseph rickman had goods and rum in plenty and he knew kelleaus Belle aus weakness which is like an indians for spirits he plied belleau with rum nun until he was a madman what else he did I 1 do not know but I 1 do know that I 1 found our storehouse empty belleau had fled in shame sham e your rickman had our take and was on his way here leaving me to survey the ruin of our hopes word was left mr astor for me to attend your representatives here at Michili mackinac you crooks I 1 suppose thought id come gladly after that blow that id crawl licking your feet for opportunity to trade the miserably few packs I 1 saved and whining for the sanctuary of your employ well I 1 did trade with you today I 1 traded one pack for food and rum my men have a right to that put but with daylight I 1 leave I 1 go on where I 1 do not know but it will still be in this northwest sirl sir it will be to start again with these thes e nay my empty hands and struggle for the thing a man in this ameri america ca has learned to want opportunity to come and go as he wills to expect rewards only from the strength of his heart and his back he lifted both hands quickly to i indicate rs the futility of 0 amplis amplification his gaze fast on astor asters face 1 I hold you see to the rights my fat father her bled for a fair duel equal footing identical weapons the right t to take what I 1 ca can and hold it against other individuals and john jacob astor eyes blazing lips loose sat back in his chair wordless as crooks rose do you think shaw the company P will accept defiance tranquil W hot hol I 1 dont dreama I 1 know your app appetite etitel but in this mr astor and I 1 are alike we take what we can we hold what we can in this we differ for him the object is only ya profit tot for me it Is the breath of life s itself 1156 the breath of life itself sirl sir I 1 lie he bowed rather elaborately and into the eyes of ram ramsay say crooks swept something like admiration he glanced at astor w who ho gaze directed at the fire breathed quickly an and d shallowly ahr through ough parted 11 lips P S and the ghost of a sm smile ile not wholly ay sardonic twitched his face mr astor and I 1 sail tonight tor for lake a erie e he said the only ay iy thing that remains then is to bid you farewell ill their hands met in a perfunctory ory clasp the salute of admitted ad adversaries ver and as both faced astor and he did not remove demov e his glance from the blazing logs crooks swept open the me door A great wave of sound engulfed them the whine of fiddles the scrape and shuffle of feet the rollicking rumble of voices CHAPTER 11 II out there in the candle lighted thronged thron ged room was revelry the abandoned play of winterers winter ers in sum mer on a table against a long white wall fiddlers fidd lers scraped and swayed elbow to elbow and hip to hip a hundred couples figured the dance to the rhythm of the melody at the far end punch was poured voices were already loud and shrill ahr rodney shaws eyes still glowed with that spirit of conflict old basile made his way along the wall i as the dance ended intent on his trader the te men lie he said cannot be held much longer unless we put out for bois blanc jit at once they will be drunk beyond hope shaw said frowning yes we must be gone therell be no quarter now still he did not move the crowd out there had given way fallen back and clamor dwindled to a humming hush bush his eyes were on a figure now courts eying to ramsay crooks elaborate bow she went low to the floor slowly gracefully like a flower stalk drooping over crumpled petals crooks advancing toward her rosette of ribbons upheld speaking rodney moved down a step to see better strained forward to hear 7 1 y ar i Q v r 1 I no longer ask ile cried overtaking them the girls lips were parted eyes smiling but as shaw amov moved ed her gaze caught by his stir swung to him and her mouth closed her c chin hi in came up as it had there on the beach words naming her queen of the night tor for each night of revelry rev elry here must by custom have its queen were spoken by crooks he bowed again and the girl with the rosette pinned to her bosom curtsied once more crooks backed away bowing repeatedly peat edly the fiddles were scraping the crowd closing in and a young lieutenant from the fort shouldering p through the press offered hi his s arm to the girl and swept her awa away Y shaw had a queer feeling of being alone in the crowd of being hungry there ile he stirred himself him self not thinking following impulse rather than reason and left the last step he even shook off babiles Ba siles hand but the hand came again gripping tightly but it better be now master I 1 in an hour the men will be like I 1 shaw sighed and jerked at the long lapels of his coat ay ill go we must go no wait he took bashie Basi babiles Ba siles ie wrist as his eyes followed that alluring figure on the dance floor wait basile give them this night the men I 1 acan me an avoiding the concerned eyes of his retainer let them have this night and at dawn we 10 but here hive have you not defied this company 1 I have but a hand clapping reassuringly the old one he hold held but theres there s no danger for the night danger but not here basile nor now not here and now under the eyes of the fort and the a gency agency you sleep in my tent basile by the packs and at dawn 01 he shoved the man a way away gently and set 0 out ut across the floor walking slowly deliberately a as a hunter might walk stalking punch and music and laughter mingled wk in 1 his 11 hell head and desire swelled his heart she had eluded him after that first fi rs t dance and again after the next it was tile the lieutenant beu tenant capes talking his 9 rapidly in ear now annette leclere he said he said much more ore much more he poured out information to shaws in re response s name request for the th girls she danced yonder with wih tall broad red haired burke rickman rodney kodney had seen the man on his arrival and the description checked with that given him by his engages as the one who for astor aster had looted him of his all including a partner A As s I 1 was saying and perhaps berha ps the officer went on with what he had been saying for all shaw knew he was crossing the room grimly foU following owing rickman and annette leclere he jostled a lad collided with a matron he reached them confronted the girl 1 I ask you he began and before he could say more she had turned away drawing her escort into the throng mocking him with her laugh he pushed through now determined flushed with pique 1 I no longer ask he cried overtaking them commanding her attention by his vehemence 1 I observe that one does not ask the favor of a queen to have such one we dancel his hand was on her arm rickman pressed closer to the girl possessively ses and now a glint of something more frigid than coolness was in his eyes he spoke the dances shaw are all to be minel mine annette looked up at him she smiled at rickman tantalizingly as she had smiled at shaw oh sire I 1 had not been informed Rick mans face twitched and he moved closer but annette curtsied to shaw and lifted a hand to his arm and he bore her away knowing that she had turned to him only to dismay another but not caring carina taking her on any terms gladly fragrance of her body assailed him touch of her shoulder set him he looked down at her and beheld the fairest woman beneath the stars I 1 the dance ended and he whirled her to an open doorway black with night outside under a balsam tree the moon flecks fell on her white face and shoulders annette le leclere lere he said tremulously bously he had her close against him and her head jerking first this way then that eluded his avid lips her palms hard against his breast fought his arms under heaven I 1 will I 1 I 1 will but she broke away she was adroit at eluding embra embraces cesi she ali flit t ted into the doorway as the fiddles started again the night was a swirl for shaw annette beside him annette gone annette with another while he chafed chafee and paced in jealousy a strange emotion queen of the dance she must distribute her favors impartially so she said close in shaws ear the fiddles were finally stopped for the nights crowning interval 9 the dancers backed against the wa walls alls the queen alone out there was to select her king and by the doing encumber him with the obligation of entertaining on the next night of paying the fiddlers fidd lers of buying the wine vine she floated slowly down the room a shred of ribbon snipped from the rosette she wore in her small fingers she assumed deep deliberation impersonal weighing of this one or that frowning a bit as she paused first before this frontier gallant then another then she was before shaw the bit of ribbon was pinned to his lapel and with both hands she was pulling his face down standing on tiptoe her lips burned his cheek and he gasped grappling for her choking that hed make the formality actual before dawn ill kiss you houi he swore holding one of her hands imprisoned ye he wrenched at the har hand A and she winced honestly and shocked at his own ruthlessness he let her go she laughed then and swung into rick mans arm and off into the new dance he searched for her the crowd when the fiddles stopped again and out into dark hallways he stood in the front doorway and called again and out of the black silence heard the barest echo of a teasing laugh and light words not before this dawn sirel sire then the hick flick nick flick of small heels racing over gravel and though rodney pursued the eluded him in the strange darkness he turned back peculiarly stimulated chuckling at annettee Ann ettes adroitness burke was waiting in the doorway feet spread fists clenched truculently there are worse things for a man than losing his trade shawl he said darkly rodney laughed a confident and casual and disarming sound ayl aal far corsel worse he agreed and pushed past basils basile came along the hallway intentness in his posture Ma master terl he said in an excited whisper word of what you said to astor runs the place like fire and one awaits at your tent he asks that you attend him without delay ile he gives no name he is old and a man of the forest he is one guesses a friend in a nest of enemies come rodney had pitched his tent at some little distance from any other embers glowed before it and within the flap a man was seated a robe drawn about his gaunt shoulders he was old how shawl shaw he said in a voice which had ad sm small all vigor and raised his right hand palm outward a gesture of friendly intent set he rasped in a whisper rodney seated himself no wind for words the visitor explained and indeed this was evident for even the utterance of those few syllables had set him panting names leslie h he e said once independent trader actors slave av now he tried to continue but only strangled and fought for breath somewhat eased he raised his hands and began to talk in the graceful logical sign language now and then h he e dropped in a word mostly however he made known his history just with movements of those gnarled but articulate hands of late years he had traded largely with the nominees Me and had retained his independence well enough until the monopoly which astor set spreading across the northwest wiped out his identity old man he panted too old to fight traded here at own account and risk bout reached end of trail took likin to you when seen you arrive felt ue like pardner to you when heerd what rickman d done when heerd what you told astor waugh he said with sudden strength and fervor and then sank back to one elbow exhausted rodney started to speak but leslie held up a hand your plan he whispered what you aim to do plan ive no plan bitterly im a pauper I 1 enough fur to make a start at assembling trade goods once my men are provided for but somewhere some place in this northwest there must be a man back another to stand alone alon elto leslie shoved himself e erect r e c t waugh it was little more than a brave gasp mans talk spoke like free man brothers you nd me brothers shaw lesliea Le th party youre lookin fort for Li listen steril he rasped 1 I brought in good take I 1 got trade goods plenty I 1 got in mind th richest bradin ground left I 1 got ev eryl hin but wind nd legs ever hear of th pillagers villagers Pil lagers TO BE CONTINUED CONTINUE |