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Show THE RICH COUNTY HhAtUll, RANDOLPH, UTAH The Plains of Abraham By WNTJ Co Inc. Service. I coming. The feathers of his tuft appeared first, then the long black scalp lock. THE STORY the head, a pair of shoulders. Jeems put all his strength behind the upraised hatchet. He knew there must be but one blow well placed in the middle of the skull. That would end it. He almost closed his eyes and the hatchet descended a little, an overwhelming sense of the horror of the thing holding back his stroke. It was not simply killing: it was murder. The Seneca turned his head and looked up. His eyes were trained for use at night, and he saw more clearly than Jeems. He saw the white face, the hatchet, the death behind it, and he waited, transformed to stone. No voice came to his lips and no movement to his cramped body in this moment of shock and stupefaction when he must have realized that ail the power of his forest gods could not help him. The pupils of his eyes glowed darkly. He did not breathe. Conscious of his impending end, he was amazed but not terrified. His fine countenance did not shrink from the steel about to sink into Ills brain. For a second more the blade did not fall, and ih that second Jeems eyes and those of the savage met steadily. Then the hatchet clattered to the rock floor, and with a protest of revulsion at what he had almost done. Jeems clutched at the Senecas throat. The Indian was at a disadvantage. and though his powerful body strained and fought to loosen the choking grip, his position was so hopeless that iu a short time he was limp and hair-plucke- CHAPTER I With hie English wife. d son, Catherine, and "Jeems," Henri Bulain, French settle) In Canada in 1749. cultivates a fertile farm, adjacent to the Tonteur As the story opens the Bulain family is on its way home from a visit to the Tonteurs. Catherines wandering brother. Hepsibah. meets them. twelve-year-ol- seign-euri- CHAPTER XI Hepsibah, as Is his custom, has brought presents for his sister and her family To Jeems he gives a splendid piece of crimson velvet, laughingly telling the boy it Is to be a present from Jeems to Toinette Tonteur, small daughter of the sei- a gneur Hepsibah also gives Jeems In pistol, bidding him perfect himself the marksmanship, for the inpeople ofraids fear of frontier are constantly by Indian war parties, allies of the English. CHAPTER 111 HepsiDan fears for the safety of the Bulains, In their isolated position, but iienri laughs at the idea of danger. Jeems) presents the velvet to Toinette. Her cousin, Paul Tache, a few years older than Jeems, contrives to throw the parcel away Jeems resents the action, and attacks Paul, but the latter whips the smaller bov CHAPTER IV Next day Jeems, reelbefore ing he was wrong in brawlingoffer his Toinette, goes to her home to Tonteur Madame He hears apologies. refer to him as a little English beast," but -- makes his 'apologies and home ivins nothing of what he had overheard. Hepsibah takes his me Tonteurs go to Que..tpariuie bec, where Toinette is to be educated After four years, during which Jeems the Tonpractically reaches mannood,Britain and teurs return War between France flames, and French settlers hasten to join Dieskau, French comX: nri and Jeems remain at mander. home. Absent one day on a hunting his sees a distance from Jeems trip, home in flames. CHAPTER V He finds his tatner ana mother dead and the house and barn blazing. A .hatchet, of English make, left on the scene, convinces him the work of Mohawk Inslaughter is the allies. The sound of dians, Engl.sh gunfire has come to him from the Tonat dawn, fearing teur seigneurie, and for Toinette, he hastens there. Tonteur and his servants are dead A shoi wounds Jeems Believing him ai enemy, To nette, from a hiding place in the mill, has fired on him. H, rushes to the mill, where the girl de nounces him as an Englishman ano tries to kill him, fainting before sh can carry out her design con VI CHAPTER Recovering sciousneSs, Toinette continues to taun Jeems with the work of his "Englis) After burying Tonteur in t friends. bn shallow grave, Jeems returns te him murdered parents. The girl follows The sight of Henri Buiain and Cath erine. dead, convinces her she has beei wrong in her suspicions of - the Bu lain family. Jeems buries liis parent, and, with Toinette, goes to an aban In hiding, they watcl doned house the Mohawk war party pass. CHAPTER VII. Continued. d unconscious. Tlie Senecas adventure, and the combat if it could he distinguished by that name had not terminated a moment too soon for those concealed under the rocks. The trail hunters were now aware that the placing of the arrow hud been a ruse to delay them and began swarming back to the ridge Half a dozen warriors gathered in a fierce and animated debate close about the rocks. If Toirottes nerves were on the point' of breaking, then Odds were in no better condition when the Senecas returned to the ridge. His heart was breaking in its subjection to inactivity Now lie looked again on and stillnes liis master was triumphant victory, as the Indians returned and crowded ahout the rocks. Defiance rose in his soul In an overwhelming flood. ' He hated the smell outside, lie hated the Without creatures who made it warning, his passion broke loose in the howling rage of a beast gone mad. Toinettes arms and Jeems hands He felt his blood turn cold as he were futile in their efforts to stop It. The Seneca on the stone floor moved listened to the two. One was arguing that the arrow was a ruse and that a little. Outside there fell an awful stillness. the fugitives were somewhere not fat Then Odd realized what he had done away; the other, whose tnlnd was still on the huge pile of stones, discredited and grew quiet They could feel voicerather than hear a the thought that It had been thorough less cordon gathering about them in ly searched and set off to find some a ring of death proof of his suspicions. The first o the two speakers remained, and neither Toinette nor .Teems could hear him CHAPTER VIII move. It seemed an infinity of time before movement came again outside Twenty minutes after Odd had rethe rock. Metal scraped It as the vealed their hiding place Jeems and Seneca made a resting place of it for Toinette were standing in the sun. his gun; footsteps went awa.v, reMysterious things had happened In turned, and halted c'ose to the narrow this time. Unseen hands had dragged aperture through which they had the warrior from under the rocks. An squeezed tneir bodies under the stones Interval had followed in which exciteThe savage was looking at the enment gave way to solemn and lowtrance to their hiding place! Jeems voiced talk outside. Then some one pictured the warrior, his doubt and had called in guttural, broken French hesitation, and was as sure in his commanding them to come out They visioning as though no barrier lay he had obeyed. .Teems first. Toinette after tween them. He hoard a grunt. The him and Odd last with the downcast Seneca was on his stomach, peering air of a beast who knew he was In in, and the grunt was an expression disgrace. of the foolishness which had made It was an astounding and unexhim grovel like this. In a moment, he pected reception by enemies at whose would rise and go away. But the mobelts scalps were hanging. There One two three a ment parsed. were hetween twenty and thirty of the dozen. Toinette was like one dead Senecas, splendidly built, unbreathing. Odd, sensing a mighty lean faced, most of them young men. danger, knowing that it was coming, Even in the shock of the moment, crouched like a sphinx. Toinette surveyed them in startled adAt last the silence was broken so miration. They were like runners softly that the disturbance might have ready for a race. Staring at the youth been that of a tress of Toinettes hair with his bow and at the girl with her falling from hfr shoulder across tangled, shining hair, the Indians reJeems arm. The Indian had thrust in turned their gaze with a look of amazehis head. . He was listening smelling ment not unmixed with approval. then advancing slyly and cautiously They seemed scarcely able to believe like a ferret ' on the trail of prey. these two had fooled them so comThere could no longer be a doubt He pletely. capturing one of their number knew there was'something under the in the bargain, yet conceded the fact rocks and, with trim Seneca courage, with glances in which passion was foreseeing glory for himself even if held subdued. death paid for It he was coming alone. velvet-foote- d, keen-eye- . savage who stood before them seemed largely responsible for this attitude. Purplish lines were around his throat as if a rope had choked him. Two of the eagle feathers in his tuft were broken, and his shoulder was bleeding where the skin had been torn by a jagged tooth of rock. Evidently he held considerable Influence in the war party of which he was a member. Beside him was a much older man of even more power- with satisfaction when ne measured how lightly Toinette was following those ahead of her. He fell in close to Jeems, and the two talked In low tones. Even Odd seemed to have changed now that he was a part of those whom he bad mistrusted. A young - James Oliver Curwood by Doubleday Doran Every Instinct reached its highest tension in Jeems as a danger approached which he. would be able to touch with his hands in another moment or two. He removed himself gently from Toinettes embrace and prepared his arms and body for action. Their eyes had grown more accustomed to the gloom, and Toihette could see him as he crouched forward and gathered himself for the struggle which would mean life or death for them.Suddenly she understood that it would not be a struggle. When the Senecas head appeared Jeems hatchet would smash.it in. She could see the hatchet. It was poised to strike. There would be no cry no moan-o- nly that terrible, hidden sound. She listened to the doomed man slowly I j ful figure. It was he who spoke in Seneca to the younger. So this is the boy who made my brave nephew a captive to be saved by the voice of a dog The other scowled at the taunt In I his voice. He could have killed me. He spared my life." This is the young to whom you owe a feather from your tuft! I owe him two one for himself and one for the maiden whose presence must have stayed his hand. The older man grunted. He looks strong and may stand to travel with ns. But the girl is like a broken flower ready to faV In our path. She will cumber out feet and make our way more difficult, and great haste must be our choice. Use your hatchet on one and we will take the other. At this command Jeems gave a sudden cry, and the faces of the savages relaxed in astonishment when he began to speak in their language. Hep- sibab Adams schooling had prepared him for this hour. His tongue stumhe-faw- n The Senecas Words Brought to Jeems Not Only Hope but Shock. I - bled, some of his words were twisted, there were gaps which only the imagination could fill, but he told bis story. The Indians listened with an interest which assured Jeems they had not bedh a part of the force that had massacred his and Toinettes people. He pointed to the girl. He related how the Mohawks had destroyed his father and mother and all who had belonged to Toinette; how they had fled together, how they had hidden in the old house, and that with an arrow, he had killed the white man who had fired the gun. Bronzed and disheveled, the long how in his hand. Jeems made a vivid picture of courage and eloquence that would reinaiu with Toinette as long as she lived. She drew herself up a little proudly, sensing that he was fighting for her. She stood straight, her chin high, gazing with unafraid eyes at the leader of the war party.. With the courtesy which Tiaoga had already established for himself In borderland history, the chieftain listened attentively, and when the youth had finished, he spoke words wiiich sent two of liis men running down the ridge in the direction of Lussans place. Then he asked questions which let Jeems know the Senecas had not gone as far as Lussan's, but that they had heard the gun. and in seeking for the one who had fired it, had stumbled upon their trail in the hardwood slope half a mile from the abandoned . house. When his brief questioning was over, Tiaoga turned his attention once more to the young man beside him. I think the boy is a great liar, and I have sent back for proof of it," he said. If he has not sped an arrow through this friend of the Mohawks, as he claims, he shall die. If he has token the truth in the matter, which will be proof that he) has spoken it in others, he may travel with us, and his companion also, until her feet tire that death is necessary to bring tier rest. Toinette began to prepare herself for the ordeal, braiding her hair swiftly. Jeems came to her, and she saw the torture of doubt in his eyes. I can do it. Jeems," she cried softI know what you were saying ly. and what they were thinking, and I can do it I will do it I am going to you. I love you so much that nothing can kill me, Jeems not even their tomahawks!" The tall young warrior approached. He at least was one friend among the many who stood about them. I am Shlndas," he said. "We are going to a far town a long way. It is Chenufsio. There are many leagues of forests, of hills, of swamps between ns and It I am your friend because you have been a brother and alllowed me to live, and I owe you two feathers from my tuft I brought your hatchet from under the rocks because I did not want you to strike and be killed in turn. You love the white maiden. I, too. love a maiden. The Senecas words brought to Jeems not only hope but shock. These savages were from Chenufsio, the Hidden Town a place which even the adventurous Hepsibah Adams had looked upon as another world, a goal which he had dreamed of reaching in some day of reckless daring. Hidden Town ! The heart and soul and mysterious Secret Place of the Seneca nation I It was a vast distance away. His uncle had once said, "You must be a strong man before yon can travel to it That is why the Senecas, who range far, beasts. are the finest of all Shindas spoke again. so j "Tiaoga, my until e, who Is a great captain, will keep his word. He will kill the little fawn who is with you if her limbs fail her. Jeems looked from his friend to Toinette. She had approached the fierce old warrior and was smiling Into his face, her eyes aglow with confidence as she pointed to her ragged shoes. For a moment Tiaoga repulsed her advance with stoical indifference. Then he turned his back on her and gave a command which quickly put a prisoners thong of buckskin around Jeems neck and relieved him of his bow. Dosn into the valley and through the forest the long, grim march began. The two braves had returned with the white mans scalp and the broken arrow that had killed him. They talked excitedly, and Toinette could understand by their actions the story they were telling. It was the portrayal of a desperate struggle between their prisoner and the Mohawk. They measured the difference In their weight and size. The white-skinne- d 'iroken arrow was compared with its fellows in the quiver. This youth shall Tiaoga spoke. o with us, and In turn for his brotherhood. we will take the maiden to fill the place of Silver Heels in my repee. See that he is given the scalp which is his that he may have a 'wither in his tuft when we arrive. You hear!" i'hen he spoke to Jeems; You are Silver Then to Toinette: Heels. She was my daughter. She is dead. No flash of emotion, no softening ot tils features,' no sign of friendship crossed the chieftains countenance He turned and put himself at the head f his band, huge among his men wifh the dignity of a king in his bear mg. One of the braves who had gone to Lussan's fastened the white man's scalp at Jeems belt in spite of his pro rest and abhorrence. Once more the westward march re mined its way a single file of noiseless men with a girl midway in their line a girl whose long lark braid gleamed in the shafts of the sun, whose cheeks were flushed, and whose eyes held something more than the depths of tragedy and grief as she looked ahead to the great adsoft-foote- venture, and heard behind her the tread of a dog and the steps of the man she loved. Toinette traveled easily In mocca sins which had been given her. She was not as fragile as Jeems had thought when she had tried to keep shoes. up with him in her high-heele- d I live--w- ith - head-dee- p i two-legg- To an observer, the passing of the Senecas would have revealed no sign of peace or mercy. That it was a force chpsen with care for a long and dangerous mission, there could be no doubt, and that It had met with sue- cess was equally certain. There were twenty-si- x scalps among Its warriors, which was triumph in ample measure. Eighteen of these bad been taken from men, five from women, and three from children. Toinette was not afraid, though she could not account for her feeling of security. She was not only nnafraid of Tiaoga, but there was something she liked about the man. She was sure he would not kill her. She spoke this conviction to Jeems when he was at her side. But Shlndas had said to I have greater hope, for she him, travels lightly and welL She must keep up. If she fails, Tiaoga will kill her even though he has chosen her to take the place of Silver Heels." Toinette kept from Jeems the fact that she was growing tired and that sharp pains had begun to shoot like needles through the overtaxed muscles of her limbs. When they stopped for a meal she ate an apple and half of a turnip, and Jeems brought her water in a birch-bar- k cup from thq cold stream beside which they had camped.He did not tell her the dark news he had learned that there had been a great slaughter of the French under Baron Dieskau and that the southern frontier lay at the mercy of Sir William Johnson and his hordes of savages. Nor did he tell her that because of trouble with a band of Mohawks, three of whose number had been left dead in a personal quarrel, Tiaoga planned to reach the Seneca stronghold in six days and nights. He was heavy with doubt when the march was resumed, for he saw the bitter souls hidden in the breasts of the warriors. Hepsibah Adams had made him see the truth, and he knew these men owed nothing to the people of his race except loss and shame. Many times he had thought that. If fate had placed his fortunes among them, he would have hated with the grimness of their hatred. The freedom and pride which were once the heritage of their wide domains were no longer the controlling factors in their existence. Their wars had ceased to be wars which gave birth to forest gods and epics of unforgettable heroism. Their star was setting, and with Its decline the white man had transformed them into common killers, and in this new calling it made small difference to them whether they slew enemies or those who posed as friends, as long as the skins were white. So the nobility which Toinette saw in their captors was poisoned for Jeems by what was concealed within their hearts. The greatest of all hates was not the hate of a man for a man, bat the hate of a race for a race, and he knew that at a word from Tiaoga the men about him would be turned into fiends. Most of all he feared Tiaoga, for Shindas had told him that Tiaogas father had been killed by a white man and his son by an English Mohawk. Whatever their fate was to be, this day would bring it He was sure Toinette could not keep np the pace much longer, and he strengthened himself for the moment when the Seneca chief would find himself compelled to give a decision. That Tiaoga had claimed her for his daughter gave him hope, but if in her frailty Toinette was condemned to die. he was determined that she should not die alone. It was not long afterward that the warriors observed Tiaoga limping slightly. This sign of physical difficulty increased Id his walk until, furious because of his weakness, he drove into a tree and his hatchet paused to bind a piece of buckskin tightly about the ankle he had wrenched. Progress was slower after this. It continued to slacken as the afternoon waned, until the hand of a spiritual guidance seemed to be working for Toinette. It was useless to attempt a concealment of her condition. Her strength was gone. Her , body was rackJ as if tt had been beaten. Another mile and she would have sunk to the ground, glad to have an end to her torture. But fate, and Tiaogas hurt. Intervened to save her. They came at last to a hardwood plain in which was a pigeon roost Tiaoga spoke to Shindas. We have been a long time without meat. Broken Feather. In a few hours there will be plenty here. We will feast and then sleep and will not travel again until morning." Then Shindas knew the truth, bot his countenance did not change. He soon had a chance to speak to Her Slim Body Was Strong and Supple. Jeems. Her slim body was strong and supple, her eyes quick, her feet sure. Shindas dropped back from man to man to see that all was well, and his eyes gleamed To be contnned |