Show under try r 0 aze GEORGE MARSH L copyright by penn pub co ft berram I 1 SYNOPSIS prom rom his fur post sunset house in the he canadian north jim stuart trader in chat charge g e sights an overturned canoe in the I 1 lake ake with his headman omar he rescues the drifter who proves to be aurore leblond le blond daughter of his rival in in the fur business made comfortable for table at the post aurore proves to be a charming companion exchanging badinage she and jim arrange to exchange notes on a certain island leblond with paradis his unscrupulous halfbreed half breed lieutenant arrives in search of the missing girl CHAPTER I 1 continued 3 with a voice h hoarse ts t with ith feeling he said gald with a blight 1 trace of accent mr stuart my daughter says sh she owes her life to you and your man As they faced him the striking resemblance in feature and expression between father and daughter impressed the man who entered the room followed by renault and paradis ls the girl was the true daughter of louis leblond Le TA BIond Blond luckily we happen to see sea her deprecated stuart yes but she tells me that her strength th was gone she had alread already y given up when she saw you leblond impulsively grasped the hand of the man who studied him we are rivals in business it cannot be helped but what you have done for my child I 1 will not forget in a corner of the room the slim paradis dark as a halfbreed half breed talked excitedly to the thickset thick set renault across whose swart face a knife slash 11 had ad I 1 left ef t a sear scar it was nothing replied stuart 1 11 I bapp happened ened to see her canoe that was all 11 you owe me nothing sir As he spoke paradis left renault and whispered in Le Blonds ear my house la Is at your disposal continued stuart will you and your daughter stay here tonight 1 the eyes of the speake r hardened as he went on The genTleman who Is whispering to you ad a tid renault here are welcome to in the trad ehouse you cant creif cross the lake against this wind the somewhat small but regular features of parades darkened in a scowl at the thrust but he continued his whispering slowly a look of doubt of et perplexity crept into Le Blonds eyes but with a gesture of irritation he be waved aside the insistent paradis turning he spoke rapidly in french to his daughter who replied vehemently her courageous black eyes flashing in anger as she faced her father mr stuart said the patently embarrassed barr assed leblond you a found her in the afternoon yes in a flash stuart sensed what was coming what paradis had been whispering and you let us hunt the lake through six deurs of daylight hunt for or her thinking she was drowned leblond spoke more in regret than in anger why you send word added paradis with a sneer Fa father therl 1 the blood rose to aurore aurora L Le Blonds temples are you crazy do you know what youre saying Is this your gratitude the eyes of the girl flamed with indignation atlon mr stuart wanted to take me home but I 1 go there was only the small email canoe here and I 1 was afraid afraid of that lake and this Is your thanks to him I 1 oli oh im ashamed of you as ashamed harned of you sill all I 1 the enraged factor of Sunset house was near the end of his hh self control as he faced LeD leblond lond you see fit to quibble over my actions today ive nothing to explain you found out what the tha lake was out there when you crossed with the wind in adur your big canoe my large boats are bringing up my stuff aud and im alone with one man I 1 dont like your insinuations Insinuation sl I 1 you cant take your daughter back tonight and I 1 offered you my quarters such ns as they are but as for this whispering assistant of yours I 1 take back my olter lie ile cant atay herel here the speakers voice snapped like a brittle stick you understand english lish dont you Par aills ls the room was silent in the glance of the girl as she watched jims oyes eyes blacken with anger was aniu amu seme and approval with a swift movement the enraged paradis jerked his hand back to fo his belt but the squat renaults fingers gripped his arm the working features of leblond reflected his warr warring hig emotions this man who had saved his daughter had bad also flagrantly affronted his friend for a space his sense of gratitude and his loyalty to paradis strove for mastery as he be looked into the cold eyes which challenged his then he found his voice you have insulted us here in your own louse house I 1 he burst out we want no hospitality from you 1 then as it if ashamed went on oh im grateful I 1 know what I 1 owe you but well bid you goodnight good night come Aur orel his answer from the girl was contemptuous laughter oh you men are so f furbee lichel so aunnee I 1 she cried so ridiculous I 1 because mr stuart knocks down our paul paradis und and paul fills ails your ears earn with a tool fool idea of word vord not being sent ten miles against that wind and sea you forget that id be down there with the fish tonight it if it been for omar and mr stuart rah pan I 1 you men are all tools fools I 1 she was serious now her scornful gaze over awing her fathers uneasy eyes in frank admiration stuart watched her as she waited for le blonds reply 1 I thank you tor for what you did for her said leblond at length turning defeated from the accusing eyes ees of his daughter conie come Aur orel paradis and renault sullenly left the room while the trader waited at the door tor for the girl who had not moved so you think because of the hurt feelings of 0 your pretty ran paul ill spend the night in front of a fire with my back against a tree she replied well I 1 will botill not I 1 over the bold features of leblond crept an expression of helplessness of impotence it was patent to stu stuart rt that this trader whose energy and d determination e were bywords in the fur trade was riot not the master of the g girl arl who now faced him 1 I shall accept mr bit stuarts Stuart ls offered hospitality she continued As for you mork mon pere you can stay and help old sarah the cook guard the and this Is your thanks to himl oh im ashamed of you ashamed of you sacred honor of your precious daughter or you can leave her to sarah and go and sit by your fire I 1 suay stay hero here do you understand english monsieur leblond in the end leblond and his daughter passed the night in the quarters of stuart while the indignant sarah tossed through sleepless hours outraged by the thought that the roof above her should shelter the enemy who had boasted that the wolves should soon howl bowl in the deserted clearing of sunset house CHAPTER II 11 six years before when the boat brigade of the northwest north west trading company in command of one of the partners louis leblond had passed through lake expanse on the trail to the who were camped at pelican portage on the way south to the spring trade with the hudsons Hud sons bay company had been greatly excited turning in to the camp Le Blonds head voyageur voyage ur black jules renault had announced in their native tongue that a trading station was to be built on the great lake of the sand beaches two hundred miles north never again need they take the long trail s sith ith to lake expanse but in the next nest long snows would find a warm welcome a new years feast and the best of trade goods ready for exchange for their fur at the new post in three years leblond had made serious inroads into the trade of the old company he no longer could be ignored they must follow and fight him for the trade but on the word of hardheaded hard headed andrew christie of lake E expanse expanse inspector of a territory larger than an eastern state the man who could now wrest a share of the trade from the firmly In trenched leblond would need a particularly long head boundless nerve and the tenacity of 0 the beaver such a man christie t told his superiors in conclave at winnipeg he believed was now at gods lake in western a young man with a line fine war record and a local reputation for or ability and judgment in dealing with the indians in two months a mall mail canoe brought jim stuart orders from winnipeg to report to christie at lake H expanse A month later with omar Bols boisvert vert and a gang of men stuart had cleared the forest and was peeling the logs tor for the building of sunset house the following three years had been for stuart a well nigh hopeless struggle for a foothold in the trade tor for his bis rival possessed the frenchmans French mans uncanny talent for handling the indians backed by an experience of thirty years As he lay on his bunk in the fhe trade house after leaving aurore leblond and her father in possession of his quart quarters ers lira jim stuarts thoughts traversed the hours since mid ald afternoon to the man who since the war had been marooned in the forests of kiev din ojibwa for the birthplace of the north wind the coming of this vivid creature swept into his life by the accident of wind and sea had been like the burst of a shell on a black night B but ut s trong strong as was the appeal of thi this s dar dark k daughter of louis leblond to the eyes and senses of the man who had not seen three comely white women in as many years she was he realized only a spoiled child vain headstrong the pampered darling of a lonely father then hla his thoughts 11 shifted to mary christie the loyal capable girl at lake expanse who ministered with head and hands to the well being and comfort of his chief andrew christie and who except for five years schooling in scotland had spent her life without complaint im aured in the northern forests he pictured her frank disdain of the dress and manners of the girl who slept over in his quarters quarter her outraged sense of propriety at the direct thought and speech of this self possessed daughter of the free trader she understand der stand this girl would condemn her on sight as overbold over bold light unwomanly but no one who had seen aurore aurora leblond grimly refusing to be swept from her grip on that canoe as the seas burled buried her could doubt the metal of her courage she had proven that then he found himself comparing the blond comeliness of the decorous daughter of andrew christie with the dark loveliness of aurore leblond the following morning stuart walked with his guest to fo the beach where leblond had preceded them to hla his waiting canoe 1 I really think you about won sarah over when you patted her shoulder and put that silk scarf around her neck he said 1 I know sarah pretty well and the way that grin slowly widened across her face when you gave her the scarf and shook her hand makes me think ashes forgiven you your though of course she admit it she thinks me insane probably she know what to think then as they approached the shore she said hurriedly the split rock on the shore of tile the last of the islands island 9 look there in a few days you might find something goodby good by mr beem stuart she gave him her hand goodby good by miss when leblond stepped into his big freight canoe he said to stuart 1 I thank you again for what you have done your deop people ia ba have ve 6 seen e C n fl fit t to send you here to take the trade from me between the northwest north west and the hudsons Hud sons day bay there can be ba no quarter but to you yourself I 1 owe much some day 1 I may be able to repay As the factor of sunset house watched the departing peterboro peter boro nose an ever widening ripple out across the still lake which now mirrored the hills for the wind had dropped in the night to a flat calm a voice nt at his side roused him from his thoughts we got a bee beag job ahead dis summet summer stuart looked into the grave face of omar we have omar but I 1 wish I 1 knew where to begin they heard at lake expanse that leblond got thirty thousand dollars worth of fur from Il Ill lake and the sturgeon river country alone this year we got get a pelt not one hunter from that count country ry I 1 1 I hear last night so meting about dat 11 you did how druh nivan heard de men wid de cano talk wile leblond go to tie de house for tie de girl dey talk about JIn gwak 11 Jin gwak the medicine man at Piri pipestone Pl estone lake ah hah you know how lie he get nil all de hunter to trade wid LeIl lealond lond not one come to sunset house houge no but id like to said the interested stuart wal tell all dem dat dig place ees full of devil I 1 find als out for one of dat crew had fear to stay on de beach slowly the blood filled the bronzed face of the man who listened so they are bribing the medicine men the conjurors conjurers con jurors are they to keep the trade from sunset house it was clever of leblond for the Pl ri who came two hundred miles south to trade were a wild ild superstitious lot easily influenced e ced by a medicine man a shaman wat you tink of dat dem demanded a the halfbreed half breed 1 I tell you we got good job ahead dis summer wen we get do de trade stuff bluff up from lak expanse omar weve got to got get some borne of that Pl and sturgeon river trade we cant live on what we wa got get from the rest of the country we going to do the swart boisvert Bols vert rose from hl his a squatting poc portion ile he was wa not tall but his scotch and french blood hod united with the ojibwa to create ft rare example of natures skill in the building of human thew and muscle for in hla his compact one hundred and eighty pounds omar carried power and stamina which had been a byword among the voyageurs voya geurs of western Ki wedin deliberately reaching to the rear the halfbreed half breed drew hla his skinning knife and lifting a toot foot stropped the blade slowly on his moccasin dero dere ees one taing we can do wid maleu JIn gwak 11 he said significantly you old wolf laughed stuart 1 I believe if I 1 said the word hunt him down this summer and stick that in him omars small eyes met his chiefs cryptically as aa he be said dere are nanee manee way to kech a for yes tes and we must find one to beat this but we cant hurt him you know there are laws in this country law 1 grunted omar we got do so metIng verl ver V we have omar admitted stuart if irn im licked lere I 1 might as well look for a new job the companell Compan never forgive me christie knows known what the job Is here but hes bes not satisfied with the small trade this year with an impulsive movement bols vert grasped the hand of the younger man we not tru yet I 1 als summer we go to pipestone lake a 0 a a 0 0 two days later with the freight boats from lake expanse which carried the next years supplies and trade goods gooda tor for the little post and had been wInd bound at the head of the lake came esau ot chig whose shoulders had rounded and lean face creased with furrows in the service of the company old esau a full blooded ojibwa who had served thirty years with stuarts father and now followed the fortunes 0 of the son to the indian when the supplies were unloaded and the empty freighters had started back on the trail south omar related what he be had overheard on the beach how the hunters from the Pl country had been kept from trading at sunset house by the tabu of the sha eha man ali ah hahl hah esau muttered so dis put do de devil into sunset house wal we put de devil into Jin gwak goedl agreed stuart but how esaus beady eyes met the widening grin of omar as he answered omar evair tell you wat happen to lakwa do de beeg shaman at wolf manee long snow back stuart shook his head no what happened dla lakwa he vink he mak do d beef medeline mede cine he lle come an say gay to do de ole man at wolf you geeve geeva lakwa de shaman flour tea trade good an you get all jiboa fur you not geeve lakwa dis an free frea trader he get do de fur what did the hudsons Hud sons DAY bay we say to that TO ITO sa I 1 |