Show 1444 M t M H mt ha hal MM 1 fhe plains of abraham by james oliver curwood 0 by doubleday doran co inc service THE STORY with his english wife cathorine and son jeems henry bu lain french settler in canada in I 1 1749 cultivates a farm adjacent to the As A the story opens the are re turning from froan a visit to the ton teura I 1 I 1 CHAPTER I 1 continued 2 ile ie had stood tills ills t hurt and still kept marle antoinette in his bis thoughts for there was no other oabe ir c hild child to help fill her place but since last autumn when hadame Tont eurs sister ister anil and her son poul paul had come to the sel beurle his dreams had grown more clouded until on tills this thursday afternoon they were replaced by grim and merciless visions of a future vengeance on the young man main who laughed lau glied at him and humiliated him and who without any grace whatever that he could see basked warmly in the smiles and graciousness of marle Antoin ettes favor ue he was glad when his mother and am father paused to rest on the edge ot of a great rock near the trail for this in tenal we gave him opportunity to go on alone and when he was alone aanne he could tear and thrash cousin in a much more admirable way than when the of others hers were tramping close at his heels suddenly odd stopped so that tant his gaunt body made a barrier against jeems knees they stood of at tile the ot of a lower flower strewn open among the chestnut trees it was a hundred yards across this sun filled playground of tle the wild and on the far side of if if 11 concealed in the hustles hushes jeems kney knew there was ft as game of some kind tie he dropped to the earth and drew himself behind the decaying mass of a monster los log that tind had fallen a nun hun dred years before odd crouched at bis side with will his muzzle level with the top of the log loe thus a minute passed and after that another und and more on top of 0 them yet vel odd fid PUP no sign of discouragement nor did jeems lie ile watched the fur far side of the clearing on a line as straight ns as a die with tile the pointing of odds nose another minute of this rustling heill ness anda and a magnificent turkey cok strut strutted t ed maje fly out into the sun he wel glied twenty pounds it if an ounce thought jeems a proud and late bird defying all the world la in the empty open in this moment jaenis thought again of paul tache for the quebec boy was like tills this turkey cock always flaunting hla his clothes and dla dis porting himself will the importance of a mail slowly loenis jeems withdrew the long iong gun froni from the lie top lop of the lu log tali binl tied file lie strip string of his bow lie ile waited milled until the HIP big hi bird stood less leas than eighty yards away an inch at a time lie rate higher hl glicr on nn his knees and odds body grew stiner with ilia is movement A evoking sound cume came from the lie logs dogs chroal us as the long bow boi was bent the twang of the lie string was like tile the ring of u steel tuning fork and across the opera sped a grayl grayish sl flash there followed a mellow sound a great commotion a leaping of girg ageous e ous color high into the air pi 1 1 l I 1 tache the torlev cock was down a and n d dying A moment mier jeems arid and oaid stood looking ilian liwai on the turkey cork cock and leapt once olive more into abe boys fave fate and eaps for here was n not of only a splendid dinner for komorow torn but also in ili his the first blow struck alrik k against his enemy the wild hol hoi pride of youth and achievement possessed ans eased the lad ind us his father and mother cume come toward film here wits and the buys boys eyes lighted up when he sow saw ills his tu mothers others interest in what hp he had done unit the unfeigned amazement in his tu fit face ns he dropped his milled corn to tile the ground und looked down upon the magnificent turkey cock with the feathered arrow transfixing it it catherine regarded her bet bo boy y unobserved by the two whose hunting instinct drea A their eyes to the fa fullee tell game her own yes ves were staining and after a moment saw what she was seeing and thinking and placed one of ills his big hands tenderly on his sons slim sho Ider yes res jeems wa wax like ilke his mother except for his blond halt and giray ey 03 c and in these alx se two things he resembled tit his mothers brother brot lier that worthless On dering al 81 ways ligh lighting fing and forever ova ne vagabond adams heart genrl wits happler at his ware alfes s aloud of her son non and lie he oural forth norih in praise of the lads exploit what a 0 he cried bending low to ex euni anine lne the bird und and the lie ur ar row straight through ali from wing in wing ing us its cecon as a bullet and right up to the shaft of the alie fea thurol ill id swear ion nu id did not nol have that strength in your arm bindl yet the arrow was aped fr i hark there at the edge of the olien inn yon tiny I 1 scarce believe it att I 1 it la Is a shut shot for caption pipe and white engle and add big cut cat and not for you loul 11 these three were the caughnawaga friends who mho had taught jaenis to shoot and it was captain pipe who had bad made his bo bow w of choice sen sea ash they went on as the sun was setting behind the wilderness und and the golden pools of light grew dimmer about them and shadows grew crew heavier and more dark among the trees tree through the woods though the trail was narrow catherine walked with her bee hand in find and for halt half an hour they spoke no word except in whispers and at last hist the four saw their horne lit it my lay in a Elicit ered dip which was wag like a diminutive child of tile the larger valley a low ow and cheerful cabin of peeled logs with etli more windows in it than 0 cautious man would have had and with etli a hideo chimney of ilay clay andl and stone at tile trad ond tt it was a home of beauty and comfort and luxury as those things s were measured on the frontier aind the best that henri bit lain could build catherines love tor for tills this home was nas next to tier her love tor for and her hoy boy close about the cabin wits her own domain her flowers her gardens of shrubs tier her bird houses built of chestnut bark her box hedges unions the file thinned out trees with pretty paths edged with whitewashed stones winding in and out among them running nun up ill to tile the borders of these gardens garden were work holds fields be ginning first because of catherines artistic eye cie bilth the lie gentler growths of hush andary eare irefully fully groomed and 1 aj 1 1 6 I 1 I 1 1 ki arid and odds body grew stiffer with ith his hl movement plotted soil for herbs and vegetables rege tables and beyond lay the broader fields fur for heavier grains and foods ten aires acres of well tilled land in all ending up a against the hard maple wood out of whim which in the preceding month of april henri had taken ills his years supply of baty fly gallons of maple and four times us its many pounds of sugar these precious possessions the fout saw as they dime clame down the green slope and not mil otie one hilf of if them would catherine time nue exchanged for all of Mail nnie Tont purs riches catherine wn nus mulling nt at her bus band and in eyes was an an light of hup happiness when out ont of tile the pence peace und and beauty which lay lav about their home rose a piercing and blood curdling cry a cry which seemed to stop slop every sound that was in the air a cry of if monstrous depth and vast end and with that cry a wild figure came toward them from its hiding place in the greening shrubbery rubbery sli of catherines garden with a lurch of ills his shoulder heart sent the bag of corn to the ground while ahead of him jeems swung his lung long gun into the crook of if tile his arm and odd stiffened an and lei out a sullen growl the scraggy and mysterious figure advanced up the slope and jeems had looked to his film and priming and stood with a ready thumb on the hammer of f his weapon when from behind her husband and her boy cath erane gave first a startled gasp then a little sc and sped past her protectors to meet the advancing stranger with open arms its she cried its hepsibah I 1 CHAPTER 11 II the stirring words had scarcely fallen from ills his mothers lips w when jeems laid ills li Is nun gun on oil the ground and ran after her but with sill all his haste she was in her brothers bro therB arms before he could overtake her while his fattier father carrying the turkey cock but without the corn bame came hurriedly out of his hl amazement and down to meet them if ever a man main bore ao an affinity to an oak with its cheer and strength anil andl rugged growth that man was adams the indian trader ile he was not as tall as henri by half a head nor did lie have his leanness ills shoulders were ft ere wide and his body thick and his face was as round as an apple and almost as red with marks and mars of stress and battle set upon lt it but to in such a way that its vivacity and the good humor of its twinkling eyes were enhanced rather than spoiled by the vicissitudes of fortune intfen hen the excitement of first greetings were ovir over catherine stood back from rom her jolly rogue of a broth brother eranI andl viewed him with a pair of eyes bright with affection but which glowed at the same time with an appraising and speculative questioning which her lips at once put into words I 1 am so happy to see you that it makes my heart cb choke ke and yet I 1 observe that you have not kept your lour promise to stop fighting for one of your e ears ars Is nicked and your nose Is crooked and there ts to a mark over your eye ee w aich was not there when I 1 say you iou two yen ears rs ago agol I 1 weather stained face broke into a smile 1 I cant cin t say any as much for your nose catherine for it grows prettier enell each year he said but it if a Dutch dutchman mans a liaro should happen to lome come against 14 it as one lilt hit mine lit in it a little joust in albany town why ill say there would be a bend in it or no nose at all and as for the ear with a nick in it what can you expect from a frenchman excepting your sweet tempered husband here when he gets a chance to use ose his teeth instead of the hands god gave gae him to fight with itte ilia slit in the flue face Is only a crease left by an Onel oneidas das knife when he misled himself with the thought that I 1 had got the best of a barg bargain bargala aln which I 1 never do get or im a sinner I 1 but Is vint diat all do you keep no better account of me than that I 1 am a bit ashamed of you catherine tor for you have missed the important thin thing gill 1 what Is that my ily stomach declared hepsibah holding his ample paunch with both knotted hands it Is sunk and shrunken its as you may clearly observe it Is dwarfed shortened circumscribed and reduced fairly warped and strangled from lack of food and if I 1 do not eat very soon tile the rest was smothered in catherines arms and laughter dear old heppy 1 hungry always hungry li and you sou never will be ba any other way so we shall have supper almost as soon as smoke can be ba made to come out of the chimney I 1 am so happy you ou have come cornel P and I 1 added henri getting in a word tit at list last jeems was tugging at the hand of his roving vagabond of an uncle who was his greatest hero in all the world and dragged him back to get his gun As they went the happiness in catherines face was clouded for an instant best keep good eyes on our jeems beema for a time henri she warned hep yon you know very well Is a barly improvident and thoughtless man overfilled with foolish tricks and contrivances hantes most alluring to boyish minds and of which because of jeems I 1 am a bit afraid but henri only chuckled for the thought was waa in ills his mind that it was a fattening of ones good fortune to be ba taught tricks hy by a man like hepsibah adams then catherine saw sav that a film ol of smoke was rising from the top of the big stone clil niney hns has already started a fire she said it was vaa the aliveness of this fireplace which had drawn the expression espres slon of 0 surprise surp ilse and pleasure pl ensure from catherine that and the aroen of cooking things filings which greeted them since catherines earliest memories her br other brother had bad boasted of his excellence as a cook aad most assuredly he had been busy basy since his unexpected arrival half a dozen doyen chains were dropped from their bolts in the thick oak log bar of the fireplace seven feet above the fire and from the pothooks pot hooks at the end of these chains were suspended as many pots pota and kf kettles lies steaming and boiling and giving forth a cheerful sound of dancing pewter lids elds against which the bubbling water was an animated and pleasing melody but to henri who always loved the sound of these busy pots with their lively cheer and promise of supper a still more delectable thing was the great roast of venison which had bung before the ore are TO BE CONTINUED |