Adventure Magazine, December 10, 1924 — page 98: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

76 “Oh, just up north a ways. Then I’m going far away from here.”’ “M’sieur Mose is afoot. We go slow. But if m’m’selle is not in the hurry we can travel together,” eagerly suggested Bap- tiste. : = MINNWEAPOL/S\ UPPER ST-"-PAUL AGENCY Y NA A HENDERS 0 i Ne Papo 7 9ST. PETEP @eNANKATO oak ot os if when Ao 9. 2 FY HELBVWLLE W/NNVE BAGO VACKSON oe FAIRMOUNT le BLUE EARTH C. He was finding it very pleasant to realize _he had no further need to fear the eccentric. Throughout the years he had had a certain fondness for her because of having saved her. Yet never had he dared to tell her of how his squeaking Red River cart had taken him to a child delirious with fear because of the terrible scenes she had wit- nessed, and because of the green eyes of the wolves moving about the dread _ spot. He wished to prolong the unusual expe- rience of enjoying her company. Before she could make any reply he was timidly adding: ‘‘We would leave M’sieur Mose with the trader; then travel on together. Papa thinks he knows where m’m’selle’s trail will end. He would go with her. And, m’m’selle, those two poor ones! That night when I found you and gave you food and water! I bury the poor ones. Very deep. I left a fire burning over them. They were not found by the wolves. I say these things of yesterday so m’m’selle will understand.” _ You were good to me and the poor ones, Papa Baptiste,” she quietly said; but her quick gesture to reach forward and pat his withered brown hand was eloquent. “Bon! We travel together,” he cried. “All is well with them. It is such a short Adventure trail from the first sun to the last sun one should not think too much when a trail ends too quick. It is all the same after a few years.” Then to Shanty Mose he said: ‘“‘M’m’selle knows every one up north. She knows the trader. She speaks a good word for m’sieur.”’ “Then I declare to goodness, Miss Mar- tha, I’ll be mighty keen to have your com- pany as far as the Jones place,” declared Mose. With a touch of his old boasting manner he quickly added: “Not that I can’t do my own dickering with anybody and without help from any- body. There was the time when we had a logging camp on the little pond where Rum River heads; where they cut the timber for Fort Snelling even before I come to this country. “T was some punkins then, I’ll tell you. Didn’t need to have any one speak a good word for me. Just lammed in and showed ’em what I could do. In those days it was ‘If Mose says so you’re all right,’ or, ‘If Mose will speak a good word for you.’ Yes, sir! That’s what folks would say from Mille Lac to St. Paul.” Martha smiled slightly and promised: “T know the Jones and Baker families. I will say you worked for Mr. Cray, that he spoke well of you. Mr. Jones will give you work, I am quite sure. It will be the Sabbath when we reach there. We should find the two families together. How are the Falls and the Pollacker boys?”’ “Voung Fall will soon be at the lower agency if his plans go through. Got his. folks to let him visit up there. Knows some young people, I take it. Don’t know nothing about the Pollackers. They drink too much. And I guess that ain’t the worst——”’ “Stop!” she cried, her eyes opening wide and causing Papa Baptiste to duck back instinctively. ‘They are my friends. I like them. If you must speak bad of any one, take some one Martha doesn’t know.” Mose was not abashed by this rebuke, but admiringly appealed to Baptiste, cry- ing: “What I always said, Baptiste! Loyalty is the greatest thing in the world. You hear her? She’s loyal. My friends always said: ‘“““Mose is loyal. Maybe he has his faults, but if he has they’re darned small COMmicboolk Wh) © 5}