Argosy and Railroad Man's Magazine — page 102: what you’re looking at

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

444 ARGOSY AND RAILROAD MAN’S MAGAZINE. They were silent after that, Céleste. sit- ting with her hands in her lap and making no effort to eat. As for Grondin, his great body demanded food, but he was no less miserable than his wife; more so, perhaps, for he felt that all the blame for the breach that had been made in their love belonged to him. ‘ The good taste had gone out of the food quickly. He reached for his pipe— and became motionless with it half-way to his lips. Some one was lifting the latch on the cabin door. A click had caught his ear, then he saw the latch raised carefully, and-€ven as Céleste’s breathed “ Jacques!” came to him the door burst open, and what seemed at first seemed like an avalanche of men swept inside. Grondin Jeaped to his feet. The men— there were three of them—stood poised in the middle of the room. One was Pierre Gagnon, one was another worthless fellow of the same type named Maurice Laplante, and the third was a certain character of the St. Lawrence called Black Matthieu. A smuggler, people said, although he had never been caught. He was the first to speak, “Where are the furs?” he demanded. ‘““What furs?” asked Grondin, seeking a little time. His ‘rifle was on the other side of the room, hung over the bunk where the stranger lay. His knife and belt were on the peg with his cap back of the stove. But each of the three visitors had knives, and‘ the hand of Matthieu was upon his. “You know what furs!” he barked. “We saw the old man when he stopped here—and afterward Laplante remembered him for a trapper of Belle Riviere. What would a trapper have but.furs?” “ They’re hidden under the bunk!” Gag- non shouted before Jacques could speak. “Tet’s get them and get out—nobody knows what disease the old fellow’s got!” At the cry from Gagnon, Black Matthieu turned his head. Only for a second did he take his eyes from Grondin, but that second was enough to give the giant his chance. He caught Black Matthieu by the belt and the collar of his packet and swung him aloft until his back brushed the thatched ceiling. Jacques felt the knife rip harm- lessly through his shirt; and then he hurled his burden straight at Maurice Laplante, whose arm was already raised to strike. The two of them hit the log wall with a thud that jarred the building and sent down a rain of dried bits from the fir branches. At the prick of a knife-point in his flesh, Jacques whirled—to ‘see a stick of firewood in the hands of Céleste come down upon the head of Gagnon. The man dropped face downward, and the weapon slid from his fingers. “ Céleste!”’ cried Grondin between hard- drawn breaths. ‘‘ You saved my life!” ‘“Perhaps!” She sat down rather weak- ly, although there was no hint of weakness in her flashing eyes. ‘‘ But it will have to be saved again if you don’t tie those pigs up! The one who looks most like a villain is already beginning to stir!” Black Matthieu was trying to sit up. Grondin snapped a coil of rope from the wall and bound him hand and foot. Then he tied up the others and set all three with their backs against the wall. “ Parbleu!” he exclaimed. ‘‘ What. a foolish thing for them to do!” “Foolish?” repeated his wife. ‘ Foolish, when there’s a fortune to be had for the taking?” To this Grondin made no reply. He sat Gown on the bench by the table, blowing little spirals of smoke from his pipe and’ watching the prisoners. Gradually they re- covered full consciousness, but no one of them spoke. It was Céleste who broke the silence. “Tl start for Belle Riviere at day- break,” she said, “while you keep watch and take care of the sick man. I'l] send back help from the first camp on the way, and we'll have these fellows in jail before the end of a week.” Jacques did not reply. Instead, he got up and gave a drink of water to the man in the bunk who, neglected through the ex- citement, had grown more restless in his delirium. “They're going to jail, aren’t they?” The voice of Céleste was like steel. ‘“ Tell me that!” Grondin lifted a griddle from the stove comicbooks-com>