THE COTTAGE IN THE GROVE--THE DISGUISE--BACK TO
HEALTH--IMPATIENCE--SEARCHING THE BOX--ANTOINETTE
LA CLAIR'S STORY.
Very sad and dreary seemed the hours to Antoinette La Clair, as she
watched by Little Wolf's bed side. While her loving hand bathed the
burning brow, and her soft musical voice soothed the wild ravings of
the invalid, she thought much upon the strange loneliness of their
situation. Day after day passed by, and no living soul approached the
cottage. She often wondered why it's owner came not, and it was a
mystery to her, why Bloody Jim had not discovered their retreat.
From the first, she had taken the precaution whenever she appeared
outside to disguise herself in the various articles of clothing, which
she found strewn about the house, and, as she went to procure water
from the spring, which was at some distance from the house, she would
assume the air and gait of a logy country boy. Her sun-burnt straw hat
with its crown piece flapping about in the wind; great coarse boots
slipping hither and thither on her little feet and her other generally
loose fitting attire would, but for her absorbing anxiety, have
excited rather more than a smile on her usually melancholly
countenance.
It was well that the fact of having remained unmolested for nearly
three weeks did not lesson her vigilance on one eventful occasion. It
was about sun rise; as she was toiling up the eminence with a heavy
bucket of water, which an occasional mis-step would send splashing
over her great awkward boots, she saw a man approaching the spring. It
was Ketchum; and, as she recognized him, her breath came quicker and
she hurried onward and upward. She had nearly reached the top of the
hill when she heard him calling out,
"Hello there, boy!"
She turned round, sat down her bucket and stood in a listening
attitude.
"I say boy, who lives yonder?"
"I du," she replied in exact imitation of backwoodsman twang, and,
taking a step or two downward, she stooped forward and appeared to be
attentively eyeing her new acquaintance.
"Be you the man they're looking fur?" she at length drawled out.
"Who's looking fur?" said he with a start.
"Them men at our house."
"No, you fool of a boy."
The last she saw of Ketchum he was hurrying off with all his might.
Antoinette fairly ran into the house and closing and barring the door
she fell upon her knees, and, from her full heart went up to Heaven a
song of thankfulness. Blessings multiply when gratitude reigns in the
soul; so while Antoinette still knelt a change came over Little Wolf
and consciousness returned.
"Where am I?" she faintly articulated, as her watchful and tender
nurse arose and approached the bed.
"You are safe, thank God," said Antoinette bursting into tears.
Antoinette now felt new courage, and, when Little Wolf was able to
bear it, she related to her that part of their flight of which the
illness of the other prevented her having any recollection; but
carefully avoided any allusion to her own personal history.
Little Wolf longed to penetrate the mystery that hung over her
benefactress, and she would often say to herself, as she sat propped
up with pillows watching Antoinette's quiet movements about the house,
"how I wish I knew more about her; what a romance!"
But as her strength increased, other desires shared her thoughts more
largely.
"How are we to get out of this place?" she frequently exclaimed, and,
as often, Antoinette would meekly reply, "The Lord will provide a
way."
"Well why don't the Lord provide a way to get us away from here?" she
said one day rather impatiently as she sat by the window looking out
into the sunshine, "I'm sure I'm well enough to travel now, and winter
is coming on and, when once the snow falls, we shall freeze and starve
shut up here."
"We shall hardly freeze with that big wood pile at the door, or starve
with a cellar full of vegetables," said Antoinette pleasantly.
"O Antoinette, I'm sure your faith hangs on the cellar and woodpile;
but, dear me, I've seen neither; I must peep into the cellar right
away."
"Let me lift the door for you Miss DeWolf."
A light trap door led to the vegetable kingdom underneath. One glance
at the potatoes, cabbages and onions, which were only a part of the
products of the garden, piled up in this ten by twelve hole in the
ground was enough, as Little Wolf declared, to strengthen the weakest
faith.
"Now, if we only had wings, we might mount to that nice dried venison
in the garret," she said, glancing upward through a square opening cut
in the rough boards overhead. "I wonder how they managed to hang it so
high; I do believe the place has been inhabited by a giant. Now where
shall we hide when we see him coming? O, I'll get into that huge
chest, we little folks might both hide there. I wonder I hadn't
thought of it before. Why I'm just beginning to feel like myself; I
see how it is, I've been petted and babied too long. Please help me
lift this heavy lid. O, its locked--O here's the key sticking just in
this niche, O--what a sight!"
Here indeed our heroine had penetrated into the mysteries of a
heterogeneous mass. Cooking utensils, carpenters' tools, crockery,
salt, pepper, and various other condiments used in the culinary
department were huddled together in one end, while the remainder of
the space was appropriated to books and clothing, and a bachelor's
work box, which, for all the order it boasted, might have belonged to
the indulgent mother of ten children.
Antoinette watched her friend with an amused expression of
countenance, as she flew from one article to another really delighted
to find some amusement, however simple, to while away the tedious
hours.
"O, John Hanford is our landlord's name. Here it is on the fly leaf of
this book, and here is a book purporting to be the property of
Antoinette La Clare. Why Antoinette, I thought the honor of
discovering the contents of this box belonged to me; but really I see
you have been here before me."
"No, Miss DeWolf, I never saw the inside of the box before, I thought
there was no key."
"Is it possible? Why what does it mean? Here is surely an old bible
with your name written in it in full, 'Antoinette La Clare,' now here
it is, you can see for yourself.
Antoinette eagerly took the book, and, having examined the name,
proceeded to look it carefully through. It was a pocket bible of the
English version in old fashioned binding, and bore marks of long and
frequent use.
Little Wolf watched Antoinette's varying countenance as she turned
over the leaves. A ray of pleasure, at first, lighted up her sad,
wistful face, but slowly faded leaving her apparently more wan and sad
than ever, as she returned the volume in silence.
A vague suspicion of evil crept into Little Wolf's mind. How came
Antoinette's name in the book and why was she so silent, and why had
she appeared so satisfied to remain where they were, if she knew no
more about their present abode than she had professed, were a few of
the many questions, which awakened distrust, suggested to her busy
brain.
The chest had lost its interest and down came the cover with a bang,
sadly startling poor Antoinette, who had walked to the window to hide
her fast falling tears.
Little Wolf saw the tears and Antoinette felt that she had seen them,
and the way was made easy for her to say, "O, Miss DeWolf, I'm a child
of sorrow. I am sometimes almost overwhelmed with sorrow. Come, let us
sit down together, and I will try to tell you why it is. It seems but
a few days since I gaily roamed about my childhood's home, hand in
hand with brother Jim, or bloody Jim, as he is called."
"Bloody Jim your brother! It cannot be so!" interrupted Little Wolf in
amazement, "I thought he was a half breed."
"So he is a half breed; and he is also my half brother; my father was
of French descent and, when a young man, he went to the Red River
country and engaged in trapping, and trading with the Indians. For
several years he made his home principally among the Chippewas, and,
like many others of his class, married an Indian women; brother Jim
was the fruit of this marriage. His mother was accidentally drowned
when he was quite an infant; soon afterwards my father returned to
Canada, leaving his little son in charge of his Indian grandmother.
While there he became acquainted with my mother, whom he made his wife
with the understanding that she should accompany him to his wild home
and be a mother to his motherless child. Perhaps it may be a mystery
to you, Miss DeWolf, that a young and cultivated woman could have been
so readily induced to expose herself to the hardships and dangers of
frontier life."
"O, no!" broke in Little Wolf, enthusiastically, "not if she did it
for love."
"What do you know about love, Miss DeWolf?"
A conscious blush overspread the pale young face, for Antoinette
accompanied the question with a wistful enquiring look, that seemed to
reach to her very heart.
"O nothing, my very good, penetrating friend; please go on with your
story. Was your mother happy?" she asked with a kind of nervous
haste, as if to compel an immediate compliance with her request.
"I can not say," said Antoinette very obligingly relieving the
embarrassment she had occasioned, "I should think she must have been
happy, though, for I believe her short life was a very useful one. She
died at my birth having been a wife but one year. During that time,
she had by many acts of kindness greatly endeared herself to the
savages, and the young Indian woman, who had assisted her in nursing
brother Jim, for the love she bore my mother, reared her little
daughter with unusually tender care. My father survived her loss but a
few weeks, and then brother Jim and myself were thrown entirely upon
the care of our kind nurse. My mother had taught her to read and she
in turn imparted such instruction to us as she had received, or rather
I should say her pains were mostly bestowed upon me, for I was her
pet.
Brother Jim grew up like the savages around him, only, if possible,
more vindictive and revengeful in his nature. I was the only being
for whom he seemed to entertain the least affection, and he certainly
lavished upon me wonderful tenderness and love. In his early youth he
gathered for me the rarest flowers, and, as he grew older, he brought
me game and the choicest fruits, and seemed never so happy as when
promoting my comfort. For my amusement he brought me a violin from the
distant settlement of Pembinaw, and at length, gratified my curiosity
by taking me with him in one of his frequent visits thither. While
there my fair skin attracted the attention of a missionary's family,
and as brother Jim was rather proud of my parentage, they readily
elicited a correct account of my birth from him, and by appealing to
his pride, at length wrung from him a reluctant consent to place me
for a time under their tutorage, where, beside making rapid progress,
I cultivated my naturally correct taste for music. Under their
hospitable roof, amid the refinements and courtisies of civilized life
I spent many happy months."
"At length the last painful illness of my faithful nurse, who had
never ceased to mourn my absence, recalled me to her. After her death
I was exceedingly sad and lonely, and, to add to my sorrows, brother
Jim had acquired a love for strong drink, and frequently came to our
lodge in a state of intoxication. I grieved over his infatuation and
reasoned with him in his sober hours, but all in vain; he grew worse
and worse, and often treated me harshly, In despair I went to the
trader who I knew supplied him with whiskey and entreated him with
tears not to sell him any more. I received from him only insults."
"Of course, you might have known what to expect from one of that
class," said Little Wolf with flashing eyes, "I discovered long ago,
that there was no mercy in the heart of the liquor dealer. They know
it's a mean business and any one who engages in it must first harden
his heart enough to turn away from tears of blood."
"I don't think _all_ who engage in the traffic realize the
consequences accruing from it," Antoinette mildly replied. "I am sure
no humane person would continue in it, if they once took into
consideration the vast amount of misery occasioned by it. I am sure
brother Jim was bad enough before he began to drink; but after that he
became as unmanageable as a wild beast. Still, alone in the world, I
clung to him with all the warm affection of my nature.
"A few months after the death of my nurse, he was pursuaded to join a
party from Pembinaw, who were going on their annual visit to St. Paul
for the purpose of trading with the whites. At my earnest request he
permitted me to accompany him. I was then in my fifteenth year, and
mere child as I was, he left me the first day of our arrival entirely
alone in our encampment at St. Paul, while he went with the rest of
the company to the city.
"By chance a gentleman passing, heard the sound of the violin, with
which I was beguiling the tedious hours, and came into my tent. At
first I was quite alarmed at sight of a stranger, but his words and
manner immediately won my confidence, and put my fears to rest, and,
I confess, I was lonelier when he left me and glad when he came again.
He knew my unprotected situation, and always made it a point to come
when brother Jim was absent. It would be quite impossible for me to
describe to you the subtile influence which this person gained over
me. I learned to love him with all the ardor of which my passionate
and imaginative nature was capable. It was the first unbounded
devotion of a warm and innocent heart that he betrayed. I have no
words with which to convey an adequate idea of the anguish which I
suffered at parting with him. He promised to follow me and make me his
wife, but he never came, and at a time when I was least able to bear
it, I was subject to brother Jim's fury. His cruelty brought me near
to death, and my sufferings only aggravated his bitterness and wrath.
With awful curses he swore vengeance on the man for whom I would even
then have laid down my life.
"As soon as my strength would permit, I fled to my friends at
Pembinaw. I told them all, even of my shame, which a little grave had
forever hid from the world. Like true Christians they soothed my
sorrows, and gave me the place in their family which their only
daughter, who had married and left them during my absence, had
occupied. Several years had passed away, and the good missionary died.
His wife soon followed him, and I was again left alone. I had never
seen brother Jim since I left him, but had frequently heard of his
wicked deeds. I thought now that I would go with my life in my hand
and seek him out and try once more by affectionate pursuasion, to
induce him to give up his reckless life. Accordingly, I mounted my
pony and set out for my former wild home. Reaching the lodge after
nightfall, to my surprise I heard voices within. I did not go in, but
stood listening at the entrance. I heard brother Jim and his
companions propose a plan to capture you. They were to start that very
night; so I hid myself among the trees and waited until they were
gone. Then I went in for the night, and the next morning set out to
do what I could towards rescuing you.
"Now I have told you all, Miss DeWolf, and our Heavenly Father alone
knows our future. As for my name in that bible, you know as much about
it as I do. I never saw the book before."