CHAPTER XX

THE END OF ALL THINGS

The heart of the rider hung like a leaden weight in his body, as he cast

accustomed glances at the old trail up the mountain to Crooked-Bear's

cabin. He heard the dogs bark, and gave the wolf's call which was the

hermit's countersign. The dogs grew menacing at his unfamiliar scent,

but a word satisfied them. A dog forgets many things about a person in a

year, but never his voice. From out of a dark corner came the goblin of

the desolate mountain, ready with his gun for the unwelcome, but to

greet Ermine with what enthusiasm his silent forest ways had left him.

For a long time they held each other's hands, while their faces lighted

with pleasure; even the warmth of kindliness kindling in the scout's as

he stood in the presence of one who did not seek him with the corner of

his eyes.

[Illustration]

As they built the fire and boiled the water, the old man noted the

improved appearance of his protégé--the new clothes and the perfect

equipment were a starched reminder of the glories of the old world,

which he had left in the years long gone. He plied his questions, and

was more confused to uncover Ermine's lack of enthusiasm concerning the

events which must have been tremendous, and with difficulty drew the

belated news of war and men and things from him. Then like the raising

of a curtain, which reveals the play, the hermit saw suddenly that it

was heavy and solemn--he was to see a tragedy, and this was not a play;

it was real, it was his boy, and he did not want to see a tragedy.

He feared to have it go on; he shut his eyes for a long time, and then

rose to his feet and put his hands on the young man's shoulders. He

sought the weak gleam of the eyes in the dusk of the cabin. "Tell me,

boy, tell me all; you cannot hide it any more than a deer can hide his

trail in the snow. I can read your thoughts."

Ermine did not immediately reply, but the leaden heart turned slowly

into a burning coal.

"Crooked-Bear, I wanted a white girl for my wife, and I shot a soldier,

who drew a revolver and said he would force me to give him her picture

which I had in my pocket, and then I ran away, everybody shooting at me.

They may even come here for me. They want to stand me up beside the long

table with all the officers sitting around it, and they want to take me

out and hang me on a tree for the ravens and magpies to pick at. That is

what your white people want to do to me, Crooked-Bear, and by God they

are going to have a chance to do it, for I am going back to kill the man

and get the girl or die. Do you hear that, Crooked-Bear, do you hear

that?"

The hermit's arms dropped to his side, and he could make no sound or

sign. "Sit down, be quiet, boy; let us talk more of this thing. Be calm,

and I can find a reason why you will not want to stain your hands with

this man's blood. When I sent you to the white men to do a man's work in

a white man's way, I did not think you would lock horns with any buck

you met on the trail, like the dumb things that carry their reason for

being on the point of their antlers--sit down." And the long arms of the

hermit waved with a dropping motion.

Ermine sat down, but by no means found his composure. Even in the

darkness his eyes gave an unnatural light, his muscles twitched, and his

feet were not still. "I knew, Crooked-Bear, I knew you would talk that

way. It is the soft talk of the white men. She made a fool of me, and he

was going to put his foot on me as though John Ermine was a grasshopper,

and every white man would say to me after that, 'Be quiet, Ermine, sit

down.' Bah! I will be quiet and I will sit down until they forget a

little, and then--" Ermine emitted the savage snarl of a lynx in a steel

trap. Slapping his knee, he continued: "The white men in the camp are

two-sided; they pat you with a hand that is always ready to strike. When

the girl looked at me, it lighted a fire in my heart, and then she blew

the flame until I was burning up. She told me as well as any words can

say, 'Come on,' and when I offered her my hand she blatted like a fawn

and ran away. As if that were not enough, this Butler walked into the

room and talked to me as though I were a dog and drew his gun;

everything swam before my eyes, and they swim yet, Crooked-Bear. I tell

you I will kill him as surely as day follows night. These soldiers talk

as white and soft as milk when it suits their plan, but old Major

Searles says that they stand pat in war, that they never give up the

fight, that they must win if it takes years to do it. Very well, I shall

not forget that."

"But, my boy, you must not see red in a private feud; that is only

allowed against the enemies of the whole people. Your heart has gone to

your head; you can never win a white woman by spilling the blood of the

other man who happens to love her also. That is not the way with them."

"No, it is not the way with them; it is the way with their women to set

a man on fire and then laugh at him, and it is the way with their men to

draw a gun. What do they expect, Crooked-Bear? I ask you that!"

"Who was the girl, Ermine?"

The scout unwrapped the package from his bosom, and handed the

photograph to the old man, saying, "She is like that."

The hermit regarded the picture and ventured, "An officer's daughter?"

"Yes; daughter of Major Searles."

"Who was the man you shot?"

"A young pony soldier,--an officer; his name is Butler." And gradually

Ermine was led to reveal events to the wise man, who was able to piece

out the plot with much knowledge not natural to the wilds of the Rocky

Mountains. And it was a tragedy. He knew that the girl's unfortunate

shot had penetrated deeper than Ermine's, and that the Law and the

Lawless were in a death grapple.

They sought their bunks, and in the following days the prophet poured

much cold water on Ermine's determination, which only turned to steam

and lost itself in the air. The love of the woman and the hate of the

man had taken root in the bedrock of his human nature, and the pallid

"should nots" and "must nots" of the prophet only rustled the leaves of

Ermine's philosophy.

"He has taken her from me; he has made me lose everything I worked for

with the white men; he has made me a human wolf, and I mean to go back

and kill him. You say I may lose my life; ho! what is a dead man? A dead

man and a buffalo chip look just alike to these mountains, to this sky,

and to me, Crooked-Bear," came the lover's reply.

And at other times: "I know, Crooked-Bear, that you wanted a girl to

marry you once, and because she would not, you have lived all your life

like a gray bear up here in these rocks, and you will die here. I am not

going to do that; I am going to make others drink with me this bitter

drink, which will sweeten it for me."

Sadly the hermit saw this last interest on earth pass from him; saw Fate

wave her victorious banners over him; saw the forces of nature work

their will; and he sank under the burden of his thoughts. "I had hoped,"

he said to himself, "to be able to restore this boy to his proper place

among the white people, but I have failed. I do not understand why men

should be so afflicted in this world as Ermine and I have been, but

doubtless it is the working of a great law, and possibly of a good one.

My long years as a hunter have taught me that the stopping of the

heart-beat is no great thing--it is soon over; but the years of living

that some men are made to undergo is a very trying matter. Brave and

sane is he who keeps his faith. I fear for the boy."

After a few weeks Ermine could no longer bear with the sullen savagery

of his emotions, and he took his departure. Crooked-Bear sat by his

cabin door and saw him tie his blanket on his saddle; saw him mount and

extend his hand, which he shook, and they parted without a word. They

had grown accustomed to this ending; there was nothing in words that

mattered now. The prophet's boy disappeared in the gloom of the woods,

snapping bushes, and rolling stones, until there was no sound save the

crackling of the fire on the lonely hearth.

As Ermine ambled over the yellow wastes, he thought of the difference

between now and his going to the white man one year ago. Then he was

full of hopes; but now no Crow Indian would dare be seen in his

company--not even Wolf-Voice could offer him the comfort of his reckless

presence. He was compelled to sneak into the Absaroke camp in the night,

to trade for an extra pony with his relatives, and to be gone before the

morning. The ghostly tepees, in the quiet of the night, seemed to dance

around him, coming up, and then retiring, while their smoke-flaps waved

their giant fingers, beckoning him to be gone. The dogs slunk from him,

and the ponies walked away. The curse of the white man was here in the

shadows, and he could feel the Indians draw their robes more closely

over their heads as they dreamed. The winds from the mountains blew on

his back to help him along, and whispered ugly thoughts. All the good of

the world had drawn away from Ermine, and it seemed that the sun did not

care to look at him, so long was he left to stumble through the dark.

But Nature did not paint this part of her day any blacker than she had

Ermine's heart; each footfall of his pony took him nearer to death, and

he whipped on impatiently to meet it. Hope had long since departed--he

could not steal the girl; he realized the impossibility of eluding

pursuit; he only wanted to carry Butler with him away from her. All the

patient training of Crooked-Bear, all the humanizing influence of white

association, all softening moods of the pensive face in the photograph,

were blown from the fugitive as though carried on a wind; he was a

shellfish-eating cave-dweller, with a Springfield, a knife, and a

revolver. He had ceased to think in English, and muttered to himself in

Absaroke. As his pony stumbled at a ford in the river, he cut it

savagely with his whip,--the pony which was the last of his

friends,--and it grunted piteously as it scrambled for its foothold.

Day after day he crawled through the rugged hills far from the places

where men might be; for every one was his enemy, and any chance rifle

would take away from him his vengeance. The tale of his undoing had

travelled wide--he found that out in the Crow camp; Ba-cher-hish-a had

told him that through her tears. He could trust no one; the scouts at

Tongue River might be apathetic in an attempt to capture him, but they

could not fail to report his presence if seen in the vicinity. Butler

was probably in the middle of the log-town, which swarmed with soldiers,

but it was there he must go, and he had one friend left, just one; it is

always the last friend such a one has,--the Night.

Having arrived in the vicinity of the post, he prowled out on foot with

his only friend. It was early, for he must do his deed while yet the

lights were lit. Any one moving about after "taps" would surely be

investigated by the guard. The country was not yet tranquil enough to

permit of laxity in the matter of sentry duty, and the soldiers counted

"ten" very fast after they challenged. He had laid aside his big hat,

and was wrapped in his blanket. Many Indians were about, and he was less

apt to be spoken to or noticed. He moved forward to the scout fire,

which was outside of the guard-line, and stood for a time in some

brushwood, beyond the play of the flames. He was closely enveloped in

his blanket, and although Indians passed quite near him, he was not

noticed. Suddenly he heard a detail of wagons clanking up the road, and

conjectured rightly that they would go into the post. He ran silently

toward them, and stooping low, saw against the skyline that the cavalry

guard had worked up in front, impatient to shave the time when they

should reach their quarters.

It was a wood train, and it clanked and ground and jingled to the

quartermaster's corral, bearing one log on the last wagon which was John

Ermine and his fortunes. This log slid to the ground and walked swiftly

away.

* * * * *

The time for "taps" was drawing near, and the post buzzed in the usual

expectation of that approaching time of quiet. A rifle-shot rang loud

and clear up on the officers' row; it was near Major Searles's house,

every one said as they ran. Women screamed, and Tongue River cantonment

laid its legs to the ground as it gathered to the place. Officers came

with revolvers, and the guard with lanterns. Mrs. Searles and her

daughter were clasped in each other's arms, while Mary, the cook, put

her apron over her head. Searles ran out with his gun; the shot had been

right under the window of his sitting-room. An Indian voice greeted

him, "Don' shoot; me killi him."

"Who in h---- are you?" swore Searles, at a present.

"Don' shoot, me Ahhæta--all same Sharp-Nose--don' shoot--me killi him."

"Killi who? Who have you killed? Talk up quick!"

"Me killi him. You come--you see."

By this time the crowd drew in with questions and eager to help. A

sergeant arrived with a lantern, and the guard laid rude hands on the

Crow scout, Sharp-Nose, who was well known. He was standing over the

prostrate figure, and continued to reiterate, "Me killi him."

The lantern quickly disclosed the man on the ground to be John Ermine,

late scout and fugitive from justice, shot through the heart and dead,

with his blanket and rifle on the ground beside him. As he looked

through the window, he had been stalked and killed by the fool whom he

would not allow to shake hands with Katherine Searles, and a few moments

later, when Sharp-Nose was brought into her presence, between two

soldiers, she recognized him when he said, "Mabeso, now you shake

hands."

"Yes, I will shake hands with you, Sharp-Nose," and half to herself, as

she eyed her malevolent friend, she muttered, "and he kept you to

remember me by."

The following pages are advertisements of

THE MACMILLAN STANDARD LIBRARY

THE MACMILLAN FICTION LIBRARY

THE MACMILLAN JUVENILE LIBRARY

THE MACMILLAN STANDARD LIBRARY

This series has taken its place as one of the most important

popular-priced editions. The "Library" includes only those books which

have been put to the test of public opinion and have not been found

wanting,--books, in other words, which have come to be regarded as

standards in the fields of knowledge--literature, religion, biography,

history, politics, art, economics, sports, sociology, and belles

lettres. Together they make the most complete and authoritative works on

the several subjects.

=_Each volume, cloth, 12mo, 50 cents net; postage, 10 cents extra_=

=Addams--The Spirit of Youth and the City Streets=

BY JANE ADDAMS

"Shows such sanity, such breadth and tolerance of mind, and such

penetration into the inner meanings of outward phenomena as to make it a

book which no one can afford to miss."--_New York Times._

=Bailey--The Country Life Movement in the United States=

BY L. H. BAILEY

"... clearly thought out, admirably written, and always stimulating in

its generalization and in the perspectives it opens."--_Philadelphia

Press._

=Bailey and Hunn--The Practical Garden Book=

BY L. H. BAILEY AND C. E. HUNN

"Presents only those facts that have been proved by experience, and

which are most capable of application on the farm."--_Los Angeles

Express._

=Campbell--The New Theology=

BY R. J. CAMPBELL

"A fine contribution to the better thought of our times written in the

spirit of the Master."--_St. Paul Dispatch._

=Clark--The Care of a House=

BY T. M. CLARK

"If the average man knew one-ninth of what Mr. Clark tells him in this

book, he would be able to save money every year on repairs,

etc."--_Chicago Tribune._

=Conyngton--How to Help: A Manual of Practical Charity=

BY MARY CONYNGTON

"An exceedingly comprehensive work with chapters on the homeless man and

woman, care of needy families, and the discussions of the problems of

child labor."

=Coolidge--The United States as a World Power=

BY ARCHIBALD CARY COOLIDGE

"A work of real distinction ... which moves the reader to

thought."--_The Nation._

=Croly--The Promise of American Life=

BY HERBERT CROLY

"The most profound and illuminating study of our national conditions

which has appeared in many years."--THEODORE ROOSEVELT.

=Devine--Misery and Its Causes=

BY EDWARD T. DEVINE

"One rarely comes across a book so rich in every page, yet so sound, so

logical, and thorough."--_Chicago Tribune._

=Earle--Home Life in Colonial Days=

BY ALICE MORSE EARLE

"A book which throws new light on our early history."

=Ely--Evolution of Industrial Society=

BY RICHARD T. ELY

"The benefit of competition and the improvement of the race, municipal

ownership, and concentration of wealth are treated in a sane, helpful,

and interesting manner."--_Philadelphia Telegraph._

=Ely--Monopolies and Trusts=

BY RICHARD T. ELY

"The evils of monopoly are plainly stated, and remedies are proposed.

This book should be a help to every man in active business

life."--_Baltimore Sun._

=French--How to Grow Vegetables=

BY ALLEN FRENCH

"Particularly valuable to a beginner in vegetable gardening, giving not

only a convenient and reliable planting-table, but giving particular

attention to the culture of the vegetables."--_Suburban Life._

=Goodyear--Renaissance and Modern Art=

W. H. GOODYEAR

"A thorough and scholarly interpretation of artistic development."

=Hapgood--Abraham Lincoln: The Man of the People=

BY NORMAN HAPGOOD

"A life of Lincoln that has never been surpassed in vividness,

compactness, and homelike reality."--_Chicago Tribune._

=Haultain--The Mystery of Golf=

BY ARNOLD HAULTAIN

"It is more than a golf book. There is interwoven with it a play of mild

philosophy and of pointed wit."--_Boston Globe._

=Hearn--Japan: An Attempt at Interpretation=

BY LAFCADIO HEARN

"A thousand books have been written about Japan, but this one is one of

the rarely precious volumes which opens the door to an intimate

acquaintance with the wonderful people who command the attention of the

world to-day."--_Boston Herald._

=Hillis--The Quest of Happiness=

BY REV. NEWELL DWIGHT HILLIS

"Its whole tone and spirit is of a sane, healthy

optimism."--_Philadelphia Telegraph._

=Hillquit--Socialism in Theory and Practice=

BY MORRIS HILLQUIT

"An interesting historical sketch of the movement."--_Newark Evening

News._

=Hodges--Everyman's Religion=

BY GEORGE HODGES

"Religion to-day is preëminently ethical and social, and such is the

religion so ably and attractively set forth in these pages."--_Boston

Herald._

=Horne--David Livingstone=

BY SILVESTER C. HORNE

The centenary edition of this popular work. A clear, simple, narrative

biography of the great missionary, explorer, and scientist.

=Hunter--Poverty=

BY ROBERT HUNTER

"Mr. Hunter's book is at once sympathetic and scientific. He brings to

the task a store of practical experience in settlement work gathered in

many parts of the country."--_Boston Transcript._

=Hunter--Socialists at Work=

BY ROBERT HUNTER

"A vivid, running characterization of the foremost personalities in the

Socialist movement throughout the world."--_Review of Reviews._

=Jefferson--The Building of the Church=

BY CHARLES E. JEFFERSON

"A book that should be read by every minister."

=King--The Ethics of Jesus=

BY HENRY CHURCHILL KING

"I know no other study of the ethical teaching of Jesus so scholarly, so

careful, clear and compact as this."--G. H. PALMER, Harvard University.

=King--Rational Living=

BY HENRY CHURCHILL KING

"An able conspectus of modern psychological investigation, viewed from

the Christian standpoint."--_Philadelphia Public Ledger._

=London--The War of the Classes=

BY JACK LONDON

"Mr. London's book is thoroughly interesting, and his point of view is

very different from that of the closest theorist."--_Springfield

Republican._

=London--Revolution and Other Essays=

BY JACK LONDON

"Vigorous, socialistic essays, animating and insistent."

=Lyon--How to Keep Bees for Profit=

BY EVERETT D. LYON

"A book which gives an insight into the life history of the bee family,

as well as telling the novice how to start an apiary and care for

it."--_Country Life in America._

=McLennan--A Manual of Practical Farming=

BY JOHN MCLENNAN

"The author has placed before the reader in the simplest terms a means

of assistance in the ordinary problems of farming."--_National

Nurseryman._

=Mabie--William Shakespeare: Poet, Dramatist, and Man=

BY HAMILTON W. MABIE

"It is rather an interpretation than a record."--_Chicago Standard._

=Mahaffy--Rambles and Studies in Greece=

BY J. P. MAHAFFY

"To the intelligent traveler and lover of Greece this volume will prove

a most sympathetic guide and companion."

=Mathews--The Church and the Changing Order=

BY SHAILER MATHEWS

"The book throughout is characterized by good sense and restraint.... A

notable book and one that every Christian may read with profit."--_The

Living Church._

=Mathews--The Gospel and the Modern Man=

BY SHAILER MATHEWS

"A succinct statement of the essentials of the New

Testament."--_Service._

=Patten--The Social Basis of Religion=

BY SIMON N. PATTEN

"A work of substantial value."--_Continent._

=Peabody--The Approach to the Social Question=

BY FRANCIS GREENWOOD PEABODY

"This book is at once the most delightful, persuasive, and sagacious

contribution to the subject."--_Louisville Courier-Journal._

=Pierce--The Tariff and the Trusts=

BY FRANKLIN PIERCE

"An excellent campaign document for a

non-protectionist."--_Independent._

=Rauschenbusch--Christianity and the Social Crisis=

BY WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH

"It is a book to like, to learn from, and to be charmed with."--_New

York Times._

=Riis--The Making of an American=

BY JACOB RIIS

"Its romance and vivid incident make it as varied and delightful as any

romance."--_Publisher's Weekly._

=Riis--Theodore Roosevelt, the Citizen=

BY JACOB RIIS

"A refreshing and stimulating picture."--_New York Tribune._

=Ryan--A Living Wage; Its Ethical and Economic Aspects=

BY REV. J. A. RYAN

"The most judicious and balanced discussion at the disposal of the

general reader."--_World To-day._

=St. Maur--A Self-supporting Home=

BY KATE V. ST. MAUR

"Each chapter is the detailed account of all the work necessary for one

month--in the vegetable garden, among the small fruits, with the fowls,

guineas, rabbits, and in every branch of husbandry to be met with on the

small farm."--_Louisville Courier-Journal._

=Sherman--What is Shakespeare?=

BY L. A. SHERMAN

"Emphatically a work without which the library of the Shakespeare

student will be incomplete."--_Daily Telegram._

=Sidgwick--Home Life in Germany=

BY A. SIDGWICK

"A vivid picture of social life and customs in Germany to-day."

=Smith--The Spirit of American Government=

BY J. ALLEN SMITH

"Not since Bryce's 'American Commonwealth' has a book been produced

which deals so searchingly with American political institutions and

their history."--_New York Evening Telegram._

=Spargo--Socialism=

BY JOHN SPARGO

"One of the ablest expositions of Socialism that has ever been

written."--_New York Evening Call._

=Tarbell--History of Greek Art=

BY T. B. TARBELL

"A sympathetic and understanding conception of the golden age of art."

=Valentine--How to Keep Hens for Profit=

BY C. S. VALENTINE

"Beginners and seasoned poultrymen will find in it much of

value."--_Chicago Tribune._

=Van Dyke--The Gospel for a World of Sin=

BY HENRY VAN DYKE

"One of the basic books of true Christian thought of to-day and of all

times."--_Boston Courier._

=Van Dyke--The Spirit of America=

BY HENRY VAN DYKE

"Undoubtedly the most notable interpretation in years of the

real America. It compares favorably with Bryce's 'American

Commonwealth.'"--_Philadelphia Press._

=Veblen--The Theory of the Leisure Class=

BY THORSTEIN B. VEBLEN

"The most valuable recent contribution to the elucidation of this

subject."--_London Times._

=Wells--New Worlds for Old=

BY H. G. WELLS

"As a presentation of Socialistic thought as it is working to-day, this

is the most judicious and balanced discussion at the disposal of the

general reader."--_World To-day._

=White--The Old Order Changeth=

BY WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE

"The present status of society in America. An excellent antidote to the

pessimism of modern writers on our social system."--_Baltimore Sun._

THE MACMILLAN FICTION LIBRARY

A new and important series of some of the best popular novels which have

been published in recent years.

These successful books are now made available at a popular price in

response to the insistent demand for cheaper editions.

=_Each volume, cloth, 12mo, 50 cents net; postage, 10 cents extra_=

=Allen--A Kentucky Cardinal=

BY JAMES LANE ALLEN

"A narrative, told with naïve simplicity, of how a man who was devoted

to his fruits and flowers and birds came to fall in love with a fair

neighbor."--_New York Tribune._

=Allen--The Reign of Law= =_A Tale of the Kentucky Hempfields_=

BY JAMES LANE ALLEN

"Mr. Allen has style as original and almost as perfectly finished as

Hawthorne's.... And rich in the qualities that are lacking in so many

novels of the period."--_San Francisco Chronicle._

=Atherton--Patience Sparhawk=

BY GERTRUDE ATHERTON

"One of the most interesting works of the foremost American novelist."

=Child--Jim Hands=

BY RICHARD WASHBURN CHILD

"A big, simple, leisurely moving chronicle of life. Commands the

profoundest respect and admiration. Jim is a real man, sound and

fine."--_Daily News._

=Crawford--The Heart of Rome=

BY MARION CRAWFORD

"A story of underground mysterie."

=Crawford--Fair Margaret: A Portrait=

BY MARION CRAWFORD

"A story of modern life in Italy, visualizing the country and its

people, and warm with the red blood of romance and melodrama."--_Boston

Transcript._

=Davis--A Friend of Cæsar=

BY WILLIAM STEARNS DAVIS

"There are many incidents so vivid, so brilliant, that they fix

themselves in the memory."--NANCY HUSTON BANKS in _The Bookman_.

=Drummond--The Justice of the King=

BY HAMILTON DRUMMOND

"Read the story for the sake of the living, breathing people, the

adventures, but most for the sake of the boy who served love and the

King."--_Chicago Record-Herald._

=Elizabeth and Her German Garden=

"It is full of nature in many phases--of breeze and sunshine, of the

glory of the land, and the sheer joy of living."--_New York Times._

=Gale--Loves of Pelleas and Etarre=

BY ZONA GALE

"... full of fresh feeling and grace of style, a draught from the

fountain of youth."--_Outlook._

=Herrick--The Common Lot=

BY ROBERT HERRICK

"A story of present-day life, intensely real in its picture of a young

architect whose ideals in the beginning were, at their highest, æsthetic

rather than spiritual. It is an unusual novel of great interest."

=London--Adventure=

BY JACK LONDON

"No reader of Jack London's stories need be told that this abounds with

romantic and dramatic incident."--_Los Angeles Tribune._

=London--Burning Daylight=

BY JACK LONDON

"Jack London has outdone himself in 'Burning Daylight.'"--_The

Springfield Union._

=Loti--Disenchanted=

BY PIERRE LOTI

"It gives a more graphic picture of the life of the rich Turkish women

of to-day than anything that has ever been written."--_Brooklyn Daily

Eagle._

=Lucas--Mr. Ingleside=

BY E. V. LUCAS

"He displays himself as an intellectual and amusing observer of life's

foibles with a hero characterized by inimitable kindness and

humor."--_The Independent._

=Mason--The Four Feathers=

BY A. E. W. MASON

"'The Four Feathers' is a first-rate story, with more legitimate thrills

than any novel we have read in a long time."--_New York Press._

=Norris--Mother=

BY KATHLEEN NORRIS

"Worth its weight in gold."--_Catholic Columbian._

=Oxenham--The Long Road=

BY JOHN OXENHAM

"'The Long Road' is a tragic, heart-gripping story of Russian political

and social conditions."--_The Craftsman._

=Pryor--The Colonel's Story=

BY MRS. ROGER A. PRYOR

"The story is one in which the spirit of the Old South figures largely;

adventure and romance have their play and carry the plot to a satisfying

end."

=Remington--Ermine of the Yellowstone=

BY FREDERIC REMINGTON

"A very original and remarkable novel wonderful in its vigor and

freshness."

=Roberts--Kings in Exile=

BY CHARLES G. D. ROBERTS

"The author catches the spirit of forest and sea life, and the reader

comes to have a personal love and knowledge of our animal

friends."--_Boston Globe._

=Robins--The Convert=

BY ELIZABETH ROBINS

"'The Convert' devotes itself to the exploitation of the recent

suffragist movement in England. It is a book not easily forgotten, by

any thoughtful reader."--_Chicago Evening Post._

=Robins--A Dark Lantern=

BY ELIZABETH ROBINS

A powerful and striking novel, English in scene, which takes an

essentially modern view of society and of certain dramatic situations.

=Ward--David Grieve=

BY MRS. HUMPHREY WARD

"A perfect picture of life, remarkable for its humor and extraordinary

success at character analysis."

=Wells--The Wheels of Chance=

BY H. G. WELLS

"Mr. Wells is beyond question the most plausible romancer of the

time."--_The New York Tribune._

THE MACMILLAN JUVENILE LIBRARY

This collection of juvenile books contains works of standard quality, on

a variety of subjects--history, biography, fiction, science, and

poetry--carefully chosen to meet the needs and interests of both boys

and girls.

=_Each volume, cloth, 12mo, 50 cents net; postage, 10 cents extra_=

=Altsheler--The Horsemen of the Plains=

BY JOSEPH A. ALTSHELER

"A story of the West, of Indians, of scouts, trappers, fur traders, and,

in short, of everything that is dear to the imagination of a healthy

American boy."--_New York Sun._

=Bacon--While Caroline Was Growing=

BY JOSEPHINE DASKAM BACON

"Only a genuine lover of children, and a keenly sympathetic observer of

human nature, could have given us a book as this."--_Boston Herald._

=Carroll--Alice's Adventures, and Through the Looking Glass=

BY LEWIS CARROLL

"One of the immortal books for children."

=Dix--A Little Captive Lad=

BY MARIE BEULAH DIX

"The human interest is strong, and children are sure to like

it."--_Washington Times._

=Greene--Pickett's Gap=

BY HOMER GREENE

"The story presents a picture of truth and honor that cannot fail to

have a vivid impression upon the reader."--_Toledo Blade._

=Lucas--Slowcoach=

BY E. V. LUCAS

"The record of an English family's coaching tour in a great

old-fashioned wagon. A charming narrative, as quaint and original as its

name."--_Booknews Monthly._

=Mabie--Book of Christmas=

BY H. W. MABIE

"A beautiful collection of Christmas verse and prose in which all the

old favorites will be found in an artistic setting."--_The St. Louis

Mirror._

=Major--The Bears of Blue River=

BY CHARLES MAJOR

"An exciting story with all the thrills the title implies."

=Major--Uncle Tom Andy Bill=

BY CHARLES MAJOR

"A stirring story full of bears, Indians, and hidden

treasures."--_Cleveland Leader._

=Nesbit--The Railway Children=

BY E. NESBIT

"A delightful story revealing the author's intimate knowledge of

juvenile ways."--_The Nation._

=Whyte--The Story Book Girls=

BY CHRISTINA G. WHYTE

"A book that all girls will read with delight--a sweet, wholesome story

of girl life."

=Wright--Dream Fox Story Book=

BY MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT

"The whole book is delicious with its wise and kindly humor, its just

perspective of the true value of things."

=Wright--Aunt Jimmy's Will=

BY MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT

"Barbara has written no more delightful book than this."

Transcriber's Note

Apparent printer's errors have been retained, unless stated below.

Page numbers cited in illustration captions refer to their original

placement in the text. Illustrations have been moved near their mention

in the text.

"_" surrounding text represents italics.

"=" surrounding text represents bold.

Punctuation, capitalization, accents and formatting markup have been

made consistent.

Page 34, "Ba-chua-hish-a" changed to "Ba-cher-hish-a" for consistency.

(Ba-cher-hish-a sobbed and wailed all night in her lodge, while the

foster-father walked outside, speculating endlessly with his friends.)

Page 94, "trial" changed to "trail". (Now we must blind our trail; their

scouts will find it in the morning.)

Page 5 of the Advertisements, "These" changed to "There". (There is

interwoven with it a play of mild philosophy and of pointed wit.)

Page 12 of the Advertisements, "JOHN" changed to "FREDERIC". (BY

FREDERIC REMINGTON)

Page 14 of the Advertisements has been left as originally published. The

accompanying comment for "Aunt Jimmy's Will" by Mabel Osgood Wright has

been left to read: "Barbara has written no more delightful book than

this."

John Ermine of the Yellowstone · 第 20 / 20 章