第1章

1906

TomybrotherWithmanyfondrecollectionsofdaysspentinthesolitudeoftheforestswhereonlycanbesatisfiedthatwildfeveroffreedomofwhichthisbooktells;wheretohearthewhirrofawildduckinhisrapidflightisjoy;

wherethequietofanautumnafternoonswellstheheart,andwhereonemaywatchthefragrantwood—smokecurlfromthecampfire,andseethestarspeepoverdark,woodedhillsastwilightdeepens,andknowahappinessthatdwellsinthewildernessalone。

IntroductionTheauthordoesnotintendtoapologizeforwhatmanyreadersmaycallthe"brutality"ofthestory;butrathertoexplainthatitswildspiritistruetothelifeoftheWesternborderasitwasknownonlyalittlemorethanonehundredyearsago。

Thewriteristhefortunatepossessorofhistoricalmaterialofundoubtedtruthandinterest。Itisthelong—lostjournalofColonelEbenezerZane,oneofthemostprominentofthehunter—pioneer,wholaboredinthesettlementoftheWesterncountry。

Thestoryofthattragicperioddeservesahigherplaceinhistoricalliteraturethanithasthusfarbeengiven,andthisunquestionablybecauseofalackofauthenticdataregardingtheconqueringofthewilderness。

Consideringhowmanyyearsthepioneersstruggledontheborderofthiscountry,thehistoryoftheireffortsismeagerandobscure。

IftheyearsatthecloseoftheeighteenthandthebeginningofthenineteenthcenturywerefullofstirringadventureonthepartofthecolonistsalongtheAtlanticcoast,howcrowdedmusttheyhavebeenforthealmostforgottenpioneerswhodaringlyinvadedthetracklesswilds！Nonetherewastochroniclethefightofthesesturdy,travelerstowardthesettingsun。

Thestoryoftheirstormylives,oftheirheroism,andoftheirsacrificeforthebenefitoffuturegenerationsistoolittleknown。

Itistoabetterunderstandingofthosedaysthattheauthorhaslaboredtodrawfromhisancestor"snotesanewandstrikingportrayalofthefrontier;

onewhichshallpaintthefeveroffreedom,thatpowerfulimpulsewhichluredsomanytounmarkedgraves;onewhichshallshowhiswork,hislove,theeffectofthecauseswhichrenderedhislifesohard,andsurelyonewhichdoesnotforgetthewrongedIndian。

Thefrontierin1777producedwhitemensosavageastobemeninnameonly。

Theseoutcastsandrenegadeslivedamongthesavages,andduringthirtyyearsharassedtheborder,perpetratingallmanneroffiendishcrueltiesupon。thesettlers。Theywerenolesscrueltotheredmenwhomtheyruled,andattheheightoftheirbloodycareersmadefutiletheMoravianmissionaries"longlabors,anddestroyedthebeautifulhamletoftheChristianIndians,calledGnaddenhutten,orVillageofPeace。

AndwhiletheborderproducedsuchoutlawssodiditproducehuntersEkeBoone,theZanes,theMcCollochs,andWetzel,thatstrange,silentmanwhosedeedsarestillwhisperedinthecountrywhereheonceroamedinhisinsatiatepursuitofsavagesandrenegades,andwhowaspurelyaproductofthetimes。

CivilizationcouldnothavebroughtforthamanlikeWetzel。Greatrevolutions,greatcrises,greatmomentscome,andproducethementodealwiththem。

TheborderneededWetzel。Thesettlerswouldhaveneededmanymoreyearsinwhichtomakepermanenthomeshaditnotbeenforhim。Hewasneverapioneer;

butalwaysahunterafterIndians。Whennotonthetrackofthesavagefoe,hewasinthesettlement,withhiskeeneyeandeareveralertforsignsoftheenemy。TothesuperstitiousIndianshewasashadow;aspiritoftheborder,whichbreathedmenacefromthedarkforests。Tothesettlershewastherightarmofdefense,afittingleaderforthosefewimplacableandunerringfrontiersmenwhomadethesettlementoftheWestapossibility。

Andifthisstoryofoneofhisrelentlesspursuitsshowsthemanashetrulywas,lovedbypioneers,respectedandfearedbyredmen,andhatedbyrenegades;ifitsoftensalittletheruthlessnamehistoryaccordshim,thewriterwillhavebeenwellrepaid。

Z。G。

TheSpiritoftheBorderChapterI。

"Nell,I"mgrowingpowerfulfondofyou。"

"Soyoumustbe,MasterJoe,ifoftentellingmakesittrue。"

Thegirlspokesimply,andwithanabsenceofthatroguishnesswhichwascharacteristicofher。Playfulwords,archsmiles,andatouchofcoquetryhadseemednaturaltoNell;butnowhergravetoneandheralmostwistfulglancedisconcertedJoe。

Duringallthelongjourneyoverthemountainsshehadbeengayandbright,whilenow,whentheywereabouttopart,perhapsnevertomeetagain,sheshowedhimthedeeperandmoreearnestsideofhercharacter。Itcheckedhisboldnessasnothingelsehaddone。Suddenlytherecametohimtherealmeaningofawoman"slovewhenshebestowsitwithoutreservation。Silencedbythethoughtthathehadnotunderstoodheratall,andtheknowledgethathehadbeenhalfinsport,hegazedoutoverthewildcountrybeforethem。

ThesceneimpresseditsquietnessupontheyoungcoupleandbroughtmoreforciblytotheirmindsthefactthattheywereatthegatewayoftheunknownWest;thatsomewherebeyondthisrudefrontiersettlement,outthereinthoseunbrokenforestsstretchingdarkandsilentbeforethem,wastobetheirfuturehome。

FromthehighbankwheretheystoodthelandslopedandnarrowedgraduallyuntilitendedinasharppointwhichmarkedthelastbitoflandbetweentheAlleghenyandMonongahelarivers。HeretheseswiftstreamsmergedandformedthebroadOhio。Thenew—bornriver,evenhereatitsbeginningproudandswellingasifalreadycertainofitsfar—awaygrandeur,sweptmajesticallyroundawidecurveandapparentlylostitselfintheforestfoliage。

Onthenarrowpointoflandcommandingaviewoftheriversstoodalong,lowstructureenclosedbyastockadefence,onthefourcornersofwhichwerelittlebox—shapedhousesthatbulgedoutasiftryingtoseewhatwasgoingonbeneath。Themassivetimbersusedintheconstructionofthisfort,thesquare,compactform,andthesmall,darkholescutintothewalls,gavethestructureathreatening,impregnableaspect。

BelowNellandJoe,onthebank,weremanylogcabins。Theyellowclaywhichfilledthechinksbetweenthelogsgavetheseapeculiarstripedappearance。

Therewaslifeandbustleinthevicinityofthesedwellings,insharpcontrastwiththestillgrandeuroftheneighboringforests。Therewerecanvas—coveredwagonsaroundwhichcurly—headedyoungsterswereplaying。

Severalhorsesweregrazingontheshortgrass,andsixredandwhiteoxenmunchedatthehaythathadbeenthrowntothem。Thesmokeofmanyfirescurledupward,andneartheblazehoveredruddy—facedwomenwhostirredthecontentsofsteamingkettles。Onemanswunganaxewithavigoroussweep,andtheclean,sharpstrokesrangontheair;anotherhammeredstakesintothegroundonwhichtohangakettle。Beforealargecabinafur—traderwasexhibitinghiswarestothreeIndians。Asecondredskinwascarryingapackofpeltsfromacanoedrawnupontheriverbank。Asmallgroupofpersonsstoodnear;somewereindifferent,andothersgazedcuriouslyatthesavages。Twochildrenpeepedfrombehindtheirmother"sskirtsasifhalf—curious,half—frightened。

Fromthisscene,thesignificanceofwhichhadjustdawnedonhim,Joeturnedhiseyesagaintohiscompanion。Itwasasweetfacehesaw;onethatwassedate,buthadapromiseofinnumerablesmiles。Theblueeyescouldnotlonghideflashesofmerriment。Thegirlturned,and,thetwoyoungpeoplelookedateachother。Hereyessoftenedwithawoman"sgentlenessastheyresteduponhim,for,broadofshoulder,andlitheandstrongasadeerstalker,hewasgoodtolookat。

"Listen,"shesaid。"Wehaveknowneachotheronlythreeweeks。Sinceyoujoinedourwagon—train,andhavebeensokindtomeandsohelpfultomakethatlong,roughrideendurable,youhavewonmyregard。I——Icannotsaymore,evenifIwould。YoutoldmeyouranawayfromyourVirginianhometoseekadventureonthefrontier,andthatyouknewnooneinallthiswildcountry。

Youevensaidyoucouldnot,orwouldnot,workatfarming。PerhapsmysisterandIareasunfittedasyouforthislife;butwemustclingtoourunclebecauseheistheonlyrelativewehave。HehascomeoutheretojointheMoravians,andtopreachthegospeltotheseIndians。Weshallsharehislife,andhelphimallwecan。Youhavebeentellingmeyou——youcaredforme,andnowthatweareabouttopartI——Idon"tknowwhattosaytoyou——unlessitis:Giveupthisintentionofyourstoseekadventure,andcomewithus。Itseemstomeyouneednothuntforexcitementhere;itwillcomeunsought。"

"IwishIwereJim,"saidhe,suddenly。

"WhoisJim？"

"Mybrother。"

"Tellmeofhim。"

"There"snothingmuchtotell。HeandIareallthatareleftofourpeople,asareyouandKateofyours。Jim"sapreacher,andthebestfellow——oh！I

caredalotforJim。"

"Then,whydidyouleavehim？"

"IwastiredofWilliamsburg——Iquarreledwithafellow,andhurthim。

Besides,IwantedtoseetheWest;I"dliketohuntdeerandbearandfightIndians。Oh,I"mnotmuchgood。"

"WasJimtheonlyoneyoucaredfor？"askedNell,smiling。Shewassurprisedtofindhimgrave。

"Yes,exceptmyhorseanddog,andIhadtoleavethembehind,"answeredJoe,bowinghisheadalittle。

"You"dliketobeJimbecausehe"sapreacher,andcouldhelpuncleconverttheIndians？"

"Yes,partlythat,butmostlybecause——somehow——somethingyou"vesaidordonehasmademecareforyouinadifferentway,andI"dliketobeworthyofyou。"

"Idon"tthinkIcanbelieveit,whenyousayyouare"nogood,""shereplied。

"Nell,"hecried,andsuddenlygraspedherhand。

Shewrenchedherselffree,andleapedawayfromhim。Herfacewasbrightnow,andthepromiseofsmileswasmadegood。

"Behaveyourself,sir。"Shetossedherheadwithafamiliarbackwardmotiontothrowthechestnuthairfromherface,andlookedathimwitheyesveiledslightlyundertheirlashes。"YouwillgowithKateandme？"

Beforehecouldanswer,acryfromsomeoneontheplainbelowattractedtheirattention。Theyturnedandsawanotherwagon—trainpullingintothesettlement。Thechildrenwereshootingandrunningalongsidethewearyoxen;

menandwomenwentforwardexpectantly。

"Thatmustbethetrainuncleexpected。Letusgodown,"saidNell。

Joedidnotanswer;butfollowedherdownthepath。Whentheygainedaclumpofwillowsnearthecabinshebentforwardandtookherhand。Shesawtherecklessgleaminhiseyes。

"Don"t。They"llsee,"shewhispered。

"Ifthat"stheonlyreasonyouhave,IreckonIdon"tcare,"saidJoe。

"Whatdoyoumean？Ididn"tsay——Ididn"ttell——oh！letmego！"imploredNell。

ShetriedtoreleasethehandJoehadgraspedinhisbroadpalm,butinvain;

themoreshestruggledthefirmerwashishold。Afrownwrinkledherbrowandhereyes。sparkledwithspirit。Shesawthefur—tader"swifelookingoutofthewindow,andrememberedlaughingandtellingthegoodwomanshedidnotlikethisyoungman;itwas,perhaps,becauseshefearedthosesharpeyesthatsheresentedhisaudacity。Sheopenedhermouthtorebukehim;butnowordscame。Joehadbenthisheadandsoftlyclosedherlipswithhisown。

ForthesingleinstantduringwhichNellstoodtransfixed,asifwithsurprise,andlookingupatJoe,shewasdumb。Usuallythegirlwasreadywithsharporsaucywordsandimpulsiveinhermovements;butnowthebewildermentofbeingkissed,particularlywithinviewofthetrader"swife,confusedher。

Thensheheardvoices,andasJoeturnedawaywithasmileonhisface,theunusualwarmthinherheartwasfollowedbyanangrythrobbing。

Joe"stallfigurestoodoutdistinctlyasheleisurelystrolledtowardtheincomingwagon—trainwithoutlookingbackward。Flashingafterhimaglancethatbodedwordytroubleinthefuture,sheranintothecabin。

Assheenteredthedooritseemedcertainthegrizzledfrontiersmansittingonthebenchoutsidehadgrinnedknowinglyather,andwinkedasiftosayhewouldkeephersecret。Mrs。Wentz,thefur—trader"swife,wasseatedbytheopenwindowwhichfacedthefort;shewasalargewoman,strongoffeature,andwiththatcalmplacidityofexpressioncommontopeoplewhohavelivedlonginsparselypopulateddistricts。Nellglancedfurtivelyatherandthoughtshedetectedtheshadowofasmileinthegrayeyes。

"Isawyouandyoursweetheartmakin"lovebehindthewillow,"Mrs。Wentzsaidinamatter—of—factvoice。"Idon"tseewhyyouneedhidetodoit。Wefolksouthereliketoseetheyoungpeoplesparkin"。Youryoungmanisafine—appearin"chap。Ifeltcertainyouwassweethearts,forallyouallowedyou"dknownhimonlyafewdays。LizeDavissaidshesawhewassweetonyou。

Ilikehisface。Jake,myman,saysashowhe"llmakeagoodhusbandforyou,andhe"lltaketothefrontierlikeaduckdoestowater。I"msorryyou"llnottarryhereawhile。Wedon"tseemanylasses,especiallyanyasprettyasyou,andyou"llfinditmorequietandlonesomethefartherWestyouget。JakeknowsallaboutFortHenry,andJeffLynn,thehunteroutside,heknowsEbandJackZane,andWetzel,andallthoseFortHenrymen。You"llbegettin"marriedoutthere,won"tyou？"

"Youare——quitewrong,"saidNell,whoallthewhileMrs。Wentzwasspeakinggrewrosierandrosier。"We"renotanything———"

ThenNellhesitatedandfinallyceasedspeaking。Shesawthatdenialsorexplanationswerefutile;thesimplewomanhadseenthekiss,andformedherownconclusions。DuringthefewdaysNellhadspentatFortPitt,shehadcometounderstandthatthedwellersonthefrontiertookeverythingasamatterofcourse。Shehadseenthemmanifestacertainpleasure;butneithersurprise,concern,noranyofthequickimpulsessocommonamongotherpeople。AndthiswasanotherlessonNelltooktoheart。Sherealizedthatshewasenteringuponalifeabsolutelydifferentfromherformerone,andthethoughtcausedhertoshrinkfromtheordeal。Yetallthesuggestionsregardingherfuturehome;

thestoriestoldaboutIndians,renegades,andofthewildborder—life,fascinatedher。Thesepeoplewhohadsettledinthiswildregionweresimple,honestandbrave;theyacceptedwhatcameasfactsnottobequestioned,andbelievedwhatlookedtrue。Evidentlythefur—trader"swifeandherfemaleneighborshadsettledintheirmindstherelationinwhichthegirlstoodtoJoe。

ThislatterreflectionheightenedNell"sresentmenttowardherlover。ShestoodwithherfaceturnedawayfromMrs。Wentz;thelittlefrowndeepened,andshenervouslytappedherfootonthefloor。

"Whereismysister？"shepresentlyasked。

"Shewenttoseethewagon—traincomein。Everybody"soutthere。"

Nelldeliberatedamomentandthenwentintotheopenair。Shesawanumberofcanvas—coveredwagonsdrawnupinfrontofthecabins;thevehiclesweredustyandthewheelsencrustedwithyellowmud。ThegrizzledfrontiersmanwhohadsmiledatNellstoodleaningonhisgun,talkingtothreemen,whosetravel—stainedandwornhomespunclothessuggestedalongandtoilsomejourney。Therewasthebustleofexcitementincidenttothearrivalofstrangers;tothequickexchangeofgreetings,theunloadingofwagonsandunharnessingofhorsesandoxen。

Nelllookedhereandthereforhersister。Finallyshesawherstandingnearherunclewhileheconversedwithoneoftheteamsters。Thegirldidnotapproachthem;butglancedquicklyaroundinsearchofsomeoneelse。AtlengthshesawJoeunloadinggoodsfromoneofthewagons;hisbackwasturnedtowardher,butsheatoncerecognizedthechallengeconveyedbythebroadshoulders。Shesawnootherperson;gaveheedtonothingsavewhatwastoher,righteousindignation。

Hearingherfootsteps,theyoungmanturned,glancingatheradmiringly,said:

"Goodevening,Miss。"

Nellhadnotexpectedsuchamatter—of—factgreetingfromJoe。Therewasnottheslightesttraceofrepentanceinhiscalmface,andheplacidlycontinuedhislabor。

"Aren"tyousorryyou——youtreatedmeso？"burstoutNell。

Hiscoolnesswasexasperating。Insteadofthecontritionandapologyshehadexpected,andwhichwasherdue,heevidentlyintendedtoteaseher,ashehaddonesooften。

Theyoungmandroppedablanketandstared。

"Idon"tunderstand,"hesaid,gravely。"Ineversawyoubefore。"

Thiswastoomuchforquick—temperedNell。Shehadhadsomevagueideaofforgivinghim,afterhehadsuedsufficientlyforpardon;butnow,forgettinghergoodintentionsinthebeliefthathewasmakingsportofherwhenheshouldhavepleadedforforgiveness,sheswiftlyraisedherhandandslappedhimsmartly。

Theredbloodflamedtotheyoungman"sface;ashestaggeredbackwardwithhishandtohischeek,sheheardasmotheredexclamationbehindher,andthenthequick,joyousbarkingofadog。

WhenNellturnedshewasamazedtoseeJoestandingbesidethewagon,whileabigwhitedogwasleapinguponhim。Suddenlyshefeltfaint。Bewildered,shelookedfromJoetothemanshehadjuststruck;butcouldnotsaywhichwasthemanwhoprofessedtoloveher。

"Jim！Soyoufollowedme！"criedJoe,startingforwardandflinginghisarmsaroundtheother。

"Yes,Joe,andrightgladIamtofindyou,"answeredtheyoungman,whileapeculiarexpressionofpleasurecameoverhisface。

"It"sgoodtoseeyouagain！Andhere"smyolddogMose！Buthowonearthdidyouknow？Wheredidyoustrikemytrail？Whatareyougoingtodoouthereonthefrontier？Tellmeall。WhathappenedafterIleft———"

ThenJoesawNellstandingnearby,paleanddistressed,andhefeltsomethingwasamiss。Heglancedquicklyfromhertohisbrother;sheseemedtobedazed,andJimlookedgrave。

"Whatthedeuce——？Nell,thisismybrotherJim,theItoldyouabout。Jim,thisismyfriend,MissWells。"

"IamhappytomeetMissWells,"saidJim,withasmile,"eventhoughshedidslapmyfacefornothing。"

"Slappedyou？Whatfor？"ThenthetruthdawnedonJoe,andhelaugheduntilthetearscameintohiseyes。"Shetookyouforme！Ha,ha,ha！Oh,thisisgreat！"

Nell"sfacewasnowrosyredandmoistureglistenedinhereyes;butshetriedbravelytostandherground。Humiliationhadtakentheplaceofanger。

"I——I——amsorry,Mr。Downs。Ididtakeyouforhim。He——hehasinsultedme。"

Thensheturnedandranintothecabin。

ChapterII。

JoeandJimweresingularlyalike。Theywerenearlythesamesize,verytall,butsoheavilybuiltastoappearofmediumheight,whiletheirgreyeyesand,indeed,everyfeatureoftheirclean—cutfacescorrespondedsoexactlyastoproclaimthembrothers。

"Alreadyuptoyouroldtricks？"askedJim,withhishandonJoe"sshoulder,astheybothwatchedNell"sflight。

"I"mreallyfondofher,Jim,anddidn"tmeantohurtherfeelings。Buttellmeaboutyourself;whatmadeyoucomeWest？"

"ToteachtheIndians,andIwas,nodoubt,stronglyinfluencedbyyourbeinghere。"

"You"regoingtodoasyoueverhave——makesomesacrifice。Youarealwaysdevotingyourself;ifnottome,tosomeother。Nowit"syourlifeyou"regivingup。Totrytoconverttheredskinsandinfluencemeforgoodisinbothcasesimpossible。HowoftenhaveIsaidtherewasn"tanygoodinme！MydesireistokillIndians,notpreachtothem,Jim。I"mgladtoseeyou;butIwishyouhadn"tcome。Thiswildfrontierisnoplaceforapreacher。"

"Ithinkitis,"saidJim,quietly。

"WhatofRose——thegirlyouweretomarry？"

Joeglancedquicklyathisbrother。Jim"sfacepaledslightlyasheturnedaway。

"I"llspeakoncemoreofher,andthen,neveragain,"heanswered。"YouknewRosebetterthanIdid。Onceyoutriedtotellmeshewastoofondofadmiration,andIrebukedyou;butnowIseethatyourwiderexperienceofwomenhadtaughtyouthingsIcouldnotthenunderstand。Shewasuntrue。WhenyouleftWilliamsburg,apparentlybecauseyouhadgambledwithJewettandafterwardfoughthim,Iwasnotmisled。Youmadethegameofcardsapretense;

yousoughtitsimplyasanopportunitytowreakyourvengeanceonhimforhisvillainytowardme。Well,it"sallovernow。Thoughyoucruellybeatandlefthimdisfiguredforlife,hewilllive,andyouaresavedfrommurder,thankGod！WhenIlearnedofyourdepartureIyearnedtofollow。ThenImetapreacherwhospokeofhavingintendedtogoWestwithaMr。Wells,oftheMoravianMission。IimmediatelysaidIwouldgoinhisplace,andhereIam。

I"mfortunateinthatIhavefoundbothhimandyou。"

"I"msorryIdidn"tkillJewett;Icertainlymeantto。Anyway,there"ssomecomfortinknowingIleftmymarkonhim。Hewasasneaking,cold—bloodedfellow,withhiswhitehairandpaleface,andalwaysfawningroundthegirls。

Ihatedhim,andgaveittohimgood。"Joespokemusinglyandcomplacentlyasthoughitwasatrivialthingtocompassthekillingofaman。

"Well,Jim,you"reherenow,andthere"snohelpforit。We"llgoalongwiththisMoravianpreacherandhisnieces。Ifyouhaven"tanygreatregretsforthepast,why,allmaybewellyet。Icanseethattheborderistheplaceforme。Butnow,Jim,foronceinyourlifetakeawordofadvicefromme。We"reoutonthefrontier,whereeverymanlooksafterhimself。Yourbeingaministerwon"tprotectyouherewhereeverymanwearsaknifeandatomahawk,andwheremostofthemaredesperadoes。Cutoutthatsoftvoiceandmostofyourgentleways,andbealittlemorelikeyourbrother。Beaskindasyoulike,andpreachallyouwantto;butwhensomeofthesebuckskin—leggedfrontiermentrytowalkalloveryou,astheywill,takeyourownpartinawayyouhavenevertakenitbefore。Ihadmylessonthefirstfewdaysoutwiththatwagon—train。Itwasacaseoffourfights;butI"mallrightnow。"

"Joe,Iwon"trun,ifthat"swhatyoumean,"answeredJim,withalaugh。

"Yes,Iunderstandthatanewlifebeginshere,andIamcontent。IfIcanfindmyworkinit,andremainwithyou,Ishallbehappy。"

"Ah！oldMose！I"mgladtoseeyou,"Joecriedtothebigdogwhocamenosingroundhim。"You"vebroughtthisoldfellow;didyoubringthehorses？"

"Lookbehindthewagon。"

Withthedogboundingbeforehim,Joedidashewasdirected,andtherefoundtwohorsestetheredsidebyside。Littlewonderthathiseyesgleamedwithdelight。Onewasjet—black;theotheriron—grayandineverylinetheclean—limbedanimalsshowedthethoroughbred。Theblackthrewuphisslimheadandwhinnied,withaffectionclearlyshininginhissoft,darkeyesasherecognizedhismaster。

"Lance,oldfellow,howdidIeverleaveyou！"murmuredJoe,ashethrewhisarmoverthearchedneck。Mosestoodbylookingup,andwagginghistailintokenofhappinessatthereunionofthethreeoldfriends。ThereweretearsinJoe"seyeswhen,withalastaffectionatecaress,heturnedawayfromhispet。

"Come,Jim,I"lltakeyoutoMr。Wells。"

Theystatedacrossthelittlesquare,whileMosewentbackunderthewagon;

butatawordfromJoeheboundedafterthem,trottingcontentedlyattheirheels。Halfwaytothecabinsabig,raw—bonedteamster,singinginadrunkenvoice,camestaggeringtowardthem。EvidentlyhehadjustleftthegroupofpeoplewhohadgatheredneartheIndians。

"Ididn"texpecttoseedrunkennessouthere,"saidJim,inalowtone。

"There"slotsofit。Isawthatfellowyesterdaywhenhe,couldn"twalk。

Wentztoldmehewasabadcustomer。"

Theteamster,hisredfacebathedinperspiration,andhissleevesrolledup,showingbrown,knottyarms,lurchedtowardthem。Astheymetheaimedakickatthedog;butMoseleapednimblyaside,avoidingtheheavyboot。Hedidnotgrowl,norshowhisteeth;butthegreatwhiteheadsankforwardalittle,andthelithebodycrouchedforaspring。

"Don"ttouchthatdog;he"lltearyourlegoff！"Joecriedsharply。

"Say,pard,cuman"hev"adrink,"repliedtheteamster,withafriendlyleer。

"Idon"tdrink,"answeredJoe,curtly,andmovedon。

Theteamstergrowledsomethingofwhichonlytheword"parson"wasintelligibletothebrothers。Joestoppedandlookedback。Hisgrayeyesseemedtocontract;theydidnotflash,butshadedandlosttheirwarmth。Jimsawthechange,and,knowingwhatitsignified,tookJoe"sarmashegentlyurgedhimaway。Theteamster"sshrillvoicecouldbehearduntiltheyenteredthefur—trader"scabin。

Anoldmanwithlong,whitehairflowingfrombeneathhiswide—brimmedhat,satnearthedoorholdingoneofMrs。Wentz"schildrenonhisknee。Hisfacewasdeep—linedandserious;butkindnessshonefromhismildblueeyes。

"Mr。Wells,thisismybrotherJames。Heisapreacher,andhascomeinplaceofthemanyouexpectedfromWilliamsburg。"

Theoldministerarose,andextendedhishand,gazingearnestlyatthenew—comermeanwhile。Evidentlyheapprovedofwhathesawinhisquickscrutinyoftheother"sface,forhislipswerewreathedwithasmileofwelcome。

"Mr。Downs,Iamgladtomeetyou,andtoknowyouwillgowithme。IthankGodIshalltakeintothewildernessonewhoisyoungenoughtocarryontheworkwhenmydaysaredone。"

"Iwillmakeitmydutytohelpyouinwhatsoeverwayliesinmypower,"

answeredJim,earnestly。

"Wehaveagreatworkbeforeus。IhaveheardmanyscofferswhoclaimthatitisworsethanfollytotrytoteachthesefiercesavagesChristianity;butI

knowitcanbedone,andmyheartisinthework。Ihavenofear;yetIwouldnotconcealfromyou,youngman,thatthedangerofgoingamongthesehostileIndiansmustbegreat。"

"Iwillnothesitatebecauseofthat。Mysympathyiswiththeredman。IhavehadanopportunityofstudyingIndiannatureandbelievetheraceinherentlynoble。Hehasbeendriventomakewar,andIwanttohelphimintootherpaths。"

JoeleftthetwoministerstalkingearnestlyandturnedtowardMrs。Wentz。

Thefur—trader"swifewasglowingwithpleasure。Sheheldinherhandseveralrudetrinkets,andwasexplainingtoherlistener,ayoungwoman,thatthetoyswereforthechildren,havingbeenbroughtallthewayfromWilliamsburg。

"Kate,where"sNell？"Joeaskedofthegirl。

"ShewentonanerrandforMrs。Wentz。"

KateWellswastheoppositeofhersister。Hermotionswereslow,easyandconsistentwithherlarge,full,form。HerbrowneyesandhaircontrastedsharplywithNell"s。ThegreatestdifferenceinthesisterslayinthatNell"sfacewassparklingandfullofthefireofhereageryounglife,whileKate"swascalm,liketheunruffledsurfaceofadeeplake。

"That"sJim,mybrother。We"regoingwithyou,"saidJoe。

"Areyou？I"mglad,"answeredthegirl,lookingatthehandsomeearnestfaceoftheyoungminister。

"Yourbrother"slikeyouforalltheworld,"whisperedMrs。Wentz。

"Hedoeslooklikeyou,"saidKate,withherslowsmile。

"Whichmeansyouthink,orhope,thatthatisall,"retortedJoelaughingly。

"Well,Kate,theretheresemblanceends,thankGodforJim！"

Hespokeinasad,bittertonewhichcausedbothwomentolookathimwonderingly。Joehadtothemeverbeenfullofsurprises;neveruntilthenhadtheyseenevidencesofsadnessinhisface。Amoment"ssilenceensued。Mrs。

Wentzgazedlovinglyatthechildrenwhowereplayingwiththetrinkets;whileKatemusedovertheyoungman"sremark,andbeganstudyinghis,half—avertedface。Shefeltwarmlydrawntohimbythestrangeexpressionintheglancehehadgivenhisbrother。Thetendernessinhiseyesdidnotharmonizewithmuchofthiswildandrecklessboy"sbehavior。ToKatehehadalwaysseemedsobold,socold,sodifferentfromothermen,andyetherewasproofthatMasterJoelovedhisbrother。

Themurmuredconversationofthetwoministerswasinterruptedbyalowcryfromoutsidethecabin。Aloud,coarselaughfollowed,andthenahuskyvoice,"Hol"on,mypurtylass。""