The evening world. Newspaper, December 24, 1904, Page 8

i master, whe took him in and dii for nim when his father and mother went into Kingdom Come. It scems to me as if that book of yours, Caplin, would bring luck te this part «f the Whrte Guard, that bein’ out at the heels like has to siay behind. Jaspar Hume had teorne the sufferings of life with courage; he had led this termble tramp wit ro tremor at his heare for Inmseif; he was . ee a 5 live act without any inward shrinking; but Jeffs me t was watest trial of tbs me sus period in his Hfe. This bowk had not left ae breast, sa When for twenty years. TO Eive a up Was Like his to such Weakbesses = ss a« To in their hi J liyde f t « i e - a ot His rough , 5 i at st 1 1 he e add Beg you ° ° aed 4 eit Btu s of the Vhite Guard Lins whole ulf a dozen Jer Ugh” be- and suid, Jef Was Satisted ad, Jem liyde d Gaspe To ujou f wers x on toward M page would “ Wide ar truvel, but not a s Kk of human prewc g and Jas- tain. There ir progress ig and Ss remmiinir iward and Uns again ar nor staff Nod soaer nor any or tiume had no Jef! Hyde's Lace when tt was turned to > ealy- tits of the nor 2 he understeog what wus in éne experienced hunts- s mind. He knew sever wealher was t - them, and that ihe great- aiMeulty of the Journcy was to be encounte yet, seumehow, the four possessed him when t book was taken from his breast nad left him, 1 taped in bis act of <« acrifice a larger « apd rarer strength than that which had heretofore siayed him on this « Journey harsnty caim Tnat night they saw Manitou Mountain, colossal, ane joint wi that sight Lthere arose a g@hrkeking, bili teariul nerth wind. 41t blew them in crue! menace of conquest, in piercing Inciemency It struck a freezing " to their hearts, and grew im Violemt atlack until as if repemting that i foregone lia power to save Suddenly grew read and angry and spre mt 4a shield of blood 2 wind shrun and grew tess i « he stort ad dras J 1W—( amp At r We ar of there we left bet a; fa the ? night, after a hard i net a sign! t wpage being f tt thé ney Well; his va rakness Pussesses him faiminess jues 5 now was f prescilence, was head down with a tired accent, man an to J he suid, its all right! Jaspar Hume @d not sleep well at first that night, but at length oblivian came lle waked to fre acques tugmeing at his blankets. It was noon. late Carscaiien and Cloud-in Sky Were 44 Scoping —imanimate vundles Amon the dogs. in an hour they were on t ir ways ain, “3 toward su oi had reached the foot of Manitou Mountain. Abruptiy from the rose chty mound, blue nd wht upom a biick tase 7 n £ 8S foot, det _#£. « as the mountain r »f aphers and gcolog! A halt was caillea. t ud -in- the-Sky loc da at the chier. His eyese were scanning tasely Suddenly he paused. Five hundred feet up tmere is a gre in the selid rock, and from his hole there comes a feeble cloud of smoke! Jaspar Hume's hand points where his cyes are fixed. Imne other two see oud-tn-Une- Sky gives a wild whoop, such a whoop as only an indian can give, and from the mountain there comes, a moment after, a faint replica of the sound. It is an echo, for there appears at the mouth Of the cive an Indian, who sees them and makes feeble signs for taem to come. In a few moments they @re at the cave. As Jasper Hume enters, Cloud-in-tne-Sky and the staiwart put emaciatea indima who had beckoned to them speak to each other in the Chinook language, the jargon common to all indians of the West. Jaspar Hume saw a form reclining on a great bundle of pine branches, and he knew what Rose Lepage had pmyed for had come to pass. By the Uickering lught of a handful of five he saw Varre Lepige—nuther what was left of him—a shadow of energy. a heap of nerveless bones. His eyes were shut, but as Jaspar Hume, with a quiver of memory and sympathy at his heart, stood for an in- stant and lsoked at the man whom he had cherished as a friend and found an enemy, the pale lips of Varre Lepage moved and a weak voice sa‘d: “Who is there?’ “A friend.” “A friend! Come—near—me—friend!” Jaspar Hume made a motion to Late Carscallen, who was heating some liquor at the fre, and he came near and stooped and lifted up the sick man’s head and took his hand. “You have come—to save me—to save me!” said the weak voice again. “Yes; I have come to save you.” This voice was strong and clear and true. “I seem—to have—bear¢—your—voice before—somewhere before—I scem to< have”—— But he had fainted. Jaspar Hume poured a little liquor down the sick man’s throac, and Late Cars- callen chafed the delicate hand—delicate in health, it was like that of a Uttle child now. When breath came sgain Jaspar Hume whispered to his helper. “Take Cloud-in-the-Sky and get wood; bring fresh branches: clear one of the sleds, and we wil start beck with him in the early morning.” not “Yes.” eaid Jaspar Hume; “he will get thera” “But he is dying.” “He goes with me to Fort Providence.” “Ay, to Providence he foes, but not with you,” said Late Carscalien, sadly but doggedly. Anger flashed in Jaspar Hume's eye, but he said quictly, “I shall take him to his wife; get the wood, Carscallen.” And Jaspar Hume was Ieft alone with the starving Indian, wno sat beside the fire, eating voraciously, and ‘he sufferer, who now mechanically was taking a little biscuit sopped in brandy. For a few moments thus, and his sunken eyes opened and he looked dazedly at the man bending above him. Suddenly there came into Varre Lepage’s eyes a look of terror. “You—you—are Jaspar Hume,” he said in an awed whisper. “Yes; and the hands of the Sub-Factor chafed those of the other. “But you said you were a—friend, and come to save me.” “I am come to save you.” There was a ehiver of the sufferer’s body. This discovery wourd cither make him stronger or kill him altogether. Jaspar Hume knew this, and said: “‘Varre Lepage, the past is past and dead to me; let it be so to you.” There was a pause. “How—4id you know—about me?” “] was at Fort Providence; there came letters from the Hudson Bay Company, and from your wife. saying that you were making this journey, and were six months behinad”—— “My wife, my wife! Rose!” “Yes, I have a letter for you from her. to take you to her.” “To take me—to her!” He shook his head sadly, but he pressed the letter that ZJaspar Hume had just given him to his lips. “To take you to her, Varre Lepage.” “No, I shall never—see her—again.” “I tell you, you shall. You can live if you will You owe that to ner—to me— t» Goar* “Jo her—to you—to God. But I have been true—to none. To win her I wronged She ts on her way to Canada. We are —————— ee oo OOOO nel . THE MARCH OF THE WHITE GUARD. 77 ——eE— you doubly—and wronged her, too; and wronging—both of yous | wronged That Other One. I have been punished. I shall die here." “You shall go to Fort Providence. Do thagein Varre Lepage. I demand that.” —— In this sinning man there was a 1 might have been deve loped to gre seeing his weaknesses, chivalry of an impress the eyes of Jaspar Hum atent spark of honor, a sense of fustice that at causes, to noble ends, if some strong nature, had not condoned them, but had appealed to the natural ble, vain and weak character. He Struggied to meet and & so he gained confidence and said, “I will try to ive. I will do you justice—yet oh, my wife!’ “Your first a is to cat and drink. We sta ft 2 2 wat Ve start for Fort Providence to-mor- The sick man stret “Food! Food!" he said. In little bits f&« ven te him. and his strencth sensibly tn- creased. The cave w wit tb fire that was kindled by Late Cars- tien and ¢ i t we tc speaking. for the sick man soon fell asleep. Vi tre Lepage s indian told ¢ d-in-the-Sky the tale of their march -—how the other Indian and the ved, how his master became rfl as they were starting t i Provi e from Manitou Mountain in the summer weather; how the t back took refuge in this cave: how month by month they had lived what w hardly keep a rabbit alive; and how at last his enaster i im Press wih his papens; but he would not, and of food bead ven aalk n, and they were stayod umtil th found: — — a te ——. CHAPTER IY. The Return, HE next morning Varre Lepage was Placed upon a sie@ and they started back, Jacques barking joyfully as he led off, with Cloud-in- the-Sky was lgot in the faces of aM, though the light of their being muffleil so. AN day tailing. Varre Lepige’s Indian being ac well, Often the corpee-like bundle on the sled was disturbed and biscuits wet in brandy and bits of preserved verison were given That night beside him could not he they tuveiled, Si renner There seen by reason seurcely aguin and march Jaspar liume safd to Late Carscallen: “I am going to start at morning to get to Gaspe Toujours and Jeff Hyde as soon as fast a8 you can. H. wll be safe if you give him fvod and the first light of set to the ew we left thern about noon; you should rearly the Ki gf c = “er take Jacques w yout’ aad Late Carscalien t =r “& mome and then sald: “Nu; he is needed most uy Jaspar Hu no staff Tiy de Hie is not 2 upon a dil of bh ywy plain of sun uwnan Life; of Gaspe > lost his way? He but # gulvers hea- »s Hlis str sure. Me cor hes compass t its downward! a wile wild bewilderment which ds of the strongest lost r f his Hie 2 half lie is oon his reeling age 2 new-mowns hu in a trop black te a curling snake tha +3 21 of Moating lee, and up from the river a w koas lum—beckons him! He @huts his and vwice stops him, and it says: “Come arms fold the shore he stumbies and falls, and aie What is this? A yielding mass at his feet! A maas that stirs! He clutches at it, he tears away the snow, he calls aloud—and his volce has a far-away, unnatural sound—“Gaspe Toujours! Gaspe Toujours!” Yes, it Is Gaspe Tou- jours! And beside him Nes Jeff Hyde, and alive! ay, ave! Thank God! Jaspar Hume's mind is itself again. It had but suffered for a moment what comes to most nm when they recegnize first that they are being shadowed by the awful ban of “Lost.” Gaspe Toujours and Jeff Hvde had laid down In the tent the night of the great wind and had gone to sleep at once. The staff had been blowm down, the tent had fallen over them, the drift had covered them, and for three days they had slept beneath the snow. never waking Jeff Hyde's sight was come agen to him. “You've come back for the book,” he said; “you coukin’t go on without & You ought to have tikes it yesterday.” And he drew «t from his basom. “No, Jeff, I've not come back for that; and I did not leave you yesterday; is three days and more since we parted. The book has brought us luck, and the best! We have found him: and they'll be here to-night with him. I came oa ahend to see how vou fared.” In that frost-bitten world Jeff Hyde uncovered Bis head for a moment. “Gaspe Toujours is a Papist,” he eaid, “but he read mo some of that book the day you left, and one thing we went to sleep on; it was that about ‘Lightenin’ the darkness, and defemdin’ us from all the perils and dangers of this night" Here Gaspe Toujours made the sign of the cross. Jeff Hyde continued half apolo- g&etically for tis comrade: “It comes natural to Gaspe Toujours—I guess always does to Papists. But I never had any trainin’ that way, and I had to turn the awny! come away!” and two him round, and as he gues back from g 3 te Guard. One day when the sum Fort Providence, and just sixty-fiVe days since that cheer had gone up from apprehensive hearts for brave men going out Into the Barren Grounds, Sergt. Gosse, who every day, and of late many times a day, had swept the northeast with a fleld-class, rushed into the Chief Factor’s office, and with a broken voelee cried: “The White Guard! The Whme Guard!” and pointed toward the northeast. And then he leaned his arm and head agaimst the walt and sobbed. And the old Factor rose from his chair tremblingly, and said: “Tirank God!" and went hurriedly into the square. But he did not go steadily—the joyous news had shaken him, sturdy old pioneer as he was. As he ;xisses out ome can see that a fringe of white has grown about his temples in the last two months. The people of the Fort had said they hed never seen him so irascible, yet se gentle; so uneasy, yet so re- served; so stern about the mouth, vet so kind about the eyes, as he had been since Jaspar Hume had cone with his brave companions on this desperate errand. Already the handful of people at the fort had gathered. Indians left the store and joined the rest; the Factor and Sergt. Gosse set out to meet the little army of relief. God knows what was in the hearts of the Chief Factor and Jaspar Hume when they shook hands. To the Factors “In the name of the Hudson Bay Company, Mr. Hume,” there came “By the help of God, sir.” and te pointed to the sled whereon Varre Lepage lay. A feeble hand was clasped in the burly hand of the Factor, and then they fell into line again, Cloud*in-the-Sky running ahead of the dogs. Snow had fallen on them, and as they entered the stockade, men and dogs were white from head to foot. The White Guard had come back! They were met with cries of praise, broken by an occasional choking sound from men like Sergt. Gosse, Jaspar Hume as simply acknowledged his welcome as he had dome the Godspeed two months and more ago. He with the Factor bore the sick man in, and laid him on his own bed. Then he came outside, and when they cheered him again he said, “We have come safely througs. and I am thankful. But remember that my com- rades in this march deserve your cheers in this as much as 1 Without them I coukd huve done nothing in the perils that lay between here and the Barren Grounds.” “In our infirmities and in all our dangers and necessities,” edded Jeff Hyde, “the luck of the world wus in the book!” | | an i“ dies, r meh ‘ream on bay mb e ow el \e