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。\"\'