ALBERT L LAWRENCE
 
 Property of 
 
 ORLANDO J. ROOT 
 
 6.
 
 THE WOLVERINE 
 
 OP 
 
 CALIF. LIBRARY. LOS AWWU
 
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 The Wolverine 
 
 A Romance of Early Michigan 
 
 BY 
 
 Albert Lathrop Lawrence 
 
 With Illustrations from Drawings by 
 
 ARTHUR E. BECKER 
 
 BOSTON 
 
 LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY 
 1904
 
 Copyright, 1904, 
 By Little, Brown, and Company. 
 
 All rights reserved. 
 
 Published October, 1904 
 
 printers 
 8. J. PABKHILL & Co., BOSTON, U. S. A..
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 " ' BUT YOU TOLD ME ONCE YOU HAD FORGIVEN 
 ME THAT,' REPLIED MARIE, LIFTING HER 
 
 FACE TOWARD His " Frontispiece 
 
 "THEN WITH GENTLE DEFTNESS SHE POURED THE 
 
 TEA" Page 55 
 
 " ' LET'S DON'T SAT ANYTHING. ONLY LOOK AT 
 
 THE FIRE ' " "99 
 
 " PERRY AND BAPTISTE CONTINUED TO STRUGGLE 
 WITH ALL THE FURY OF GREAT MUSCULAR 
 
 MEN " " 251 
 
 2130897
 
 THE WOLVERINE 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 WHEN you had grown tired of being an 
 Indian, having taken so many scalps that 
 the very dregs of novelty had been drunk, 
 there was always the game of pirates in waiting. It 
 required but a nod from your leader's imagination, 
 and new life was at once put into the day's sport. But 
 if, while you were digging a hole in which to bury 
 the blood-bought treasure, your spade hit on some- 
 thing hard and mysterious, everything changed at 
 once. You were now respectable, law-abiding people, 
 suddenly come upon some robbers' rich hoard; for 
 in sober earnest you knew that pirates had never 
 visited this region of the Great Lakes, a thousand 
 miles from the sea, and therefore this was no treasure 
 from the Spanish Main which you were uncovering. 
 Your enthusiasm, however, increased a thousand 
 fold. It was no play now. This was truly. 
 
 "Lemme git at it with me pick!" cries Dan ex- 
 citedly. "Gi' me a chance't there, Frenchy!" 
 
 "Zain't no robber treasor," returns Francois, stub- 
 bornly refusing to give place, though he was smaller 
 and must yield at last. "She hones' treasor. I know
 
 2 The Wolverine 
 
 what she ees. Mere Gobielle tol' me. Mere Gobielle 
 she was leettle zen, an' remember all about zem 
 times; Bloody Run, ze fire ships, ol' Pontiac. Antoine 
 Golais burie' his riches, an' mak' quick to get into ze 
 Fort Leef me alone, Dan Hooks! Zis ees mine! Zis 
 ees French treasor!" 
 
 "Out of my way, Frenchy/' Dan now commanded, 
 roughly pushing the other aside. "I don't know no 
 Ontwon Golay. You go claimin' the hull an' you 
 don't git none o' this 'ere treasure!" 
 
 "Of course you not know him. You peoples no 
 leef here long 'nough for zat. Nobody knows where 
 he burie' his treasor. He tol' nobody. An' he was 
 kill' at Bloody Run. Mere Gobielle she tol' me; she 
 tol' me manee times all anybody can tell. Ze treasor 
 ees French treasor, an' nobody can haf eet but ze 
 French. You hear me tell you, Dan Hooks!" 
 
 "Oh, I hear you, Frenchy. An' I've heard little 
 froggies croak before now." 
 
 "Let's put him in the hole after we've dug out the 
 treasure!" suggested Dick Weaver. "Oh, let's put 
 Frenchy Beaucceur in the hole!" And his com- 
 panions took up the cry and began to dance about 
 Francois like a band of Wyandots, screaming their 
 determination. 
 
 "Naw, naw!" yelled their leader above the din, while 
 he paused in his labors with the spade. "But if he 
 don't shut his mouth, an* quit whinin', we'll throw 
 him into the Savoyard, where all the froggies go." 
 
 "Ha! ha!" cried the band, obedient to its leader. 
 "Into the Savoyard! Throw him into the Savoyard! 
 Frenchy eat froggy; froggy eat Frenchy! Ha! ha!"
 
 The Wolverine 3 
 
 "You not talk to me like zat eef Louis was here 
 or Isadora Dupre or Pierre Lievre. An' I tell zem 
 bime-by." 
 
 Indeed, the English-speaking boys had taken ad- 
 vantage of being vastly in the majority, a thing that 
 at this early day rarely occurred in the old French 
 town now undergoing metamorphosis. 
 
 The clamor suddenly came to an end when Dan 
 pried out an old rusty gun-barrel, the stock of which 
 had rotted and fallen away. Then followed the skull 
 and a few crumbling bones of some Indian or early 
 European, who had lost his life on this oft-contested 
 ground. At once the boys began an awed specula- 
 tion; some argued for a French origin for the bones, 
 some for an English, and some placed them to the 
 credit of various Indian tribes. The relics were poked 
 over, handled gingerly, and passed about. The 
 probable time of death was discussed, and old legends 
 were called up of the Raisin massacre, of Simon 
 Girty, of Knaggs and the Navarres, of Pontiac and 
 his red followers; until the boys felt the blood crawling 
 in their veins, and fairly trembled for safety at their 
 distance from the town. Then Dan felt his disappoint- 
 ment in the sort of treasure they had unearthed, and 
 sought consolation in the joy of teasing Francois 
 Beaucoeur. 
 
 "French treasure, is it?" he cried. "Then into the 
 Savoyard it goes. Ah! Frenchy will have the hull of 
 it, will he? Then into the Savoyard he goes after it! 
 Come on, kids! ketch the Black Frenchman!" 
 
 "Non, non!" screamed Francois, turning to run. 
 "I will tell Louis. I will tell monsieur le gouverneur!
 
 4 The Wolverine 
 
 I am no Black French. You Black American Black 
 Anglish! Bad! Leef me go, Dan Hooks! Leef me 
 go, all!" 
 
 They had caught him and were dragging him 
 toward the little stream, which flowed between them 
 and the town, when, without warning, his sister ap- 
 peared on the opposite bank. 
 
 "Boys! boys! what is it you are doing?" she called, 
 with the slightest French accent in her words. "Take 
 hands off Franqois at once. You will hurt him! 
 Boys, you will hurt him!" 
 
 She looked swiftly, anxiously, up and down the 
 stream for some place to cross to her brother's aid. 
 It was too far to the little bridge, and the muddy 
 water, though neither wide nor deep, would ruin 
 her shoes and soil her pretty gown, if she tried to 
 make the passage on the partially immersed and 
 wholly uncertain stones, over which the boys 
 came and went at pleasure. Ah! how she would 
 have boxed their ears and sent them to the right 
 and left, if she were but near enough. 
 
 Frangois had given up hope of escaping the duck- 
 ing, and was thinking at what moment he should 
 stop screaming and close his mouth with one full 
 breath, that he might not strangle when the fatal 
 plunge came; and his sister, in despair, was about 
 to close her eyes against the cruelty of those deaf 
 alike to threats and entreaty, when suddenly a cham- 
 pion appeared out of the woods on the farther bank, 
 and hastened to her brother's aid. He was a 
 stranger, tall, and athletic in proportions, with long 
 yellow hair, and a keen blue eye that took in the
 
 The Wolverine 5 
 
 situation at a glance. His face kindled in holy wrath, 
 and his strong arm seemed without mercy, while he 
 dealt blows to the right and left, hopelessly scatter- 
 ing the parcel of youthful bullies, who fled in every 
 direction as if very life depended on the nimbleness 
 of their sturdy legs. 
 
 "Dieu merci!" breathed Marie Beaucoeur in glad 
 relief. She was not likely soon to forget the face of 
 him who had proved a friend in her brothers need. 
 
 Francois had lost no time in springing from 
 boulder to boulder across the stream which separated 
 him from his sister and safety, and when the battle 
 was over, he was standing by Marie's side, his face 
 wreathed in smiles at the discomfiture of his enemies. 
 
 "I thank you, sir/' said Marie to the stranger, as 
 he paused before resuming the stick and pack which 
 he had carried on his shoulder previous to the 
 onslaught. 
 
 "Not at all," he returned, with a movement of his 
 hand toward his hat. "It was a real pleasure," he 
 assured her, with such grace as he could command, for 
 he had not been trained to court manners. 
 
 Marie was all gratitude at the moment, but that 
 did not prevent her from storing up a picture of the 
 fellow to mimic and laugh over when alone. Had 
 she been a commonplace person the other would 
 have been quite at ease. But her marvellous beauty 
 smote him irresistibly, and because of that and her 
 sex, everything about his own person seemed forced 
 upon his consciousness. To cover his embarrass- 
 ment he looked up and down the stream for a place 
 to cross.
 
 6 The Wolverine 
 
 "Ze water eet ees leettle on ze stones/' said Fran- 
 gois, guessing the stranger's intention. "Voila!" he 
 called the next instant, and pointing, he darted up 
 the Savoyard a few rods to another fording place. 
 "Come," he cried; "mak' long step, big jump, an' 
 ze feet zey are not wet at all. I will carry ze pack. 
 My feet zey are already ver' wet; eet mak' no differ- 
 ent. Eet was a grand fight! You haf mooch mooscle!" 
 And he laughed as he looked back where his enemies 
 had gathered to console themselves. 
 
 "A stranger in Detroit, are you not?" questioned 
 Marie Beaucceur, when she came up with her 
 brother and his new friend, who in the meantime 
 had made the passage of the Savoyard dry shod, 
 thanks to his strength and agility. 
 
 "Yes, ma'am, a stranger," he answered. "But I 
 hope to make it my future home. Massachusetts 
 has been my home. To-day I came from Monroe 
 walked most of the way, though I did get a ride with 
 a farmer for a few miles. My name is Perry North." 
 
 "I am very glad to welcome you to Detroit, Mr. 
 North," the girl returned, and Perry was not sorry 
 he had yielded to Frangois and waited for his sister 
 to join them. His natural diffidence had prompted 
 him to continue his way alone after crossing the 
 Savoyard, but Frangois had clung to the pack as if 
 of course the three would walk into town together. 
 And now, as his sister did not immediately return 
 the stranger's self-introduction, the young man took 
 it on himself to make them known. 
 
 "My name eet ees Frangois Beaucoeur, and she 
 eet ees my sister, Marie Louise. We leev not ver'
 
 The Wolverine 7 
 
 far in zat part of ze town," he continued, pointing 
 from their elevated position, over a score of rather 
 small, red, and white, wooden houses. "Eet ees ze 
 suppertime, Marie, why do you not ask monsieur to 
 go home wit' us? I would be ver' glad " 
 
 "Why do I not?" she repeated. "Because, mon 
 petit frere, you have not given me a chance to say 
 one little word." And she gave North a look and 
 smile that was the sweetest form of invitation. 
 
 "Thank you, Miss Beaucceur; thank you both," 
 said Perry, transferring his pack to the other shoul- 
 der. "But I have a friend expecting me at the Steam- 
 boat Hotel, and I think I had better go there at 
 once." 
 
 "Ah, for why ees eet zat you walk, Meester Nort'?" 
 interjected the lad. "Moos' people zey come on ze 
 steamboat. Efair day eet ees anot'er boat; an' black 
 all round ze sides an' on ze wheelbox black wit* 
 people. Monsieur Baddeau he ver* mad. An* so 
 mon pere. Ah my fat'er he ver 5 mad, also. Many 
 people zey mak' ceety where ees land farms. My 
 fat'er he not like ze ceety. He like ze farm." 
 
 His sister's laugh rang on the evening air. Her 
 manner so completely absorbed North that he allowed 
 an instant to pass before replying to the boy's ques- 
 tion, and by that time the sister had started a dis- 
 cussion which drove the question from the minds 
 of all. 
 
 "Francois, your English will be the death of me! 
 Oh, it is so very funny! And Mr. North is just ready 
 to die, too, because he will not laugh in your face." 
 
 "Then I will not speak English at all, if you laugh
 
 8 The Wolverine 
 
 at me and make fun of me before the gentleman!" 
 declared Franqois in a good and sturdy French patois. 
 
 "Oh, you will not! Then how will you speak to 
 the gentleman?" 
 
 Francois turned suddenly toward North, for whom 
 he had formed a quick liking. "Parlez-vous fran- 
 gais?" he questioned, his face showing doubt and 
 hope by turn. 
 
 "I am sorry I do not/' answered Perry. 
 
 "Vous comprenez!" cried the lad, as if,* in the 
 moment of defeat, he had snatched half a victory. 
 But he was doomed to crushing disappointment. 
 
 "What is that?" asked Perry; and Marie went off 
 in a merry burst of laughter. 
 
 "Everyone knows 'Parlez-vous franqais?' mon 
 frere," declared his sister. "And you will be com- 
 pelled to speak the English to Mr. North. Our 
 father will be rejoiced, for he wishes all his children 
 to learn the English perfectly" this to the stranger. 
 
 "Well, Franqois," returned North, with friendly air, 
 "I will teach you English if you will teach me French ; 
 and I'll promise not to make sport of your English 
 if you'll not laugh at my French. What do you say 
 is it a bargain?" 
 
 "Will monsieur teach me ze fight?" and he put 
 up his little fists in a very pugilistic attitude. "Zen 
 I can whip ze Anglish boys al-ways when zey will 
 fight me. Ees eet not so?" 
 
 "If you will promise never to whip me," agreed 
 North, with a look to Marie to share in his humor. 
 
 But before his sister laughed, Francois under- 
 stood the stranger too would make sport of him,
 
 The Wolverine 9 
 
 and such a look came into his face as smote Perry's 
 manly heart. 
 
 "No, no!" he exclaimed, seeking to recall his 
 words. "Then it is a bargain," he added. 
 
 They had reached a point where the path branched. 
 Marie drew her brother aside. "This is a shorter 
 way to our home," she explained to North. "The 
 other will lead you into the town." 
 
 "And to the Steamboat Hotel?" he questioned, 
 regretting to lose so charming a companion. 
 
 "I will point monsieur ze way," declared Franqois, 
 springing from his sister's side. Then with boyish 
 imperiousness he directed Marie to take the new path, 
 while he would continue with monsieur, and after- 
 ward, running, would be the first to reach home. 
 
 "If the English boys do not overtake you," inter- 
 jected Perry, hoping to alarm Francois so he would 
 persuade his sister to accompany them into town. 
 
 "Oh, zey will not follow," declared the lad confi- 
 dently, and Perry was forced to bid his new acquaint- 
 ance good evening. 
 
 He and his guide kept up a sprightly conversation 
 to the very door of the hotel. Perry continued to 
 see the sister's eyes where properly belonged the 
 lad's own; and the smile of his lips was so like the 
 other's too. The shrug of the little shoulders recalled 
 Marie's manner when she had laughingly declared: 
 "Everyone knows 'Parlez-vous franc.ais?' " What a 
 delightful experience he had had. 
 
 Then came the moment of parting. Invitations 
 were given and promises of other meetings exchanged.
 
 io The Wolverine 
 
 Perry repeated his "Good evening/' adding, "I am 
 much obliged for your kindness, Francois." 
 
 "Bon soir," answered Frangois, and explained: "Eet 
 ees 'good evening.' Eet ees ze firs' lesson." 
 
 And all smiles, with a pretty wave of the hand, 
 he was gone.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 DETROIT at this time contained not far from 
 three thousand souls, about half of whom were 
 of French descent. Emigrants from the East- 
 ern States, mostly of English extraction, a few Indi- 
 ans, some half-breeds, and a sprinkling of German, 
 Scotch, and Negro types, made up the remaining 
 population. The Erie Canal through New York 
 State had just been completed, and a flood of new 
 settlers was pouring in. As yet, however, the town 
 was scarcely built three streets beyond the river front, 
 along which it lay, incongruous in its mixture of the 
 old and the new, bearing many signs of the frontier 
 military and trading post, out of which it was slowly 
 evolving. 
 
 Excepting the French element, Perry North was 
 quite at home in his new surroundings. Sprung from 
 Puritan ancestors and reared by a widowed mother 
 on a stony New England farm, he was used to priva- 
 tion and hardship. His early education had been 
 gained largely from borrowed books, which, after 
 the closest economy, he had supplemented with a 
 short course at the "Academy," as the advanced
 
 12 The Wolverine 
 
 country school was called. He had fitted himself for 
 a land surveyor, and it was the promise of employ- 
 ment in his chosen profession that had brought him 
 to Detroit. 
 
 At the hotel he received his first disappointment, 
 for the friend whom he expected to find had been 
 called into the interior. This friend was the Terri- 
 torial Representative in Congress, Lucius Lyon, him- 
 self a young man, and formerly employed as a gov- 
 ernment surveyor. Back in New England their 
 families had been connected, and it was this claim 
 which led North to apply to him when he wished for 
 advancement. There was nothing to do but wait 
 patiently for the Congressman's return, which, ac- 
 cording to word left behind, would not be for three 
 or four days. 
 
 The early part of the evening Perry sat in the 
 poorly-lighted hotel office, listening to the politics 
 of the Territory. The new Secretary had just arrived, 
 a young man from Virginia, Stevens Thompson 
 Mason by name; and the fact that he had not yet 
 attained his majority gave rise to severe criticism on 
 the part of men of experience, who did not relish 
 being ruled by a mere stripling. Later, there was 
 singing in the ladies' parlor, up one flight of stairs; 
 and the landlord, coming to North, invited him to 
 join those listening. 
 
 "I want you to meet my brother by and by," said 
 his genial host. "He's at the organ there, now. He's 
 quite a literary man, historian, poet, and all that sort. 
 He's going to sing one of his own songs shortly, at 
 the request of Governor Cass. That's the Governor
 
 The Wolverine 13 
 
 over there, just beyond the organ, the one with 
 his head thrown back looking at the ceiling rather 
 portly, with striking face. He drops in here fre- 
 quently of an evening. I didn't know but I could 
 point out the new Secretary to you, too. But he's 
 stopping over at the American. He's been in here; 
 but I don't see him now." 
 
 Then "Uncle Ben" as the landlord was com- 
 monly called paused in his explanation, for the 
 music began. Perry listened to the song, "The Old 
 Oaken Bucket," as it was sung by the man who wrote 
 the words Samuel Wood worth. 
 
 "He's here on a visit," the landlord explained in 
 an intermission. "I expect we'll get a good deal of 
 that while he stays." And he looked proud and 
 happy. He liked to feel the importance of the 
 hostelry of which he was head. Uncle Ben was al- 
 ways attentive to his guests, but a friend of Lucius 
 Lyon's was worthy of additional effort, for Lyon 
 was one of the big men of the Territory. 
 
 It was late when Perry reached his room that night. 
 Nevertheless, he began a letter to his mother and 
 sister back in Massachusetts, with the intention of 
 adding to it from time to time, till it should reach 
 fair proportions. The postage might be as high 
 as two shillings, and it stood him in hand to send 
 something of real value. But he could hardly fail to 
 be interesting, as he wrote of the grave he had visited 
 on his way; of the strange Providence that had led 
 his father West at a critical period in the Nation's 
 history, there to sacrifice his life in a glorious defense
 
 1 4 The Wolverine 
 
 of the flag, after sending back a name for the son 
 he was never to see. 
 
 When Perry blew out his ill-smelling light and 
 crawled into bed these things ceased to occupy his 
 thoughts and pretty Marie Beaucoeur with her dark 
 eyes and cherry lips, her charming form, perfect in 
 all its animation, came and possessed his mind for the 
 five minutes that preceded the seven hours of dream- 
 less slumber. 
 
 Immediately after his breakfast next morning, Perry 
 sallied into the streets to acquaint himself with the 
 town which was likely to be his home for the future. 
 He went first to the wharf to see if his belongings 
 sent by boat had yet arrived. He had preferred to 
 make the last part of his journey by land, that he 
 might gain a knowledge of the country which would 
 be an advantage to him when he should have money 
 to invest. There was no lack of sights to interest 
 him now on every hand: the shaggy, Canadian 
 ponies; the odd two-wheeled carts; the quaint wind- 
 mills for grinding grain ; and the easy-going, pleasure- 
 loving French habitant, jostled and awakened by the 
 energetic, bustling emigrant from New York and 
 New England. 
 
 In the afternoon he met his young friend, Frangois 
 Beaucceur, at the hotel door, come in search of him. 
 Together they resumed sight-seeing through the town 
 and adjacent country; and for three days this con- 
 tinued with no interruption, save intervals for meals 
 and rest. Francois proved a charming guide, for he 
 was acquainted with every foot of ground, and had 
 some story to tell of nearly every object, mingling
 
 The Wolverine 15 
 
 history and legend in his narrative in a manner to 
 form the most fascinating romance; and the whole 
 was told with such boyish naivete, and quaint, broken 
 English that Perry never grew tired of listening. Did 
 the narrator fall into a dull moment, there was his 
 face to recall to Perry's eye the prettier face and 
 figure of his sister, and when the tale took on fresh 
 interest, it was as if the listener had for the instant 
 been attracted elsewhere by some exquisite illustra- 
 tion. 
 
 Thus they explored the remains of old Fort Shelby 
 and the ruder fortifications known as Fort Nonsense. 
 With canoe rides on the broad river, and long walks, 
 they visited the battlefields of Bloody Run and Mon- 
 guagon, invaded Canada again, took Fort Maiden, 
 and pressed up the Thames over the route pursued by 
 General Harrison and the Kentuckians who killed 
 Tecumseh a few short years before. As history it 
 was all fresh in Perry North's mind. Indeed, he felt 
 himself peculiarly a part of those stirring times and 
 bloody scenes. Had not his father been killed in the 
 famous naval battle on Lake Erie? And was not he, 
 the son, named in honor of the gallant hero of that 
 fight? 
 
 In the intervals of rest, in Perry's room at the top 
 of the old wooden hotel, were given the lessons in 
 French. Francois, as guest, had the honor of the 
 single chair. North, sitting in his open window, 
 would question him after some such manner as, What 
 do you call this? and, How db you say that? And 
 receiving his answer, would repeat the word or phrase 
 over and over till he had acquired the accent to the
 
 1 6 The Wolverine 
 
 critical satisfaction of his teacher, and stored up in 
 his memory several hundred of the most common 
 expressions. 
 
 Then came payment for his instruction, when his 
 tutor would mount the bed with its hay mattress; 
 and so, their faces on a level, the sparring and fisti- 
 cuffs would begin, to end only when Francois was 
 exhausted and out of breath. 
 
 It was Saturday noon when Lyon returned. He 
 welcomed the young man cordially, expressed regret 
 for his absence at the time of Perry's coming, and 
 took steps at once to secure for him the position he 
 sought. Before the sun went down that afternoon, 
 North had the satisfaction of buttoning his coat over 
 an official document which made him a sort of sur- 
 veyor-general of the Territory. 
 
 "Now we've started you in a business way," said 
 Lyon, in his rather slow, altogether kindly tones; 
 "the next thing is to give you a good social launching. 
 The Governor entertains this evening at the Mansion 
 House in honor of the new Secretary, and I have 
 an invitation for you to be present. It is quite in- 
 formal, but will furnish an opportunity for you to 
 meet many persons of influence." 
 
 "You know I've already met several members of 
 the Council," said Perry, glad of a chance to show 
 that he could make a little way unaided. 
 
 "Yes," returned Lyon, shifting his portly form in 
 the hard chair of the hotel office; "but you must meet 
 the wives and daughters of these men. You cannot 
 afford to neglect the ladies, Perry, if you would suc- 
 ceed. Now that sounds a little odd, perhaps, coming
 
 The Wolverine 17 
 
 from a bachelor; but I know it to be true. If I could 
 be a whole year in one place, I think I could make 
 choice of a woman to become Mrs. Lyon." 
 
 He was smiling now, and Perry smiled with him, 
 but the color came into the younger man's face 
 almost as if he were a school girl. He was wondering 
 whether Marie would be at the Mansion House. He 
 realized as one making a discovery, that persons of 
 influence were not always men; for how easy, and 
 what a pleasure it would be, to do work for Marie 
 Beaucoeur! 
 
 "You will travel far," Lyon was saying when Perry 
 returned to the florid-faced, well-dressed servant of 
 the people, "before you will find better society, more 
 real culture, more pretty faces than right here in 
 Detroit. I have spent a season in Washington, 
 where you will find a greater mass, but as individuals 
 go, nothing higher than here." Then his smile re- 
 turned with more pleasantry. "There is a woman 
 down at the Capital who might pull a heart-string 
 or two here," he touched his own expansive chest, 
 "but she little dreams of it, I fancy. And if it were 
 not she, I don't know who else might claim that power, 
 unless it be Marie Beaucoeur of Detroit." 
 
 "Marie Beaucoeur!" exclaimed North. "Why, I've 
 met her too!" he added. "It is her brother who has 
 acted as my guide the last three or four days. Will 
 she Do the French, as a rule, attend the Gov- 
 ernor's social gatherings?" Perry had talked right 
 through the Congressman's surprise. 
 
 "So you have met Marie!" repeated Lyon. "Well, 
 no; as a rule, the older generation of French do not
 
 1 8 The Wolverine 
 
 mingle with the newcomers, as of course we are 
 sort of interlopers; and you will find they regard us 
 with some such feeling. But the younger genera- 
 tion I think I can promise you Marie Beaucoeur 
 
 will be there. So you have met her. Tell me about 
 it." 
 
 Perry thereupon gave his friend an account of the 
 incident on the banks of the Savoyard. 
 
 "Good!" exclaimed Lyon, when the other had fin- 
 ished. "She is a clever girl, and it will help you if 
 you can claim her as a friend. It was a splendid intro- 
 duction far better than I could have given you." 
 He rose at this point, a shadow on his face. "I wish 
 this race antagonism might be stamped out alto- 
 gether," he continued, impressively. "It's not alone 
 with the children. It crops out in the older genera- 
 tion when you least expect it. North, let me ask you 
 to make it a special object while here, to promote bet- 
 ter relations between these classes. There is no duty 
 more worthy of a good citizen." 
 
 Perry was quick with a promise, for the matter 
 seemed to embody some delightful relations with 
 Marie Beaucoeur. He thanked Lyon for the interest 
 he had shown in his affairs, for the help he had given 
 him; also, for the Governor's invitation, which he 
 gratefully accepted, and promised to be in readiness 
 when the hour should arrive to set out for the Man- 
 sion House.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 PERRY had already seen the Mansion House a 
 number of times from the outside. As a struc- 
 ture it was bound to attract attention, even in 
 a town so well supplied with interesting and curious 
 sights. Francois had told him it was built by the 
 great Cadillac, more than a hundred years before, 
 and his listener had not doubted the statement in 
 the least, for age was stamped on every board and 
 written in every line of the strange edifice. Sur- 
 mounting the large one-story building was a high, 
 sharp roof out of which, near the center, rose a 
 short stone chimney of enormous thickness, on which 
 the roof seemed to lean as it sagged toward the mid- 
 dle. In front of the house was an odd-looking porch 
 of generous proportions, but out of plumb, with a 
 Chinese-like top shooting above the eaves. This 
 feature presented the appearance of having been flung 
 at the main structure by some careless giant hand, 
 and the resulting shock seemed to have disarranged 
 the lines generally. 
 
 It was after eight o'clock when North and Con- 
 gressman Lyon set out. The night was not dark,
 
 20 The Wolverine 
 
 for there was a full moon, thinly veiled, giving prom- 
 ise of rain, which was sorely needed. Occasionally a 
 two-wheeled cart rumbled by, and merry laughter 
 would fill the night air. 
 
 A circular gravel walk led up to the brightly 
 lighted house, and, as the weather was warm, the large 
 front door stood open with an air of ready welcome 
 for all. Suddenly, Perry found himself within the 
 reception room, shaking hands again with the great 
 man of the Northwest, who smiled in recognition 
 and spoke his name before Lyon prompted him. A 
 gay throng filled the apartments, and the hum of 
 many voices fell like a continual pleasant droning 
 on the ears. Perry's sweeping glance took in the wall 
 ornaments of this first room Indian likenesses, pipes, 
 snowshoes, bows and arrows, medals and a hundred 
 other mementoes of the American forest and abori- 
 ginal life. 
 
 Then they passed to the right into the drawing- 
 room. There was little formality about the function; 
 nearly everybody was acquainted with everybody else. 
 A group at the farther end of this second room, how- 
 ever, proved the one exception. Here, the guests as 
 they moved along were being presented to the new 
 Secretary, Stevens Thompson Mason; and with him 
 in the line were his mother and sisters. 
 
 Mason impressed the beholder at once with his 
 fine personal bearing 1 . He was tall and handsome. A 
 bright, beaming eye seemed to mirror the restless 
 spirit that animated his being; while his hair, dark 
 and waving, fell about a brow, marble-like in its 
 patrician fineness. These features, in spite of his
 
 The Wolverine 21 
 
 youth gave him a clear-cut and commanding pres- 
 ence. 
 
 When Perry was presented to the new Secretary a 
 picture was formed worthy of a Stuart or a Peale. 
 The two men, in form and size, were counterparts of 
 each other. But North's hair was of a singular color; 
 neither yellow nor red, it yet partook of both per- 
 haps a pale orange would best describe the shade. 
 
 "What a homely man!" the beholder invariably 
 thought on first seeing him. This was not strange, 
 for an orange-colored head moving among heads of 
 a prevailing black, becomes something of a freak. 
 But having called him "homely" at first sight, his 
 critic was almost certain, six months later, to point 
 him out to some stranger as "that handsome young 
 fellow with light hair;" and forthwith he would fall 
 into an argument to prove the correctness of his 
 amended opinion. He would enumerate other points 
 undeniably good; great, earnest, blue eyes; a well- 
 formed chin; a straight nose, not the least too large 
 or too small; and a mouth, every line of which was a 
 revelation of strength; and all set above a form 
 that was perfect in its athletic proportions. 
 
 Perry shook hands with Mason with a quick feel- 
 ing of admiration. He was himself ambitious, and 
 loved power; and here in this young man younger 
 than he was embodied so much that usually takes 
 years and hard struggle to attain. He watched him 
 with almost envious eyes during a moment of ani- 
 mated conversation with Lyon, regarding some 
 Washington friends; and then Perry and the Con- 
 gressman passed on to give place to others.
 
 22 The Wolverine 
 
 By this time the rooms were filled. From some- 
 where the strident sound of stringed instruments 
 came, mingled with the rhythmic shuffle of feet, which 
 told that dancing was going on not far away. Through 
 an open window people could be seen promenading 
 up and down the long porch, or moving in little 
 groups about the dimly-lighted grounds. Perry was 
 beginning to wonder why he did not see Marie 
 Beaucoeur's face anywhere in the throng, when her 
 voice sounded at his very elbow. 
 
 "Bon soir, Monsieur North/' she said, mockingly 
 addressing him in French. She had just come from 
 shaking hands with the new Secretary. "Un grand 
 chevalier, n'est-ce pas?" 
 
 Perry's brow gathered in a frown as he endeavored 
 to translate. 
 
 "Ah! I fear the lessons are not well learned," she 
 continued, with a sad shake of the head. 
 
 "You are too quick for me, Miss Beaucoeur," he 
 returned, at last guessing the import of her speech. 
 "It is a weighty matter, and an opinion should be 
 given only after due deliberation. Indeed, he is a 
 handsome man," said North, with a glance toward 
 Mason. 
 
 "Ah, the men they will be deliberate," sighed Marie. 
 "But the ladies they are all in love with him this 
 moment. Are you not very jealous, Mr. Lyon?" 
 turning to Perry's companion. 
 
 "I shall be if you do not promise me the first waltz 
 this evening," answered the Congressman. 
 
 "The first? Is it not promised to Mr. North?" 
 And she put her finger to her brow with pretty per-
 
 The Wolverine 23 
 
 plexity, as if memory were playing her a trick. With 
 charming, covert glance her eyes turned quickly 
 toward Perry, while her wonder grew at his con- 
 tinued silence. 
 
 "Was it a promise made on the banks of the Savo- 
 yard?" asked Lyon, remembering Perry's story. 
 
 But now Perry was ready with a speech. "It would 
 be a great pleasure to dance with Miss Beaucceur," 
 he said, "if one were every whit prepared. But my 
 feet are more ignorant of that than my tongue is of 
 French. And I fear I have disappointed you once, 
 already." 
 
 "Sly fox!" commented Marie, eyeing him while 
 she spoke to Lyon. "It is an excuse. He wishes me 
 to give him lessons also, as Frangois does. But 
 how think you he would pay? I do not care for the 
 fight, as my brother does." 
 
 As she spoke, she placed her hand within the Con- 
 gressman's arm, and permitted him to lead her away 
 in the direction of the music. 
 
 Left alone, Perry withdrew to the porch, and there 
 presently found a window through which he could 
 watch the dancers. He was not in the best of spirits. 
 It was evident that Marie would have given him the 
 first dance, had it been possible for him to take part 
 in the gay amusement, though he had not asked her 
 for it, and another had. Her coquetry pleased and 
 puzzled him. He wondered whether Lyon compre- 
 hended her words and action, and what he thought 
 of them. Her manner through the whole scene set 
 his blood to tingling; it also stirred the old Puritan
 
 24 The Wolverine 
 
 within, and the argument that ensued between his 
 two minds put him in bad humor. 
 
 He had been taught that it was wrong to dance. 
 Nay, that the dance was positively an allurement of 
 the Devil's for entrapping souls to their eternal 
 destruction. The question had not weighed with him 
 personally before; but now suddenly it had snatched 
 from his lips a cup which he felt would be very deli- 
 cious to quaff. In consequence a feeling of injury 
 rankled in his breast. 
 
 How long he stood watching that gay throng he 
 scarcely realized. But dance followed dance, and 
 he saw Marie whirled about, first by Lyon, then by 
 Mason, again and again, as the evening progressed. 
 Finally, the argument became so fierce that his men- 
 tal picture dimmed the picture before his eyes, and 
 he lost all consciousness of time and place. 
 
 "Ah! here he is," were the words which called him 
 back to the present. "We have searched for you 
 everywhere," said Marie in her sweet, girlish tones. 
 "I would not let Mr. Lyon give up till you were found. 
 He has some stupid matter to talk with De Tocque- 
 ville about prisons and whipping posts; and then he 
 will carry him off to the Governor's den, and they 
 will spend the rest of the night conversing on the 
 subject, and when the Territory shall be a State. 
 Never become un homme d'etat, Mr. North, unless 
 you wish the ladies to think you very stupid. You 
 may go now," she said to her escort. "Mr. North 
 will take care of me." And she dismissed him with 
 a smile and a final "Merci, monsieur le congress- 
 man," that robbed her manner of rudeness
 
 The Wolverine 25 
 
 "Ah! now I can breathe," she sighed. "It was so 
 stupid in there. Truly, Mr. North, have you never 
 danced ?" 
 
 "I never have," was Perry's calm answer, as he 
 looked into her face, revealed to him by the light 
 from the window. "But you are quite heated, Miss 
 Beaucceur. You will take cold," he said, in quick 
 apprehension. 
 
 "Then let us walk," she returned. "I know a path 
 it is here that leads down to the river. Ah! the 
 moon is it not fine?" 
 
 She took his arm, and they moved away from the 
 house and the music. 
 
 Perry's first thought was, "This is better than a 
 dance!" Providence had not been so cruel to him, 
 after all. He was half-ashamed of his earlier rebel- 
 lious spirit. Indeed, with further reflection, he seemed 
 to find in Marie's last act Heaven's quick reward for 
 having settled in his own mind that he would be true 
 to the teachings of his ancestors, and not be led 
 away by the gaieties of the world. Of course these 
 things were not sin to the pretty creature on his arm; 
 that was to be charged to her education; she could 
 not do or dream anything that was not pure and 
 heavenly. 
 
 "How is it," he asked, his mind fastening on the 
 educational feature, "that you speak English per- 
 fectly, while your brother's words are so broken?" 
 He could not make her speech less. 
 
 "Ah, do you think I have never been to school? 
 That is the way with all who come here from the 
 East. You think we are rough; boors; backwoods-
 
 26 The Wolverine 
 
 men and slatternly women all; no culture, no re- 
 finement. It is not true! Has not Monsieur De 
 Tocqueville expressed his surprise? 'So like my 
 France my Paris!' When Francois has been to 
 school he will speak perfect English. It is our 
 father's wish." 
 
 "You misjudge me, Miss Beaucoeur. I am from 
 the East, but I knew there were cultured people in 
 Detroit. I have read letters of the Reverend John 
 Montieth's in the New York Observer." 
 
 "You should have met these people to-night, in- 
 stead of hiding yourself away out of doors," she de- 
 clared, warmly. "Mr. Trumbull was there for a short 
 time, and Mr. Schoolcraft, and Mr. Woodworth's 
 brother, and young Doctor Houghton, and a dozen 
 others I might name." 
 
 "I have met Mr. Woodworth," said Perry. "I 
 should like to meet Mr. Trumbull. I have read his 
 famous poem, M'Fingal." 
 
 "Ah, I would take you back and present you now. 
 But it is late, and he goes early to his home. He is 
 very, very old, you know." 
 
 "Then I saw him talking with your talented young 
 countryman, De Tocqueville?" 
 
 By this time they had reached the water's edge. 
 
 "Voila!" she cried, interrupting him. "Is not the 
 river magnificent? Ah! the narrow path of gold! 
 How I wish I were a fairy, and might dance away, 
 'way yonder to the moon!" 
 
 She had taken a step beyond North toward the 
 river. As she spoke, he reached a quick hand after 
 her. He was frightened with the thought that she
 
 The Wolverine 27 
 
 might deceive herself into making the experiment; 
 for in his own mind he began to doubt her reality. 
 
 She turned to him quickly, however, placing her 
 hand on his outstretched arm. "Why have you never 
 danced, Mr. North? It is so fine! Come, let me 
 give you a lesson. See; here the bank it is hard and 
 smooth. First you must stand so; with your feet so/' 
 
 She drew her dainty skirts so they revealed the 
 whole of her pretty boots. 
 
 "Now step this way. See as I do. Now this way. 
 Good! Try that again. Ah but first I must teach 
 you how to bow." 
 
 She came at him with both hands, as if he were 
 some wooden image on wheels that must be rolled 
 into position. Perhaps the lack of grace in his move- 
 ments had suggested this. To North there was some- 
 thing hypnotic in her commands and magnetic touch, 
 and he obeyed all as one in a dream. 
 
 "Ah, I should have a hat! But yours is not here. 
 Let it pass. You must think I have one and you 
 one and do as I do." 
 
 She moved a few steps away, and began by calmly 
 raising her right hand with a perfect roundness in 
 the curve and motion of the arm. At the level of the 
 head she seized an imaginary hat-rim, lightly, slightly, 
 with about half the length of her fingers. The 
 imaginary hat was slowly lifted and slowly carried 
 out into the air to the fullest length of the gradually 
 straightened arm. The movement was calculated to 
 turn the hat over slowly, so that it described a com- 
 plete semi-circle on its road, and reached the extreme 
 limit of its distance at the precise instant it became
 
 28 The Wolverine 
 
 upside down. At the moment the hat was lifted from 
 her head, her body began bending forward, continuing 
 till the hat had reached its greatest distance. Then 
 the hat came slowly sweeping back, and with its re- 
 turn her figure became erect. 
 
 "Now you do that/' she commanded sprightly, and 
 he obeyed but not just to her satisfaction. 
 
 "No, no! The movement it is too rapid. It must 
 be so!" And she repeated the action, at the close 
 calling on him again with pretty imperiousness: 
 "Now you!" 
 
 Once more he tried to satisfy her demands, but 
 Puritan stiffness was not equal to the artistic ideas of 
 la belle France. 
 
 "Ciel!" she cried, "the joints they are all like rusty 
 hinges. It must be done many times till they are 
 bright like new. Again. Oh, the arm it is too much 
 in front. It must be more to the side. I did not so! 
 See I did so. Now you!" 
 
 But his attempt only drew forth laughter, while 
 she tried to console him with words of encouragement. 
 "With much practice monsieur may become perfect," 
 she said. "But enough of that now. We will go back 
 to the dance." 
 
 The dance! The sinful word aroused him to his 
 danger. 
 
 "This is witchery!" he cried. "I will have no more 
 of it!" 
 
 "Ah," she said, ruefully, "if monsieur is tired of 
 the lessons we will return to the house." But she 
 remained, and her injured, childlike air was the despair 
 of monsieur.
 
 The Wolverine 2 9 
 
 "I don't think you understand me," said Perry, 
 sorely disturbed. He would be true to his old tra- 
 ditions, and yet retain her friendship. "Such things 
 are not to be a part of my life. I must work and 
 struggle. I must be in the woods, away from so- 
 ciety." 
 
 "Ah, but while you are here," she protested 
 
 "It is getting late," he interrupted, and looked at 
 the moon fiercely, battling with the tempter within. 
 "It must be near the Sabbath." And he took a step 
 in the direction of the house. 
 
 "Ah, yes, we will return. Mr. North wishes it." 
 Perry knew she was offended. Her "Mr. North" 
 in contrast with the previous "Monsieur" revealed it. 
 But what could he do? though his very soul cried 
 out against his brutality.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 IT was far toward morning before Perry got to 
 sleep. He tried to fix his thoughts, first on his 
 home, and then on the work that lay before him, 
 that he might not think of Marie and the humiliating 
 spectacle he had made of himself that evening. In 
 spite of his efforts, however, there would steal before 
 his vision the figure and face of the girl, as she stood 
 directing him on the river bank, and he would feel 
 again the thrill of her hands as she turned him about 
 to satisfy her whim. Joy came also as he recalled 
 that she had left the gay revelers and sought him 
 out. She had declared the dance indoors stupid, and 
 had asked to walk with him. And what a walk it 
 was! 
 
 Perry sucked the air in with an ecstatic sigh, when 
 a knife seemed entering his side as he realized he 
 had lost himself again. 
 
 "This isn't thinking of home! This isn't forgetting 
 her!" he hissed in the dark, and turned fiercely in 
 bed. Once more he corralled his straying thoughts, 
 and, to keep them from forbidden paths, set himself 
 the task of solving problems in geometry, following
 
 The Wolverine 31 
 
 this with numbers of three figures each, which he 
 squared on a mental blackboard. 
 
 At last, worn out, he fell into a sleep, from which 
 he seemed speedily to awake, having dreamed that 
 he and Marie were overtaken in a forest by a terrible 
 storm. Even awake he continued to hear the roar 
 of the wind; and, springing from his bed, he rushed 
 to the window in time to see, in the pale light of 
 dawn, a troop of French ponies scurry madly through 
 the street, directed solely by some wild fancy of their 
 own. Perry would not go back to bed, so he dressed 
 and wrote for a time on the letter which was soon 
 to be sent home. But he wrote nothing about Marie. 
 
 Later in the morning he attended services at the 
 Presbyterian Church, and, coming away, met Gov- 
 ernor Cass in the streets. They walked for a block, 
 together, and fell to discussing a point in morals, 
 when the great man asked him whether he had read a 
 certain new author on the subject; and, as he had 
 not, the other graciously offered to lend him the 
 book from his library, if Perry would accompany him 
 to the house. 
 
 The young man kept to the quiet of his room in 
 the hotel, poring over the volume till the cool of the 
 afternoon, when he went for a stroll in the open air. 
 He returned thoroughly scandalized by the behavior 
 of the French. Out on the Common he had come 
 upon a concourse of people highly excited over some 
 horse-racing; one of the contestants was his little 
 friend, Francois, and among the interested spectators 
 he caught a glimpse of Marie. 
 
 North would not have been so shocked by any-
 
 32 The Wolverine 
 
 thing else which he might have seen. Marie a Sab- 
 bath breaker! He had no thought now to put her 
 out of mind; rather was he filled with a burning de- 
 sire to save her from false teachings, to lead her 
 into a Christian life after the type of his sister Laura's. 
 It would have been some consolation to him, sud- 
 denly awakened to proselyting, had he known that 
 Marie only just arrived on the scene when he dis- 
 covered her; and that she had come to call her 
 brother home, not because he was doing wrong, but 
 because it was supper-time. She, or any other per- 
 son, had the same grounds for thinking he was a 
 Sabbath breaker. But she had not seen him, and if 
 she had, would not have judged him, so, after all, he 
 was not far wrong on the point he considered vital. 
 
 Perry had many romantic dreams of how he was to 
 accomplish this new and creditable object. Naturally 
 impulsive, he had long been haunted by a fear that 
 some time he would commit an irreparable blunder, 
 and to guard against this he had schooled himself to 
 deliberate action. In the matter of Marie's conver- 
 sion he rightly judged that success could be won only 
 by slow and patient endeavor. Meanwhile, his pro- 
 fessional duties required immediate attention, and 
 ten days passed before he saw the French beauty 
 again. 
 
 Detroit was now expanding in every direction, and 
 Perry's first work as a surveyor was to run lines which 
 opened up streets and formed building lots for the 
 people flocking thither from the East. He knew the 
 French were opposed to having their farms broken 
 up in this manner, for he had heard the subject dis-
 
 The Wolverine 33 
 
 cussed in the hotels, and had appreciated the laugh- 
 ter which always followed an exhibition of their short- 
 sightedness. The very thing which the Yankee would 
 have hailed with delight, meaning riches and power 
 to the owner, was an abomination to the French, who 
 were quite content with their simple life. But the 
 work was a question of public improvement; a thing 
 which so naturally followed that Perry never once 
 thought of armed opposition in performing his duties. 
 
 He and his assistant were working in the middle 
 of a fine old French orchard, marking out the course 
 which Jefferson Avenue has since taken. He had 
 just got his level in position, and was waiting for the 
 target to be placed, when a great hue and cry rose 
 off to the right. Turning to see what it meant, the 
 young surveyor was nonplussed at the sight of a war- 
 like force advancing toward him. With every show 
 of hostile intention they swooped down upon him, a 
 trio of stalwart, lank-faced young Frenchmen, led by 
 a middle-aged man of commanding appearance. 
 
 Surely there was some mistake; doubtless they 
 thought he was there to steal their fruit. He would 
 explain to them. Calmly he awaited their approach. 
 Of course they would not shoot him, though the two 
 with guns continually threatened. If one had talked 
 alone he might have understood his jargon; however, 
 it was plainly evident they wished him begone. And 
 it was his business to remain. Stones which the third 
 in the ranks commenced to throw were more to be 
 feared than the guns, and Perry was obliged to take 
 shelter behind a pear tree. Having developed some
 
 34 The Wolverine 
 
 evidence of fear in the defense, the leader of the attack- 
 ing party was willing to parley. 
 
 "Eet would give me mooch sorrow to shoot 
 monsieur," said the commanding officer, with courtly 
 manner and fine, picturesque accent, while he beck- 
 oned his men to desist "Will monsieur take his in- 
 strumen' and go 'way? Zen 'ere be no trouble 
 nothing to make one sorrowful. I hope monsieur 
 will comprehen'." 
 
 "I am not here to steal your fruit," returned Perry 
 from behind the tree-trunk, thus making it evident 
 that the nature of his offense was not understood. 
 
 "Mon Dieu! eet ees not me fruit," explained the 
 old man, shaking his long, white hair. He looked 
 more like some admirable picture done by a master 
 hand, than an object to be feared. He was clothed in 
 a full-dress suit of black, with white cravat and roll- 
 ing shirt-collar, clean and immaculate as the snow. 
 Perry could not help feeling the charm of his voice, 
 his rosy cheeks, his fine mouth and perfect teeth; and 
 it all helped to rob the situation, in a measure, of its 
 annoyance. 
 
 "If it's not your fruit, what is it?" demanded the 
 young surveyor, trying in vain to find reason in their 
 action. 
 
 "Eet ees ze road I will not have," returned the 
 courtly Frenchman. "Eet will ruin me trees. Bime- 
 by you come again an' cut 'em down; I canno' suffer 
 zat. Ah, eet would break me heart. I hope monsieur 
 will perceive. Ze trees zey are plant' by me father's 
 grandfather ah, so long ago I canno' tell. My life 
 eet ees wrap' up in ze trees; I will defen' zem wit' me
 
 The Wolverine 35 
 
 life. I hope monsieur comprehen'. Ze guns zey are 
 load'. Eet ees ver* danger's no' to go 'way wit* 
 mooch promptment." 
 
 "I think I understand you now," answered Perry. 
 "And I will not go away. I am a government official; 
 and the government will protect me in the discharge 
 of my duties. You should know this. I am not 
 afraid of your guns." 
 
 "Monsieur will no' go?" he questioned. "Monsieur 
 ees a ver 5 brave man. But zen I moos' proceed. I 
 will defen' ze trees wit' me life." 
 
 He spoke a word to his followers in French, and 
 they promptly surrounded the spot where Perry had 
 taken refuge. Then at a second command they rushed 
 upon him from three directions. It was worse than 
 useless for Perry to resist, but his was not the spirit 
 to give up tamely. With a feeling of disgust, he saw, 
 in the distance, his craven assistant take to his heels 
 in the direction of the town, while he, with back to 
 the tree, awaited the assault. 
 
 The first man received a blow that was a surprise 
 to him, for he at once measured his length on the 
 ground. Then Perry's arms shot out to the right 
 and left, and the two others met fists that staggered 
 them. The attack, however, was immediately re- 
 newed, but with a feint that tempted the young sur- 
 veyor from the friendly tree toward where his first 
 assailant lay. Before Perry comprehended the danger, 
 his legs had been seized and pinioned by the pros- 
 trate man; and the next instant four men were rolling 
 on the earth. It was a question now of only a few
 
 36 The Wolverine 
 
 minutes before the Frenchmen had their prisoner 
 bound hand and foot, and utterly at their mercy. 
 
 Perry was filled more with curiosity than fear, as 
 to what disposition would be made of him. His cap- 
 tors were indulging in animated conversation while 
 they rested from the struggle, and he tried to gather 
 the substance of what was said by the knowledge 
 gained from Francis. But their faces and gestures 
 told more than the words from their lips. 
 
 They seemed to be jolly, good-natured fellows; the 
 one whom Perry had knocked down was now the butt 
 of his companions' jokes. There was no anger for 
 their prisoner; the two who had suffered least were 
 willing to share their fun with him, if he rightly 
 interpreted their actions. And when, presently, they 
 came and took him up, with the evident intention of 
 carrying him to the house in the distance, their man- 
 ner was both gentlemanly and deferential. 
 
 Perry never forgot how things looked as he took 
 that involuntary journey. At one side walked the 
 courtly old Frenchman, handsome, grave, and digni- 
 fied. Above was the summer sky, its deep blue 
 flecked with clouds; then all blotted out by massive 
 green boughs, as they passed under some ancient 
 pear tree. Away to the left lay the town; the sun, 
 low over his feet, shone on the Capitol off at one side ; 
 in the center the shadow of a cloud rested on the five 
 white towers of Ste. Anne's. Not till they made a 
 turn near the house, quaint, old, and yellow half 
 trading-store, half dwelling did the broad sweep of 
 the river come into view, with an occasional sail 
 hovering, bird-like, above the water.
 
 The Wolverine 37 
 
 They carried their prisoner to a low room on the 
 second floor, and placed him on a rude couch, where, 
 still bound, he was left alone. Through a small dor- 
 mer-window Perry had a glimpse of the sky, the dis- 
 tant Canadian shore, and a narrow band of blue water. 
 From his surroundings he easily guessed they had 
 imprisoned him in a sort of lumber-room, which, 
 when the house was crowded, had been used as a 
 sleeping apartment. 
 
 No sooner had the last footstep died away than he 
 began thinking of escape. He soon found, however, 
 that the cords which fettered his wrists and ankles 
 had been fastened by a master hand, and were not to 
 be removed. By dint of much wriggling he threw 
 his legs off the couch, and got himself to a sitting pos- 
 ture. Then he rose to his feet, and, by a series of 
 semi-circles on heel and toe, made his way to the 
 window. Day was fast giving place to night; but in 
 the soft twilight he saw, if his hands were free, he 
 might easily raise the window, slip down the roof, 
 thence to the ground was but a few feet. 
 
 While still contemplating the prospect, the bolt slid 
 cautiously in the door, and some one entered the 
 room, though he had heard no step approaching. 
 There was not time to get back to the couch. He 
 merely turned to see who his visitor might be, and, 
 in utter astonishment, cried one word 
 
 "Marie!" 
 
 "Mon Dieu! c'est Monsieur North! It is what I 
 feared les cheveux d'or," said mademoiselle, re- 
 peating the words, which, below stairs, had led her 
 to suspect who was her father's prisoner.
 
 38 The Wolverine 
 
 "The golden-haired/' however, was not so much 
 frightened by all that had previously happened, as 
 now, by his sudden use of her Christian name. 
 
 "I am so sorry for monsieur/' continued Marie, 
 and her troubled countenance made Perry forget all 
 his wrongs. "Monsieur must fly! There is a way 
 let me think." Her mind worked beyond the imme- 
 diate object, however. "Monsieur must never, never 
 come here again. Let him make his roads through 
 the forest, and not through cultivated fields. This 
 once will I help him to escape. See, it is nearly dark. 
 In an hour raise the window and creep down the 
 roof; a ladder will be there. Where are monsieur's 
 hands? my wish it is to unbind them." 
 
 "No, Miss Beaucceur, I cannot let you," answered 
 Perry, with an effort to be firm. "If I am not mis- 
 taken, this is your father's house, and I am his pris- 
 oner. I cannot let you take my part against your 
 father. It would bring you trouble. And no harm 
 can come to me." 
 
 Then began mademoiselle's art. For reply she 
 said, softly: "A moment ago it was 'Marie'; now it is 
 'Miss Beaucceur/" Her tone was so grieved Perry 
 feared she was about to cry. 
 
 "I do not understand, Marie," he returned, made 
 bold by her timidity. 
 
 "Monsieur should understand. It is not French 
 that I speak. If he will turn about I will untie the 
 hands, and then he may loose his feet. Is it not good 
 English?" 
 
 "Perfect. But what will you say to your father?"
 
 The Wolverine 39 
 
 "I do not tell tales on any one. Does monsieur 
 think I will begin on myself ?" 
 
 "There will be questions asked." 
 
 "I shall not hear/' 
 
 "Perhaps you will not be able to avoid it." 
 
 "One can look ignorant and not understand." 
 
 "That would be acting a lie; and I cannot let you 
 do that for me," he said, severely. 
 
 "Monsieur is very, very good," she returned, de- 
 murely. 
 
 For a space there was silence. Then Perry ven- 
 tured, stammeringly: "Is not mademoiselle good, 
 also?" 
 
 She started, pleased with his use of the French 
 word. 
 
 "What does monsieur think?" she asked, with timid 
 insinuation. 
 
 "I saw you watching a horse-race, on a Sunday, 
 not long ago. Was not that very, very wrong?" 
 
 "I do not remember," she answered, disappointed 
 and dropping her head in thought. "The horse-race 
 it does not interest me much. If monsieur had said 
 he saw Francois " 
 
 "Francois was riding one of the ponies was one 
 of the contestants." 
 
 Her reverie held her still. "And monsieur thinks I 
 am very, very naughty," she mused, sadly. "Father 
 Richard does not think me very, very naughty. 
 Father Richard says I am a good child." 
 
 In his heart Perry wanted to bless Father Richard, 
 but his reason told him that he ought rather to con- 
 demn the Priest severely. Was he not a servant of
 
 4 The Wolverine 
 
 that source whence came all her false teachings? But 
 while he searched for suitable words, Marie burst 
 from her reverie with fresh determination to perform 
 the errand which had brought her thither. 
 
 "But we waste time," she said, impatiently. "Mon- 
 sieur will let me free his hands now?" she pleaded. 
 "Because I ask it because it will please me. Mon- 
 sieur will give me this pleasure?" 
 
 "Why do you ask it?" he questioned, rinding it 
 hard to refuse, yet feeling that to accept her assist- 
 ance would be almost cowardly. 
 
 "Ciel! why do I ask it?" she repeated, to gain time 
 to plan a new campaign. And after a moment: "Let 
 monsieur answer his own question. He has truly 
 said no harm can come to him here. But what 
 of my father who has made monsieur a pris- 
 oner? What will they say at the Capitol? What will 
 monsieur le gouverneur do when he finds his sur- 
 veyor officer does not return? What of my father 
 then? If I help monsieur to escape, will he not be a 
 friend and forgive injury? My heart tells me monsieur 
 is good and kind." 
 
 "Since you put it that way," Perry said; and turn- 
 ing about, in a moment his hands were free. "Thank 
 you." 
 
 "Now I will go. Monsieur can unbind his feet. 
 I shall not forget the ladder; and monsieur will not 
 forget to be kind." 
 
 And with that she slipped noiselessly away. 
 
 Their plan worked without a flaw, and in less than 
 an hour Perry was in his own room at the hotel.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 PERRY'S little adventure by no means put a 
 stop to the extension of Jefferson Avenue. 
 But previous to resuming work there, a hear- 
 ing was had before Governor Cass. Thanks to the 
 excited story which the assistant spread, the affair 
 had come to the Governor's ears before Perry himself 
 carried it thither. Remembering his promise to 
 Marie, he reported as little of the matter as possible, 
 and only asked that it be made plain that further 
 interference would not be tolerated. Perry's attitude 
 pleased the Governor, as it did Mr. Lyon, who was 
 present at the interview. 
 
 Father Richard was there also, come in the interests 
 of the offending Frenchman. Perry had heard a great 
 deal of this Priest, and all of a favorable nature. Tall, 
 sepulchral, clad in coarse, cheap cloth, cut after the 
 order of the Sulpician monks, Father Richard was a 
 striking figure; indeed, a man of rare ability. Born 
 and educated in France, in his early manhood he had 
 been sent to this country by the Superior General 
 of his order. For a time he served as a missionary 
 in Illinois, but was soon advanced to the more im-
 
 4 2 The Wolverine 
 
 portant field at Detroit, where he had served a third 
 of a century. 
 
 While waiting for Beaucoeur, the Priest, in reply 
 to questions, told Governor Cass of the first news- 
 paper published west of the Alleghany Mountains, 
 and of the difficulties he had had to surmount in 
 moving his press from Baltimore to Detroit. Father 
 Richard had the same French accent that was be- 
 coming so familiar to Perry's ears, but his words were 
 all well chosen and fell into perfect English sen- 
 tences. His manner showed him to be courteous and 
 affable, with innate simplicity, to which was added 
 the strength of unknown forces held in reserve. 
 Perry's admiration was appealed to at once. This 
 man had sat in Congress with Clay and Webster 
 and Calhoun; had battled with primeval forces, and 
 won golden victories. Although Puritan blood 
 strongly prejudiced Perry's mind against anything 
 bearing the stamp of Rome, he felt that it was well 
 to know this Priest, who was to be his arch enemy 
 in the campaign for Marie's soul; and he watched 
 the man with all the eyes he had, calculating the 
 chances when he should cross swords with him. 
 
 At last Beaucoeur arrived, and the real work of the 
 meeting was begun. Much patient effort was put 
 forth to convince the courteous Frenchman that he 
 stood in his own light. Without threatening to use 
 force which was very distasteful to the authorities 
 everything else was done to persuade him to yield 
 gracefully, and in the end, backed by the wise coun- 
 sels of the Priest, their arguments won. 
 
 During the conference the cordial relation which
 
 The Wolverine 43 
 
 all wished to obtain between the two races was dwelt 
 upon at great length. The friendship that had ex- 
 isted between Washington and Lafayette was offered 
 as an example of what should be. Cass spoke grate- 
 fully of the assistance this country had received from 
 the Marquis's hands; and Lyon finished by telling of 
 a fine portrait of the French nobleman which had 
 just been presented to Congress. 
 
 "It is my hope," he said as they rose, an amicable 
 understanding having been reached, "to persuade the 
 artist who painted this work to make a second portrait 
 exactly like the original; and if success crowns my 
 efforts, I shall present the painting to Michigan, trust- 
 ing that it will grace the walls of her Capitol, there to 
 be a silent but potent monitor of such relations as 
 should exist between her citizens." 
 
 With this sentiment the conference broke up. 
 
 "I say, North," said Major Hadley, as they came 
 from the Capitol, "you ought to be with us in the 
 Brady Guards. Let me propose your name at our 
 meeting to-night." 
 
 "What's the use?" returned Perry. "My work will 
 take me away from the city so much I shall have no 
 time to drill with you. Just as much obliged though." 
 
 "But you'll be with us practically all the winter," 
 argued the other. "After you've obtained your field- 
 notes, there'll be your office work, which you'll do 
 here; will you not?" 
 
 "Yes," admitted Perry, evidently considering his 
 friend's proposal. 
 
 "By George," cried the Major, admiration dominat- 
 ing his tones, "we want another just such as you in
 
 44 The Wolverine 
 
 the Guards. And I promised myself this pleasure as 
 soon as I heard the story of your encounter with 
 the Beaucoeurs, and subsequent escape. It was fine 
 of you to keep the best part of the adventure dark;" 
 and the speaker laughed as he enjoyed his fancied 
 advantage. "But I can't let you imagine you've 
 pulled the wool over all of us that way. Why, the 
 Governor knows all about it, and so does Lyon!" 
 
 "I don't know who could have told them," said 
 Perry, suffering because of some annoyance which 
 might be brought to Marie, and for which he blamed 
 himself. 
 
 "Why, the Beaucoeurs themselves. They're not 
 bad fellows. Antoine is in the Guards. He said you 
 were bound, hand and foot, after the most approved 
 manner of the Ottawas. I tell you, these Frenchmen 
 know all those Indian tricks. It is only a man of the 
 first water who could slip those cords, and take him- 
 self off as though he had vanished in thin air. They're 
 a superstitious lot, these French, and are ready to 
 believe there's some witchery connected with the 
 way you escaped them." 
 
 Perry was greatly relieved to find his secret was 
 still inviolate; and he laughed now with real pleasure. 
 
 "Well, I vote it witchery too," he declared, having 
 the best of the joke after all. 
 
 "Come, tell me all about it," begged Hadley. They 
 were passing through the Market, deserted at that 
 hour, and but a few steps farther their ways would 
 separate. 
 
 "No, no," returned North, assuming more modesty 
 than he really possessed. "You've heard the story
 
 The Wolverine 45 
 
 from lips that better grace it than mine. Let it go 
 at that/' 
 
 "Well; you will permit me to hand your name in to 
 the Guards?" 
 
 "What's that?" called a voice from behind, and 
 turning, they saw that Lyon and the Governor had 
 overtaken them. 
 
 "I'm trying to persuade North to join the Bradies," 
 explained the Major. 
 
 "Well, I wish you success," returned Lyon. "It 
 will be a good thing for you, Perry," he added with 
 approval. 
 
 "And incidentally I've convinced him that he can't 
 kill a good story by being over-modest," continued 
 Hadley, in happy spirits. "Murder will out. What 
 a set of ninnies he must have thought us, all through 
 our recent meeting!" 
 
 "Truly, I want to congratulate you, Mr. North," 
 said the Governor, beaming upon the young sur- 
 veyor. "Your conduct in this affair meets my entire 
 approval. Mr. Lyon and I feel that the Territory, 
 moreover, is to be congratulated on having an officer 
 who is willing to subordinate his personal feelings to 
 the public good. A revengeful man would have 
 made us no end of trouble." 
 
 "Thank you, Governor," said Perry. 
 
 Cass questioned him then about a book from his 
 library, and advised in regard to another by Richard 
 Whatley which would supplement the volume he had. 
 Hadley was on the point of leaving without having 
 obtained a definite answer to his question when the 
 Congressman helped him out.
 
 46 The Wolverine 
 
 "Send in Mr. North's name, by all means, Major 
 Hadley; I'll answer for his consent," said Lyon; and 
 as Perry made no objection, the Major considered 
 himself duly authorized. 
 
 "These French are just like children," commented 
 Lyon, as he and Perry turned in the direction of their 
 hotel. "They know nothing of self-government, and 
 seem to have little desire to learn. But they will 
 obey a master, their father, or a despotic sovereign, 
 without a question. Now, Beaucceur, as you saw, 
 was as tractable as a lamb before the Governor. He 
 is really a very brave man, and something of a patriot. 
 He fought with Cass at Tarontee, and proved him- 
 self very gallant." 
 
 "He impresses me very favorably," declared Perry. 
 "He must be quite a character, and one that would 
 easily win your affections, I should judge." 
 
 "Indeed, he is all that. You know he is commonly 
 called L'Abbe; and I think it is love and veneration, 
 as much as anything else, which has fastened the title 
 on him. His attack on you was only a childish act 
 of insubordination. It was not the real man." 
 
 "I think I must have seen that," said Perry, "for 
 I never felt the least fear of harm any of the time I 
 was in his hands." 
 
 "He is going to be as rich as Crcesus some day, 
 and that almost against his will," continued Lyon. 
 "He owns a score of farms in the county; and even 
 now you can hardly turn to the right or left in town, 
 without running over Beaucoeur lots, seeing Beau- 
 coeur houses, or meeting Beaucceur tenants. While 
 they care little for wealth, these French are all, never-
 
 The Wolverine 47 
 
 theless, a thrifty, frugal lot, and form a fine portion 
 of our growing Territory." 
 
 And with that, the Congressman's talk drifted into 
 politics.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 PERRY had never had such advantages for read- 
 ing and study as now came within his reach. 
 Practically everything in the Governor's fine 
 library was his to make use of if he chose; and he 
 was not one to neglect such an opportunity. History 
 and biography came first to his taste, but there were 
 signs of a growing interest in science, which, ere long, 
 was to lead him to the theological essayists and writers 
 on religious controversial subjects. Occasionally he 
 read a novel. 
 
 He was deep in Cooper's Spy one evening, after a 
 day spent closely indoors, computing and charting his 
 recent field-notes, when a sudden want of exercise 
 forced itself on his consciousness. Laying the book 
 aside, he determined to go for a walk along the river 
 bank. 
 
 There was a fine moon shining, and he stood for 
 a few minutes on Barthelet's wharf, watching the 
 water break into golden ripples along the path which 
 led away from his feet. He had been in Detroit but 
 five weeks, yet it seemed like a much longer time 
 since he had last seen that path on the river, when,
 
 The Wolverine 49 
 
 in point of fact, it was even less. Just such another 
 night, Marie and he had stood on the bank, a little 
 farther down the stream, and looked upon the same 
 picture, and she had expressed a wish to dance away 
 on that yellow, treacherous band of light. What a 
 mysterious creature she was! One moment, as 
 simple as a single line ; again, as complex as the whole 
 of calculus itself. In how many moods had he seen 
 her! varying all the way from that of a little child un- 
 conscious of itself, to the queen, sensible of all that 
 makes her regal, and jealously demanding her every 
 due. 
 
 North had turned about and was looking up the 
 river, where, dimly visible under the overpowering 
 moon, a light burned in the Beaucoeur home. Three 
 nights ago he had met Marie at some public func- 
 tion of a charitable nature, given in Fireman's Hall, 
 and there she had thanked him for the consideration 
 he had shown her family in reporting his recent mis- 
 adventure. Perry was disappointed by the coldness 
 and formality with which this had been done. Except- 
 ing those few polite words, he had not spoken to her 
 alone since being a prisoner in her father's house. 
 
 However, it was foolish to feel displeasure at her 
 treatment. He meant to know her only to reclaim 
 her from sinful error if Providence should grant him 
 so great a privilege. Was it not the wish for her sal- 
 vation that caused him to think of her now, and led 
 him toward that light far up the river? The question 
 was still in mind when he paused under the great elm 
 that bent out over the water near the Beaucoeur home. 
 Her conversion was a thing which could not be
 
 50 The Wolverine 
 
 pressed he had already reasoned that out. She 
 knew what he thought of the horse-racing. Yes, he 
 had made a good beginning. 
 
 The door of the house opened, and some one came 
 out into the night. Though only a hundred yards 
 away, Perry was off the road, and had no fear of dis- 
 covery. He had not seen the direction the person 
 had taken. Suddenly an object appeared just beyond 
 a clump of hazel at his right, and he recognized 
 Marie's form all too late for him to escape without 
 frightening her. 
 
 "Marie." 
 
 He spoke to disclose himself as she came directly 
 toward the tree against which he was resting. 
 
 "Monsieur!" she cried, in pretty alarm. "What is 
 monsieur doing here?" she asked, curiosity rising 
 above her emotion. 
 
 "It is such a fine night. And I've been shut in all 
 day," he explained. "I thought I would walk out." 
 
 "But monsieur was standing," she argued. 
 
 "I had stopped for a moment," he returned, an- 
 noyed by what she seemed to imply. "I will continue 
 now. I hope I did not frighten you." He waited 
 only for her reply. 
 
 "Monsieur does not wish me to tell a lie. I was 
 terribly frightened," she answered gravely, while she 
 put her hand to her side. 
 
 "I'm sorry," he said. "I saw you leave the house 
 just now, but I did not recognize you till you were 
 upon me. If I had known you were coming here I 
 should have departed at once. Good night." 
 
 "Won't monsieur please wait and unfasten the
 
 The Wolverine 51 
 
 canoe for me? Sometimes it is tied very, very se- 
 curely. Monsieur is so clever at untying bands 
 every one says." 
 
 Perry felt in her humor a thrust at him. Was he 
 not acting a lie in regard to his escape from her house? 
 He made no immediate answer to her words, but 
 silently chafed over the equivocal position in which 
 he had placed himself. He perceived for the first 
 time that a canoe lay upon the water's edge, fastened 
 to the roots of the very tree against which he had 
 been leaning. 
 
 "You are not going out on the river? To-night! 
 alone!" In the midst of his astonishment he com- 
 plied with her request. 
 
 "Ah, yes, alone unless monsieur is kind enough 
 to wish to go with me?" 
 
 "I will go," he replied, slowly, doubtfully. 
 
 "Ah, no it is not necessary," she returned, coldly. 
 
 "Then I wish to go," he declared boldly, with im- 
 patience. 
 
 "Monsieur is very stupid!" 
 
 Not altogether pleased with himself, Perry pushed 
 the canoe from shore, and paddled into the broad 
 stream. 
 
 "And now which way?" he asked, with conscious 
 resignation. 
 
 "Eh bien; straight across to the Canada shore. 
 And monsieur will do well to head toward the island, 
 for the current it will carry him down-stream. Mon- 
 sieur handles the paddle like an Ottawa." 
 
 This compliment put Perry in good humor. In 
 truth, Marie had watched his first efforts with some
 
 52 The Wolverine 
 
 misgivings. But now she settled in the bottom of 
 the canoe with every assurance that all was well. 
 
 "I told you once I was no greenhorn, if I am from 
 the East," replied North, as he plied the paddle. 
 
 "If I were to fall into the water, think monsieur he 
 could rescue me?" 
 
 "Do not put me to the test," Perry answered, with 
 almost a command in his tones. 
 
 "Ah, monsieur cannot swim," she retorted. 
 
 He dared not tell her how much at home he was 
 in the water, lest the caprice to try him might seize 
 her. But his conscience, or some wilful imp, pres- 
 ently suggested that if he kept silence, was it not 
 the same as acting a lie? And when Perry's con- 
 science pointed a way, he made strenuous efforts to 
 walk therein. 
 
 "I could swim twice across this river," he said, 
 calmly, and withdrew the paddle from the water to 
 be ready for action. 
 
 "Monsieur is boastful," she commented with dis- 
 dain, wherewith Perry resumed paddling furiously. 
 
 Silence followed for a time, and heated blood grew 
 cool. Marie turned about to search the Canadian 
 shore, dimly revealed by the moon. The bow of the 
 canoe crooned a soft, sibilant strain to the regular 
 pish, pish, of the paddle. The river, dark and mys- 
 terious, yet bore them with a tender embrace, its vast 
 depths seeming a fathomless store of peace and con- 
 tentment. 
 
 "Does monsieur see yonder feeble light?" Marie 
 questioned, presently. "The landing-place it is there."
 
 The Wolverine 53 
 
 As they stepped ashore, Perry discovered a heavily- 
 filled basket in the forward end of the canoe. 
 
 "Monsieur will please fetch it," Marie said, and 
 led the way along a path which shortly brought them 
 through the forest to a hut rudely made of logs. The 
 feeble light which they had seen on the river shone 
 from a window here. Marie pulled the latch-string 
 and entered without knocking. 
 
 "Did you think, grand'mere, that I was not com- 
 ing?" questioned mademoiselle, going up to an aged 
 and wrinkled dame, kissing her on the cheek. Marie 
 spoke in French, but the happy ring in her voice 
 was intelligible to Perry. "Pere Richard and Etienne 
 Baddeau came in, and I could not get away sooner. 
 But I have brought you a lot of goodies and a visi- 
 tor." And she turned to present North. "Monsieur 
 must speak in French. She does not understand the 
 English." 
 
 "Bon soir, madame," said Perry; and unconsciously 
 he went through one of the lessons which Marie had 
 given him in the art of bowing. 
 
 "Ah, monsieur is improving," said Marie, smiling 
 sweetly on him. 
 
 The old dame rattled off at great length, all of 
 which Marie had to translate to Perry. It was a 
 considerable disappointment to grand'mere, learning 
 that she could not converse with the gentleman with- 
 out an interpreter. Nevertheless, she received him 
 graciously for mademoiselle's sake. 
 
 "Ah, Marie, thou hast another sweetheart," said 
 grand'mere, behind her hand, unmindful that Perry 
 could not understand.
 
 54 The Wolverine 
 
 "Oh, no, grand'mere, he is not," returned mademoi- 
 selle, with a blush and a pretty shrug of the shoulders. 
 
 "But he would like to be," the old dame affirmed. 
 "Ah! once I was young, too." And she shook her 
 bony finger at the girl, and revealed her toothless 
 gums in an effort to laugh. 
 
 Marie joined her gaily. "Between you and me, 
 grand'mere, he doesn't know what he would like." 
 
 "Ah, he will find out! He will find out! Les 
 cheveux d'or Franqois has told me about him." 
 
 "Ah, yes les cheveux d'or," repeated Marie, 
 watching Perry, and rightly guessing he did not un- 
 derstand a word. "She says I may fetch you again, 
 monsieur," Marie said to Perry, without the least 
 scruple. "Will you come?" 
 
 "I shall be very happy to come again," answered 
 Perry. 
 
 And then to grand'mere she said : "Monsieur would 
 like to come again. He thinks you are very clever, 
 and quite a demoiselle. Monsieur is very gallant." 
 This unconscionable speech brought forth a flood of 
 words from grand'mere, which Perry took as expres- 
 sions of pleasure at his acceptance. 
 
 Bowing to the ancient crone, he murmured: 
 "Merci, madame." 
 
 Marie began flying hither and thither about the 
 room. "Now we will have the feast, grand'mere," 
 she said. "You sit still and I will make everything 
 ready. I know where the cloth is kept; and we will 
 have tea." In English she addressed Perry. "Will 
 monsieur be so kind as to build the fire? Just a wee, 
 petit fire, to boil the kettle." And she motioned him
 
 The Wolverine 55 
 
 toward the great, open fireplace at one end of the 
 single room. 
 
 North obeyed, guessing from her movements what 
 were her intentions. Soon he had uncovered the 
 coals, and, with a few pine knots, built a quick fire. 
 The blaze added a cheerful light to the room which 
 hitherto had been shrouded in blackness, save where 
 the candle burned before the window. This task done, 
 Marie sent him to the river for water, and afterward 
 into the forest to replenish grand'mere's little stock 
 of fuel, which they were making use of. When all 
 was ready, the girl's ringing notes called him to the 
 feast. 
 
 Grand'mere had but one chair and two stools 
 just enough for all, Marie declared as a happy coinci- 
 dence. The stools she placed at opposite ends of the 
 table, which was rudely built out from the bare, clay- 
 chinked wall. Then bidding Perry to escort their 
 hostess, she stood in readiness to bring up the chair 
 which grand'mere occupied. In a moment they were 
 seated, Perry and Marie at the ends, the old dame 
 between. The candle, elevated by a block of wood 
 near the wall, lighted up the three faces, and revealed 
 the steam rising from the tea-urn to the girl's brow, 
 where it kissed the dark locks into elfish curls. 
 
 "Will monsieur say a grace?" asked Marie, with 
 quiet dignity, and three heads were bowed. 
 
 Then, with gentle deftness, she poured the tea and 
 passed the viands, the while keeping up a running 
 fire of conversation with madame. Perry was con- 
 vinced he had never before looked on so charming a 
 picture. All of the girl's youth and beauty was en-
 
 56 The Wolverine 
 
 hanced by the proximity of so much that was old and 
 ugly. Then, too, this was the first time he had be- 
 held her in the French cap and quaint gown which 
 mademoiselle wore that evening. One moment her 
 face bore all the sweet gravity of a Madonna, the 
 next it seemed the incarnation of everything saucy. 
 
 Listening to their conversation, Perry caught, occa- 
 sionally, words and phrases that he had learned from 
 Francois, and so knew pretty well of what they were 
 talking, if he did not understand fully. Marie had 
 not given her aged friend's name, but he rightly 
 guessed she was Mere Gobielle from whom Frangois 
 had had all his legends. Perry was thinking if such 
 an evening could be his once or twice a week he 
 would soon acquire a perfect knowledge of French, 
 when a wolf, almost under the eaves, sent up a long, 
 hungry howl. 
 
 "Mere de Dieu!" exclaimed Marie, with a shudder. 
 
 "Le loup garou!" breathed grand'mere in awful 
 whispers. 
 
 The next instant the girl was laughing at the silly 
 start she had given herself. "Ah, monsieur is not 
 afraid?" she questioned with scorn, catching sight of 
 the pained expression on his face. 
 
 "There is nothing to fear from the wolf," said 
 Perry. He did not explain that the look, which she 
 had misunderstood, was caused by the feeling of prof- 
 anation that swept over him as he translated her 
 words. He knew such expressions were not looked 
 on by people of other languages as the English re- 
 gard them; still he could not rid himself of a feeling 
 of horror that they should fall from lips like Marie's.
 
 The Wolverine 57 
 
 He consoled himself with the thought that this was 
 one of the things which he was to lead her from, into 
 a modified Puritan refinement. 
 
 "Now, grand'mere, for your smoke!" exclaimed 
 Marie, springing from the table. "I've brought a 
 lot of 'baccy." Not knowing she had just shocked 
 Perry, mademoiselle perceived an excellent chance 
 for doing so now. Searching her basket a moment, 
 she broke out in petulent English, "Oh, grand'mere, 
 my pipe it is at home! I have forgot it. Have you 
 not two? Two will be enough monsieur does not 
 smoke." And she came back to the table, intent on 
 filling the old crone's short-stemmed clay pipe with 
 tobacco just taken from the now nearly empty basket. 
 "Ah, the English, I forget you do not understand 
 it." And she rattled off something which Perry must 
 needs judge the same in French. 
 
 "Marie no!" he cried, starting to his feet. 
 
 "Only this one?" Marie had repeated, in disap- 
 pointed English, after madame's words. "Will mon- 
 sieur get a coal for grand'mere's pipe? Ciel! Is 
 monsieur ill?" 
 
 Perry turned on his heel and strode toward the 
 door. He had had a sudden and painful revelation. 
 Far down the future he saw himself sitting before an 
 open fire, and beside him was the counterpart of Mere 
 Gobielle, but about the shrunken form and wizened 
 features was a nebulous something that once had been 
 Marie. This, and the pain what did it mean? 
 
 Soon after that, they left the hut and returned to 
 the canoe. Marie made a number of light remarks, 
 but Perry would not be drawn from his moody si-
 
 58 The Wolverine 
 
 lence. However, near the middle of the river, the 
 canoe struck a floating log, which Perry had not 
 seen, as a cloud momentarily covered the moon. 
 The shock threw him forward from his knees, nearly 
 into Marie's lap. 
 
 "Mon Dieu!" cried the girl, "monsieur is so care- 
 less!" 
 
 Perry ground his teeth for fear of what he might 
 say. After a moment he permitted himself the words : 
 "I will be more careful." 
 
 It was his altered tone that smote her. "I beg 
 monsieur's pardon," she said. "I know it could not 
 be prevented." As no reply seemed forthcoming, she 
 added presently, "Will monsieur not forgive me?" 
 
 "I have nothing to forgive," answered Perry, main- 
 taining a reserve. 
 
 "Ah, but monsieur's manner says very, very dif- 
 ferent." 
 
 "You would not understand I cannot explain it 
 to you " 
 
 "I know I am very, very stupid, monsieur. But it 
 
 is not kind to tell me so. And I will listen " She 
 
 bent toward him with a manner that was irresistible 
 in its subtle charm. 
 
 "There is such a difference " he stammered. "It 
 
 is so much " 
 
 "Ah, is not monsieur easily deceived?" she ques- 
 tioned. 
 
 "Only for a moment," he answered. "I know, 
 Marie, that you were playing with me about the 
 tobacco." 
 
 "But monsieur has forgiven me that. What else?"
 
 The Wolverine 59 
 
 "Nothing to forgive. Yet everything to wish dif- 
 ferent." 
 
 "What?" she entreated softly, sincerely, her man- 
 ner waxing in its degree of insinuation. 
 
 "Oh, Marie! you are French and a Catholic, while 
 I am English and Protestant. Can there be greater 
 difference? We do not understand each other, now. 
 I had hoped we might be friends. But how can 
 we? we shall be continually quarreling " 
 
 "Mon Dieu, I do not think so." 
 
 "There it is! That!" he exclaimed. "I know you 
 do not mean wrong. But to me it is very, very 
 wrong to speak of God lightly." 
 
 "Ah, that If it is hurtful to monsieur I will 
 
 remember I will not say such things when monsieur 
 is about." 
 
 "Or ever, Marie. I would have you give it up 
 always !" 
 
 "It is very, very much," she mused. "I do not 
 see if monsieur does not hear, what is the harm?" 
 
 "It is the sin. It is your soul, Marie," he said, with 
 intense religious fervor. 
 
 "Ah!" She breathed deeply as light began to break 
 over her. "Ah, the soul! Does monsieur wish me 
 a Protestant?" 
 
 "Yes I pray God!" he answered reverently, his 
 whole heart in the words. He had ceased to ply the 
 paddle, and unconsciously leaned toward her. 
 
 She withdrew from him as if bitten by a reptile. 
 "It can never, never be! Why does monsieur ask 
 this? I have never wished monsieur to be a Catholic! 
 Eh bien! is it because I am very, very wicked? Mon-
 
 60 The Wolverine 
 
 sieur should have been a clergyman. Will you take 
 me to the land?" She was greatly moved. 
 
 Perry thought he had spoilt everything by making 
 her angry. But before the anger and the sarcasm 
 there had been surprise, regret, reproach, and doubt; 
 and these were more than likely to recur to upset any 
 present state. Silently he resumed the paddle, but 
 with such vigor that presently the nose of the canoe 
 was pushed into the soft mud at the roots of the great 
 elm. Marie sprang ashore with her empty basket. 
 
 "It is not necessary for me to wait," she said, with 
 much constraint. "Monsieur will make the canoe 
 secure. Thanks. Good night!" 
 
 With that she disappeared beyond the clump of 
 hazel at the turn of the path. Perry made the canoe 
 fast, and then waited for Marie to enter the house as 
 he had seen her come out. It was all he could do. 
 Afterward, with heavy heart, and mind sorely per- 
 turbed, he made his way to his hotel.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 CIRCUMSTANCES compelled the French to 
 plat their farms in what seemed ridiculous 
 shapes to the agriculturist of a later day. It 
 was necessary to form some protection against the 
 Indians; this, and because your Frenchman loved the 
 society of his neighbors, led him to divide his hold- 
 ings into long, narrow strips facing some navigable 
 river. There he could erect houses every four hun- 
 dred feet, and work the land back as far into the in- 
 terior as he chose. Thus, like beads strung on a sil- 
 ver thread, were built up little settlements, bunched 
 for strength against a foe, and making it easy to con- 
 gregate for festivities. 
 
 Such a settlement had grown up near the head of 
 Lake St. Clair; and such a farm was Isadore Na- 
 varre's, where Marie went to visit the day after that 
 evening at Mere Gobielle's. Isadore Navarre's ances- 
 tors had received the land in 1740 of the Marquis 
 Duquesne de Menneville, Governor-General of 
 Louisiana and Canada. The grantee was bound to 
 pay a specified number of livres each year in peltries 
 to the Crown, and to assist in planting a May-pole
 
 62 The Wolverine 
 
 before the Mansion House on each May-day. This 
 the Navarres faithfully did till the land was made 
 over to them in fee-simple, as were other grants of 
 a similar nature to their occupants, by the United 
 States Government soon after it took possession. 
 
 From the yard in front of the Navarre house a 
 charming view was to be had southward across the 
 shallow lake. All day the water sparkled in the sun 
 from the moment it rose over the low delta to the 
 east till it set, red and flaming, on the flat lands to 
 the west. Within the inclosure of red cedar palings 
 ten feet high, grew two enormous pear trees, and 
 beneath the shade of these trees Marie Beaucceur and 
 her cousin, Claire Navarre, loved to lounge on the 
 hot August afternoons. 
 
 "Ah, it is so warm!" sighed Claire in French, work- 
 ing her fan, a dainty affair of birch-bark, ornamented 
 after an Indian fashion with colored quills of the 
 porcupine. 
 
 "Think of the times we have driven on the ice with 
 the traineau, far out where the sail now is," replied 
 Marie; "will it not make you cool?" 
 
 "Ciel, no! I will not believe it ever was or ever 
 can be so cold as to freeze the lake," declared the 
 other, with pretty unreason. 
 
 "Ah, shall I stay here always, then? For you know 
 I am not to return home till we can go on the ice, and 
 I can take you with me." 
 
 "And do you think, ma cousine, I will care to go, 
 if it is so dull and stupid in Detroit since the new 
 people are coming in? You have not been one bit 
 like last year, when I could hardly keep you here
 
 The Wolverine 63 
 
 through the summer. Now you throw your whole 
 heart into our poor charades. Louis Girardin says 
 you are perfect in the plays. In or out, he says, you 
 are always acting a part now one thing, now another. 
 You are such a mystery, ma chere. You no longer 
 talk of the balls in the city, of the gay parties, and 
 merry-makings, as you used. Do you think I have 
 not missed your confidence? Ah, Marie, sometimes 
 I think a lover has jilted thee." 
 
 "Think so if you choose, Claire," returned her 
 cousin, with a shade of annoyance. "But it is not 
 true. And I will thank Louis Girardin to keep his 
 opinions to himself. I tell thee plainly I have no 
 lover, more than other years. Etienne Baddeau I 
 care not for him or any!" 
 
 Both girls were seated in the boughs of the larger 
 pear tree. Marie idly rested against a slanting limb, 
 which, with another, formed a rude rustic couch. But 
 she straightened before finishing her words, and a 
 flush of determination spread over her face. 
 
 "What of monsieur le secretaire?" questioned 
 Claire, with the air of having divined some secret. 
 
 "You may have him when you come to Detroit," 
 Marie returned, indifferently. "He is one of the new- 
 comers. He is from Virginia; ah, and very gallant. 
 I think you will like him. But he does not belong 
 to the Church." 
 
 An empty cart trundled across the yard, drawn by 
 oxen without a yoke, but with a rope of twisted raw- 
 hide fastened around the horns. The girls were silent 
 till the long-visaged, bare-footed French youth ac- 
 companying the cart had driven beyond hearing.
 
 64 The Wolverine 
 
 "Marie! are you going to be a nun?" demanded 
 Claire, when they were alone. "I have heard you talk 
 so much about the Church! I could never be a nun 
 unless I was disappointed that is, unless the man 
 I loved married a hateful rival. And that is why I 
 said 
 
 "No; I am not going to be a nun/' interrupted 
 Marie, not caring to have her cousin repeat the words. 
 But she spoke listlessly, gazing far out where the lone 
 sloop was beating to windward up the current. "I 
 merely said that Monsieur Mason does not belong 
 to the Church." 
 
 "And what of that?" 
 
 "We were speaking of him as a lover. Would you 
 marry a heretic?" 
 
 "I do not know," answered Claire, for she had 
 never before considered such a possibility. "If he were 
 a heretic and loved me, I think he would come over to 
 my Church," she added, with much assurance. 
 
 "Then he would be a weak lover," returned Marie, 
 with the readiness of having thought it all out. "And 
 I should despise such!" 
 
 "Well, then I think I would become a heretic, too, 
 and marry him," said Claire, off-hand. A weak lover 
 was out of the question. 
 
 "Ah, Claire, do you remember what becomes of 
 heretics when they die?" Marie spoke solemnly, with 
 great earnestness. 
 
 "I should repent before that." 
 
 "And your children do you think they would all 
 repent, too, before tliey died? Ah, if they should 
 not if there was one one that did not! It would
 
 The Wolverine 65 
 
 kill me to live with such a thought!" Marie's breast 
 rose and fell with strange, deep emotion. 
 
 "Perhaps the Church is wro " Claire started 
 
 and looked around, and did not finish her sentence 
 of doubt. Both were frightened, and crossed them- 
 selves. It was a 'terrible thought. Claire hastened 
 away from it. "To love and not marry ah! it would 
 
 be dreadful and if one were loved But it will 
 
 not happen/' she consoled herself. 
 
 "If you come to Detroit it may/' declared her 
 cousin, with fateful insistence. "Very few of the new 
 people are members of the Church. And there are 
 many fine young men." 
 
 "Ah, but I shall come, any way." Evidently she 
 gave the question more thought, for after a moment 
 she asked: "What would you do, Marie?" 
 
 "I should be very, very careful how I thought of 
 young men who do not belong to the Church," said 
 Marie, slowly; and one might have guessed she spoke 
 with the wisdom of a painful experience. "And," 
 still more slowly, with some thought that developed 
 a grim expression, "if I did fall in love with one 
 with a heretic ah! If I could not forget him other- 
 wise, I think I would prove him a coward, a weak- 
 ling, and so I should despise him, and the love would 
 die out of my heart!" 
 
 "Marie! One would think you were biting the 
 head off a snake! Why, I never saw you look so!" 
 
 With an effort Marie regained herself. "The novel 
 it is the one we are reading, I think," she said in 
 English, fanning her flushed face. "It is plain to 
 you, is it not? that Leicester is weak, faithless, and
 
 66 The Wolverine 
 
 unworthy of a good woman. Amy is weak now but 
 she will grow stronger. Her eyes will be opened. 
 Fight against love it is useless. But yield and prove 
 the lover weak, unworthy; and so love is turned to 
 hate, and the pain is it not stopped? Mon Dieu! I 
 think it is." 
 
 Marie clapped her hand to her mouth as if she had 
 said more than she wished; perhaps it was something 
 she had promised not to say. "Eh bien," she con- 
 tinued suddenly, "I will fetch the book, and we will 
 read it aloud as yesterday." She stepped from the 
 low branches to the ground. "We must read it for 
 the English, and we must speak the English as well, 
 or we will forget it all where there is only French 
 spoken." 
 
 "Mon Dieu, I would not forget my English," ex- 
 claimed Claire. "Ah, the scolding from Pere Richard 
 do I not hear it now?" She put her fingers in her 
 ears as if to stop the sound. "And, Marie, you say 
 the schools have made great advancement since we 
 left them?" 
 
 "Is it not great advancement when they have in- 
 struments? oh fine! Besides the spinning-wheel 
 which we had, they have a glass wheel now that gives 
 out little sparks of fire electreeceety, they call it. 
 And oh! much besides. But, ma cousine, I think I 
 would not say such words as 'Mon Dieu'. I have 
 made myself to give them up. The English they think 
 it not elegant." 
 
 "Ah, the English I have heard it! 'My God' they 
 say and is it not the same? Monsieur the Lake 
 Captain that stops here, he says it much."
 
 The Wolverine 67 
 
 "Ah, yes, the men some men. But never the 
 ladies. And the fine men 1'homme bien ne never!" 
 Of her teacher Marie did not speak.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 DURING those later summer months and all 
 the autumn, Perry too was away from the city. 
 When he returned, driven into town by the 
 snow flurries of early December, he found many 
 changes had taken place. His friend, Governor Cass, 
 had been called to Washington to become Secretary 
 of War in President Jackson's cabinet. There had 
 been a meeting of prominent citizens to protest 
 against so young a man as Secretary of the Territory, 
 but nothing came of this, and now Mason was virtu- 
 ally Governor in the absence of his chief. 
 
 Perry called early at the executive office to make 
 his report, and was cordially received by the young 
 officer. Mason handed him a note from Governor 
 Cass, continuing to him the use of the writer's library 
 during his absence, and directing Perry how to gain 
 free access to the books. Perry was touched by the 
 great man's consideration, and spoke in warm terms 
 of his regard. 
 
 For an hour Mason and he discussed Territorial 
 matters, men and women ; and when Perry left he was 
 cordially invited to call again. He came away won-
 
 The Wolverine 69 
 
 dering at that early meeting of protest; for he was 
 sensible of having passed his time with one wise far 
 beyond his years, possessed of a manliness that was 
 as charming as it was irresistably magnetic. 
 
 As there was every reason to believe he would 
 spend several months in the city, Perry sought out 
 a boarding place in a private house. He succeeded 
 in finding the quarters he wished, a block above Ste. 
 Anne's church, and at once moved his belongings 
 thither. The house was one of the newer ones, built 
 of brick, and owned by a Mrs. Rolland, widow of a 
 lake captain. There were two other boarders; one 
 a remarkably bright young lady his hostess intro- 
 duced as her niece, Elva Webber. Mrs. Rolland spoke 
 with a broad Scotch accent, but Miss Webber's speech 
 was characteristically American. Early in life she 
 had lost her mother; her father, grief stricken, had 
 buried himself in the wilds of Astoria, where he was 
 said to be making fabulous sums of money. 
 
 Perry's new home promised to meet all his needs 
 for his winter's work and study. The attic was his 
 to transform into a workshop, and he furnished it 
 with bench, lathe, and kit of tools. In his labors as 
 land surveyor he had long felt the need of a more 
 perfect instrument, and never so sorely as since run- 
 ning north and south lines in Michigan. The aber- 
 rations of the needle in the magnetic compass were 
 exceedingly perplexing. There were instances where, 
 to keep parallel, he had had to increase the variation 
 one degree for two miles, while the next two miles 
 required no increase whatever, and then the succeed- 
 ing two miles the variation actually decreased twenty
 
 jo The Wolverine 
 
 seconds. It was after such an experience that he de- 
 termined to evolve some instrument that would free 
 him from the inaccuracy and annoyances of the mag- 
 netic needle. This was one of the problems he had 
 set to work out during the long, cold winter. 
 
 He planned a routine at once, giving certain hours 
 to labor of an official nature, and reserving other 
 hours for reading and recreation. Under the last 
 heading he placed the time spent with the Brady 
 Guards. In this way but few moments were left for 
 brooding, and Perry often congratulated himself on 
 recovering so easily from a certain disappointment 
 which always presented itself in the shape of a dark- 
 eyed demoiselle. 
 
 He fairly saturated himself in scientific reading at 
 this time, attracted to it on perusing some essays by 
 Louis Agassiz, a new writer of irresistible fascina- 
 tion. At once it sent the reader to the library at his 
 command, where he found books and pamphlets by 
 Lyell, Humboldt, the elder Darwin, translations of 
 works by Cuvier, Geoffrey St.-Hillaire, and other 
 eminent scientists of his time. All these he devoured 
 as a gourmand, and thenceforward the world was to 
 have a different aspect for him, though several months 
 elapsed before he realized the change. 
 
 Meanwhile he had kept away from the gay social 
 gatherings of the winter-bound city. He told his 
 landlady, buxom Mrs. Rolland, that he cared not 
 for such things. In truth, when he thought of the 
 matter he always seemed to see a very pretty French 
 face, one that had proved a distracting element in his 
 work, and he was of the opinion that the less he saw
 
 The Wolverine 71 
 
 of that face the better. Sometimes he remembered 
 certain proselyting ideas he had once entertained; 
 but he also remembered that once he had wished to 
 fly like a bird. He was wiser now and Providence 
 never asked a man to do the impossible. 
 
 One cold, bright, January day, however, he went 
 to the river to see the skating, and there met an old 
 young friend. Francois, without the question, in- 
 formed Perry that his sister had not yet returned from 
 his uncle's, but since the river and lake were frozen 
 over, they were looking for her every day. 
 
 The next night the acting-governor gave a grand 
 ball at the American Hotel; and promising himself 
 that he should not go out again all winter, Perry at- 
 tended. He took the chance and lost. Marie was 
 there. 
 
 It was a brilliant affair. Not only were all the first 
 families of the Territory represented, but among the 
 guests were many British officers from the posts across 
 the river. And with the red-coated army gentlemen 
 met the blue on friendly terms, for American officers 
 were present from Fort Gratiot above. There was 
 General Brady shaking hands with his old adversary, 
 General Brasden of Fort Maiden, and recalling inci- 
 dents of the fight at Lundy's Lane. A few short 
 years and these two old war dogs were to show teeth 
 and snarl at each other again, if they did not become 
 embroiled in their very efforts to preserve the peace. 
 
 The dashing young Governor, a general favorite, 
 seemed everywhere to welcome his guests. Now he 
 was dancing with the ladies down the long dining- 
 room, cleared for the occasion ; a moment later he as-
 
 72 The Wolverine 
 
 sisted at the buffet to mix a Jamaica toddy for an 
 army friend. Perfect now in his dress, before the 
 function was ended the rolling shirt-collar would be 
 crumpled, and coat-button number two where button 
 number one should be; his appearance, in fact, very 
 much that of Mr. Pickwick after a dinner with his 
 club. But whole-hearted and generous, the pride of 
 his sisters, the idol of his elegant old mother, he 
 was more than a roisterer from Virginia, and under 
 the influence of good advisers their "Tom" was to 
 develop into a shrewd, careful diplomat. 
 
 That night Perry met the aged Trumbull and talked 
 with him of Revolutionary matters; of Washington 
 and the Adamses, whom the old man had seen, know- 
 ing the latter gentlemen well; of his celebrated poem, 
 M'Fingal, which Perry had read, and confessed a 
 liking now for the splendid satire. 
 
 " 'Oh, had Great Britain's warlike shore 
 Produced but ten such heroes more ' " 
 
 quoted Perry to the old man's infinite delight. 
 
 Next to this patriot sat another, Major Thompson 
 Maxwell, past ninety years of age, but still wishing to 
 honor the young Governor. Perry obtained a seat 
 near him and listened to his story of the Boston Tea 
 Party. For Maxwell had been one of the forty or 
 fifty men selected by John Hancock, as he declared, 
 to dress in the garb of Mohawk Indians, and throw 
 the hateful tea into the harbor. Perry had read the 
 story many times in his history, and felt the blood 
 thrill with each perusal. But reading was as nothing 
 compared to hearing the personal narrative, with 
 Such details as no historian could give; to look into
 
 The Wolverine 73 
 
 eyes that had looked on the very scene, and clasp a 
 hand that had so roughly handled the obnoxious 
 goods. This was an evening to remember all one's 
 days! 
 
 Presently, up came diminutive Doctor Houghton 
 and stalwart young Chandler, men from the East 
 like himself; with them Perry was to be closely asso- 
 ciated in the days to come; and one was to lose his 
 life in its middle years on the great northern lake, 
 the other to thrill the country with bold words of 
 patriotism in Congressional halls at a time when 
 traitors openly plotted their treason, and brave hearts 
 everywhere trembled. There were young women 
 present, as handsome as any in the world. One was 
 to marry an English earl and add lustre to a house 
 already famous for achievement in two hemispheres. 
 And one was to marry a Polish count, live out a 
 career of lights and shadows greater than which one 
 may scarcely see again, and die deserted at last in 
 a low Paris den. But, praise Heaven! the majority 
 were to marry at home and rear sons to save the 
 dearest Nation God has yet given to govern the 
 children of men. 
 
 "Mr. North, I wish to present you to my cousin, 
 Miss Navarre." 
 
 Perry had not been to the long room where the 
 dancing was going on, and until that moment had 
 not seen Marie. Between himself and her he believed 
 stretched many miles of snow and ice. Had he been 
 less startled he might have perceived that she was
 
 74 The Wolverine 
 
 not entirely free from agitation herself. But to her 
 was given a skill for hiding emotion that was not his. 
 
 "Ah! that last waltz it has set my head so in a 
 whirl!" she declared, with a flutter of her fan. 
 
 "Ciel," exclaimed Miss Navarre. "It is the man- 
 ner of monsieur le gouverneur. With me it was the 
 same. He is one furore oh! but very fine. I have 
 not danced so like a bird! flying, is it not?" 
 
 "Miss Beaucoeur, I did not know I supposed you 
 were " stammered Perry. 
 
 "Oh, we returned last night," Marie interrupted, 
 guessing his intended speech. "Did you think I was 
 going to remain away always? Everyone else is ask- 
 ing why I was gone so long. And if you were very 
 gallant, Mr. North, you would tell me now that it 
 has already seemed like always." She spoke with a 
 return of her former charming naivete. 
 
 Already his brain was swimming with the intoxica- 
 tion that came of her presence. He had noted that 
 the cousin had Marie's eyes and Marie's mouth, and 
 he had looked quickly to a third lady who chanced 
 to be Elva Webber to assure himself that he was 
 not always to see Marie's face above every pair of 
 pretty shoulders; such had been his sudden morbid 
 fancy. Formerly she had called him "monsieur;" he 
 felt a sense of injury now at her use of the English 
 equivalent. The other had taken him more into her 
 life. This put him at a distance. Then he remem- 
 bered that their ways were to be far apart. 
 
 "I fear I am fated to displease you, Miss Beau- 
 coeur," he said, wishing more and more to do the 
 contrary. "It has never been my good fortune to say
 
 The Wolverine 75 
 
 the right thing at the right time. Truly, it has been 
 long since I saw you last; as much as six months." 
 
 "Ah, more than that three days more! You see 
 I remember exactly. Claire, I must tell you of that 
 sometime. It was such an adventure! I took Mr. 
 North to visit Mere Gobielle's. Do you remember 
 Grand'mere? And the next day I started for Uncle 
 Isadore's." Marie's words were almost feverish. "Ah, 
 I have been with you five minutes, Mr. North, and 
 you have not once said you were glad to see me, or 
 that you have missed me. Monsieur le gouverneur 
 told me both three times in a single dance." 
 
 "The Governor had an opportunity where none 
 other might hear," answered Perry, blushing at his 
 own audacity. "Have you never heard of a silence 
 that speaks more than words?" 
 
 Marie clapped her hands. "It is the first pretty 
 speech you ever made me! Claire, did you hear? Ah! 
 Mr. North, you are getting on. Major Hadley, you 
 should have heard Mr. North's words!" 
 
 "Should I? Then will you be so kind as to tell me 
 what they were?" 
 
 "No, no. You have come to claim the dance with 
 ma cousine. And I will not detain you. Claire has 
 been from the ball-room ten minutes, and death it is 
 from ennui that will claim her, if at once she does not 
 return. Besides, I have promised to walk with Mr. 
 North. He has asked for an opportunity to make a 
 pretty speech which no one else may hear." 
 
 "I'll wager you tell it afterward," said the depart- 
 ing Major. 
 
 "I'll wager she'll never have it to tell," thought
 
 76 The Wolverine 
 
 Perry, with a feeble effort to regain himself. For 
 Marie had not been altogether pleasing in her last 
 words. 
 
 "Let us take this way," said mademoiselle, point- 
 ing down a hall dimly lighted. At the end was 
 another corridor with no light at all, save a cold 
 radiance from the moon through a frost-stained win- 
 dow. A cry of delight broke from Marie as she 
 caught a glimpse of the night in all its beauty with- 
 out. 
 
 Her manner had undergone a transformation the 
 moment they were alone. There was no longer the 
 forced gaiety of the ball room. Now she was simple, 
 sincere; timid almost as a child. She breathed on the 
 window, and rubbed a larger space through which to 
 view the snow-covered, moon-lighted earth. Did 
 she really enjoy the scene as manifest, or was it a 
 ruse to cover some secret agitation? 
 
 Perry questioned nothing, only rejoiced in the 
 change which had taken place. Was it because the 
 silences were long that she seemed like the Marie of 
 his dreams? When they spoke, their words were 
 commonplace enough. 
 
 "The great change what is it that has come over 
 Detroit since last summer?" Marie asked, as she 
 turned away from the window. 
 
 "The snow?" suggested Perry, with much stu- 
 pidity. 
 
 "No, no! I can see that, of course." 
 
 "There are many people here," he ventured. 
 
 "It is not that. Things are older, wiser, different
 
 The Wolverine 77 
 
 and I cannot tell how. But you are so clever. I 
 thought you would know." 
 
 "I wonder if you know that I left Detroit, also, that 
 next day after we were at Madame Gobielle's. It is 
 only a few weeks since I returned." 
 
 "Ah, I did not know that. And why did you go?" 
 she questioned, unconscious that her accent inferred 
 some personal reason. 
 
 "It was my work," he replied. "I think I told you 
 once I should be away a great deal of the time." 
 
 "Ah, I had forgot. And again soon do you go?" 
 
 "Not before next summer, I hope." 
 
 "Then we shall see you often." 
 
 "Thank you for saying so," he replied. "I shall 
 leave you to judge: this is the first time I have been 
 out this winter; and I promised myself before I came, 
 it should not happen again." 
 
 "Ah, you make such horrid promises! You are all 
 achievement and no amusement. It is not good. You 
 are what shall I say? More American than the 
 most American. No play all work. You have never 
 been to our house -" 
 
 The words came before thought, and ended in a 
 little, embarrassed catch of the breath. 
 
 "I have thought of calling," he said. "But I have 
 been away; and you have been away " 
 
 In her heart she thanked him for understanding 
 her, and so completely ignoring a painful memory. 
 "I shall be at home a great deal now. My cousin 
 will be with me. We shall be glad to see you, Mr. 
 North." 
 
 "Thank you; I shall be most happy to call."
 
 78 The Wolverine 
 
 They returned now to the corridor where the light 
 was burning. Many couples were promenading up 
 and down its length, and the place rang with merry 
 voices and gay, unrestrained laughter. The music of 
 the ball-room flowed out through wide-open doors 
 like some limpid stream, immersing other sounds in 
 its all-embracing melody. Gold-lace and military 
 uniforms, bright gowns and sparkling jewels, gave 
 color and brilliancy to many an imposing group of 
 guests. 
 
 A British officer with a lady on his arm came toward 
 Perry and Marie, evidently intending to intercept 
 them. Mademoiselle had perceived an exchange of 
 friendly glances between the lady and her own escort 
 before they were joined. This led Perry to anticipate 
 their meeting with an explanation. 
 
 "You know I am living with Mrs. Rolland now," 
 he said; "so Miss Webber and I are pretty well 
 acquainted." 
 
 "I did not know it," Marie replied with a note of 
 surprise. And at that moment the two reached them. 
 "Mr. North has just told me an amazing piece of 
 news. I did not know, Elva, that he was living with 
 your aunt." 
 
 "Why, Marie, is that so?" exclaimed Miss Webber, 
 with polite astonishment. "But you have been away," 
 she explained, and added : "I am so glad you are back 
 again. I have been longing to see you. And your 
 cousin is with you! Yes, Mr. North and I are living 
 under the same roof, and we are quarreling most of 
 the time. You must be careful what you say to him. 
 I warn you! he has a dreadful temper."
 
 The Wolverine 79 
 
 "Isn't some one telling tales away from home?" 
 questioned Perry with a tone of rebuke, at which 
 Miss Webber clapped the tips of her daintily gloved 
 hand over her mouth. 
 
 "Why not retaliate, Mr. North?" said the officer, 
 hoping to hear something of his fair companion. 
 
 "No, indeed," returned Perry promptly, with seri- 
 ous mien. 
 
 "It's a case of living in a glass house, Colonel 
 Campbell/' explained Miss Webber, renewing her 
 attack. 
 
 "Colonel Campbell has heard Miss Webber confess 
 to the same roof," Perry shot back, and all joined in 
 the laugh that followed. 
 
 The ladies reiterated their pleasure at meeting 
 again, and promised to exchange calls at an early 
 day. Perry and the British officer talked of the win- 
 ter's sports, and of the gay gathering of which they 
 were a part. Colonel Campbell was a fine fellow, a 
 younger son of the Duke of Cairngyll; utterly devoid 
 of arrogance, he had none of that self-sufficiency 
 which makes a warm friendship impossible. At home, 
 outside of the army, he was known as Lord Percy. 
 
 "Somewhere there is a buffet, Mr. North," Marie 
 said, presently. "I am very thirsty and a little tired/* 
 Perry led her to a seat in one of the adjoining rooms, 
 and went to find the place of refreshment. Presently 
 he returned with a glass of water. 
 
 "Thank you," she said; and after drinking: "I might 
 have known you would bring water. You never 
 drink wine," she ventured confidently. 
 
 "I have," answered Perry, with a tone of liberality.
 
 8o The Wolverine 
 
 "You say I never do; perhaps you divine a resolve 
 I have made never to drink wine again." Then wish- 
 ing to please her and curious to know, he asked 
 "Did you wish wine, Miss Beaucoeur?" 
 
 "If, I had asked for it, would you have brought it 
 to me?" 
 
 "Yes," he replied, after a moment's thought. 
 
 "Why do you hesitate?" 
 
 "You are very inquisitive, Mar Miss Beaucoeur." 
 
 She laughed oddly; Perry hardly knew whether at 
 the blunder he narrowly escaped, or at the point he 
 would make in their conversation. That she was 
 pleased her eyes told him in a charming manner. 
 "Ah, you are so different from the rest," she said. 
 "I think you do not know. If you did you would not 
 wonder at my questions. And you have not answered 
 the last " 
 
 "Why did I hesitate? I was thinking. You will 
 agree with me that it is better to leave the wine alone 
 than to become as many of these will, before the night 
 is done." 
 
 "Ah, yes. But why make a beast of oneself?" 
 
 "Another question," he commented, and she 
 laughed with renewed pleasure. 
 
 She rose now. "Your voice is very like Pere 
 Richard's; I had wondered. Your sentiments are 
 his, also. You two should be acquainted. Have you 
 ever met him?" 
 
 "Yes, many times," Perry answered. "I rode with 
 him recently to Monroe." He wanted to tell of that 
 journey, and so prolong the moments. But Marie 
 was casting glances as a bird about to fly.
 
 The Wolverine 81 
 
 "Have you seen my father, Mr. North?" she ques- 
 tioned. 
 
 "Indeed, I just met him. I didn't know he was here 
 till I ran against him in the next room. He and Mr. 
 Richard are together." 
 
 "Father Richard?" His words had seemed so odd. 
 
 "Yes. And your cousin is with them." 
 
 "Take me to them, will you please? I think it is 
 time Louis came with our cariole. It must be nearly 
 midnight." 
 
 Perry had a great deal to think of when he reached 
 his rooms half an hour later. By some mysterious 
 trick of circumstances six months seemed suddenly 
 recalled, and he was back where he had stood on that 
 evening of visiting Mere Gobielle's. He had talked 
 religion with Marie and yet she wished to be friends 
 with him! It is true her manner was more formal 
 than before, but here the six months of separation 
 offered a welcome explanation. Her formality but 
 thinly veiled a friendly spirit, he was sure. 
 
 If it had not been the very next day, Perry would 
 have gone to make his promised call at the Beaucceur 
 home. He decided it was best to curb such impul- 
 siveness, and wait another twenty-four hours. Then 
 came a dainty note inviting him to a dinner there. He 
 guessed the handwriting was Marie's, and it gave 
 him a pleasure unimagined heretofore. He traced 
 every line and curve many times. It required re- 
 peated perusals to make sure of the day and hour, and 
 he even tricked Mrs. Rolland into reading the words 
 aloud that his ears and another's eyes might confirm 
 the testimony of his own.
 
 82 The Wolverine 
 
 After this, coming to himself, he declared he was 
 daft, and that he should not go to the Beaucceur's 
 at all.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 PIERRE BEAUCCEUR was born in the house 
 in which he lived. There, three different gov- 
 ernments had ruled over his head, coming and 
 going with the fortunes of war, till the changes had 
 marked three times more. Through war and in 
 peace, in the beautiful bright days of spring, in the 
 lazy, sultry weather of summer, in the golden gor- 
 geous autumn, in the snug, crisp cold of the long win- 
 ters, he had watched the growth and progress of 
 Detroit. From his dormer-windows he had seen the 
 surveyor enter his fine old orchard; and we have 
 learned how jealously he guarded his own, after his 
 best lights. From those same dormer-windows he 
 had looked over the sparkling straits, and seen the old 
 "Walk-in-the- Water" of 1818 the first steamboat 
 on the Lakes, supersede the Indian canoe and 
 pirogue, to give place again to the "Henry Clay," the 
 "Niagara," the "Sheldon Thompson"; which, in turn, 
 were to be sent adrift by the "Illinois," the "Em- 
 pire," and the "Mayflower," and these by others, till 
 the floating palaces of to-day, of thousands of tons
 
 84 The Wolverine 
 
 burthen, with speed like the wind, should by a natural 
 evolution claim possession. 
 
 The ancestors of Pierre Beaucoeur came from Nor- 
 mandy on the lower Seine. Those on his father's side 
 settled first in Lower Canada, in the latter part of 
 the seventeenth century, and thence came to Detroit 
 at an early date. Those on his mother's side the 
 Navarres came directly here from France, in the 
 fore part of the eighteenth century, and it was from 
 this royal line that Beaucoeur inherited his courtly 
 manners, and sturdy fighting qualities, which he had, 
 in spite of the sobriquet "L'Abbe." 
 
 The little dinner party which assembled in that 
 home on this cold winter evening was typical of the 
 city at that time. Twenty were the number to sit 
 down at the table when all had arrived a little late, 
 for the Governor's party kept them waiting at the last. 
 Perry was there in spite of words to the contrary; in- 
 deed, as the hour approached, it would have been 
 impossible to draw him from the place with all the 
 French ponies in the Territory. 
 
 "I am so chagrined, Mrs. Beaucoeur," said stately 
 Mrs. Mason, making excuse for their tardiness when 
 once they were arrived. "But, do you think, Tom got 
 so engaged sliding down hill on a sled that every- 
 thing else slipped his mind! I told him I should tell 
 you. I reckon it will be a lesson to him. But you 
 know, in Virginia, we haven't such winters as this. 
 It was a treat for Tom. And the boys acted like they 
 enjoyed it too. Why, I do believe the Governor was 
 the youngest in the lot!" 
 
 These words puzzled Francois, who was listening
 
 The Wolverine 85 
 
 with ear to an adjoining door. He had been one of 
 the boys. In his eyes Mason was every inch a man, 
 though his elders did call him 'Tenfant-gouverneur." 
 
 "Ah, eet ees no-t'ing; eet ees no-t'ing," returned 
 their hostess politely. "Eet ees jus' ready zat we are. 
 An' monsieur will conduct madame," presenting her 
 husband, L'Abbe the courtly. "If monsieur le gouver- 
 neur will give me his arm now at once we will go." 
 And so, after the French custom, she led the way to 
 the dining-room. 
 
 Perry never knew just how it was all brought about. 
 As they were pairing off he wondered what was to 
 become of him, when lo! at his elbow was Marie, who, 
 with a smile, placed her hand within his arm, and so 
 they passed out with the others. The last to come 
 was Pierre Beaucceur, escorting the Governor's 
 mother with grave dignity, the two, grand and 
 stately, a picture for a master artist. 
 
 The table was lighted with wax tapers in tall cande- 
 labra from over the seas. Above the snowy linen glis- 
 tened ancient silver and polished glass beside quaintly 
 figured Delft that had first seen service in Normandy. 
 Deep in the shadow, but ready to serve them at a sig- 
 nal from madame, stood Tetro, the one negro slave 
 belonging to Pierre Beaucceur. At one side of Perry 
 sat the wife of the Justice, and across and a little 
 farther up the table, next to Elva Webber, was the 
 venerable Woodbridge himself; nearer the foot were 
 Zachariah Chandler and young Doctor Houghton, 
 and between them radiant Claire Navarre. Perry re- 
 joiced that Chandler was there, for this tall, awkward, 
 fair-haired, diffident youth seemed to take from him
 
 86 The Wolverine 
 
 some of the embarrassment of his own anomalous 
 position. 
 
 The sepulchral figure of Father Richard alone re- 
 mained standing when the others had seated them- 
 selves. With his long arm he lifted high a crucifix, 
 and while all bowed their heads, repeated a grace in 
 Latin, with deep, musical intonations. .With the ad- 
 vent of the viands and clatter of the service conversa- 
 tion began, moving at first in low murmurs about 
 the board, interspersed with gentle laughter, but all 
 gaining in volume with each succeeding moment. 
 
 Perry fancied that Marie scowled when he turned 
 his wine-glass down, taking his cue from the action 
 of Chandler, who happened to be served first. The 
 young men exchanged glances, and took courage 
 of each other. These two Puritan Presbyterians, 
 however, had one other with them, and, strangely 
 enough, this was 'Father Richard. Perry's respect 
 for the Priest grew apace. 
 
 Much formality marked the conversation at the 
 start. Mrs. Mason asked their host some question 
 about the war of 1812, and the treatment the English 
 gave their prisoners. And while this last word was 
 yet being handed about, Beaucceur fils suggested the 
 advantage it would have been to some who were car- 
 ried to Montreal at that time, if they had had the 
 cleverness of a certain recent prisoner of his father's. 
 With a direct look at Perry, the situation became 
 somewhat embarrassing. v 
 
 "Mon Dieu," cried Beaucoeur pere, with sudden 
 delight, "I haf nevair heard how monsieur made his 
 escape from me house. Will he pleasair me now?"
 
 The Wolverine 87 
 
 "Good!" exclaimed Major Hadley, "I have tried 
 to get the story from North many times, and he has 
 always refused me." 
 
 "It was simple," replied Perry. "I walked away." 
 He was not a little confused, however, and wondered 
 how he was to maintain his secret and not displease 
 his host, if the old gentleman insisted on an explana- 
 tion. 
 
 "Parbleu, yes," said Antoine; "and left all the cords 
 here no knots, none cut." And he shrugged his 
 shoulders, following which was a gesture of the hands 
 that said: "Miraculous; miraculous!" 
 
 "If he will not confess," offered the Major, with 
 spirit, "I suggest, Mr. Beaucceur, that he be bound 
 again, and that we have an opportunity to watch the 
 process by which he gains his freedom. He hinted 
 to me once that a witch interposed." 
 
 Perry was alarmed lest Marie take these words 
 literally and in a bad sense; but he saw no way to help 
 the matter. 
 
 "Nevair," declared their host. "Eet could not be! 
 Ze horseshoe I haf eet over ze door. And Pere 
 Richard, is zere not holy water in ze feouse? Ah, no, 
 no, I will not be so inhospita'le to me guest. I will 
 not mek him prisoner once more." 
 
 Then Mrs. Mason came to the rescue, perceiving 
 that Madame Beaucceur and Marie were both anxious 
 to have the subject changed. 
 
 "Your venison is the finest I ever ate," she said to 
 her hostess. "You did not buy it in the market?" 
 
 Madame looked to her husband for answer, and
 
 88 The Wolverine 
 
 so the matter which Antoine had so tactlessly intro- 
 duced was dropped. 
 
 "Of ze white Indian what you call his name? Ah, 
 Tanner! Eet ees of him ze venison has been bought," 
 explained Pierre Beaucceur. "Madame enjoys eet?" 
 he questioned with pleasure. 
 
 "Tanner!" repeated Doctor Houghton, across to 
 Perry. "Mr. Schoolcraft told me a marvellous story of 
 him. He comes of a good Kentucky family. Was 
 captured by the Indians when only a lad. Has al- 
 ways lived among them." . 
 
 "They say he is going to settle down with the 
 whites now," said the Justice's wife, with the sense 
 of adding interest. 
 
 "It is true," confirmed Marie. "Louis Baddeau 
 told me that it is Julie Arnault he is going to marry. 
 Julie works at the Steamboat Hotel." 
 
 "Once before have I eaten venison like this," the 
 Governor had said, after his mother. "It was over 
 at Pontiac last summer at the barbecue after the com- 
 pletion of Mack and Conant's new flouring mill. And 
 by the way, there was a little incident happened on 
 the road back, which I reckon you never heard of." 
 
 Everyone stopped talking to hear the Governor's 
 story. 
 
 "There was a heap of speech-making appropriate 
 to the occasion, and, besides the feasting, we had 
 something to drink," he began 
 
 "Monongahela?" questioned the Major. 
 
 "I reckon, and other brands, too," answered Mason, 
 inwardly enjoying his story in advance of the others. 
 "And some of the boys were pretty thirsty that day.
 
 The Wolverine 89 
 
 Well, coming back, they were in for a good time. 
 Some dressed up like Indians, but no one was much 
 scared, excepting a few school children. Just back 
 of the Indians people always saw General Cass, and 
 everyone knows the General is sure medicine for 
 the Indian. So all felt tol'ably safe on seeing him. 
 But just before we reached Royal Oak the General 
 and his party were detained a minute. The Gen- 
 eral's horse had cast a shoe wasn't it a shoe, Doc- 
 tor?" he asked, turning toward young Houghton, 
 with a queer gleam in his dark eyes. 
 
 "I'm not going to help the Governor with this 
 story," said the Doctor to Mason's expectant listen- 
 ers. "And I'm not going to deny anything he says 
 when he's through. It isn't necessary. You all 
 know him. Go on now, you Munchausen!" 
 
 "Well, Houghton and I remained behind with the 
 General," continued Mason. "But I reckon I can tell 
 tol'ably well what happened with the boys who went 
 on. They met an Irishman with one of your French 
 carts " 
 
 "A t'ief?" exclaimed Monsieur Baddeau. 
 
 "No. But the boys made out they reckoned he 
 stole the cart; and they told him they were going to 
 hang him in the shafts for a thief. So the horse was 
 taken off and the reins were fastened about Pat's neck 
 and then tied to the shafts at the end. Well, the boys 
 piled into the cart to tip it up a bit and give Pat a 
 great fright'ing. But the Monongahela and the un- 
 steady cart were too much for their legs, and all went 
 rolling in a heap near the tail-board. Up went Pat
 
 90 The Wolverine 
 
 in the air; and there we found him when we of Gen- 
 eral Cass's party rode up." 
 
 "Oh! dead, Tom? Not dead?" cried Mrs. Mason. 
 And all the ladies looked aghast. 
 
 "Dead! so Doctor Houghton pronounced him 
 after we had relieved the weight at the tail of the 
 cart, and let poor Pat's body to the ground. 'But/ 
 says the Doctor, 'I have an idear, with my skill, I 
 can put new life into him."'' 
 
 The ladies smiled at Tom's perfect mimicry of 
 Houghton's eastern speech. They were now pretty 
 sure the story was not a tragedy. 
 
 "Well, up comes Pat's Canadian wife at that in- 
 stant. 'Faith,' says she, 'make him a Ninglishman,' 
 says she; 'for I'm tired o' livin' with a Nirisher.' But 
 I reckon the Doctor didn't hear. 'Tany rate he pays 
 no attention to her. He just stoops over and stretches 
 his pigmy form along that giant's, as far as it would 
 go, and blows new breath into the man's body, and 
 sure enough, he came to life but an Irishman the 
 same as before, to the mighty disappointment of the 
 woman. But 'twas a mighty relief to the boys who 
 had put up the joke, for a minute before they had 
 seen prison bars staring them in the face." 
 
 There were many comments on the Governor's 
 story, and all aimed with more or less wit at the little 
 Doctor, who received them with as much hilarity as 
 the others. He had before now given more than 
 one jolly skit at the Governor's expense, and gener- 
 ously allowed him this moment of triumph. Wood- 
 bridge had a story to tell them, and after him Mon- 
 sieur Badcleau told how an Indian had recognized
 
 The Wolverine 9 1 
 
 the nationality of his friend Moreau on an occasion, 
 arguing with himself: "He Yankee 'cause he impo- 
 lite. No, he French, 'cause he sleep like a dog!" 
 
 Some commotion was caused at this point by a 
 great cinder which snapped from the fireplace to the 
 table. Luckily, it fell on one of the large platters, 
 and so Madame Beaucceur's fine linen escaped in- 
 jury. Tetro removed the smoking ember, and An- 
 toine, reminded by the incident, related an adven- 
 ture during the recent visit of De Tocqueville. Wood- 
 bridge had another story to tell of the time President 
 Monroe was the City's guest, and then Pierre Beau- 
 cceur proposed a toast "Our President" which all 
 drank, though some glasses contained but water. The 
 Governor praised the wine, and would know where 
 his host procured it. Each new dish had likewise 
 been extolled with many laments that the cook at the 
 American House was so far inferior to monsieur's. 
 
 "I'll set up for myself yet," declared the Governor, 
 turning to his mother, "and bring Mammie Chloe up 
 here. There's a nigger for you and a cook!" he 
 added to Woodbridge. "I reckon she could make 
 your mouth water with a 'possum as good as this 
 beaver-tail." 
 
 The shake of his head was a challenge to his audi- 
 tor. 
 
 "There might be some question about your hold- 
 ing a slave here," said the judicial Woodbridge, with 
 little thought of making the other angry. 
 
 "Couldn't hold a slave here?" cried Mason. "Bea- 
 coeur has his slave," with a nod toward the white- 
 haired Tetro who was serving them. "Pray, why not
 
 92 The Wolverine 
 
 I? A pretty set of laws you have in the Territory if 
 your officers aren't allowed to bring their servants 
 with them." 
 
 "The Ordinance of 1787 forbids slavery, but it al- 
 lows those who were under the English government 
 to retain the slaves they held, while it frees the chil- 
 dren born to them," explained the Justice, and he 
 would have gone on at length but the chief executive 
 interrupted him. 
 
 "I reckon I could free Mammie Chloe and pay 
 her wages. There's a lot of free niggers here, as you 
 say, already. You'd allow one more, wouldn't you?" 
 Mason demanded irascibly, for he and the ancient 
 t Woodbridge were always clashing. 
 
 "Certainly, certainly," replied the Justice blandly, 
 and there a troublesome matter was allowed to drop. 
 
 Their host asked monsieur le gouverneur to pro- 
 pose a toast, and he offered, "Michigan Territory: 
 soon to be the Wolverine State." 
 
 This was drunk standing, after which Madame 
 Beaucoeur led the way back to the drawing-room.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 NORTH and Chandler walked back to town 
 through the deep snow together. They took 
 the path which sled teams had made down to 
 the river, and thence over the ice to Barthelet's wharf; 
 for the usual road was not broken through the deep, 
 white drifts. The feeling which Mason had shown 
 over the Negro question was the subject of conver- 
 sation, and this naturally led to politics. Both young 
 men were Whigs, and so opposed to the party in 
 power the party of Jackson, and Cass, and Mason, 
 and Lyon. But first of all, they agreed, they were 
 for the Nation, and the Territory next. 
 
 They separated at the store where Chandler was 
 junior partner, and had a bed at night; and Perry con- 
 tinued his way alone. The evening had been full of 
 entertainment for him, yet he was not without a sense 
 of disappointment. Marie had not spoken a dozen 
 words to him. Had he not sat next to her at the table 
 he would scarcely feel that he had seen her since the 
 week before. However, as he thought it all over, he 
 seemed to find reason for her behavior which satisfied 
 his wounded spirit.
 
 94 The Wolverine 
 
 Marie, no doubt, had felt very largely the responsi- 
 bility of their entertainment. As the eldest daughter, 
 household cares long since began to fall upon her 
 shoulders; and, besides, as she had been more in that 
 newer society which was commencing to set the 
 fashion in Detroit, it was natural that in certain 
 things she should take command. Indeed, Perry had 
 noticed that she quietly coached her mother on more 
 than one occasion. Little versed as he was in the 
 polite ways of either English or French society, he 
 recognized a mingling of customs in many matters 
 which had come before his eyes that evening. 
 
 Marie had quivered almost as if pierced by an arrow 
 when her brother made his inapt allusion to the time 
 of Perry's imprisonment in the room just over their 
 heads. But from the moment Mason finished his 
 story, the dinner promised to be an unqualified suc- 
 cess, and the burden of her anxiety seemed to lift. 
 Perry could not help wishing it had been he who had 
 told that story. 
 
 The fire was burning brightly in the sitting-room at 
 his boarding-place when he entered. Miss Webber, 
 who had accepted an invitation to ride in the Wood- 
 bridge sleigh, had reached home first. Perry found 
 her cosily warming herself before the blazing embers. 
 A friendly smile, with a motion of the hand toward a 
 chair, bade him draw up and share in the welcome 
 heat. 
 
 Though not more than ten o'clock the house was 
 quiet, other members of Mrs. Holland's family having 
 gone to bed. The conversation between the two was 
 almost entirely about the recent dinner party, and
 
 The Wolverine 95 
 
 many of the conclusions which Perry had reached 
 alone were now confirmed. Miss Webber was cor- 
 rectly versed in polite society, as she had spent two 
 winters in the first circles of New York City. Meet- 
 ing her daily in this house was no mean education to 
 the young man who had had so little acquaintance 
 with the world. 
 
 Nothing could be more delightful than those few 
 moments listening to Elva talk of Marie Beaucceur. 
 The two girls had known each other for years, having 
 attended the Young Ladies' Seminary together when 
 that institution was under the management of the 
 Misses Farrand, in the large, rectangular, yellow- 
 brick building whose appearance Perry was so fa- 
 miliar with. Elva seldom had but praise for any one, 
 yet her words were unusually warm in regard to 
 Marie. She told many incidents in which her friend 
 had impersonated another, and the cleverness with 
 which Marie was said to hit off a character surprised 
 Perry, as he had never beheld her in that role. 
 
 "She's a lovely girl, Mr. North," declared Elva, as 
 she rose to go to her room. Her words were a re- 
 capitulation of all she had conveyed in the fifteen min- 
 utes they had sat before the fire. "You may be ac- 
 quainted with her a year, and then something will 
 transpire that will make you think you are only just 
 beginning to find her out." 
 
 Perry, left alone, sat many minutes in a profound 
 reverie. Then rousing himself, he debated whether 
 he should go to the attic and work on his invention, 
 or remain where he was and take up his book. Sleep 
 seemed as far away that moment as after his morn-
 
 96 The Wolverine 
 
 ing's ablutions. It would be cold in the attic, while 
 the atmosphere of this room was a sensual delight; 
 thus the temptation to remain and read proved more 
 than he could resist. He took up his book and turned 
 to the marker, and it was after midnight before he 
 closed the covers. The volume was Hume's Dia- 
 logues on Natural Religion. 
 
 At that hour the Beaucoeur home was hushed also. 
 In the great fireplace a heap of coals yet burned, and 
 the heated stones at the back continued to give off 
 comfort. The red embers softly outlined the massive 
 timbers of the ceiling in their crude nakedness; 
 touched with ruddy tinge the long table pushed to 
 one side, and the chairs put in order about the room 
 where recently had been feasting and gaiety. Pres- 
 ently a face peered cautiously from the door at one 
 end, followed by whispers in a soft French treble. 
 
 "The room is empty, Claire; come on." 
 
 Immediately two white-robed spectres appeared and 
 glided noiselessly across the room toward the glow- 
 ing coals. 
 
 "Ciel; the floor it is like ice to the bare feet," cried 
 Claire. 
 
 The two girls stood laughing and hugging each 
 other in the excess of their spirits, trying vainly to 
 make no noise at all. 
 
 '"We can have all the furs," declared Marie, shiver- 
 ing from the cold of the room they had just left. 
 
 In a moment they had stacked the floor with bear- 
 skins and wolf-robes, and were seated before the great 
 chimney, in positions of perfect comfort.
 
 The Wolverine 97 
 
 "I am glad it is over with," said Marie, with a sigh 
 of relief. "Do you think it was a success, Claire? Tell 
 me what you saw, and what you think. I had so 
 much to see to I do not know a thing that happened." 
 
 "Ah, it was a brilliant success. Monsieur le gouver- 
 neur told me to tell you when we were all alone, that 
 he had never enjoyed himself before. How could it 
 be otherwise than a success? Marie, the men are all 
 in love with you." 
 
 "Monsieur le gouverneur was fine!" returned 
 Marie, warmly. "It was proper that maman should 
 go out to supper with him. But I could wish the 
 chance had been yours, ma chere. But you shall 
 have him when we go skating on the river. Ah, no; 
 the men they are not all in love with me. What think 
 you of Mr. North?" she questioned in English. 
 
 "Les cheveux d'or? Mon Dieu; he is so homely. 
 He does not compare with monsieur le gouverneur!" 
 
 "Ah, but he is brave. He will be laughed at and 
 it will make no difference. The wine did you see he 
 touched it not?" 
 
 "But I like not that kind of man," returned the 
 cousin. "He should be a monk and shave his head." 
 
 " 'Tis a pity he is not in the Church. He would be 
 one man after Pere Richard's own heart. Ah, but one 
 does not know what to think. He believes it is wicked 
 to dance; but I made him dance for me one night on 
 the river bank." 
 
 "It is because he is in love with you, Marie. I said 
 all the men are in love with you." 
 
 "Ah, he is not. I am a Catholic," explained Marie,
 
 98 The Wolverine 
 
 very confident, though she sighed a little, a fact that 
 escaped her cousin. 
 
 Then for a time no words were spoken. The heat 
 grew uncomfortable on their faces, while their backs 
 were cold; so Marie brought more furs for their shoul- 
 ders and copies of the Gazette to hold for screens be- 
 fore their eyes. Claire read some lines from the paral- 
 lel columns of English and French, as Marie's head 
 was pillowed against her knee. Marie played idly with 
 the long plaits of hair which fell from her cousin's 
 head, and looked dreamily into the fire. 
 
 "Louise La Sage is to marry Jean Baddeau in the 
 spring," said Marie, after a time. "It has all been 
 arranged by their parents." 
 
 "Mon Dieu; the parents shall not arrange my wed- 
 ding," declared Claire Navarre with spirit. "I like the 
 American way, and I can choose my own husband 
 without help. Is it not so, Marie?" 
 
 "Our father likes many of the American ways," 
 said Marie, with a judicious air. "And he will not 
 object to whom I marry, if he be a good man. I think 
 he would be willing for me to marry out of the 
 Church. But I will never, never marry a heretic! I 
 will marry Etienne Baddeau in the spring, and have 
 done with it!" 
 
 Marie had started up in some passion. Claire did 
 not understand the motive prompting this action. 
 Catching her gown, which had fallen away at the 
 throat, the cousin made another quick movement that 
 covered her bare feet before the fire. "Did you hear 
 someone?" she whispered, prepared to fly at a sec- 
 ond alarm.
 
 The Wolverine 99 
 
 "Mon pere it is his heavy breathing," Marie said, 
 and resumed her place against her cousin's knee. 
 
 "Has Etienne asked you again to be his wife?" 
 questioned Claire. 
 
 "I have not seen him since last summer. But he 
 will be here again in the spring. And he asks me 
 every time he comes." 
 
 "But you do not love him!" 
 
 "Love, love, love! I hear nothing but that from 
 you. Love it is not everything, you silly child!" 
 
 "Marie! I do not understand you. Yesterday you 
 said just the contrary. Is it acting that you always 
 are?" 
 
 "Yesterday I was a fool. No; to-night I am a fool. 
 Ah, I have worked hard to-day that is why I am 
 cross to you, ma chere." And she drew closer and 
 put her arms around her cousin's neck, burying her 
 cheek on the shoulder where it was bare. "Let's 
 don't say anything. Only just look at the fire." 
 
 Five minutes ticked away. 
 
 There was just a murmur in Marie's throat, as if 
 she might be laughing in her sleep. But she was wide 
 awake. Without moving her head, she pointed where 
 some coals had newly parted and fallen away. 
 
 "That is just the color of monsieur's hair," she said, 
 with a little whimsical note in her words. 
 
 "Monsieur North's? When did he come to Detroit? 
 You never told me of him at home last summer. And 
 you know him well. Do you remember you were 
 going to tell me of the time you went to Mere 
 Gobielle's with him?" 
 
 "It was in the early summer that he came. Fran-
 
 ioo The Wolverine 
 
 gois can tell you all. He is his friend. Ah, I do not re- 
 member. What was I going to tell? Why, we went 
 there to Mere Gobielle's. It was in the night." 
 
 Qaire waited for her to go on. 
 
 Marie sat up and stared into the fire. "I wish I 
 could make up my mind and stick to one thing!" 
 
 "I wish so too," declared her impatient cousin. 
 
 "You silly goose," exclaimed Marie, kissing her im- 
 pulsively. "Don't you know what I mean? I'm as 
 warm as toast. And I mean to go to bed!" 
 
 Springing to her feet, she flew to the door through 
 which they had entered the room. 
 
 "I'll tell you about that another time," she called 
 back. 
 
 Claire followed, wondering at her cousin's incom- 
 prehensible actions. And only the fire remained to 
 give life to the room.
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 DAY was not long enough for all the sports of 
 the merry winter season. Over against the 
 dark outlines of what we now call Belle Isle, but 
 which then had no such musical name, a huge bonfire 
 shot red and yellow flames into the night. All up and 
 down the ice rang the shouts of a happy throng. 
 Heavily-mufflered, steel-shod men and boys darted 
 hither and thither. Occasionally there was one with 
 a rosy-cheeked, fur-clad companion whose skirts the 
 wind tugged at as if to snatch jealously from a rival. 
 Strong arms drew hand-sleds here, while there flashed 
 the sturdy Canadian pony before the French traineau; 
 and accompanying all were the high spirits that 
 caused the air to resound with laughter and cries 
 of merriment. 
 
 To join this revelry, down the right bank of the 
 river came a party of four, picking their way along 
 the road broken out by the passage of many a traineau 
 en route to the ice. On either side the snow, crimson 
 in the firelight, rose in walls to the waist; but when 
 once the river was reached, there the strong winds 
 from the west had swept clear the glassy surface. The
 
 io2 The Wolverine 
 
 experienced eye of the foremost of the party searched 
 the spot for a place to sit while skates were being 
 donned. 
 
 "Here, Frangois/' he cried, in a commanding bass, 
 as in the lurid light, a figure shot by prone upon the 
 ice. "Lend me your sled a minute, please. There is 
 no place for the ladies to sit while we fasten on their 
 skates." 
 
 "Ah, Meester North !" said the boy by way of greet- 
 ing, as he came and peered into faces to discover all 
 of the party. "Marie!" he enumerated, and there was 
 a word for his cousin. "Glairy ees eet that you call 
 ze eece, eh? monsieur le gouverneur!" But what was 
 meant as a question ended in an exclamation, for his 
 feet slipped and he sat unceremoniously on the frozen 
 river, to the inconsiderate amusement of the new- 
 comers. "By gar!" was his droll comment. 
 
 "Are these rights and lefts?" asked Mason, as he 
 knelt with skates before Claire, following the example 
 of Perry before Marie. 
 
 The Governor could lead a cotillion on the ball- 
 room floor with the utmost skill, but his Virginia 
 training had not imparted the secrets of a northern 
 winter's sport. 
 
 "Let's see that's right," said Perry, as he sus- 
 pended work about the shapely ankle which his own 
 thumb and finger encircled; "and this strap goes 
 around there, and buckles here. See like this." But 
 before His Excellency had finished with one skate, 
 Perry had fastened on his own and Marie's, and then 
 turned to assist the others. 
 
 The Governor made a sorry spectacle on the ice,
 
 The Wolverine 103 
 
 and Perry felt indeed this was his hour. Claire could 
 not boast of her partner here as she had in the waltz, 
 and Marie openly laughed in a way that made Perry's 
 heart soften toward the one of whom he was oftener 
 jealous. It was, however, only with womanly tact 
 that Marie had divided the four into couples, and 
 given to Claire the man of her choice. Perry offered 
 Mason a few simple suggestions that were of much 
 help, and his pupil gave promise of rare aptitude. 
 
 "If monsieur le gouverneur will sit on me sled, I 
 will draw him," said Francois generously, as they 
 moved slowly across the ice in the direction of the 
 blazing brushwood. 
 
 "Ah, thanks!" returned Mason with grim sarcasm, 
 while the others laughed. "Can one learn to skate 
 by sitting on a sled?" 
 
 "Ah, but he gets ze ride bully fun!" answered 
 Fran9ois, giving his sled a jerk that sent it danger- 
 ously near the Governor's uncertain footing. 
 
 "Thunder! young man, are you going to run that 
 into me?" His Excellency cried, aghast at the threat- 
 ened catastrophe. 
 
 "Run away, Frangois, now, with the sled," com- 
 manded his sister. "You bother monsieur le gouver- 
 neur!" 
 
 "Eh bien, if monsieur will take one end of this," 
 said Claire, offering him a scarf, "I will draw him. 
 Put the feet close together, and keep them so." 
 
 "That is good exercise for the ankles, Governor," 
 said Perry, encouragingly. "You'll do nicely in a 
 short time." 
 
 Claire was perfectly at home on skates, and soon
 
 104 The Wolverine 
 
 had Mason flying after her at a rate that made him 
 shudder whenever another passed near them. Perry 
 and Marie joined hands and followed with easy, grace- 
 ful strides, gliding in such perfect unison that it was 
 as if one body swept forward. Neither spoke for 
 several minutes. This was the first time they had 
 ever skated together, and it seemed that by tacit un- 
 derstanding each would show the other what the 
 one was capable of performing. Others on the ice 
 came between the two couples, and track was lost 
 of Mason and Claire for a time. So pleased were 
 Perry and Marie with their performance that they 
 continued on by the snapping, roaring flames, giving 
 them and the lurid figures standing about but a glance 
 as they passed. Into the darkness beyond they 
 glided, bearing swiftly upon their shadow, which 
 stretched away before them, the one grotesque thing 
 in all their movements. 
 
 "I have never skated with a woman who was your 
 equal, Miss Beaucceur," said Perry with unfeigned 
 admiration, when at last they paused, far up the river. 
 
 "Ah, 'tis pretty thing number two you have said," 
 she replied, with evident pleasure. "But you skate, 
 too, Mr. North," she added, in a way that returned 
 his compliment. "Do you know the fancy skating? 
 Figures?" 
 
 "Yes, a few," answered Perry, and forthwith com- 
 menced a series of movements, now forward, now 
 backward, swinging now on heel, now on toe, cutting 
 circles here and scallops there, doing all with the 
 swiftness and grace of a swallow in the air.
 
 The Wolverine 105 
 
 "Ah, you can do that and yet cannot dance!" she 
 marvelled. 
 
 "Dance! it should not be spoken of in the same 
 breath. This is far, far ahead of any dance." 
 
 "But one cannot have this all the time. I know 
 you think to dance it is wicked. To me it is only 
 another pleasure. I do not understand you." 
 
 "Didn't I tell ydu once we should never understand 
 each other?" 
 
 "Yes. And is that the end? Have you no wish to 
 try? It is not friendly." 
 
 Marie pleading for his friendship! Was it any 
 wonder he was speechless? There were more ma- 
 noeuvres on the ice, but Perry's mind took no con- 
 scious part. "I think it is the difference of educa- 
 tion," he answered with considerable abstraction. 
 "Shall we skate back?" He held his hands toward 
 her, and she took them both; and so, he moving 
 backward, they retraced their path. "I certainly wish 
 to be friendly," he continued. "You little understand 
 what is in my heart, or you would not say that." 
 
 Perry might have said the same to himself, and he 
 was beginning to realize it. Little did he know what 
 was in his heart. Once he would point out errors 
 in her life, as a duty, even though they quarrelled and 
 afterward separated. Now the moment had come 
 when he might do so again, but the impulse lagged, 
 his voice halted; there seemed a loss of ideas. What 
 had become of his former proselyting fervor? 
 
 The blazing fire at his back lighted up Marie's face, 
 revealing all its marvellous beauty. There was the 
 liquid depths of her eyes, so black that night's darkest
 
 106 The Wolverine 
 
 spot seemed gray in contrast; there was the perfect 
 curve of her cheek, with its rich coloring, against 
 which the deep, soft fur of her collar played with rav- 
 ishing effect; there were her lips, full and rosy, set 
 lightly together in lines Cupid might have stolen for a 
 bow and this was all his, his alone so long as these 
 moments could be made to last! Somewhere else 
 there were dogmas, it is true; dogmas which he had 
 built upon for a score of years. But men, high in the 
 world's estimation, had differed about these dogmas, 
 and what was an ordinary man to say? 
 
 "I have been taught that to dance is wrong," was 
 what Perry said. "I perhaps would not teach it so, 
 arbitrarily, to another. But I shall not learn myself. 
 There are things which seem, and possibly are, inno- 
 cent in a degree, yet lead to sin. I find there are two 
 sides to 'most every question." 
 
 Perry felt himself expand with such fair-minded- 
 ness. 
 
 "But I do not see," began Marie. "The dance it 
 may lead to sin. But skating it can not!" 
 
 "I did not say that." 
 
 "But no you skate!" 
 
 And so they argued for a time. Their tones were 
 not antagonistic. Rather was there a friendly banter- 
 ing of words. The vital thing was their companion- 
 ship, and that grew while dogmas became like dried 
 leaves with which children play. Yet could it be said, 
 though heavy blows had been dealt, neither had sur- 
 rendered his past.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 BEFORE they re-entered the throng about the 
 fire, Perry turned around, lest he skate into 
 someone, and they continued side by side 
 through the thickest of the crowd. 
 
 "I did not see Mason or your cousin," he said. 
 
 "No/' neither had she. 
 
 He threw himself before her and would resume the 
 position they had abandoned in the noisy multitude. 
 ,,"Ah, it is my turn," she declared, and with a skilful 
 manoeuvre swung about so she was the one to skate 
 backward. 
 
 "Can you do that?" he asked. 
 
 "Can I not?" she returned, with a saucy uplift of 
 the head. 
 
 The light was once more in her face, and he saw 
 her beauty again, and with it a determination to prove 
 her skill. He increased his speed and she met the im- 
 pulse with a smile. He glanced over her head to see 
 that the way was clear, and exerted more of his enor- 
 mous strength. Like the wind they sped down the 
 river. His hands clasped her arms firmly near the 
 shoulder. Her breath was on his cheek. He felt
 
 io8 The Wolverine 
 
 those shoulders shrug with pleasure; the light in her 
 eyes invited him to put forth all his strength. For a 
 single moment he yielded to the temptation; it seemed 
 as if they were flying. Beneath them the ice appeared 
 to rush in the opposite direction in ribbons of blue and 
 gray and pink and purple as flames from the fire fell 
 on the scene. Suddenly Perry drew her close against 
 his breast, and his feet ceased their mighty strides, 
 while his skates cut deep furrows in the ice to block 
 their progress. 
 
 "What is it?" she asked, taking alarm from his 
 manner. 
 
 "Madness!" he cried. "What if I had pushed you 
 against some pebble in the ice, a twig from a tree, or 
 your skate had come loose!" 
 
 "Ah, but you didn't," she answered, with complete 
 abandonment. "Nothing happened." And she 
 breathed deeply, freeing herself from his arms as they 
 came to a standstill. "It was glorious! Oh, it was 
 glorious!" 
 
 "It was sheer madness," he protested, fairly trem- 
 bling as in imagination he re-enacted their reckless 
 flight. Yet it was nothing more than he had com- 
 monly done with some male companion. 
 
 "Ciel! where have we come to?" she demanded, 
 looking about in surprise, as she recovered herself. 
 "We are far below the town! This is it not the Canada 
 shore?" 
 
 "Indeed it is," Perry answered. 
 
 "Ah, grand'mere's it can not be far from here! 
 Above that point, I am certain. I have not been to
 
 The Wolverine 109 
 
 visit her this week. Would it be too much trouble?" 
 And she looked at him and down at her skates. 
 
 Without speaking a word, she seemed to say more 
 than Perry had ever dreamed could be so commu- 
 nicated. His impression was a compound of all this: 
 "It is cruel to ask you to take off these skates. The 
 straps are frozen. You will have to kneel on the cold 
 ice. But you have always been so kind to me. No 
 man ever was so kind to me. And then they will have 
 to be put on again. And the straps will be wet. And 
 you will have to kneel on the ice again. Oh, it is an 
 awful bother! But will you do it for me?" He was a 
 slave to that glance. 
 
 "The trouble will be nothing if I may go too," he 
 said, with much earnestness. 
 
 "Ah, I did not know you cared to see grand'mere. 
 You have never inquired. But I did not mean to leave 
 you behind. There is a path we may skate to that." 
 
 Her talk ran on merrily while he removed the skates. 
 She dropped into a whimsical manner which sat upon 
 her with the same charm that possessed all her moods. 
 She pouted when he was slow in offering his hand 
 along the icy path that led up the bank, and when she 
 called him stupid even then he found pleasure in 
 the words, coming from the same pursed lips. 
 
 "A merry surprise, grand'mere!" cried Marie in 
 French, as they burst into the winter-bound hut. "Ah, 
 but it is nice and warm in here!" And she placed her 
 hands near the blazing fire before going to kiss the 
 old dame on her cheek. 
 
 "Ah, my children!" returned grand'mere, with plea-
 
 no The Wolverine 
 
 sure. "I have not seen monsieur for a long, long 
 time. This is a merry surprise!" 
 
 "Monsieur has been away from Detroit!" explained 
 Marie. "He has only recently returned. He begged 
 me to bring him to madame." 
 
 Through the shrunken lips and toothless gums 
 came a flood of words. 
 
 "Madame thinks you might have left some snow 
 out of doors, and not brought it all in here to melt on 
 her floor!" said Marie, assuming her old role of in- 
 terpreter and prank-player in general. 
 
 Perry looked at her in surprise. The path had been 
 narrow, and instead of following Marie, he had kept 
 at her side through the deep drifts. Indeed, he had 
 brought in much snow, but madame had made no al- 
 lusion to it whatever. 
 
 In fairly good French Perry replied: "I heard what 
 madame said. Her gown is good enough to receive 
 a better man than I. She need make no excuse." But 
 he looked at Marie in a way to make her quail. 
 
 "Eh bien, if you know the French, Mr. North/' 
 answered mademoiselle, struggling with her astonish- 
 ment. Then to grand'mere she said: "Monsieur has 
 acquired the French that he may speak directly to 
 madame. He will not trust me more to pay his com- 
 pliments." 
 
 "Monsieur speaks very good French," returned 
 grand'mere; and forthwith there were recalled days 
 when she was a demoiselle. "I must congratulate 
 monsieur. Ah, it is a fine language. It is a language 
 to love. It is the language of the heart. Those were 
 the words Marquis de Vaudreuil said to me as we
 
 The Wolverine 1 1 1 
 
 danced at the maison de ville in Quebec. Ah, those 
 were grand times! And grand man was the Marquis!" 
 
 "Some time I will bring monsieur here, and you 
 shall tell him all about those days," promised Marie, 
 "But to-night we cannot stay. Did Francois bring 
 madame the basket of things this morning?" 
 
 "Ah, yes; thanks, ma cherie. It is kind of monsieur 
 your father to remember a poor lone woman. I pray 
 to the Saints daily for him!" 
 
 "And does Pierre Coutelier bring you wood and 
 water every morning? If he does not my father will 
 be angry with him, and give the pay to another man 
 who will do the work." 
 
 "Ah, Pierre Coutelier is very good. He helps me 
 very much. And I thank monsieur your father; and 
 daily I pray the Saints." 
 
 Perry was holding the skates before the fire, remov- 
 ing the ice from their straps, while the talk went on, 
 By and by grand'mere cast a glance toward his broad 
 back. "Etienne Baddeau is away with the trappers," 
 she said to Marie, and there was a note of significance 
 in her tones that did not escape the girl. 
 
 "Ah, yes; he has a hundred men trapping for him 
 beyond the Ouisconsin. He will return in the spring 
 and and then / shall make him very happy!" 
 Her words ended in a breath close to grand'mere's 
 ear, as she stooped and kissed her. 
 
 "Ma cherie, these eyes tell me a different story!" 
 said the old dame, and again she looked toward 
 Perry. 
 
 "Ah, but we must go now," cried Marie, springing
 
 ii2 The Wolverine 
 
 to her feet. "I am quite warm. Are you not warm, 
 Mr. North?" she asked in English. 
 
 After they returned to the ice, Marie was very 
 quiet. Perry thought it was because of the rebuke 
 he had given her for trying to deceive him. Believing 
 his indignation only just, he would say nothing to 
 conciliate her now. They went at once in search of 
 Mason and Claire, but it was some time before they 
 found them among the scores of people constantly 
 moving over the ice. At last when Marie was about 
 to declare they had gone home, she discovered hef 
 cousin in a traineau coming swiftly toward them. 
 
 "Ah, Claire," she called, loudly, waving her hand; 
 and in a moment they were all reunited. 
 
 "Where have you been?" both couples exclaimed in 
 a breath, and then laughed at the collision their words 
 had made. 
 
 "Monsieur le gouverneur grew tired of the skates, 
 and would have a traineau," explained Claire. "Every- 
 where we have looked for you! And not finding you 
 we drove almost up to the lake." 
 
 "Have you seen Major Hadley?" inquired the Gov 
 ernor. "He is looking for you. We are going to 
 have a little spread at the Franklin. Oysters! And 
 you must join us. Here he comes now." Another 
 traineau with jangling bells came speeding to the 
 spot. 
 
 "Ah, I have seen everyone to-night!" declared Claire 
 
 with happy excitement. "The officers from Fort 
 
 Maiden have you seen them, ma cousine? There can 
 
 be no one at home anywhere! All are here!" 
 
 "Why, Tom, have you really found them?" cried
 
 The Wolverine 113 
 
 the Governor's sister, with fine sarcasm. "Do think, 
 Major Hadley, he has found them! But on my 
 word, he found the lake first!" 
 
 "But no we found them!" interjected Marie. 
 
 Presently, with high spirits the party moved off 
 toward the town, Marie and Perry skating by the side 
 of the sleighs. 
 
 The Franklin was one of the best eating-houses in 
 Detroit that winter. In the parlors they found a dozen 
 others waiting their coming, among them being two 
 red-coats from the neighboring British garrison, one 
 of whom was Colonel Campbell, and with him was 
 Elva Webber. Couples were broken up in the gay 
 discussion of sports, balls, and entertainments, while 
 waiting the preparation of their lunch. Major Had- 
 ley was active in interviewing certain ones in regard 
 to some amateur theatricals before the winter was 
 over; he suggested that they produce The Merchant 
 of Venice for the benefit of the hospital which Ste. 
 Anne's was struggling to maintain. 
 
 Then the waiter entered and facetiously announced : 
 "Lunch is served. Gents, secure your pardners!" 
 
 Mason was standing near Marie, and quickly seized 
 his advantage. "May I have the honor, Miss Beau- 
 coeur?" And he offered his arm. Marie shot a 
 glance toward Perry. She was willing to punish 
 him for spoiling her joke at grand'mere's. There was 
 no hiding his disappointment, though he struggled 
 against it. The Governor and Marie led out the party, 
 and North and Claire brought up the rear, neither in 
 a very entertaining mood. 
 
 Nor did matters improve any when the ladies were
 
 ii4 The Wolverine 
 
 escorted home. "Miss Beaucceur, you will ride with 
 your cousin and me in the traineau," said Mason, as 
 they were breaking up. "It is too far to walk/' 
 
 "Ah, thank you/' she answered, her manner an 
 acceptance; but looking around the room for Perry, 
 she added: "It would be too bad for monsieur le 
 gouverneur to return afterward alone. Mr. North, 
 won't you ride out with us?" 
 
 "Ah, will it carry so many?" asked Claire; and in 
 the same breath Perry had said: "I shall be happy 
 to." He thought he recognized on Marie's part 
 repentance and a willingness to make amends. 
 
 "I fear the traineau is too small," the Governor 
 answered to Claire's words. By this time all were in 
 the street where the Canadian pony and French sleigh 
 were waiting. 
 
 "Monsieur le gouverneur not if I sit on your lap?" 
 asked Marie. "Ah, Claire, you know we have ridden 
 so many times. Mr. North, you do not object to 
 holding my cousin? The distance it is but short." 
 
 It was not to Perry's liking. He felt there was 
 something coarse, something rather common, almost 
 vulgar about the proceedings. Perhaps such thoughts 
 had never entered his head had he been in the Gov- 
 ernor's place. Perhaps he was meanly jealous; if so, 
 such feelings should be conquered. Finally Marie 
 and vulgarity? It was impossible! 
 
 Marie held the reins, and, besides being quite hys- 
 terical in her merriment, was almost reckless in her 
 driving. At the Beaucceur home it was found that 
 her skates had been left behind. Mason quickly prom- 
 ised to bring them to her next day. Perry assumed 
 the blame of forgetting them, and begged excuses.
 
 The Wolverine 115 
 
 "If you are really sorry," said Marie, as they parted, 
 "make it evident by returning them to me, and do not 
 let monsieur le gouverneur be bothered." 
 
 Mason protested that it would be no bother, and 
 silently resolved to be the one to return them. But 
 Perry alighted from the traineau at the Council House, 
 and instead of going up the street to his boarding 
 place after the Governor passed on alone, walked 
 directly to the Franklin and secured the skates, which 
 he carried to his rooms that night. 
 
 Usually, before going to bed, he read an hour or 
 two, however late it was; but to-night his mind was 
 in no condition for books. There seemed something 
 irritable in the very sight of Spinoza's Life, which lay 
 open on his table, and closing it impatiently, he sat 
 long in a moody silence. Miserable company as his 
 thoughts were, he would not go below stairs where 
 he might have a few minutes with Elva Webber. Her 
 delightful wit always threw a rainbow across any dark 
 cloud. Nor would he go again to the attic where he 
 had spent a hard day, puzzling over the problems of 
 his solar compass. As the moments passed, however, 
 and he grew warm before the fire, the expression 
 softened between his brows, and by the time he fell 
 asleep a smile had impressed itself on his face. 
 
 He had hung Marie's skates where they would dry 
 without rusting; and they had received a second, last 
 attention before he blew out his candle. Their pres- 
 ence imparted to his room an atmosphere it never 
 before contained, hard to define, but exquisitely sweet 
 and delicate.
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 DETROIT had been three full weeks without its 
 mails. On hearing Doctor Houghton chafe 
 impatiently because of such isolation, Justice 
 Woodbridge recounted entire winters when they 
 scarcely heard a word from the outside world. That, 
 the young Doctor reminded him, was long ago, and 
 very poor consolation. The Government had taught 
 one to expect better things since it had given them 
 mails every day the past summer. And even after 
 navigation closed, there had been no greater break 
 than a week till now. 
 
 At noon on the twenty-first day, however, Baron 
 Le Borgne's bugle was heard in cheerful notes, and 
 at once Postmaster Abbott's little store on the corner 
 became the most popular place in town. 
 
 Two negroes were the first to reach the scene. 
 They were quickly joined by Jean Chapeau, wearing 
 his cobbler's apron, followed by a group of boys trail- 
 ing their sleds from the coasting-place near the river. 
 At least a dozen were gathered in advance, to wel- 
 come Le Borgne with shouts and jeers, watch him 
 throw the pouch dexterously from the coach roof,
 
 The Wolverine 117 
 
 wheel his four spirited horses about, and dash off 
 gallantly to the hotels, giving repeated cracks with 
 his long, black whip. From that moment people kept 
 coming all day, but the crowd was greatest at the time 
 the postmaster began to distribute his favors, a half- 
 hour after the mail's arrival. Then the walls were 
 pretty well lined with men in all manner of winter 
 apparel, while groups similarly composed stood about 
 the centre of the room. All started as with an electric 
 shock, when, at last, the little slide rose in the glass- 
 fronted pigeon-holes. 
 
 In that half-hour Pierre Beaucceur walked about 
 the room, dispensing his courtly bows and pleasant 
 "bonjour." His heavy fur great-coat gapping its length 
 revealed his dressy black and immaculate linen. Gov- 
 ernor Mason mingled democratically with the throng, 
 and told some good stories. General Brady and an 
 army friend dropped in. Major Hadley was there, 
 and when North and Chandler entered together, 
 pounced upon his surveyor friend as one lying in wait. 
 
 "I was coming up to your boarding-place to see 
 you if I didn't find you here," he said, strengthening 
 the petition he was about to make with the premedita- 
 tion it had received. His manner was warm and eager, 
 and his words contained a subtle diplomacy. "You 
 have heard something of the talk of a play for the 
 benefit of the Hospital?" 
 
 "Only what you said at the Franklin two weeks 
 ago." 
 
 "Well, I'll tell you what I've done. I've been 
 pushing it in a quiet way. You'll agree that it's in 
 a good cause?"
 
 n8 The Wolverine 
 
 "Yes," said Perry, but his reply lacked enthusiasm. 
 
 "You Presbyterians don't always harness up well 
 with the Catholics, and I wanted to know how you 
 stood before going any farther." 
 
 "And they're generally down on the theatre, too," 
 put in young Woodworth of the Steamboat Hotel, 
 who was standing near. 
 
 Perry ignored his remark, but to the Major he 
 said: "I don't know why you say that. Reverend 
 John Montieth and Father Richard have long worked 
 together, teaching in the College here. And what 
 they do, I think Presbyterians and Catholics in gen- 
 eral may do." The fact that Perry gave the Priest 
 his usual title was not entirely due to his growing 
 liberality; it was in part a concession to his ears, and 
 wholly unconscious, for he heard the name a dozen 
 times every day. 
 
 "Right you are, old fellow, and I'm deuced glad 
 to hear you say it," answered Hadley. To Wood- 
 worth he said: "No one ever objects to a play of 
 Shakespeare's." And then to Perry: "We were going 
 to give The Merchant of Venice, but Miss Beaucceur 
 positively refused to be Portia, and there is really no 
 one else to take a leading lady's part. So we have 
 compromised on As You Like It. Governor Mason 
 has agreed to take the part of Orlando; and Miss 
 Beaucceur will play Rosalind if you will take a part 
 in the play." 
 
 "If I'll take part in the play?" repeated Perry in 
 surprise. 
 
 "Yes; it's some whim of hers;" but Perry was 
 pleased, as he saw, "The Governor and I have a
 
 The Wolverine 119 
 
 wager on your decision," continued Hadley. "And 
 don't you fail me, old fellow!" 
 
 "What is my part to be?" asked Perry, with more 
 interest. 
 
 "Well, you see, it's like this we're going to take 
 some liberties with Mr. Shakespeare. We want you 
 to take the part of Oliver; but we want you, also, to 
 do the wrestling with Orlando. So we will leave out 
 the Court-wrestler, and have the brothers do that 
 together. You know how the play goes. To have it 
 announced that you and the Governor will give a 
 wrestling bout will make the performance take like 
 wildfire with the populace. Every one has heard of 
 your feats at the Armory. And Mason comes here 
 from Virginia, with a regular George Washington 
 record." 
 
 "But who will care? if I play my part I am downed 
 anyway." 
 
 "That's another liberty we're going to take with 
 Mr. Shakespeare. The bout will be in earnest. Then 
 the play goes on with the understanding that Orlando 
 won irrespective of how it really falls out." 
 
 "And your other characters?" 
 
 "Miss Navarre plays the part of Celia; the Govern- 
 or's sister, Doctor Houghton and I are to have parts; 
 and others are yet to be assigned." 
 
 "I'm surprised that Miss Beaucceur should wish to 
 include me in the play," Perry said, still withholding 
 his consent. "I thought she knew me better than that. 
 I never acted a part in my life, and have no more talent 
 than a cow." Nevertheless, he was more than pleased 
 by the manner in which he had been included ; as, had
 
 120 The Wolverine 
 
 he been left out, he would have felt an unreasoning 1 
 slight. 
 
 "Oh, you're not alone! There are others of us who 
 have never taken part in a play. There'll be a lot of 
 rehearsals, and the drill will be as good as a school to 
 you. Don't give me your answer now. Think it 
 over. Go out and see Miss Beaucceur, and talk it 
 over with her/' 
 
 "What's that?" demanded Mason, joining them at 
 that moment, his hand full of letters. 
 
 "Oh, it's the play. You needn't look so mighty 
 jealous. But I believe you'd give your Governorship 
 rather than lose the chance of playing Orlando to 
 Miss Beaucceur's Rosalind!" 
 
 "The part has its charms," admitted Mason, with 
 one of his winning smiles. "But how is it will North 
 do the part of Oliver?" And then to North himself: 
 "Do we wrestle for the plaudits of Rome?" 
 
 "I'm going to think about it over night," replied 
 Perry, his inclination losing fire in the kindling of 
 sudden jealousy. 
 
 "Marry! see to't ye think favorably on't," returned 
 Mason. 
 
 "E'en now the very atmosphere doth hedge the 
 Governor about the atmosphere of the drama, you 
 understand," said the Major, recovering quickly from 
 the other's contagion, and indulging in a bit of horse 
 play. 
 
 "But say, North," interjected the Governor, become 
 suddenly serious: "I want you to come up to the 
 Capitol. Here are a heap of letters from General
 
 The Wolverine 
 
 Cass, Representative Lyon, and others. I want to 
 talk them over with you." 
 
 "I'll see if there's any mail for me, then I'll walk 
 up with you at once," answered Perry, turning to the 
 post-office window, before which the crowd had fallen 
 away by this time. 
 
 A letter from his mother and sister was handed 
 him; and there were papers and a magazine. The 
 postage was not all prepaid, and Perry satisfied the 
 claims against him with a wedge of silver from a 
 Spanish dollar such money circulating freely in the 
 Territory at that time. The letter was skilfully folded, 
 without envelope, and sealed. Perry broke it open 
 and read the first and last paragraphs to assure him- 
 self there was no ill news. 
 
 Arrived at the Capitol, Mason suggested that he 
 finish his letter, while he himself examined the official 
 correspondence. Afterward, he and Perry talked for 
 an hour, going over papers and examining maps. 
 Mason could be a perfect companion, free and easy 
 one moment, and the next assume all the air and dig- 
 nity of high official position. One moment you might 
 say "That's all right, Tom, but - " and the next 
 you were compelled to reply gravely: "Very well, 
 your Excellency," and bow your assent. 
 
 That night Perry re-read As You Like It in order 
 to freshen his memory of the play. The fact that 
 Marie's action was conditional on his flattered him. 
 He tried to divine her motive. He knew he had 
 offended her at Mere Gobielle's, and that he had been 
 receiving his punishment since. Was this not of a 
 piece with that? Sometimes he wondered if she were
 
 122 The Wolverine 
 
 not playing with him from first to last; but this was 
 too painful to be entertained. Besides, he was too 
 loyal to believe her guilty of such wickedness. 
 
 It was not pleasant to think of her playing Rosalind 
 to Mason's Orlando. He wished Marie were to 
 change parts with her cousin. The cousins in life 
 were to be cousins in the play! It gave him a bad 
 half-hour thinking of Marie dressed in man's attire 
 the Ganymede costume. This nearly decided him 
 to give it up if it would save her from that! But he 
 doubted whether she would hold to her whim not to 
 play if he did not. Such action would result only in 
 shutting himself out. There were to be many rehears- 
 als, and he would have as much of her society as the 
 most favored. He would show her that he did not 
 care for her coquettish punishments. Besides, the 
 whole thing had been flung at him like a challenge. 
 They had all thought he would not play. But he 
 would. And he would throw Mason in the wrestling 
 bout! 
 
 While preparation for the play was still going on, 
 Perry met Father Richard one afternoon in company 
 with Marie and her youngest brother, just about to 
 turn in to Ste. Anne's. The weather had come off 
 suddenly warm, almost spring-like. The ground was 
 still covered with snow, which sent back the glaring 
 light of the sun with blinding effect. A torrent of 
 water poured from each tall, steep roof, and the nar- 
 row board walks were sploshy and disagreeable. But 
 the experienced habitant would tell you, with rare 
 contentment, that things underfoot would be worse 
 before they were better.
 
 The Wolverine 123 
 
 Francois had his snowball, and was on the lookout 
 for game, when he spied Perry coming 1 toward them. 
 With the assurance of real camaraderie he let the 
 white missile fly at its mark, with the result of immedi- 
 ately drawing fire upon himself. Marie and Father 
 Richard escaped to the church steps, where they 
 watched the battle out of range of flying snowballs. 
 It was short and decisive, for Frangois presently took 
 refuge behind them within the doors of the sanctuary. 
 
 "Won't you come in?" the Priest asked, after some 
 pleasantries, as Perry was about to pass on. 
 
 He hesitated, and Marie added: "I am going to 
 play the organ. You have never heard me play, Mr. 
 North." And so he followed them into what seemed 
 the blackness of night after the glare of the snow. 
 "The music is some of Father Richard's own compo- 
 sition," Marie explained, as she held some papers 
 before her eyes. "Why, I cannot see a note!" she 
 cried, with sudden dismay. 
 
 "It is the snow blindness," said the Priest. "The 
 eyes will recover in a few minutes." He spoke with 
 the distinct enunciation which thirty years of patient 
 endeavor to acquire the language had given him. 
 Perry had noticed the accent at their first meeting, 
 and it had always remained a pleasant feature in the 
 clergyman's conversation. "This is the first time you 
 have been within these walls, is it not, Mr. North? 
 You must tell me what you think of Ste. Anne's before 
 you leave." 
 
 Father Richard was justly proud of the structure, 
 the finest in Detroit in that day. He had put the 
 best portion of a lifetime in its erection, freely giving
 
 124 The Wolverine 
 
 his last penny, and rejoicing when the salary of a 
 Congressman made this seem considerable. 
 
 Meanwhile, Franqois had groped his way to the 
 bellows, and stood ready to do his part in producing 
 the holy father's music. Soon the strains of an organ 
 floated through the sombre, vaulted nave, hushed and 
 empty. The Priest and Perry had remained near the 
 entrance, where they dropped into pews, the elder 
 man a little in advance. Perry had a splendid view 
 of the strong-lined, sallow face above the broad, bony 
 shoulders. 
 
 At first the music came low and soft, with languor- 
 ous movements; and the young man seemed to see 
 sunny fields of Normandy, with flocks and herds, and 
 to hear the flute notes of some strange bird calling to 
 his mate. Presently the low notes became heavier, 
 the time stately, suggesting a dark, ivy-grown cathe- 
 dral; the heavy, chilled atmosphere of banished sun- 
 light, of massive walls and stained-glass windows; 
 the listener heard footfalls of monkish feet on tiled 
 flooring, and he saw crucifixes and kneeling, penitent 
 figures. Then came a stormy passage, the deep thun- 
 der of Atlantic billows, the shrill whistle of icy wind 
 through rigging; low, sullen clouds battled with dark- 
 green, angry waves. Suddenly there was a calm, 
 when but a single note seemed repeating itself; it 
 was the haven after the tempest; the low hills of 
 another shore. Again the music moved on, grand 
 and free; till Perry saw the New World's cathedral, 
 massive forests, with leafy minarets lifting skyward 
 above dusky, untutored children, worshipping at a 
 Jesuit missionary's feet.
 
 The Wolverine 125 
 
 This, that he was listening to, was the Priest's com- 
 position, he had been told. It was the story of his 
 life, he felt certain. And as Perry marvelled, there 
 was a final burst of melody that made him recall all 
 the imagery of the closing pages of his Bible; the 
 strange book with the seven seals; Michael and his 
 angels fighting with the dragon; the Lamb and his 
 company, singing in that new heaven above the new 
 earth, the song which no man could learn. 
 
 The spell took hold on him with such force that 
 involuntarily he started and looked about the chilled 
 and sunless chamber, recalling certain diabolic deeds 
 he had once read in an attack on Popery. The next 
 instant he was smiling at the senselessness of his emo- 
 tions; for Marie's voice came like sunlight to banish 
 gruesome feelings. The clear, ringing practicality of 
 her question as she asked the Priest regarding the 
 movement of a certain passage, assured him that he 
 was yet in a very safe and normal world. 
 
 When Marie had finished, she joined the men and 
 accompanied them about the .church, while Father 
 Richard exhibited its appointments to Perry. It is 
 very doubtful whether the young man would have 
 been so intensely interested in the matter had they 
 been alone. As it was, the three lingered over each 
 new object, and he put questions which drew Marie 
 into the conversation. Their talk wandered to other 
 things, and presently drifted to the hospital, which the 
 Father was interested in as well; thence to the play 
 was but a step. 
 
 "Ah, there is something I have wished to speak to 
 you #bout, Mr. North," said Marie. "The Forest of
 
 126 The Wolverine 
 
 Arden, can we not make it a real one? You men, 
 can you not get trees evergreens and fasten them 
 on blocks so they will stand?" 
 
 "That is a splendid idea, Miss Beauoeur! I'll speak 
 to the Governor and others about it; and if agreed 
 to, I'll get the evergreens myself," said Perry with 
 enthusiasm. 
 
 "Ah, indeed," repeated the Priest, with approval. 
 "It is certain to be a success. Everyone is talking 
 about it. And four hundred tickets have already been 
 sold." 
 
 "What did you think of the rehearsal last evening, 
 Mr. North?" Marie asked. 
 
 "It was well gone through with, if I am any judge. 
 It was a vast improvement over the previous one, 
 was it not?" 
 
 "I think so. The costumes seem to give one the 
 air of the play. Is not Touchstone simply perfect? 
 Ah, Pere, you should see Antoine in his part. He 
 is so droll!" 
 
 "And is not the Governor a perfect lover?" ven- 
 tured Perry, not without guile. 
 
 "He is good," was Marie's rather noncommittal 
 reply. "He wishes more rehearsals; but one more 
 will be sufficient, do you not think?" 
 
 "I think so," answered Perry absently, and then 
 repeated his conclusion with emphasis. 
 
 "Ciel; I remember! I promised Claire I would 
 return before it was dark to try on my Ganymede 
 costume. I must go at once!" But she lingered to 
 say: "Ah, it is very fine with its long cloak of fur!" 
 
 "Cloak?" questioned Perry.
 
 The Wolverine 127 
 
 "Ah, yes; men wore cloaks in those days. You 
 shall see. But Claire, I fear she will go mad in love 
 with me!" 
 
 After Marie had gone, Father Richard invited 
 Perry into his study where a fire was burning, and 
 there they discussed the early maps, the explorations 
 of La Salle, Cadillac, Father Marquette, and kindred 
 topics. The old idea of crossing swords with this 
 man for the salvation of Marie's soul had grown feeble 
 in Perry's mind, and only appeared now and then as 
 a lame excuse for indulging in mademoiselle's society. 
 Perry was an ardent seeker after knowledge, and 
 Father Richard could satisfy his mental hunger as no 
 one else. Avoiding controversial subjects in the main, 
 their discussions were limited only by the confines of 
 human knowledge and the ability of the mind to 
 form speculations. A strong and lasting friendship 
 then and there began between the two men. 
 
 As they talked, there repeatedly stole before the 
 young man's vision a figure in a cloak which, sweeping 
 away in folds, revealed a very boyish form, exceeding 
 anything else in its grace and beauty. That Marie 
 had never worn her Ganymede costume at their 
 rehearsals was a source of satisfaction to Perry. She 
 had always made an excuse that the things were not 
 completed.
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 H, ma cousine, you make such a fine fellow 
 un beau garqon!" exclaimed Claire, as she 
 stood off and admired Marie in her Gany- 
 mede toggery. "There! it is best to let the cloak fly 
 back loose from the shoulders like that. It shows 
 the gallant cuttle-axe upon thy thigh. Ah, your form 
 it is just right; mine would never, never do!" And 
 she ended with a little sigh. 
 
 "Eh bien, I wish you had the part to play/' returned 
 Marie, with a toss of the head. "I like it not. Some- 
 times I think Rosalind it is not modest that she 
 acts. Think you if I loved a man I would sigh and 
 tell it here, there, and everywhere?" 
 
 "No more did Rosalind," said Claire in defense, 
 "but to her cousin who was as a sister! Marie, if you 
 were in love you would tell it to me, would you not? 
 Ah, have I not told you it is too sweet to keep to 
 one's self? And monsieur le gouverneur is he not a 
 perfect Orlando? I wish we did change parts!" 
 Again she finished with a sigh. 
 
 "Monsieur le gouverneur is perfect in parts," said 
 Marie, thoughtfully. "He can make the pretty
 
 The Wolverine 129 
 
 speeches, and in love he will write the poetry, I do not 
 doubt. But Mr. North is more like the real Orlando 
 at the first. He has had the rude training. But he 
 would never write the poems and pin them to the 
 trees. That is silly! I think Mr. Shakespeare is not 
 true to life." 
 
 "You would not say that if you were once in love," 
 returned Claire, confidently. "What seems folly to 
 you now would then be only sweet. Ah, do not pull 
 the cloak about you so ! You will do that on the stage 
 and it will spoil all. Throw out your arm with the 
 boar-spear, and let the cloak trail like a mantle." 
 
 "You deceive yourself, ma cousine," Marie inter- 
 rupted. "I shall act my part when the time comes. 
 But I was not going to make a show of myself every 
 evening we rehearsed. That, you know, was the rea- 
 son I would not have this finished sooner." And a 
 rosy flush crept over her handsome face. 
 
 "Ciel, you can be so firm," declared her cousin, 
 "And that, I think, it is not like the real Rosalind. 
 You play the part excellently, as we have seen it in 
 the rehearsals, ma chere. But I think in life you 
 would not faint at the sight of blood." 
 
 "Ah, then I am a better man than Rosalind!" 
 exclaimed Marie with an odd laugh, finding satisfac- 
 tion in her cousin's words. 
 
 "Yes, but it will not help in the play." 
 
 "The play! I can get along with the play. It is in 
 life I was thinking. How full of briars is this work- 
 ing-day zvorld! And men can bear it better than 
 the women. I am glad the winter is nearly gone. In 
 two weeks Etienne Baddeau will return."
 
 13 The Wolverine 
 
 "Mon Dieu! you are so odd. Sometimes I think 
 you do love Etienne, you do count so on his return! 
 But you care nothing for his picture that he gave you, 
 though he paid monsieur le peintre Burnham a great 
 price for it. And you will never wear his furs! Why 
 do you not act like other demoiselles? Come, tell 
 me would you like Etienne to be Orlando?" 
 
 "If he could act the part I should not mind. But 
 he can no more act than a stick can act! It is neces- 
 sary, I suppose, that I marry somebody. Etienne is 
 as good as another. And the sooner it is over, and I 
 am settled, the better. I can tell you, Claire, chere, 
 I would not play to an Orlando that I loved. My 
 love the love that lasts, shall come after I am mar- 
 ried. And I will show it only to my husband/* 
 
 "I believe Mr. North would like to play Orlando to 
 the woman he loves. I have seen him look at mon- 
 sieur le gouverneur with such jealousy when he has 
 been rehearsing his lines." 
 
 "Ah, I do not think it," Marie answered, but not 
 without pleasure in what her cousin reported. "I 
 have been greatly tempted to try him sometimes, 
 when we have been alone. I am sure he knows the 
 part. Do you think it would be wrong just one 
 little moment?" It was an argument as much 
 repeated to herself as to her cousin. "If he is in love 
 with me which, of course, I do not know" this, in 
 spite of the happy flush that came into her cheeks as 
 she spoke the words "he will quickly recover after 
 I am married to Etienne. And so will monsieur le 
 gouverneur." And then she repeated "Men have
 
 The Wolverine 131 
 
 died from time to time and worms have eaten them, but 
 not for love." 
 
 "How horrid Mr. Shakespeare is at times! Worms 
 have eaten them ugh!" cried Claire, covering her 
 face with her hands. 
 
 "Yes, eaten them," repeated her cousin, a bit of 
 cynicism creeping into her tones. "We are all eaten 
 of them at last. So what matters it? I'll have my fun 
 in the play and then then Why, then I'll marry 
 Etienne!" And Marie tried to laugh off her bitter 
 mood. 
 
 "Ah, you do look so fine in doublet and hose. And 
 a reckless air becomes you, mon beau garc,on!" 
 
 "Does it, truly? You have said so many pleasant 
 things to me. I would that you might have your wish, 
 ma chere! You play your part well have I not said 
 so many times? And that is the main thing; for it is 
 but a play. The character of Celia is unselfish and 
 loyal; and she is modest. I like it better. But you 
 would rather be Rosalind. The others would not lis- 
 ten to my protests, you remember at the first " 
 
 Then, suddenly becoming oblivious of all her dis- 
 paraging criticism, she added, as one thinking aloud: 
 "I do think you are more like Rosalind than I." 
 
 "Thank you, ma cousine, since Rosalind is not 
 modest," said Claire, sudden anger giving point to 
 her sarcasm. 
 
 "Ah, you know I did not mean that! Do you not 
 know I am a woman? when I think I must speak! Ah 
 no, no! not that, either! I do make matters worse!" 
 And all confusion, she flew to her cousin, taking her 
 in her arms. The long cloak had fallen from her
 
 i3 2 The Wolverine 
 
 shoulders to the floor. "You are a dear! What 
 would I ever do without you, ma chere, ma bien 
 aimee!" 
 
 "Mon Dieu! you do embarrass me with your arms 
 and your man's clothing! Ciel, think you a man 
 would embrace like that?" breathed Claire, blushing 
 with pretty modesty. 
 
 "Certainement! And you have dreamed that it is 
 sweet! Now is it? And this? and this? and this?" 
 And she hugged her cousin rapturously, again and 
 again; kissing her on lips, and cheek, and in the hol- 
 low of the throat. So that when they parted they 
 were flushed and breathless, and tears were in their 
 eyes. And looking at each other, they laughed con- 
 vulsively, clinging to their sides till they could no 
 longer stand, but sank into chairs.
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE old Council House was swept and gar- 
 nished and further transformed, till it made a 
 very satisfactory play-house. These four 
 stone walls were used to strange sights. Here had 
 gathered the Pottawattamies and Ojibways, the Wyan- 
 dots and the Ottawas, and with the white man repre- 
 senting the Great Father at Washington, delivered 
 their long harangues, smoked their peace pipes, and 
 marked their rude totems on innumerable treaties. 
 Did walls give back their secrets, what simple elo- 
 quence these might unfold! They had served their 
 original purpose, the day of which was already 
 departed; to-night they looked down on a different 
 throng. Perhaps an Indian or two was present, for 
 the concourse was a motley one; but if so, all vestige 
 of whatever grandeur he once possessed was gone, 
 and he stood now a lone, forlorn figure in this min- 
 gling of superior races. 
 
 The music of an orchestra absorbed all discordant 
 sounds. In the audience French heads wagged to the 
 sweep of Felix Cadette's arm above his fiddle, and 
 Yankee toes tapped the floor as notes poured from
 
 134 The Wolverine 
 
 the brazen throat of Charlie Smith's cornet. Then up 
 went the curtain amid the wild clapping of a thousand 
 hands, and there on the stage in picturesque costumes 
 were the usurping Duke Frederick; his daughter, 
 and her cousin; the sons of Sir Rowland de Bois; 
 Lords and attendants. 
 
 "You shall try but one fall," cries the Duke, and 
 forward steps Sir Rowland's sons, amid the hearty 
 cheering of that sea of faces below the footlights. 
 
 Perry and the Governor are at each other in an 
 instant. The throng in the pit is breathless. There 
 is the scuffling of wrestlers' feet. They wriggle and 
 twist in a bear-like embrace. Now Orlando is on one 
 knee. Now he is up again. Presently Oliver's back 
 is bent nearly to a fall, and the audience breaks into 
 a premature cry. Each tries a trick and is foiled by 
 his adversary. The pit is on its feet. And then the 
 thing happens Oliver is thrown heavily on his back. 
 
 Rosalind's words, "O excellent young man!" are 
 hopelessly lost in the cries beyond the footlights. 
 
 "Hurrah for the Governor! Aye! Vive le gouver- 
 neur! Oui! Aye! Oui!" Again and again the cries 
 are repeated, till at last, through fear of missing the 
 play the crowd becomes still. In that moment of 
 hush Perry hears at least one sympathetic voice as 
 Frangois pipes loud and shrill: "Vivent les cheveux 
 d'or! Vivent les cheveux d'or!" There is a burst of 
 laughter, then the spectators take it up and repeat 
 the words, good-nature mingling with derision, till 
 the old Council House fairly rings with the cry. 
 
 Though his young friend meant well, the cries of
 
 The Wolverine ^35 
 
 "golden-hair" rankled in Perry's breast with the unex- 
 pected defeat at Mason's hands. 
 
 At last the play proceeds. Rosalind bestows her 
 necklace about the victor's throat and makes her first 
 confession to her cousin. The scene shifts to one 
 within the palace, and the Duke pronounces banish- 
 ment on his niece. Then Orlando and Adam have 
 their meeting, and Orlando flies with the old man from 
 the brother who would kill him. 
 
 It would be some time before Perry would appear 
 again, so he sought a secluded chamber, there to 
 nurse his wounded spirit. Into this room Marie found 
 her way after her first scene in the Forest of Arden. 
 Her cloak was drawn about in a way to hide doublet 
 and hose. Her face was flushed, and her eyes burned 
 with deep, womanly sympathy. Never before had she 
 looked so lovely as now. 
 
 "Ah, the people they are so horrid to-night!" she 
 began. "I like not their shouts and cries. I wish we 
 might hide from it all. I wish we had never to go 
 back on the stage again!" 
 
 Could she know how much her words were to this 
 man? She had found him in a moment when he was 
 not altogether himself. He stood ready to snatch 
 anything that would be a salve to his wounded pride, 
 a balm to his lacerated feelings. 
 
 "It is like a nightmare," he groaned. "I didn't 
 
 think it would be so! But you They are kind to 
 
 you." 
 
 "Ah, I like not such kindness. If they would be 
 kind to me they must be kind to all my friends." 
 
 "It was your brother's voice that started the cry."
 
 i3 6 The Wolverine 
 
 "Truly. But it was friendly. He likes the color of 
 your hair. I might have said it myself." And her air 
 plainly said: "You cannot doubt me." She came 
 quite close to where he stood, and her eyes poured 
 into his more than just the sympathy of an ardent 
 young nature. He could but feel the intense thrill her 
 manner gave him. 
 
 "But that the people are nothing. I do not 
 care," said he, throwing off all that vexed and morti- 
 fied. "It is kind of you to come here now to say 
 what you have." 
 
 "Ah, no, it was not kindness. I am so afraid I 
 shall forget my part." This was so evident a pre- 
 tense that it added to his pleasure. "I should die 
 out there before them all if I did! How is it that it 
 goes?" She put her finger to her lips in thought. 
 The simple, childlike expression of her face came, 
 and then passed as she recalled the lines. Again she 
 was supremely womanly, and to the man irresistibly 
 fascinating. 
 
 "What would you say to me now an I were your 
 very, very Rosalind?" she repeated most charmingly. 
 
 "7 would kiss before I spoke," returned he, taking 
 the other part. 
 
 "Nay, you were better speak -first," was returned, 
 with a saucy toss of the head, but did she know it? 
 with a bewitching, daring invitation in the eyes. 
 
 "How if the kiss be denied ?" 
 
 And playing his part as he would, he held her by 
 the shoulders, looking into a face of ravishing beauty, 
 his heart hanging on her words. But no words came. 
 Along the hall, however, a footfall sounded. This
 
 The Wolverine 137 
 
 moment supreme in his life was threatened. Twice 
 he kissed those mute lips and freed her before Claire 
 burst upon them. 
 
 "Good Heavens!" she cried. "Monsieur le gouver- 
 neur has fastened his poems to all the trees, and 
 Touchstone has repeated his droll remarks three times, 
 while we have hunted everywhere for you. Hurry 
 with me! The play is like to be a failure!" 
 
 Indeed, the audience had begun to show signs of 
 uneasiness. All this was quickly turned into applause 
 when Marie appeared on the stage. She and the 
 Governor were unquestionably the favorites of the 
 evening. 
 
 "By gad!" exclaimed General Macomb, "that girl 
 makes a mighty fine fellow!" 
 
 "And she's a mighty fine girl, too," added General 
 Brady. "All Detroit is proud of her I might say all 
 of Michigan!" 
 
 "You could easily have said that a few years ago," 
 returned Macomb; "for then Detroit was all of Michi- 
 gan. I can hardly believe she is the same little girl 
 I used to hold on my knee in those old days!" 
 
 "And you remember the plays we used to give?" 
 questioned Major Biddle. "The Thespian Corps? 
 And how we officers put the scenery together, which 
 the ladies of the Post painted? Ah! those were fine 
 times gone never to return!" 
 
 "It does me good to get back to my old birthplace, 
 and recall those early days," declared Macomb. "There 
 was little Lieutenant Jimmie Webb, used to take all 
 the lady parts in our plays! And now he is in the 
 Diplomatic Corps, away at some foreign post."
 
 138 The Wolverine 
 
 "But loolc! here comes Orlando and Rosalind. 
 They say the young Governor is up to his ears in love 
 with Miss Beaucceur. I swear he plays the part as 
 a man might who was! Jupiter, and what an oppor- 
 tunity for a lover!" 
 
 "He's a fine fellow our Governor. There was 
 much opposition to him at first, but he seems to be a 
 general favorite now. The future will hear from him! 
 He seems to be a young George Washington; all he 
 wants is an opportunity. Another year and he will 
 be the idol of these people." 
 
 "And the idol of that girl's heart or women aren't 
 what they used to be!" 
 
 "Ah! there you have a mystery that never changes, 
 except to grow more inscrutable. But listen!" 
 
 It mattered not to Perry now that the populace 
 gave all the glory to his rival. That might be a thou- 
 sand times greater and yet fall far short of what he 
 had received. Through his remaining parts he moved 
 in a sort of glorified haze, and at last got to his rooms 
 after such a revolution as made him doubt whether 
 he was the same personality. 
 
 He tried often enough to think clearly, but always 
 the thrill of that supreme moment came, and every- 
 thing else fell like servants on their faces before some 
 potent master. He knew he loved Marie Beaucceur. 
 The knowledge, and his action that evening, gave rise 
 to a thousand questions. Had he acted the part of a 
 gentleman? For answer, he puzzled over Marie's 
 behavior. She had not seemed offended. She had 
 spoken to him several times afterward, and her man- 
 ner was a complete effacement of the whole affair.
 
 The Wolverine 139 
 
 He could not understand her. She should have been 
 indignant at his action. Could it be that his love was 
 returned? The thought was intoxication. 
 
 As time passed, questions became more and more 
 insistent and troublesome. He had found it so easy 
 and pleasant to drift of late, though the teaching of 
 ages was against such folly. Time had so often 
 unsnarled knotted difficulties for him, he relied on it 
 now to lead to a happy solution. In the morning he 
 would know what to do. 
 
 In the morning he returned Tom Paine's Age of 
 Reason to General Cass's library and brought away a 
 novel by Brockden Brown. The snow had all disap- 
 peared, and the day was very spring-like. He felt 
 an irresistible longing to see Marie ; but as yet he had 
 not answered that question Was he a gentleman? 
 He ought to ask her to be his wife after the part he 
 had played. He should do this to preserve his self- 
 respect, if for no other reason. But the horror of a 
 Catholic wife! What would his Puritan mother say? 
 
 A picture of his Eastern home on its bleak hill-side, 
 with a vision of that mother moving about the small, 
 impoverished rooms, took his thoughts for a time 
 from Marie. All his life she had been a widow, toiling 
 hard to wrest a scanty living from the barren farm 
 the government had given in recognition of the 
 father's services. Perry's new passion seemed like 
 rank disloyalty to her; a craven return for the hard- 
 ship she had undergone to give him food, clothing, 
 and a bit of schooling. Thoughts of the goodly sums 
 he had regularly sent home eased his mind somewhat,
 
 i4 The Wolverine 
 
 and a resolution to double the next remittance floated 
 him from the rock on which he had stranded. 
 
 By the following day, influences which had re- 
 strained him were dissipated, and he went out to see 
 Marie, but found the cousins away from home. A 
 second attempt resulted no better. This was not in 
 itself strange; the pleasant weather invited one to be 
 abroad after the long, cold winter. Marie's social 
 acquaintance was large, and made demands on her 
 time; besides, she was active in the work of the 
 Church and in private charities, as Perry well knew. 
 He was almost sure to find her at home in the even- 
 ing, but there would scarcely be a chance to see her 
 alone, for the Beaucceur place was very popular at 
 this time. Perry's picture of an evening there never 
 failed to include the Governor, and he had no wish 
 to play a further accompaniment for him. Marie 
 would know of his repeated efforts to see her, and that 
 should speak for his honorable intentions. He cer- 
 tainly did mean to be honorable; but just what action 
 an honorable course demanded he had not thought 
 out. A great deal seemed to depend on Marie's atti- 
 tude toward him; he must see her, and be guided by 
 that. 
 
 The third time he called he was told the cousins had 
 gone to Monroe for a visit among friends there, and 
 still farther south.
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 / 
 
 FOR three days Perry fretted around, argued 
 himself from one thing to another, and at last 
 decided to go to Monroe and take the chance 
 of finding Marie. 
 
 As the river was full of floating ice, no boat would 
 be likely to put out for several days. Perry's alterna- 
 tive was Baron Le Borgne's coach a new and 
 gaudy affair, resplendent in yellow paint, drawn by 
 four handsome horses, veritable giants by the side of 
 the usual Canadian ponies. Their Jehu was a diminu- 
 tive Frenchman who had lost an eye at the Raisin 
 massacre, and thus gained the sobriquet le borgne. 
 Some secretly believed he was a refugee nobleman of 
 vanished fortune, in hiding from the Terror; for such 
 a story was started by the newcomers, who were igno- 
 rant of the French language. 
 
 Baron started his team with blasts from a long tin 
 horn, and kept up the din till they had splashed 
 through the muddy streets and reached the military 
 road leading south from Bellefontaine. They found 
 the Rouge and the Ecorse swollen and turbid, but the 
 newly-built government bridges gave them quick and
 
 i4 2 The Wolverine 
 
 safe passage. In fact, till they reached Swan Creek 
 the sandy roads were fairly good. But thence, quag- 
 mires and bogs seemed more and more to prevail. 
 The wheels sank in mud to the hubs, and at every 
 revolution carried loads of the heavy, black tenacious 
 earth. A dozen times the passengers were tumbled 
 out to give the hard-worked animals a chance to pull 
 the coach from the slough in which it had become 
 fast. The horses steamed and panted, glaring out of 
 blood-red eyes; wet as with a shower of rain from 
 above, and splattered by oceans of mire from beneath. 
 Scarcely a mile an hour was made, and night over- 
 took them before half the way had been traversed. 
 
 Nothing remained but to stop and put up with the 
 first rude accommodations that offered. Le Borgne 
 would not go on in the dark, with his horses in their 
 exhausted condition. A man with sense would not 
 ask it, and Perry still possessed some. 
 
 The house before which they finally halted was of 
 the common log variety, but nearly twice the usual 
 size, and dignified by the name of "Tavern." This 
 was already filled with wayfarers, but their host 
 "guessed" he could accommodate a few more, and 
 began bustling about with cheerful hospitality. Sup- 
 per had been served once, but soon another meal was 
 in preparation for Le Borgne and his jaded passen- 
 gers. 
 
 The bill of fare was ample; including as it did, John- 
 ny-cake and milk, fried bacon, corn-bread, wheat 
 rolls, cold meat, supplied by game from the forest, 
 stewed dried apples, strained wild honey, new maple 
 syrup, gingerbread, and coffee. Toast and a poached
 
 The Wolverine M3 
 
 egg were served as a delicacy to a pale, weazened- 
 faced child, a member of Le Borgne's party, who was 
 evidently ill. The little one at once became a matter 
 of solicitude to the kind-hearted hostess, who dis- 
 cussed at length with the mother, chills and fever, and 
 the efficacy of certain herbs as a cure for the prevail- 
 ing complaint. 
 
 After supper, those at the table melted away into 
 the two groups which were formed on either side of 
 the open fireplace. Although the day had been 
 bright and spring-like, the air at night had a nip in 
 it that made the blazing logs a real comfort. The 
 circle made up of men listened to personal experi- 
 ences that one and another had to relate of their jour- 
 ney to this new country. Now a burly fellow told of 
 his race to beat a rival to the land-office. A little man 
 related an odd experience with a band of Pottawat- 
 tamie Indians, while a third person boasted knowledge 
 of a certain valuable tract of government land, which 
 he meant to purchase as soon as he could acquire the 
 money or, he would impart his secret for a suffi- 
 cient consideration. Perry heard of endless startling 
 adventures that had befallen emigrants on their way 
 through the Long Woods of Canada, and of weari- 
 some mishaps that occasioned vexation to travelers 
 by the dismal Black Swamp of northern Ohio. 
 
 In the other group the women entertained them- 
 selves with household matters. Patch-work quilts 
 were discussed for a time introduced by the sewing 
 which a neighbor had brought in and busied herself 
 on, while gathering the news fetched by travelers to 
 this country hostelry. Most of the women had their
 
 H4 The Wolverine 
 
 knitting of mixed blue and white woolen, and when 
 tongues were still the click, click, of industrious 
 needles could be heard. Now and then their words 
 were passed about in low whispers, when the subject 
 chanced upon could not be openly discussed before 
 the men. 
 
 Newly arrived parties were always eager for knowl- 
 edge that would help to lighten the heavy load which, 
 as pioneers in an unbroken wilderness they had shoul- 
 dered with courage and resolution. Those with one, 
 two, or three years' experience gladly aided as they 
 could, and received their pay in the joy of new neigh- 
 bors, and the benefits of a rapidly growing State. 
 Hopefulness, high spirits, a ready willingness to help 
 each other, and open .hospitality, were everywhere 
 characteristic of the people. 
 
 At ten o'clock Perry climbed to the loft above, 
 where, with five or six other men, sleeping places were 
 made of fur robes spread over loose straw. There were 
 a few comfortable beds in the house, but not enough 
 to go around. These were given to the women, some 
 of whom might have to find places on the floor of 
 the room below, if they proved more than enough 
 to fill the beds. 
 
 In the night Perry awakened, and between the logs 
 where the chinking had fallen away, caught a glimpse 
 of the moon in its last quarter, rising over the leafless 
 branches of the trees to the eastward. The moment 
 interested him with the strange fascination of night 
 sounds; a romantic background for thoughts of Marie. 
 The heavy breathing of tired men around him came 
 first; then he heard the horses stepping about in the
 
 The Wolverine 145 
 
 stables; presently a child cried below, and a mother's 
 voice soothed the little one to sleep again. Far off 
 in the forest a wolf howled, answered by another; 
 nearer a night-hawk screeched, at first so close and 
 unexpectedly as to startle him; this withdrew at once, 
 following up the cry of another of its kind. 
 
 Each living, moving thing had its mate, and the 
 two, mutually interested, stood apart from all the rest 
 of the world. This was nature's law; and what a 
 simple matter was its operation among creatures. 
 But a thousand things seemed vexing him! Was 
 there, after all, a higher law a spiritual law? He knew 
 there was. The moon in its serenity told him there 
 was. Did the moon tell the same story to everyone? 
 In this strange world how many people might be 
 looking on that same silver half-disc at this very 
 moment! Was Marie looking at it? and what did it 
 tell her? 
 
 Somewhere a horse whinnied, oddly, Perry thought, 
 and then a cock crew, shrilly, in the neighboring hen- 
 nery. He wondered if some of the help were already 
 astir at the barn. But that could not be, for this was 
 Sunday morning, and it would be early to rise at 
 daylight. 
 
 Then another question rose to trouble him. Should 
 he continue his journey on the Sabbath? A year ago 
 he would have dismissed it with a ready No! Now 
 there seemed reasons why he might continue his way; 
 but the old teachings were yet strong enough to make 
 him hesitate, and decision was put off for a time. 
 
 He fell asleep again, and was awakened by a com- 
 motion in the house. The sun was up now nearly
 
 The Wolverine 
 
 where he had seen the moon before. The women were 
 talking excitedly below, and from the yard Le 
 Borgne's queer English rose, hardly comprehensible, 
 prompted as it was by wrath and sore vexation. The 
 little man of Indian adventures appeared with head 
 at the top of the ladder. 
 
 "Come, George," he called to one of Perry's sleep- 
 ing companions. "You can thank the Lord that 
 your horses aren't first-class in every respect. I never 
 realized the advantage of owning a poor team till 
 now. That French stage-driver's had his best span 
 stolen!" 
 
 "Old Sile Doty's work, I'll swear!" came from the 
 burly man in the corner. "I've b'en expectin' to hear 
 from him ag'in. He's b'en quiet a consid'able spell." 
 
 Everyone was up in a few minutes, and out at the 
 stables. Between sun and sun the ground had frozen 
 hard, and there were no hoof-prints to mark which 
 way the thief or thieves had taken. Perry remem- 
 bered the noises he had heard in the night, and be- 
 lieved the horses could not be far removed. Mean- 
 while, Le Borgne had gone on a third horse to com- 
 municate his loss to the Sheriff, who lived two or 
 three miles away on a cross-road. 
 
 Till the officer came, very little would be done, 
 except to tell stories. The burly man knew all about 
 Sile Doty, and entertained a group of listeners with 
 anecdote and incident till they were summoned to 
 breakfast. However clever the thief might be, their 
 host declared the Sheriff would prove enough for him. 
 Neither generous slices of fried pork nor plates well 
 heaped with buckwheat pan-cakes appeared to retard
 
 The Wolverine H7 
 
 conversation. Perry was as much interested in the 
 furtive efforts a young mother made to hear what was 
 said, while at the same time alternately feeding her- 
 self and the child in her lap, and guarding the swift 
 little hands which constantly threatened to draw all 
 within reach to the floor. 
 
 When Perry returned to the farmyard the mellow 
 sounds of a church bell were vibrating on the clear, 
 pure air. Le Borgne would probably make no effort 
 to get away that day. It would certainly be useless 
 in the condition the roads were to try to proceed 
 short of four horses. Perry's troublesome question 
 was therefore decided outside himself. Next time he 
 hoped he would have grace sufficient to resist the 
 temptation alone; and, as an atonement for his morn- 
 ing's weakness, he determined to attend services in the 
 neighboring church. 
 
 As if Providence interposed to help him in his every 
 effort of right, the landlord came at that moment to 
 harness a team "so's the women-folks kin go to 
 meetin'," he explained to Perry. "But Sam Hill! I 
 don't want 'o drive 'em there," he added. "I ought 'o 
 stay here to see the Sheriff when he comes." 
 
 "I'll drive them," volunteered Perry. 
 
 "I'll be much obliged if you will," the other 
 returned. "An' if y'u'll jest hold them horses now, 
 I'll go in an' put the coals into the foot-stoves. I 
 guess 'tain't warm 'nough so's y'u better go 'thout 
 them yit." 
 
 There were five women to accompany Perry on the 
 three seats, which were put across the box of the 
 lumbering wagon. With him sat the young, sweet-
 
 148 The Wolverine 
 
 faced mother, her child being entrusted to those on 
 the next seat back. Her husband had volunteered to 
 be one of a posse to pursue the horse-thieves, and she 
 was a little worried for his safety. She talked a great 
 deal of him to Perry, and her marital happiness fed his 
 hungry heart, filling him with sweet hope and noble 
 aspiration. 
 
 When they returned to the tavern, after the services 
 at the little white meeting-house, the men save one 
 were gone with the Sheriff. The landlord and 
 Perry alone remained to eat dinner with the women. 
 But in the afternoon, as news of the theft spread, 
 farmers came from all directions, to learn the particu- 
 lars of the crime, and to offer sage advice for the 
 apprehension of the criminals. There was no lack of 
 society, and the one topic never grew wearisome. 
 
 So long as the sun shone the men remained out of 
 doors in little groups, talking and idly using their 
 pocket knives. "It looks like town-meetin' day/' the 
 landlady remarked to one of her guests, after glanc- 
 ing from the window. Whereupon all her compan- 
 ions rose and looked into the yard, each of the twelve 
 lights framing a face. 
 
 At dark the Sheriff and his posse returned from a 
 fruitless chase. Le Borgne had moods of being gloomy 
 and sullen, from which he would rouse into angry 
 garrulousness. Le diable was in his misfortune, he 
 would declare, as he had slept in his coach, and any- 
 thing less supernatural could not have committed the 
 crime without wakening him. Some wit suggested 
 that hereafter he must sleep with one eye open, and 
 this he took literally and seriously.
 
 The Wolverine H9 
 
 "One e'e open ees eet? Mere de Dieu! how will I 
 sleep at all, when I have but one e'e?" 
 
 Another evening Perry sat before the hospitable 
 fireplace and listened to country-side talk of lands 
 being cleared, rails split, crops put in, house raisings, 
 Territorial politics, and the thousand and one inci- 
 dents of pioneer life. 
 
 In the morning Le Borgne hired the best span of 
 horses he could obtain, and putting them on the coach 
 before his remaining team, the journey was resumed. 
 At first the road was rough and frozen, but as soon 
 as the sun smiled on the earth it became as soft and 
 sticky as at the outset. Through persistent effort, and 
 carefully husbanding the strength of his horses, how- 
 ever, Le Borgne succeeded in reaching Monroe at 
 nightfall. Perry fell asleep in comfortable quarters 
 in the new hotel, fancying that Marie was just across 
 the river, with friends among the older French set- 
 tlers. 
 
 He had thought out just how he should find her 
 in the morning. He had but to ask the first French- 
 man kindly to direct him to the house where Marie 
 Beaucceur was visiting. His courtly reception, the 
 accent, and the polite way in which he would be con- 
 ducted along the muddy path tp some odd, steep- 
 roofed, dormer-windowed dwelling of an earlier day, 
 were all anticipated. 
 
 "Ah, Mees Beaucceur! Yez," said Louis Godfroy, 
 smiling and showing his perfect teeth; and thus far 
 it had all come about as Perry had foreseen. "She 
 waz veeseeting here. But she ees gone." The smile 
 vanished and the face became grave, his long arms
 
 15 The Wolverine 
 
 dropped to his side all in a way to frighten his ques- 
 tioner. "Zere waz a deat' some person ees dead! 
 An' ze demoiselles zey haf departed Sat'day morning. 
 Eet waz one friend near ze Beaucoeur fameelee." 
 
 Saturday morning that was the day he had left 
 Detroit. It was strange he had heard of no death. 
 A friend, however, and not a relative of the Beaucoeur 
 family he might have heard and taken no note of 
 the matter. Somewhere he and Marie had passed on 
 the road; probably on Sunday, when he had taken 
 little notice of people coming and going along the 
 highway, so many had called at the country tavern to 
 learn of the horse-thieves. 
 
 Only one thing took root in his mind, and that 
 was to get back to Detroit as soon as possible. He 
 was on the point of buying a stout Canadian pony, 
 with the intention of taking to the saddle at once, 
 when he learned that the channel had become clear 
 of ice, and that a boat was about to leave La Plaisance 
 Bay for Detroit. The passage could be made as soon 
 this way, and would be far pleasanter. Instead of 
 buying, therefore, he gave the owner a generous sum 
 for the use of his shaggy creature as far as the Bay. 
 
 In an hour Perry was out on the beautiful blue 
 waters of Lake Erie, with a northwest wind blowing 
 him toward the mouth of the river. It was rather 
 early in the season as yet, but venturesome captains 
 were ready and willing to make short runs. One 
 rather long tack was necessary, but everything 
 proved smooth sailing till the very mouth of the river 
 was reached. There they met considerable floating 
 ice, but not enough to stop their progress till they
 
 The Wolverine 151 
 
 were opposite Grosse Isle, when the little schooner 
 became fast in an extensive floe. 
 
 From this moment they began drifting back with 
 the current, utterly unable to free the little bark from 
 its icy surroundings. There was no immediate danger, 
 for the sky was clear and serene, but the situation 
 might become one of dire peril if they were overtaken 
 by a storm before parting with the ice that fettered 
 them. Little by little, they lost all that had been 
 gained, till once more they were out on the broader 
 waters of the lower lake. The prospects brightened 
 now, for the ice was no longer forced against the boat 
 by narrow shores. The men worked with great hand- 
 spikes, pushing away the floating cakes, but night 
 overtook them before they succeeded in getting the 
 boat free. 
 
 Once, while they were yet in the river, Perry had 
 sought to make his way ashore over the grinding, 
 crumbling ice-jam. As they were then but a few 
 miles below the city, he believed, if once on land, he 
 could soon make his way back to town. Twice he 
 fell, and was sorely bruised. After a third attempt, 
 which plunged him into the chilled waters, he was 
 compelled to return to the boat, glad of such comforts 
 as were afforded by the small, poorly-furnished cabin. 
 
 In the morning the ice had entirely disappeared, and 
 sail was once more hoisted, sending the little bark 
 en its way under a spanking breeze. At noon they 
 came in sight of La Plaisance Bay, and put in shore 
 for food and rest. They had taken provision for only 
 a day's run, but had already been out thirty-six hours,
 
 152 The Wolverine 
 
 and the small crew was nearly exhausted with con- 
 tinuous work. 
 
 Perry was thoroughly discouraged, and as a 
 result of his wetting, suffered from a cold. He was 
 beginning to question the meaning of such persistent 
 misfortune in his endeavors to see Marie. That a 
 special Providence watched over and meted out every 
 event of his life, was still a habit of thought with 
 him. But as the captain of the schooner was deter- 
 mined to make a second attempt to reach Detroit on 
 the next day, Perry resolved to cast his fortunes with 
 him once more. 
 
 The wind came from a more favorable quarter with 
 their next attempt, but it was fitful, and they were 
 often becalmed for an hour at a time. However, they 
 met ice but occasionally, and not in quantities to 
 block their passage. At six o'clock the little schooner 
 was safely moored at Barthelet's wharf, and Perry 
 was again in the familiar, muddy streets of the old 
 French town. 
 
 The others had had their supper when he reached 
 his boarding-place, but Mrs. Rolland set out a lunch 
 for him, first having administered something hot for 
 his cold. Then she hospitably took a place at the 
 table, where she could entertain and be entertained. 
 For one having been away and safely returned was 
 sure to have much of interest ta relate if he could 
 be coaxed into the right humor. To-night Perry was 
 easily led, as he himself had questions to put; and 
 because they were so very important to him, it seemed 
 all the world must know he waited to ask them. 
 
 "Well, now it's your turn, Mrs. Rolland," said he
 
 The Wolverine 153 
 
 in a hoarse voice, after finishing a rather detailed 
 account of his misadventures. "What births, deaths, 
 marriages, wars, and rumors of war, since I left?" He 
 drew a deep breath, this speech seeming longer than 
 all else he had related. 
 
 "I dinna ken the' hae been much," she began in 
 rather broader Scotch than was her wont. "For 
 wars and rumors of war the' is naething. Nor do I 
 mind bearths nor mearriages. The' hae been a funeral 
 a French wan, that brought oot all o' the pony 
 carts o' the toon." 
 
 Perry's heart beat faster than its normal while he 
 waited for her to proceed. 
 
 "I dinna ken the boody. He was drooned in the 
 lake above here. The Indians were quarrelit in the 
 canoe, and he made fine to separate them. The canoe 
 was upset, and in the icy waters the Frenchman took 
 a cramp and was drooned. His name it seems to 
 me was Eighteen Baddeau or some such ootland- 
 ish number." 
 
 Etienne Baddeau Perry breathed a sigh of relief, 
 and helped himself to more cold meat when a moment 
 before he thought he had eaten a great plenty. Ah, 
 yes, the Baddeaus and the Beaucceurs were very inti- 
 mate. French funerals were always well attended, 
 and a member of one of the first families would be 
 shown unusual marks of respect; 
 
 Etienne Baddeau he had heard Marie speak the 
 name. It was only a name to Perry. He little 
 dreamed then nor did he ever know the part the 
 death played in his life's history.
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 TO feel that one has a sure refuge and then sud- 
 denly to have that refuge snatched away, is 
 perplexing in the most ordinary circumstances; 
 but if the catastrophe come at a time of vital need, 
 the refugee is driven to so strange and desperate 
 measures that one may question the sanity of a mind 
 operating under such tense conditions. 
 
 Within a limited circle it was known that Etienne 
 Baddeau had repeatedly asked Marie to become his 
 wife. It was also known that she had refused him. 
 But within this circle report had gained credence dur- 
 ing the last months that in the end the two would be 
 united, and that Father Richard was to announce the 
 bans in the early spring. A few friends therefore were 
 prepared with an explanation for any strange emotion 
 Marie might show after so sudden and dire calamity; 
 but when she rallied within a week and declared her 
 intention to attend a ball given at the home of the 
 Chief Justice, they looked shocked, shrugged their 
 shoulders with an uncanny air, and murmured some- 
 thing that contained the word alienee. 
 
 "Why, Marie! is it quite proper?" asked astonished
 
 The Wolverine 155 
 
 Claire, who, though forced by every canon of good 
 society to put the question, was, in her heart, grieved 
 at the prospect of missing this gay occasion. "What 
 will people say?" 
 
 "People? Why should people question? We were 
 not affianced. Have I not told you I did not love 
 him as as you think? Is one to mourn for a friend 
 always? I shall not dance. But I must go to the 
 ball. I must!" 
 
 Her face was strangely pale, with a firmness about 
 the lips that was unusual. Some fixed purpose seemed 
 burning in the depths of her dark eyes. "Marie, you 
 have acted oddly enough! What is the matter? I 
 fear you are are What shall I say?" 
 
 Claire did not dare utter the word which some 
 had already whispered behind Marie's back. 
 
 "Crazy! Why do you not say it, ma cousine? Per- 
 haps I shall be! But not yet not yet! See look at 
 me now." By an effort all the lines of her face 
 relaxed, tranquillity shone in her eyes, and a smile 
 of peace seemed forming at the corners of her mouth. 
 "Is one crazy when one can look like this?" 
 
 With steady purpose she came to Claire and put 
 her arms about her neck, kissing her slowly several 
 times, meeting her eyes between these demonstra- 
 tions with a calm, even gaze. 
 
 "Mon Dieu, I do not know. It is acting that you 
 may do and nobody can know," Claire said, bringing 
 herself slowly to accede to her cousin's strange deter- 
 mination. "It will make talk. But if you do not 
 dance, I can say you came on my account, as I am 
 soon to go home. Monsieur le gouverneur will be
 
 156 The Wolverine 
 
 there, and the dances he would give you, maybe I 
 shall get. Eh bien, what shall you wear?" 
 
 "The black silk what think you?" 
 
 Claire gave her shoulders a shrug that might have 
 said, "It is all irregular, so what matters one thing 
 more?" But she did say, "The black is very becom- 
 ing, ma chere. It makes you quite striking; you are 
 pale so much of the time since since " 
 
 "Ah, I know I know. But do not throw it at me! 
 Is it not that I would forget?" And she sought a 
 chair suddenly, quite exhausted. "Claire, is everyone 
 watching me? Sometimes I think they are. And 
 why is it? What have I said or done?" 
 "Marie, you are ill. You must not go to this ball." 
 
 "No, I am not ill," she replied, rising with a strange 
 show of strength. "And I shall not be unless you 
 make me so by your words. If I were ill you would 
 not cross me with other wishes. Then let it go that 
 I am ill. Ill or not ill, I will be humored. Then I shall 
 wear the black silk. What will you wear?" 
 
 With her plans for the evening's entertainment 
 Claire continually interjected some feeble protest. But 
 Marie's was the leading spirit, and it required but a 
 look from her to silence these half-hearted objections. 
 Then she had only to continue with some talk of 
 Mason to strengthen herself in each new stand, dissi- 
 pating Claire's opposition as vapor is blown away by 
 the wind. Once when they were in their own room 
 under the low roof, with dresses spread out on the 
 bed, Marie had left all and gone to the dormer-win- 
 dow looking off toward town.
 
 The Wolverine 15? 
 
 "Since since the play, Claire, how long is it?" she 
 had asked, moving her hand across her brow. 
 
 "The play it is nearly a fortnight ago. This is 
 Wednesday, and it was on a Thursday, and not the 
 last one. Ciel! I do not wonder. So much has hap- 
 pened. I myself must stop and count the days on my 
 fingers, or I cannot tell." 
 
 "Strange," Marie murmured, her eyes fastened on 
 a brick house a little to the right of Ste. Anne's five 
 spires. "I have not seen him since then." Louder, 
 she said to Claire: "Monsieur le gouverneur was at 
 the the funeral, ma cousine, did you not say? Was 
 he alone? Were there not others of the new people 
 there? Was not Mr. North there? Do you know I 
 have not seen him since the play!" 
 
 She turned on Claire a face of indifferent surprise, 
 but maintained it only a moment. When she resumed 
 her study of the landscape, her fingers bore heavily 
 on the sash, leaving the nails white and bloodless at 
 their tips. 
 
 "Monsieur le gouverneur was there," answered 
 Claire, but she was thinking, "Now if I had spoken 
 of the funeral! Ah, it is useless to understand her!" 
 Claire's words, however, continued: "And there were 
 others present, not French. But I do not recall Mr. 
 North's head." 
 
 "Head?" 
 
 "Les cheveux d'or. It is so striking, I should have 
 seen and remembered it. Ah, here is one tiny rip in 
 your waist. I will fetch thread and mend it," Claire 
 interjected, springing to her feet and pirouetting from 
 the room. " 'A stitch in time saves nine,' " she mur-
 
 158 The Wolverine 
 
 mured, the words of her English copy-book running 
 through her mind. 
 
 "He will be there! he will be there to-night!" 
 repeated Marie to herself, as she heard Claire's steps 
 receding down the hall. "And I will do it. I will do 
 it. I must! I cannot go on this way! I shall indeed 
 be crazy and they will all know why! Ah, Mere 
 de Dieu, why was Etienne taken away from me? I 
 should have loved him in time. And now I must 
 hate I must hate, despise, and drive out love!" 
 
 She turned away from the window with her hand 
 clasped to her side, and threw herself on the bed with 
 face buried in the pillow but not to cry. 
 
 "0, how full of briars!" she repeated, with a dry 
 sob. "If one might believe his religion! Saints for- 
 give me what am I saying! I will hate him! I will 
 hate him! Mere de Dieu, help me. Ah, do I not hate 
 him now? The heretic! Did he not kiss me twice 
 on the lips? and not one thought of me since! But 
 I made him do it ah! And I will do more to-night. 
 He is weak weaker than all, if I but knew the truth. 
 To-night " 
 
 Claire was returning along the hall, and Marie flew 
 to the window, where she could hide her face till its 
 features were once more under control. 
 
 It was already late for a call when Perry knocked 
 at the Beaucceur door. He had grudged every 
 moment spent with his landlady after having found 
 out all he wished to know, yet for some reason he had 
 felt unable to break away at once. Then he had made 
 an entire change in his clothing, had shaved himself
 
 The Wolverine 159 
 
 an item he had omitted in the morning because of 
 the rough sea running at the time of taking his razor 
 in hand. It was Madame Beaucceur who answered 
 his appeal with the brass knocker. 
 
 "Ah, Monsieur North! Entrez. Eet haf been 
 mooch tang seence we haf seen monsieur/' And she 
 begged him to be seated in the dimly-lighted room. 
 
 Presently her husband entered with courtly tread, 
 and wished the young man bon soir. "Ah, I not t'ink 
 you would be here zees evening. I haf myself just 
 returned from monsieur le justice. Ze demoiselles zey 
 would go to ze ball, and I tak' 'em in ze cariole. Ah, 
 ze road zey are ver' mooch mud." 
 
 From that moment Perry was not easy till he could 
 bid them a decent good evening. It was fully three- 
 quarters of a mile back to his room, but he was 
 rewarded on reaching it, by finding what he hoped 
 the invitation to the Justice's, which before he had 
 not spared time to examine. A change of boots was 
 again necessary, for mud had ruined the polish on 
 the ones he wore. Adjusting his stock once more, 
 with a final look at his yellow hair in the glass over 
 his bureau, he set out again. It was nearly eleven 
 o'clock when his name was announced in the soft 
 radiance of tapers that burned in the well-appointed 
 reception room. 
 
 A babel of tongues fell on his ears, with now and 
 then a voice above the others that he recognized, and 
 his mind at once mechanically registered the fact that 
 such a person was present. There were the same 
 faces which, by this time, he had learned to expect to 
 find at these social gatherings; but nowhere did he
 
 160 The Wolverine 
 
 see Marie. The desire to push on from room to room 
 in search of her was feverish with him, but friends 
 continually blocked his path with greetings. Elva 
 Webber was the first to detain him a thing she 
 never would have done had she known his mind. All 
 her rare elegance and queenly bearing did not com- 
 pensate for those moments which politeness com- 
 pelled him to give her. She had not seen or heard 
 him at her aunt's, and did not know he had returned 
 from his journey. In his heart Perry blessed Colonel 
 Campbell when he came and claimed the beauty for 
 a dance. 
 
 Next he stumbled upon Major Hadley, who insisted 
 on telling him all about a gold pen which a jeweller 
 in the town had just perfected. He was fulsome in 
 praise of the man's cleverness, and discoursed at great 
 length on the saving of time that would result to busy 
 scribes by this invention. Half his hours, he declared, 
 were spent in sharpening quills. At last Perry 
 escaped him also, and speedily forgot all that had been 
 poured into his ears. 
 
 Prompted by some abnormal delight in self-tor- 
 ture, his mind kept up a continual cross-fire, while 
 he searched for Marie and her cousin. "They have 
 gone; it is so late! You have missed her again. Are 
 you not convinced now that you are never to see 
 her? Why do you try?" Then he caught sight of 
 Claire, and a second spirit within began taunting the 
 first. "You see they are not gone/' it said. "I shall 
 
 find her in another moment. Ah! when I do " 
 
 "When you do, be a gentleman!" twitted the first
 
 The Wolverine 161 
 
 voice. "Remember the play!" This gave him a fit of 
 bad humor. 
 
 "Monsieur is searching for someone?" 
 
 Marie had touched his arm from the back, and 
 spoken before he saw her. He gave a start. No won- 
 der he had not found her sooner. He had never 
 seen her in black before. It gave him an uncanny 
 sensation. 
 
 "Yes, I was looking for you," he replied. "I have 
 been looking for you for two weeks!" 
 
 "I have not been hiding." 
 
 Her face was pale, but the color was coming back 
 to it under his words. He remembered she had called 
 him "monsieur." It was the address he had liked 
 from her lips from the first. He had associated it and 
 the English equivalent with the significance that the 
 French give to thou and you. There was a strange, 
 womanly appeal in her manner as she addressed him. 
 The tone of her second speech seemed to carry a 
 tender reproach. 
 
 "Nevertheless, I could not find you. Fate of 
 something has been against me. Even to-night I 
 have been at your home." 
 
 "You have a cold," she said, with a solicitude that 
 warmed his heart. "Been at our house! I thought 
 you had forgotten the way." 
 
 "I wonder if you know how many times I have 
 been there, and found you away from home?" 
 
 "Ah, yes. We have been to Monroe. I forget 
 things." 
 
 "I have been to Monroe, too," he replied. 
 
 "You? I did not know that." She seemed to think
 
 1 62 The Wolverine 
 
 this very strange. "No one told me that. Why did 
 you go to Monroe?" 
 
 "To see you," he answered. 
 
 So noisy was the general merriment they could say 
 these few words easily and not be overheard. His 
 confession started a cough that had begun to trouble 
 him since dark. 
 
 "Ah, your cold! How did you get it?" Her face 
 reflected a real concern. 
 
 With no attempt to disguise his feelings, Perry 
 told what desperate efforts he had made to reach her. 
 His story had a strange effect on Marie. Her manner 
 at once showed signs of agitation. Reproach deep- 
 ened in her eyes as if he might be the cause of some 
 cruel torture. Again, she looked at him furtively, 
 as one about to bid farewell to some cherished object 
 and must hide every tender emotion in doing so. Her 
 hands were repeatedly clasped and unclasped. Perry 
 questioned her once when her lips were moving, but 
 Marie declared she had said nothing. 
 
 A deep scarlet burned in either cheek now, and her 
 eyes bore frightened glances. People were collecting 
 near them, though as yet the two were ignored. Perry 
 longed for some quiet, secluded nook into which he 
 might retreat with her. 
 
 "Can't we go somewhere?" he asked, and offering 
 her his arm, they moved away. 
 
 "Ah, not out there!" she cried, as he led her toward 
 the open veranda. "You will take more cold. You 
 should have some medicine. Ah, if I were only at 
 home!" 
 
 "Let me take you there," Perry entreated.
 
 The Wolverine 163 
 
 "No, no," she repeated, with unexplained alarm. 
 "I cannot leave Claire. And she is not ready to go 
 yet. But come this way. Jeanette Coutelier works 
 in the kitchen here. I will get something of her." 
 
 A new note had come into mademoiselle's tone 
 which caused Perry a moment's wonder. Her lips 
 were pale and set in lines of determination, but as 
 she preceded him he did not see this change. Besides, 
 so much could be hidden in the charm of her promised 
 administrations. Jeanette gave Marie a glass and 
 some bottles in answer to questions spoken low in 
 French, and directed her where to find hot water. 
 Then, as duties called the serving girl elsewhere, 
 the two were left alone. 
 
 Marie's face once more flushed with hidden feeling, 
 though outwardly she was no more excited than 
 Perry. A fire was burning in the room, and she bade 
 him come and sit by it. Taking a place near his side, 
 she began the concoction of some mixture. She 
 talked rapidly, directing the conversation. 
 
 "Everyone says our play was a great success. But 
 it is not that I want to talk of. I think you owe me 
 an apology for for " 
 
 "I know what you mean. That is what I wanted to 
 see you for. I have wanted to make some explana- 
 tion. I have not had one moment's rest since that 
 night. If it had not been for my that is if I had 
 
 not why, it was because I loved you, I mean " 
 
 he stammered. 
 
 "Ah, drink this!" she interjected. "It is just right 
 now. Your voice sounds like a frog's. I should not 
 know it."
 
 164 The Wolverine 
 
 She held the steaming glass to his lips, her fingers 
 lightly brushing his cheek. They were cold as death. 
 He drank all from her hand without a question; and 
 at once she began preparing a second mixture. 
 
 "It will drive the cold out," she said, meeting his 
 eyes a moment. 
 
 "Marie, you are all a-tremble! And your hands 
 are like ice!" 
 
 "It is nothing. But I will take some of the drink, 
 too," she replied. "Eh bien, we do interrupt the 
 apology. I promise monsieur I shall be very exact- 
 ing. It is a pound of flesh I will have, as it is enumer- 
 ated in the bond. Have you never thought that I 
 am a very Shylock in my nature? Look across my 
 nose beaked, is it not?" 
 
 "Hush, Marie! You shall not slander yourself in 
 my presence. Shylock! You are no more like that 
 monster than day is like night. I know you have a 
 most tender heart, though you do not wear it on your 
 sleeve. It is hard to find you out; but one is repaid 
 a thousandfold when one does. I think you love to 
 play a part, and you do it so well that I sometimes 
 doubt. But if there was no wickedness in my own 
 heart, I should never doubt you one moment." 
 
 "Wickedness! Ah, I thought monsieur was a very 
 priest for goodness! Then monsieur is very wicked 
 too, in what way? Monsieur is not so clever in 
 pleading his suit. Did he say he loved me? And does 
 he wish me to love in return? Ah, I cannot love a 
 wicked man. Monsieur sees that he is not clever." 
 
 "No, Marie, I dare not ask you to love me. But do 
 not think too basely of me for the way I have acted.
 
 The Wolverine 165 
 
 I am not clever, I know. If I were, I would compel 
 you to love me, even as I love you. Sometimes I think 
 I must compel you to love me out of sheer madness. 
 This love does not excuse my action, but it is the 
 best apology I can make." 
 
 "It is the common excuse," she replied, with a 
 sigh that was not all pretense. "But it does not sat- 
 isfy the bond. And I am a very Shylock. If you had 
 said your action was all a part of the play I think 
 I could have forgiven you. It was so perfect. But to 
 
 take advantage of a play of me in a play Does 
 
 not monsieur see? There goes that cough again ! Ciel 
 here!" And she put the second glass to his lips, 
 and he drained it with childlike trust. 
 
 "Your hands, Marie! Will they never get warm?" 
 
 He began rubbing them, but she would not permit 
 this more than an instant. 
 
 "Ah, you drank that when it was for me!" she 
 reproached him. "Now I must mix another. Mon- 
 sieur said he was very wicked. But he did not tell me 
 in what way. Perhaps he is promised to another. 
 But that may be mended. It is not too late. And 
 when I am in a nunnery I will pray for his happiness 
 day and night." 
 
 "God forbid! Marie, what is it you are saying?" He 
 was on his feet in an instant. "I am going to make a 
 Protestant of you. Am I promised to another! What 
 is it you say? What can you think of me that you 
 say such things? Is it because of that that at the 
 play? I knew it would be so! You do not trust me 
 and I have but myself to blame. Heaven is my wit- 
 ness I never loved but you. I didn't think it so
 
 166 The Wolverine 
 
 wrong then that night! It all came to me afterward. 
 If I have forfeited your respect I have paid dearly 
 for my madness." 
 
 "Ah, I do not say you have forfeited my respect. 
 One may slip once and be forgiven. Were it not 
 so, I think there would be none to go to Heaven." 
 
 "But tell me, Marie! You do not think of going 
 into a nunnery?" 
 
 "I do think it, sometimes. Claire says black is 
 very becoming to me. What does monsieur think?" 
 And she gave him one of those looks that created 
 doubt in his mind. 
 
 "My God, Marie," he groaned, "is this trifling? ' 
 And then he coughed so hard further speech was 
 impossible. 
 
 In the midst of this paroxysm she completed the 
 third mixture, and presented it to his lips with a look 
 that won a momentary return of his confidence in 
 spite of the shock it had just received. He took a 
 swallow and then her triumph ended. Did he really 
 see the sinister gleam in her eye, or had the fumes of 
 hot whiskey so quickly unsettled his brain? 
 
 "Woman! what do you mean?" he cried hoarsely, 
 and struck the half-emptied glass from her hands. He 
 seemed to read a weak confession of something hor- 
 rible in every line of her wonderfully beautiful face. 
 In his moments of religious introspection he had 
 sometimes questioned why he should not be among 
 the damned. Suddenly, he seemed there, lured to the 
 very brink of the pit. Marie, incarnation of all that 
 oriental imagery, was the strange woman whom his
 
 The Wolverine 167 
 
 Bible warned him against. With a groan he fled as 
 he would save his soul. 
 
 "Saints in Heaven! what have I done?" exclaimed 
 Marie in French, her face blanching, while she 
 dropped back into the chair Perry had just vacated. 
 The next instant, with outstretched arms and a cry 
 of agony, she flew toward the door through which 
 he had disappeared. But she took only a step. Jean- 
 ette Coutelier, coming into the kitchen, screamed at 
 the sight of Marie prostrate on the floor. Her cry 
 brought Mason and Claire from the next room. 
 
 "Good God!" cried the Governor, taking the 
 unconscious form in his arms. "She is ill. Call 
 Doctor Houghton here at once!" 
 
 Then Marie opened her eyes. "What have I 
 done?" she repeated, at sight of Mason's face bend- 
 ing over her. She brushed her hands across her 
 eyes. "Ah, sirrah, a body would think this was well 
 counterfeited," she murmured faintly, in confusion. 
 "What is the matter?" she questioned again, turning 
 a dazed look on those standing about. 
 
 "You fainted, Marie," said the Governor, a note 
 of tenderness marking his voice. 
 
 "Mon Dieu," cried Claire; "I shall not forgive my- 
 self. She was ill before we left home, and ought 
 never to have come!" 
 
 "Ah, she was ill here, a moment ago. She asked 
 me for medicine the whiskey," explained Jeanette, 
 wringing her hands. "A gentleman brought her 
 here. Les cheveux d'or " 
 
 "Monsieur North !" said Claire. "But we must take
 
 1 68 The Wolverine 
 
 her home at once. Monsieur mon oncle is he not 
 come for us yet?" 
 
 "I think not, Miss Navarre/' someone replied. 
 "But you may have our cart, and I will drive for you." 
 
 Claire accepted this offer; and a few minutes later 
 a little cavalcade made its way through the night 
 and mud toward the Beaucceur home, attended by 
 the Governor and Doctor Houghton on foot. On the 
 robes which covered the bottom of the cart, Marie 
 half reclined, her head pillowed against her cousin's 
 shoulder. Claire continually questioned her, feeling 
 of her hands, which were like ice, then of her brow, 
 which was pulsating feverishly. 
 
 "If I do not hate him he will hate me he does 
 hate me now!" Marie murmured, incoherently. "I 
 might have married and loved him in time. Mon 
 Dieu, why was he drowned? I should not have been 
 driven to this!" 
 
 "We are driving you home, Marie, chere. Do you 
 not know? Ah, you will be better when I have put 
 you to bed." To herself Claire murmured: "Saints 
 forgive me that I ever let her come! She is not in 
 her right mind! Etienne hate her? She talks as if 
 he were yet alive! I do believe me, she loved him all 
 the time. Some demoiselles behave this way, I have 
 read. Mere de Dieu, I hope I have more sense!"
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE battle of Perry's life was on him. The 
 most of that night he spent in strife, roaming 
 aimlessly, sometimes staggering, along the 
 narrow, muddy, dark streets of Detroit. He could not 
 calm himself enough to go to his rooms and lie down. 
 His very limbs seemed possessed of a frenzy; there 
 was a madness to be going on, on, it mattered not 
 whither so there was motion. The wild swinging of 
 arms was a relief. Could he but climb some height 
 and fling himself off not to death, but to feel the 
 swift passage through the air for a day, a week, a 
 lifetime or till he caught up with something that 
 had left him, that had gone on with great strides 
 while he had lagged. This was the impulse that 
 urged him forward. 
 
 The hushed, sombre houses that, like blind men, 
 knew of his movements but saw them not, seemed to 
 follow him with a blank face of inquiry; dumb, yet 
 wondering. And the wall that held him from totter- 
 ing to the ground when his insane progress was stayed 
 by exhaustion did it not feel pity? The very swine 
 which he startled from muddy, roadside wallows,
 
 17 The Wolverine 
 
 refrained from anger, and grunted a sort of com- 
 miseration after the demented figure that stalked 
 away in the still shadows of the night. 
 
 Stumbling along the river bank, he hit upon a 
 ' canoe, and forthwith the water seemed to beckon with 
 a hand outstretched that promised rest and peace. 
 But deception met him here also. Peace evidently 
 was not within his reach; it lay beyond the stars that, 
 unmoved, twinkled in the blue-black depths overhead. 
 Their reflection in the placid current had played him 
 false. Everything was false, false, false! He let the 
 word ring in his ears as he paddled with erratic stroke 
 back to the land. His brain was afire with memories 
 which burned to witness against Marie the false, 
 fair creature of perdition! Every moment of doubt 
 in the past came crowding upon him, and he won- 
 dered how he had had any faith in her at all. 
 
 Exhausted, as the pale light of day was showing 
 in the east, Perry slunk to his rooms, a pitiable sight, 
 haggard in face, clothing spattered with mud, and 
 bedraggled generally. His early pride the tall, bell- 
 crowned hat was crushed, and as shaggy in appear- 
 ance as a French pony after a long, hard winter. 
 Ambition was gone. The meaning had been knocked 
 out of things. All the body wanted was some place 
 to crawl to, and there die. Death came in the form 
 of sleep, and a resurrection into new life followed. 
 However, it was anything but a life of bliss. 
 
 Perry went perfunctorily to work cleaning up his 
 clothing. Later, he tried to apply himself to the 
 drafting of paper cities, which was so much a part 
 of the business life of that time. Other hours he
 
 The Wolverine 171 
 
 spent in the attic over his invention, but for days and 
 weeks there was little joy in work of any kind. In 
 his sub-consciousness, voices continually reviewed 
 the long-pending question of Marie Beaucceur. The 
 old, sweet image of her face had a gloating look now. 
 All she had cared for was to exercise her power over 
 him; and at the last this had descended to something 
 almost diabolical. 
 
 Marie had seized upon his cold as an opportunity 
 to make him drunk. She knew he had pledged himself 
 to abstinence. And the breaking of this pledge was 
 her pleasure, her triumph. What a spirit was that! 
 Gods and men! And once he had loved her! 
 
 But the poison was not all in Marie. There was 
 much in his own breast. He had fled from her with 
 the thought of saving his soul. Not until now did 
 he realize how recent studies had undermined his 
 religious faith. It was well enough to read for infor- 
 mation how certain minds found in Nature no place 
 for a Providence, no evidence of a God such as he 
 had always believed in and worshipped; but when 
 suddenly his own experience gave the same outlook 
 then it was that the very heavens seemed about 
 to fall. 
 
 For days life was not worth the living and this 
 life was really all, he had concluded. What a horrible 
 farce it was! How could even a philosopher find any- 
 thing in it to praise? A philosopher and who was 
 your true philosopher? Was he not the young man 
 who gets such sweets as he can in each passing 
 moment, with never a question of others' rights, of 
 conscience, or of aught but his own good pleasure?
 
 i7 2 The Wolverine 
 
 He knew more than one such jolly good fellow, with 
 never a dull care in this world, and always bent on 
 some new sport. There were a number in the Bradies, 
 and he had sometimes been the butt of their jokes 
 because he chose to lead a different life. 
 
 A gay party of these bon-vivants invited him to 
 join them on an evening at this time. Perry was in 
 the mood to make the experiment, and accepted their 
 hospitality. There was a resort known as "The 
 Shades" to which they repaired to make a night of 
 gaming, feasting, and drinking. He tried their beer, 
 but found it loathsome stuff. The apple-toddy was 
 better. He knew nothing of cards, but he made a 
 pretense of playing, for there was forgetfulness in 
 this wild companionship. Their oaths, once so shock- 
 ing, were as meaningless now as the goo-goo of 
 prattling babes. They did not even know they were 
 not wicked. This, too, was a part of the farce. 
 
 Perry's position often seemed like a god's. There 
 was a consciousness of being above everything, out- 
 side of everything, knowing everything, understand- 
 ing everything; and to this superior being all was a 
 farce. The zest that remained in life was to prove 
 this conclusion with each new setting which a kalei- 
 doscopic existence furnished him. 
 
 Again, sometimes he seemed to be playing a part 
 with the other actors, when he would accuse himself 
 of not doing his lines well. It was impossible to enter 
 into the spirit of the thing. He could not forget him- 
 self. He was never playing the same game as the 
 others. He was always something alone, apart from 
 his associates and their surroundings. The game was
 
 The Wolverine 173 
 
 the thing with them; but with him there was always 
 something beyond, something to come after, that 
 was never attained, but made him go weary to bed, 
 gave him a restless night, and caused him to rise dis- 
 pirited, often with an aching head, in the morning. 
 
 He dropped out of the whirl of society, took to. 
 reading books on Sunday morning, and only occa- 
 sionally went to services in the church at night. He 
 explained himself to no one; if questioned he made 
 replies of a superficial nature, and pleaded fatigue 
 from overwork. He had before been considered one 
 of the substantial young men of the town; now he 
 became popular with the wilder sort also, from whom 
 he no longer held aloof, while still not becoming quite 
 one of them. This non-radical position gained him 
 friends from both sides, who elevated him to a Cap- 
 taincy in the Bradies at the spring election. His 
 investments in land were turning out profitable, and 
 altogether he seemed on the high road to success. 
 But the thing gave him small pleasure. He received 
 it all as a part of the farce. According to his old 
 belief he should have been overtaken with misfor- 
 tune, when, on the contrary, the very goddess of for- 
 tune seemed to have taken up her abode with him. 
 
 Wait! the end was not yet some voice within 
 would tell him; and he was reminded that goddesses 
 might prove as false as their flesh and blood antitypes. 
 Indeed, a certain demoiselle of his acquaintance had 
 once possessed a throne among the deities, and he had 
 learned a lesson from her. He had heard many 
 strange and conflicting stories regarding Marie. He 
 knew she had had a long and serious illness, dating
 
 174 The Wolverine 
 
 from a time soon after their last meeting. It never 
 occurred to him to associate the two together with 
 any cause and effect relation. One story, indeed, had 
 given the cause of her illness as the recent loss of a 
 French lover. Perry's mind, lapsing into its former 
 mode of thought, had found a just retribution in fier 
 affliction, till he remembered that justice had nothing 
 to do with the scheme of nature. Then, too, the very 
 story was denied. Marie had never loved this French- 
 man. Her illness was the result of a cold taken in 
 the early spring, when her body was generally run 
 down, as every one knew; and, as for a lover, the 
 public had already arranged a match between her 
 and the youthful Governor, that was entirely satis- 
 factory to most people. 
 
 Altogether, it was a strange life that Perry led for 
 many months. A night of high thinking, of deep 
 abstraction, of profound research into the mysteries 
 of the Infinite, would be followed by one of carousal 
 among the wildest elements of the town. He did not 
 yield completely to the baser order, but startling 
 stories came to his pastor, and led that good man to 
 pay him a visit. The Reverend Montieth was tre- 
 mendously shocked by what he learned. But Mrs. 
 Holland gave him hope with a key to the situation 
 when she said: "The lad hae ane michty ink spot 
 on his soul, nae doot. But dinna think to wash it oot 
 wi' yer cauld water releegious arguments. That will 
 but set the color. Ye maun leave it to wear oot in 
 the love which the young man bears a'. I hae gi'en 
 him the warks o' the gude Doctor Chalmers to read. 
 In my opeenion he needs naething mair but time an*
 
 The Wolverine 175 
 
 the cruel facts of life to turn him back to the fold 
 where I doot not his heart hae been a' the time, on'y 
 his head, bewitchet by the warks of the Evil One, 
 hae gang astray." 
 
 Perry was too young to despair, and contentment 
 in the new life was impossible. He read continually 
 in the hope of finding some firm foundation to build 
 upon anew. While it was a battle he must fight out 
 alone, he could go to Father Richard and argue 
 against the doctrines of the Church of Rome, and 
 from the Priest's sturdy defense gather many an 
 invigorating thought, many a reconstructive idea for 
 a new philosophy. 
 
 When the little candle burned out in the Priest's 
 study, there was yet light from the glowing hearth to 
 paint red two faces in the gloom one, young, but 
 touched with the solemnity of life, and ready to 
 become cynical with the quick change of moods; the 
 other, aged in physical lines, but young in the spirit 
 born of eternity, that imparted a soft radiance to the 
 countenance through which it looked. 
 
 The younger man was listener the greater part of 
 the time, receiving unconsciously the bread of life 
 anew from the very source which once he had 
 despised. The Priest may have thought to bring his 
 auditor within the fold of the Church, but if so never 
 by one indiscreet word did he show sign of an ulterior 
 purpose. It was the sweet simplicity of his life that 
 charmed Perry and gave something like rest to his 
 troubled mind. The sincerity and unselfishness of 
 the man, the rock-like convictions which shaped his 
 movements, long since won the youth's admiration
 
 176 The Wolverine 
 
 and were bound to kindle in him sooner or later a 
 new faith adapted to his own peculiar needs. 
 
 They always parted with a silent clasp of the hands, 
 as best suited the glorified heights to which they had 
 climbed after setting out in a spirit of controversial 
 dogmatism. Father Richard had had the last word, 
 and was content. Perry, with bowed head, had re- 
 ceived an impression as broad as the universe, sweep- 
 ing away time and all that was finite, and causing a 
 momentary conviction that he was a part of something 
 imperishable, supremely grand in conception, planned 
 from all eternity to eternity. The thing was simply 
 necessary. His own consciousness was proof of it. 
 If he was, this was. If this was not, he was not that 
 had seen it. And the thing he had seen was as much 
 beyond what is commonly called Nature, as the 
 material world is beyond nothing at all.
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 WHILE Perry was passing through this great 
 trial, many stirring events occurred to call 
 forth his physical activities. A note from 
 Governor Cass, who had returned home for the 
 summer, directed him to be present at a meeting of 
 the trustees of the Detroit College. This institution 
 was destined to make its impress on the great North- 
 west and the Nation at large, as it in time grew into 
 the University of Michigan. Father Richard and Rev- 
 erend Montieth were among the trustees present. The 
 meeting was called to act on an offer which a young 
 man brought from Ohio, for land held by the Col- 
 lege on the Maumee River. 
 
 There was a division among the trustees as to what 
 was best to do. Some maintained that the property 
 would eventually be the site of a flourishing city, and 
 its value immensely increased. But those favoring an 
 immediate sale were in a majority and prevailed, as 
 had been foreseen; and Perry was given instructions 
 forthwith, and despatched to make the survey. 
 
 Recent rains had made the roads very heavy; nev- 
 ertheless, it was thought best to go by stage, as to
 
 178 The Wolverine 
 
 wait for a boat that would put in at Port Lawrence 
 would cause delay. Mr. Gettler, the young lawyer 
 who had negotiated the sale, was to accompany Perry. 
 Gettler was a spirited fellow with pronounced red 
 hair, penetrating eyes, and a wiry form dressed in the 
 latest New York fashion. As companions on their 
 way, the young men had a fussy old woman with 
 innumerable bundles, possessed of a nervous certainty 
 they would all be scalped by the Indians; and Father 
 Richard, who had suddenly been called to Monroe to 
 perform the last sacred duties to a dying parishioner. 
 
 "Won't you join me in a smoke on the outside?" 
 Gettler asked Perry, the first time they stopped on 
 the road. He had taken the lead in conversation, 
 turning nearly everything into a joke, and a poor 
 one at that. His hair was repeatedly the subject of 
 light remark, and always coupled with Perry's, which 
 he chose to think of the same color. Perry, who was 
 glad to forget his hair when he could, only glared at 
 him. 
 
 "I never smoke," said he, coldly declining the cigar 
 offered. 
 
 "Never smoke? Well now, that's odd! I couldn't 
 live without it." 
 
 "My son, I think you could live better without it," 
 said the Priest, with a pleasant smile, after he had 
 shaken his head, for Gettler had next extended the 
 cigar to him. 
 
 "Well now, if this don't beat ever'thing! Two men 
 who don't smoke! It means something! I'm bound 
 to believe it means something. The lady may be 
 right. I never met two before in one day who didn't
 
 The Wolverine 
 
 smoke.'' And shaking his head ominously, he joined 
 Le Borgne on the box, and asked him for a light 
 from his pipe. 
 
 "Fm glad you don't use tobacco, my son," said the 
 Priest, turning to Perry. "It is a senseless and filthy 
 habit. Besides, it is positively injurious. This young 
 man who has just left us is made nervous by its use. 
 Did you see his hand tremble? And he is not half 
 my age." The venerable Father held out his own 
 hand, which was as steady as time, and left his hearers 
 to draw the inference. 
 
 "It's all 'et y'u say, Father," declared the old woman 
 in a peevish voice. "It's another of them things 'et 
 we've got to thank the horrid Injuns for. An' oh 
 dear! I shall be so glad if they don't scalp me before 
 ever I get to my daughter's in Chicago. I wrote 
 Zulindy in my last letter 'et she needn't never to 
 expect to see me alive again. An' now I jest know 
 she won't. Ain't this the place where Winchester's 
 men was massycreed? Laws-ah-me! I believe it is; 
 an' thet's a pesky Injun behind yon tree!" 
 
 "Calm yourself, my good woman," commanded 
 the Priest. "No harm will come -to us. There isn't 
 a war-like Indian this side of Black Hawk's band 
 beyond Lake Michigan. We are not half way to the 
 scene of the fight you speak of. Moreover, it is trans- 
 formed now into cultivated fields, and scarcely a ves- 
 tige of that horrible event remains. Ah, I believe 
 we shall have more rain." He would draw the ner- 
 vous woman's mind to something else. 
 
 Perry had often heard Father Richard preach 
 against the use of tobacco, and always there was
 
 180 The Wolverine 
 
 recalled the night when Marie and he first called on 
 Mere Gobielle. Marie had tricked him then into 
 believing she was about to join their hostess in a 
 friendly smoke. Because of what rankled in his breast, 
 Perry must needs rally the holy father now on the 
 ineffectualness of his efforts. 
 
 "It's bad enough for a man to smoke," he began. 
 "But for a woman!" Perry shook his head, unable 
 to find words to express his repugnance. "Yet I was 
 at one of your parishioner's not long since Mere 
 Gobielle's Grand'mere; and another member of your 
 flock a young lady was supplying her with the 
 hateful weed!" 
 
 "Yes; there are those who use the hateful weed, as 
 you aptly call it; otherwise there would be no need 
 for me to preach against it," answered the Priest, not 
 at all put out. "And one of these is Mere Gobielle, 
 or Grand'mere, as you say. Grand'mere and 
 yet she hasn't a living descendant that is 
 known, and once she had a large family. Two 
 of her sons were killed below here." Without men- 
 tioning the name, his glance suggested to Perry the 
 Raisin Massacre. "And two were killed at the Battle 
 of the Thames. They fought on opposite sides, as 
 they lived on opposite banks of the river at Detroit. 
 Ah! quite a remarkable woman full of legends and 
 stories and matter of real historical value. She was 
 personally acquainted with Pontiac. So you have 
 visited her?" 
 
 The mention of Pontiac led their talk to the early 
 history of the region, but the Priest discouraged the 
 subject, as it harassed their timid companion. Perry
 
 The Wolverine 181 
 
 told how surprised he had been to find Father Richard 
 an ardent supporter of education, when he had be- 
 lieved the Church of Rome favored keeping the 
 masses in ignorance. And from this they drifted into 
 theological discussion, as was their wont. 
 
 The re-entrance of Gettler to the coach put a stop 
 to their argument. It was beginning to rain again. 
 The road, bad in all places, seemed steadily getting 
 worse. The coach pitched and tumbled its occupants 
 about. Gettler swore and begged the pardon of Priest 
 and the timid old woman alike. Then, with a jolt 
 that threw all in a heap, the vehicle came to a stand- 
 still. 
 
 "At last! at last!" cried the woman in terror. "Oh, 
 I hear the war-whoop! and the guns! My scalp will 
 betaken!" 
 
 "Never fear, madam! Permit me to return it to 
 you!" said Gettler, with mock gallantry; and he lifted 
 the old woman's wig, which, in the mix-up, had fallen 
 to the coach floor, and placed it on her head as if it 
 were a queenly crown. 
 
 "Ah, some mover is fast in the mud," said Father 
 Richard, looking from the coach door, and trying 
 to ignore the poor woman's humiliation. "These 
 are no Indians, my good woman," he added, when 
 the wig was once more in place. "Those yells were 
 but a man's cries to his team, and the guns were the 
 snapping of his long, black whip. Sons, we must get 
 out and help him." He sprang from the coach, spoke 
 in French to Le Borgne, who at once removed his 
 horses to help the stranger, fast in the mud. 
 
 With levers cut from the forest, the men pried the
 
 1 82 The Wolverine 
 
 wheels up and gave the horses a chance to pull the 
 heavy load of household goods from the mire. The 
 mover's wife and children a sorry group in the rain 
 stood at one side and watched with deepest inter- 
 est. They were profuse in their thanks when all were 
 free to go on once more. The coach passed, and 
 Perry wondered how long before the others would 
 find themselves in the same plight again, and who 
 would help them then. 
 
 "What can the man expect?" said Gettler. "This is 
 Michigan from one end to the other. Has he never 
 read? He should go down into Ohio. I could tell 
 him of some fine lands there." 
 
 "No, this is not all Michigan," declared Father 
 Richard. "You have been reading Morse's Geog- 
 raphy, or some early Governmental reports that libel 
 our Territory. There are bad places. But there are 
 also as fine lands to be had as any in the world. What 
 has been printed has done great injustice to this 
 region, and clever people are now waking up to the 
 fact. False reports have permitted Indiana and 
 Illinois to get the start of Michigan, but sturdy men 
 are coming in with their families, and we shall not 
 long be kept behind." 
 
 The conversation drifted into politics, and night 
 settled down upon them. The timid old woman was 
 nearly forgotten, for since fate had divulged her 
 secret, she seemed to have lost all fear of the Indians. 
 Her last words had been to Gettler "Thet's truly 
 my own, sir! I saved the combings, sir, when first 
 I was like to loose my hair, sir; as Zulindy would tell 
 you, sir, were she here!"
 
 The Wolverine 183 
 
 On the Frenchtown side of the River Raisin, 
 Father Richard left the coach. The others continued 
 across the toll bridge, and completed their journey 
 without mishap the next forenoon. 
 
 The land which Perry had come to survey lay 
 between the two languishing settlements on the lower 
 Maumee. Remembering the discussion among the 
 trustees, he was inclined to think they had done well 
 to accept the offer of the Ohio company, as a more 
 forbidding spot could hardly be imagined. It was 
 seemingly the last place in the world to become the 
 site of a flourishing city. Yet in this both he and the 
 trustees were mistaken. 
 
 Scarcely a day passed without some mishap or 
 adventure that delayed Perry's work. Once it was an 
 angry altercation with a half-breed, who accused him 
 of molesting his traps. In revenge for these fancied 
 wrongs he mutilated Perry's blazings, pulled up the 
 stakes he had driven, and otherwise meddled with 
 the lines he was running. It became necessary to 
 put a stop to such interference, and to do this, Perry 
 was obliged to run down his half-breed and give him 
 a plain talk. In making search for the fellow, he was 
 surprised to find one, Gaspard Beaucceur, brother 
 to Pierre Beaucceur of Detroit. Perry's acquaintance 
 with the Detroit family stood him in good stead, for 
 the Maumee branch received him at once as a friend, 
 and helped to win the half-breed to respect his mark- 
 ings. 
 
 As Perry's work lay in the neighborhood, he stayed 
 often with Gaspard Beaucceur and his numerous 
 family. There was a daughter, Annette, who reminded
 
 1 84 The Wolverine 
 
 him of Marie; and though any thought of the Detroit 
 demoiselle was accompanied with pain, he could not 
 forego all the yearnings of his sorely smitten heart. 
 His excuse for staying, however, was Madame Beau- 
 cceur's cooking. 
 
 Sleeping rooms were small and stuffy, but Perry 
 would have air in his. Pushing his bed near a win- 
 dow one night, he uncovered a door leading to 
 another chamber. The door itself had been removed, 
 but the opening was blocked by a bed in the second 
 room, similar to his own. He could not tell how long 
 he had slept when he was wakened by voices. A 
 faint glow from a lamp revealed the blind door, and 
 through the crevice between wall and headboard 
 came words plainly audible. 
 
 "Now look at this map/' said the speaker, and 
 Perry recognized the voice of Mr. Gettler. He had 
 not seen his companion from Detroit for nearly two 
 weeks, as Gettler had been called to Cincinnati soon 
 after their arrival at Port Lawrence. 
 
 "If this is the boundary line," Gettler was explain- 
 ing, "then our canal will have its northern terminus 
 in Michigan. And that we do not want. If we get 
 aid from Ohio, the canal must all be within the State." 
 
 "That certainly is the boundary line," said the 
 other speaker, "and I don't see how we are going to 
 help ourselves." 
 
 "You're too easy," returned Gettler. "The boundary 
 can be fixed as we want it. Michigan is only a Terri- 
 tory. Ohio can claim any line with good showing; 
 then add to that our influence in Congress, and the 
 thing is done."
 
 The Wolverine 185 
 
 "Where's your good showing?" demanded the sec- 
 ond speaker. "The terms seem plain enough." And 
 apparently he read: "A line drawn east from the 
 southerly bend or extreme of Lake Michigan until it 
 intersects Lake Erie. I don't see how we're going 
 to get around that?" 
 
 "Well, I'll tell you," answered Gettler. "It was 
 thought by those who worded that description that 
 the southern end of Lake Michigan was farther north 
 than it really is. I have looked up the records in the 
 matter. The strict letter would shut us out of Lake 
 Erie. And it was meant that as many States as pos- 
 sible should have lake ports. Just glance at this map. 
 See that jog up there to give Pennsylvania a port. 
 See how Indiana touches here. Look at Illinois, 
 barely more than a point on the Lake here. This very 
 contingency was provided for when Ohio formed 
 her constitution, and all it lacks is Congressional 
 ratification." 
 
 "Well, the sooner this matter is attended to the bet- 
 ter," said Gettler's companion. "There'll be some 
 kicking from the Territory, I imagine." 
 
 "Shucks," returned Gettler. "Only a lot of French- 
 men up there, who care for nothing but an easy, good 
 time!" 
 
 "It will look to them like a clean steal," persisted 
 the other. "And if they should put up a fight " 
 
 "Fight! There's no fight in them. What did they 
 do have you never heard of Hull's surrender?" 
 
 Perry could hardly resist a low whistle. He won- 
 dered how Governor Cass would receive the story 
 which he would carry back. Cass was not a Hull.
 
 1 86 The Wolverine 
 
 With a thrill the listener recalled a story recently told 
 at a meeting 1 of the Brady Guards: how the Governor 
 had broken his sword rather than give it up igno- 
 miniously to the British at the time of that disgrace- 
 ful surrender. 
 
 Presently Gettler's companion bade him good night 
 and left the house. Perry could not go to sleep at 
 once, even when all was quiet. He understood Get- 
 tier's urgency in the matter of the College lands now, 
 and why the bargain had been practically closed 
 before the survey. The canal which was to be dug 
 from the Ohio River to Lake Erie would terminate 
 in this region; a city would soon be plotted on the 
 very land the trustees had parted with for a song. 
 Not only this but his Territory was to be robbed of 
 a strip on its southern boundary, if political influence 
 and juggling with terms could bring it about!
 
 CHAPTER XK. 
 
 TWO days later, Perry sailed from Port Law- 
 rence on the "Elizabeth Ward," a newly built 
 sloop of sixty-five tons. A long tack to the 
 east carried him within sight of Put-in-bay, where 
 was buried his father, with other brave men who 
 fought under the indomitable Perry. Another long 
 tack to the northwest brought them to the mouth 
 of the river. Thence it was slow beating to windward 
 up the strong current by the long, narrow islands. 
 Near the old barracks on Grosse Isle a band of Indi- 
 ans were encamped; and they of the sloop spoke many 
 of them in their canoes fishing off the shore. Then 
 came Fighting Island of Pontiac fame. The French 
 farmhouses, whitewashed and glistening in the sun; 
 the many quaint windmills with their great dragon- 
 fly wings all nestling against the dark-green, 
 heavily-wooded background, formed a picture full of 
 simple pastoral beauty, pleasant to look upon as they 
 moved slowly up the river. 
 
 Arrived in the Territorial Capital, Perry hastened 
 to report to the Governor. But Cass had sailed up 
 the Lakes three days before, with his friend School-
 
 craft, and would visit Ste. Marie's and Michilimacki- 
 nac before returning. Acting _ Governor Mason was 
 also away; gone with some gay young companions 
 for a week on the shores of Lake St. Clair. Even 
 Lyon had returned to Washington, and there seemed 
 no one to whom Perry cared to confide the plot he 
 had overheard on the Maumee. 
 
 Meanwhile, the directors of a newly-chartered rail- 
 road to be built between the Capital and Pontiac, 
 were clamoring to have him make their survey, so 
 he got his outfit together and set off again into the 
 wilderness. 
 
 He had a last night with Father Richard, in which 
 they reviewed their acquaintance, talked of their com- 
 ing separation, and made promises of what they should 
 do when the snows of winter reunited them. The 
 Priest gave his young friend some books in French to 
 take away into the wilds, that the language which 
 was becoming quite at home on his tongue, should 
 not be forgotten. Then Perry bowed his head and 
 received the holy father's benediction, and came 
 away. 
 
 The next day was the Sabbath, and Perry gave a 
 large part of his time to writing a letter to his mother 
 and sister. This was a delicate task, for he was deter- 
 mined not to trouble the dear ones at home with the 
 details of his trial. A letter, long as he would make 
 it, was too short to explain all. And so only the 
 bright things of his life, the new hopes and budding 
 ambitions, found an historian in his pen. At one 
 point, when he stopped to sharpen a quill, it occurred 
 to him that his readers would wonder why, of late,
 
 The Wolverine 189 
 
 there was never a word of his church; and so he laid 
 the letter aside, and went out to hear the evening 
 sermon, with the idea of transcribing the headings, as 
 once had been his custom. 
 
 The Reverend John Montieth was at his best that 
 night. Long after, when away in the woody soli- 
 tudes, Perry recalled his words. The text was 
 "Not of the letter, but of the spirit; for the letter kill- 
 eth, but the spirit giveth life." Perry felt something 
 analogous to death in his present state, and wondered 
 if there really was a spirit that could give new life. 
 
 As he was coming out of the church, his eye fell 
 on the figure of a woman dressed in black and heavily 
 veiled. Irregular as his attendance had been, he 
 remembered once before to have seen her there. Both 
 times she had arrived late, a trifle agitated, and had 
 dropped into a pew near the side entrance. To-night, 
 as she was hurrying away after the sermon, her 
 handkerchief slipped to the floor. Perry experienced 
 a flash of recognition in the grace of the trim, dark 
 form, as she bent to recover the delicate piece of lace 
 and linen. But no it could not be! he thought, 
 frightened at the thrill which passed through him. 
 Irresistibly attracted, he followed at a distance, and 
 on the threshold, picked up the handkerchief which, 
 in confusion, had been dropped a second time. The 
 veiled figure, however, had disappeared in the dark- 
 ness outside. 
 
 Perry carried the bit of finery to his rooms and 
 examined it carefully, but neither name nor mark 
 was to be found anywhere, not even a delicate per- 
 fume by which it might be identified. Thinking that
 
 i9 The Wolverine 
 
 he would hand it to the sexton before leaving town, 
 he folded the handkerchief and placed it between the 
 covers of a book, while he finished his letter to his 
 mother. The next day, when he would return the 
 handkerchief to the church, it was nowhere to be 
 found. 
 
 His goods were packed, his men employed, and all 
 was ready to leave for the wilderness, when the gay 
 young fellows with whom he had spent so many even- 
 ings of late, clamored for one more meeting. Only 
 on condition that it be a sober one did Perry accede 
 to their wishes. And so far had he made himself 
 leader among them that he succeeded in carrying it 
 through with only a minimum amount of drinking. 
 
 He was glad when once away in the woods; glad of 
 the chance to make himself weary with physical 
 exercise; glad when night came with its rest and a 
 quiet moment to think out his thoughts alone, 
 wrapped in his Mackinaw blanket. One evening 
 when his camp was located on the shores of a pretty 
 lake, he took out the books Father Richard had given 
 him, for he felt a hungering after the old French 
 sounds. With his athletic form stretched before the 
 blazing fire, he opened the pages, when lo! the hand- 
 kerchief which had so mysteriously disappeared, fell 
 upon his breast. All the sensations of the moment 
 when first he had seen it dropped were recalled. 
 Whether it was Marie then, or not, it was Marie whom 
 he saw in his vision now. Why was his heart so 
 moved, after all her treatment of him? 
 
 Because it had been impossible to put mademoiselle 
 wholly out of mind, Perry had entered into a weak
 
 The Wolverine I9 1 
 
 compromise with himself, out of which two Maries 
 had been evolved. One was the Marie of his dreams: 
 lovely of mind and form, a perfect paragon among 
 women, a vision of whom he treated himself to at 
 times as one would humor a sick child. The other, 
 he taught himself, was the real Marie; and the vision 
 was dark one best not looked upon, and even he 
 shunned it. 
 
 But the Marie of his dreams made him give the 
 living Marie many a new hearing. Some advocate 
 declared he had been too hasty in judging her inten- 
 tions on that fatal night. Was there not a chance 
 that he had deceived himself? And if it was Marie 
 who had dropped the handkerchief in the Presby- 
 terian Church, what was she doing there? Would it 
 not be just like Marie to veil herself as was that 
 woman, and go to this Protestant church, if her 
 heart was opening to what he had once hoped to 
 waken within? 
 
 This sort of thing made the bit of lace and linen 
 very precious to the isolated young man. But grant' 
 ing the questions an affirmative answer, then had he 
 sinned past all forgiveness! Because such thoughts 
 were torture, he would revert to his original opinion 
 and declare he was the victim of self-delusion, and 
 the whole affair would be crowded out of mind by 
 sheer force of his master will.
 
 CHAPTER XXL 
 
 THE cross on the tallest spire of Ste. Anne's was 
 the first object to catch beams of light, when, 
 on a summer's morning, the sun rose over 
 the Canadian shore, beyond the wooded isle at the 
 entrance of the river. Thence, slowly down the four 
 minarets at the corners, the zone of yellow made its 
 way, gilded the dome in the centre of the roof, touched 
 each separate piece of architecture with its Midas- 
 like finger, and finally, creeping under the eaves, 
 peered with golden gleam in at the windows. The 
 sun of earth might be ever so early, the faithful 
 votaries of the Sun of Righteousness would be found 
 to have preceded it. The golden gleam of light dis- 
 covered Father Richard already entered into the little, 
 cell-like confessional, and a trembling figure in black 
 kneeling penitently before him. 
 
 The Confiteor had been repeated and questions 
 asked and answered in regard to the time of the 
 penitent's last confession. There was tender assurance 
 in the low, modulated French which the Priest used, 
 and the throbbing heart of this daughter of the 
 Church was already experiencing the blessed relief
 
 The Wolverine 193 
 
 of the sacrament. Still her words when they came 
 were only whispers, and these broken from time to 
 time by a sob. 
 
 Outside, matins were over for the dwellers of the 
 air, and for them the labors of the day had fairly 
 begun. The doves had left the belfry-tower, and 
 gone to the market-square for their breakfast. The 
 robins, which were building a nest just under the 
 portico, had had several worms apiece, but had left 
 off feasting on discovering a particularly fine piece 
 of wool, exactly suited to complete the interior of 
 their home. Mrs. Robin was deftly putting this in 
 place, while Mr. Robin, from the gable of Ste. Anne's, 
 carolled her praises in a way to make envious all the 
 other robins. Bees were busy in the morning-glories 
 that grew at the corner of the sanctuary; save one 
 stupid fellow, who persisted in mistaking the colored 
 glass in the windows for neglected honey-bearing 
 flowers, and battered his head in ineffectual attempts 
 to get at the sweets within. 
 
 "The particular sin, my daughter, of which thou 
 wouldest unburden thy soul," prompted the Priest, 
 with his low, comforting voice. 
 
 "Ah, Father, I know not if there be a particular 
 one. There are so many. I know not which is 
 greatest. But some I would hide even from thee 
 and that is a sin, also, is it not?" 
 
 "It is a feeling that thou shouldst overcome, my 
 daughter. There is nothing to fear, save the anger of 
 God. Have I not taught thee from thy very infancy 
 that thou shouldst not fear me, nor feel shame in any- 
 thing pertaining to this sacred rite? The peace of
 
 194 The Wolverine 
 
 God will come to thee in the performance of the 
 penance I shall impose." 
 
 "I have been to the Protestant Church, Father/' 
 confessed the trembling penitent. "I have been very, 
 very wicked. I have sometimes doubted the true 
 Church. I have wished sometimes that I had been 
 born a Protestant. They trust their religion, and are 
 as happy as we of the true Church." 
 
 "Ah, my child, this is indeed a sin. They may be 
 happy now. But they deceive themselves. Each 
 one is his own judge among them. And in the end 
 they will have no religion at all. I know one such. 
 And he has come to me for guidance, as they must 
 all come to the Church of Rome at last. Do not go 
 there again, my daughter. I will give thee a penance 
 for this two Paternosters and five Ave Marias at 
 matins and vespers till St. Bartholomew's Day. I 
 fear thou hast been reading some books of heretical 
 doctrine." 
 
 "No, Father, it is not that that has led me thither. 
 Thou dost call me a child as always. Sometimes I 
 think thou dost not realize that I have become a 
 woman. Etienne Baddeau had asked me three times 
 to be his wife. I have a woman's heart now, Father. 
 I should have accepted his love had he lived." 
 
 "Ah, I had wondered if it were not so," returned 
 the Priest, with sympathetic brow, while his eyes 
 rested absently on the spot in his stole which a coal 
 of fire from the censer had burned on Easter morning 
 last. "I think Etienne understood thee better than 
 thou didst thyself. He was not discouraged by thy 
 frequent refusals. I can tell this to thee now, if it
 
 The Wolverine 195 
 
 will be any comfort to know. He and I had many 
 long talks of the matter. But it has pleased the good 
 God to take him before he became thy husband. 
 Such things grieve the heart, my daughter, but they 
 are meant for our blessing, and with prayer we may 
 see it in time. God will turn thy love for Etienne to 
 His own use." 
 
 "But, Father, I never loved Etienne. I should 
 have married him without that. I hoped that love 
 for him would come to me after I was his wife. This 
 is another sin," she confessed, with a sob; "for I meant 
 to deceive him. And I have deceived others. I have 
 let them think that I loved Etienne. But, Father, it 
 is not all sin oh! is it? If the world chooses to think 
 this way, I do not have to show it all my heart tell 
 me, Father, it is not necessary!" 
 
 "No, my child; the heart may have its secrets. But 
 I do not understand. Thou wouldst have married 
 Etienne and thou didst not love him? Was it to 
 make him happy? I do not understand " 
 
 "I did not love Etienne, Father. But he is not 
 the only man." Her voice was scarcely audible. "I 
 did not mean to do a wrong. I thought it would 
 make him happy. And the heart a woman's heart 
 is very weak. I have been afraid for myself. It was 
 to save myself from something I know not what! 
 And he would have me a Protestant and I have 
 wished I were and it was to save me from that 
 from him And now Etienne is dead!" 
 
 Great sobs shook the kneeling girl. 
 
 "Do I understand thee, my daughter? There is
 
 The Wolverine 
 
 another man whom thou dost love; and he would 
 have thee be a Protestant?" 
 
 "Yes, Father!" 
 
 "And has he asked thee to be his wife?" 
 
 "No, Father. He has not asked me to that. But 
 he has shown me his love. He has told me of it. I 
 have been very, very wicked. I have tempted him 
 when I did think I should marry Etienne. But he is 
 a very honorable gentleman. He has shown me things 
 in which I have been wrong. And he has wanted me 
 to do right. He always does right himself that is, 
 right according to the Protestant right He is very 
 good, Father." 
 
 "But if he has not asked thee to be his wife - " 
 began the Priest, thoughtfully. "I think thou wouldst 
 do well to put this love out of thy heart," he con- 
 cluded. 
 
 "Ah, that I have tried to do, Father. And it is 
 there I think I have most grievously sinned. I did 
 think if he were not so good I should not love him. 
 I was happy before he came; but now whether he goes 
 or comes, I cannot be happy. But once I thought 
 that if I did not love him I should be happy again. 
 I tried to make him dishonorable that I might hate 
 him. I tried to make him drunk, when he is a tem- 
 perate man. They say I was mad with grief then 
 for the death of Etienne. I do think I was mad with 
 something mad to save myself from him mad for 
 I know not what! Only I know now it was very, very 
 wicked. It was in my heart the good and the bad, 
 mixed there. I could not tell I could not help it. I 
 felt I must. I thought it would kill me. And now
 
 The Wolverine 197 
 
 The heart thinks such strange things ! It prompts me 
 to do strange things. Oh! I do fear for myself even 
 now!" 
 
 "It grieves me sorely, my daughter, to hear these 
 words," returned the Priest, with a deep breath. "I 
 had hoped to see thee a happy wife and mother. 
 Thou hast indeed sinned grievously in thy method 
 of fighting this strange love that has come to thee. I 
 think it is well that thou hast told me of the matter 
 thus early, for thou shouldst have guidance in thy 
 way. I think thy good mother could help thee " 
 
 "Ah, Father, it has been so hard to tell it even once! 
 It surely is not necessary to confess it further. With 
 thy prayers and my own, I shall be safe. He is very 
 angry with me now, and hates me! He knows how 
 very, very wicked I am. He will never, never come 
 to me again. He has gone far, far away!" 
 
 Her sobbing was death agony to the kind-hearted 
 Priest. 
 
 "There, my child! Thou shalt have my prayers; 
 many of them. It is the good God's way; and if He 
 has removed this strange love from thy path, we 
 should be thankful for His care and watchfulness. 
 Thou wilt thank Him with thy prayers for His care 
 and watchfulness; remember, my child, for His care 
 and watchfulness. I will show thee a prayer with it 
 so worded. Thou hast been saying a prayer for this 
 man?" 
 
 "Yes, Father." 
 
 "Do not continue, my child. It is not well for thee 
 to do it. I will pray for him all that is necessary. 
 Perchance he will be led of the spirit into the Holy
 
 198 The Wolverine 
 
 Church. But it is better for thee to forget his name, 
 and that thou hast ever known him. Thou hast been 
 sorely tempted, and hast done much wrong. But 
 with constant prayer thy sins will be forgiven, and 
 thou mayst yet be led into paths of peace." 
 
 "Peace that is what I would have, Father. I was 
 given at my birth such a heart! It loves to play dif- 
 ferent before people from what I truly am. I do not 
 mean to lie. I do not mean to deceive my friends. 
 Sometimes I do not know what I am myself, till the 
 acting has gone so far it is too late then. But I do 
 know that I do not wish to be wicked that I wish 
 every one happy. And I wish it more and more that 
 I am so unhappy myself. The good God sees every- 
 thing, Father. He must see and know there is some 
 good in my heart." 
 
 "Ah, my child, He does." 
 
 "And there is but one God? The Protestant God, 
 and the Catholic God it is but one, Father?" 
 
 "True, my daughter. But the true Church has the 
 right way of worshipping Him. The other is full of 
 error, and must often be very displeasing to His holy 
 eyes " 
 
 "And yet, Father, the words which I did hear there, 
 were very like the words thou hast often spoken thy- 
 self. With the veil drawn thickly over my face, it 
 did seem as if I were listening to some new Father, 
 and not to a Protestant minister. And if the dispo- 
 sition of the heart is the thing of true importance, as 
 thou hast said many times; and if their God and our 
 God be but one I do not see why the little difference 
 should be counted so great a sin."
 
 The Wolverine 199 
 
 "Ah, child, that is where thou art beginning to set 
 up thy private judgment. It is the Devil's entering 
 wedge! If thou givest it an opportunity it will divide 
 thy heart. It will rob thee of thy peace of mind far 
 more than thou hast yet experienced. Shun it, my 
 daughter, as thou wouldst the pit itself. All the fumes 
 of Purgatory will scarcely purge a soul overtaken by 
 death in the way that most surely leads one! I will 
 assign thee Scripture to read, and other prayers for 
 penance and instruction. Thy heart must be purged 
 of this matter." 
 
 The bee, blundering at the window, had somewhere 
 found a crevice and crawled within the sanctuary. 
 After a few moments' buzzing about he discovered 
 that the sombre, vacant apartment with the strange 
 odor of incense, contained nothing for him ; but when 
 he would withdraw, the way had passed beyond his 
 recollection. And now he was battering his stupid 
 head at the inside harder than he had done without. 
 Father Richard called her attention to the insect, and 
 drew a lesson from its plight that was wonderfully 
 edifying. Then he went to the window, and, opening 
 it, gave the bee its liberty. 
 
 Some of the doves had returned from the market 
 square, and were cooing loudly about the belfry- 
 tower. The wonderful carolling of the robin at the 
 gable peak had attracted a quarrelsome fellow, and 
 an angry disputation was going on between the two, 
 with mad flights through the neighboring air. A low 
 hum came up from the town, as it slowly awakened to 
 another day's work. 
 
 Marie, with pale face hidden behind her veil, sat in
 
 200 The Wolverine 
 
 chastened mien, in one of the pews, while Father 
 Richard chose the passages which she was to read for 
 instruction and penance on the days to come. She 
 was feeling the blessed relief of a great load lifted 
 from her heart. Not all was clear yet. But there was 
 assurance that the sins committed would be forgiven; 
 besides, some doctrines which her own heart approved 
 but which had still seemed heretical according to 
 earlier impressions, had been sanctioned by the Priest. 
 Altogether, Marie's experience had not been such 
 as to deter her from further independent thought, 
 though for the present her spirit seemed eminently sat- 
 isfied. Her greatest grief was not because she had 
 transgressed some canon of the Church; somehow, 
 loyalty to her Church had seemingly led her into com- 
 mitting a greater sin against the man she loved. Her 
 eyes had not been opened to this till the wrong was 
 done. And then, because zeal for her Church had led 
 her into this error, mistaken though that zeal was, 
 the Church, and not her fallible heart, was receiving 
 the blame. The thing which was sin at first was 
 becoming less and less so; while the wrong she had 
 done her womanhood in the method chosen to stamp 
 out love, was becoming more and more hideous with 
 each recalling of that fateful evening.
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 THERE was promise now of stirring times in 
 the Territory. General Cass had returned to 
 Washington, leaving fiery young Mason to act 
 as Governor. The plot which Perry had discov- 
 ered to rob Michigan of a strip of land on her 
 southern boundary had aroused the people to a fight- 
 ing pitch. Ohio was determined to run the line mark- 
 ing her boundary where she wished it, even if her sur- 
 veyors had to be protected by the entire military 
 force of the State. Upon the receipt of this piece of 
 news, Perry was summoned to the Capitol. 
 
 "How many men can you muster in your company 
 at a moment's notice?" asked Mason, when the Cap- 
 tain of the Bradies presented himself. 
 "Sixty, at least," replied Perry. 
 "And the other company?" 
 "An equal number, I have no doubt/' 
 "Who is your lieutenant? Would you trust him 
 to lead your company, if you were called to a higher 
 position?" 
 "Yes, Governor," replied Perry, wondering what
 
 202 The Wolverine 
 
 was in store for him. "You know something of An- 
 toine Beaucceur. He is my lieutenant." 
 
 "Good!" exclaimed the Governor. "These Bradies 
 
 they can be relied upon you are positive " 
 
 Mason was feeling his way. 
 
 "They will obey your orders, Governor, and fight 
 to the bitter end, if that is what you wish to know 
 and fate has no better end in store for us," replied 
 North, warmly. 
 
 "Ah, the men of Michigan are made of royal stuff!" 
 exclaimed young Mason. "Captain, I am going to 
 ask you to give up your command to serve on my 
 staff. I want you there the Territory needs you 
 there. You accept? then hereafter it will be Major 
 North." 
 
 "Thank you, Governor," said Perry. He won- 
 dered why his immediate thought was of Marie. Long 
 since he had given her up, except as now and then 
 he weakly dreamed of what might have been. Did 
 the Governor's presence suggest mademoiselle? It 
 was a common thing to connect their names; and 
 there was never an interview with Mason but the 
 girl came to Perry's mind, and often with a jealousy 
 he could not understand. 
 
 Four days later the Bradies were encamped on the 
 banks of the Maumee in company with several hun- 
 dred troops. Their position commanded Toledo the 
 towns of Vistula and Port Lawrence having recently 
 been united under this name. A gallant sight was 
 presented when their dashing young Governor, sur- 
 rounded by his staff dressed in buckskin and splen- 
 didly mounted, reviewed the troops which he had
 
 The Wolverine 203 
 
 assembled to guard the interests of his Territory. Up 
 the river a few miles was Governor Lucas, backed by 
 the Ohio militia to the number of several hundred, 
 which rumor increased to ten thousand, and the Gov- 
 ernor's own proclamation made "a million of free 
 men!" 
 
 In a council which the Wolverines held soon after 
 their arrival it was decided that definite knowledge of 
 the enemy's plans must be obtained. Information 
 was required which could be gained only by sending 
 someone into the enemy's lines. 
 
 "By gad, I'll go myself!" exclaimed impulsive 
 young Mason, starting to his feet. Kings had played 
 the part of spy before now why not a governor? 
 This readiness to face any danger was fast making 
 the young man the idol of his people. 
 
 "No, no," said experienced General Brown. "You 
 are too well known. There are a score of men with 
 Lucas and his followers, who have met you in 
 Detroit. You would be recognized and made pris- 
 oner, and it would play the devil with our plans if 
 it did not prove serious to your person. Surely 
 another can be found who will volunteer to under- 
 take this mission." 
 
 Mason's face darkened with disappointment, for 
 the dangers of such an errand fired his very soul, and 
 he found it hard to forego the excitement held in 
 promise by the work. One of his best traits, however, 
 was a readiness to be advised by older heads; and 
 now, as he so often did, he yielded to his counselors. 
 In the silence which followed the officer's last words, 
 the Governor's eyes passed from face to face around
 
 204 The Wolverine 
 
 the council board, till they met the return gaze of 
 his junior staff-officer. There was a quick exchange 
 of intelligence between the two, and then Perry 
 stepped forward. 
 
 "I will undertake the mission/' said he, quietly, "if 
 you wish me to do so." 
 
 "Major North I know of none better qualified, 
 General," said the Governor. And so it was decided. 
 
 Perry held a last consultation with his Chief and 
 the General out under the stars. Then, with an escort 
 of half a dozen men, he was ferried to the opposite 
 bank of the river. Mounting horses there, they took 
 the road leading to the southeast, and galloped away 
 for several miles. When they halted it was before a 
 farm-house, the owner of which was known to favor 
 the Michigan cause. The startled inmates were 
 aroused from their slumbers, and a horse and light 
 wagon pressed into service, together with a load of 
 vegetables and some poultry. A little farther on 
 Perry dismissed his escort, and mounting the light 
 wagon, continued his way alone toward the enemy's 
 camp, disguised as an enterprising truck-farmer. 
 
 He had made a long detour to gain their flank, 
 and just as the sun was rising, drove into the Ohio 
 camp with his produce. He had no trouble in gain- 
 ing admission within the lines; for the last few miles 
 farmers had joined him from time to time, bent on 
 an errand which seemed the same as his. A long line 
 thus formed was allowed to proceed at once into camp, 
 where each wagon was quickly surrounded by militia- 
 men eager to make as appetizing a breakfast as pos- 
 sible. The same tactics were played on all the help-
 
 The Wolverine 205 
 
 less farmers. .While a single private engaged the own- 
 er's attention in driving a sharp bargain, a dozen 
 others helped themselves to his goods and disap- 
 peared. 
 
 It served Perry's purpose to enter a resolute pro- 
 test against such treatment, and he carried the mat- 
 ter boldly to headquarters, where he became the 
 spokesman for a large group of indignant farmers. 
 "Identify your goods, and they shall be restored to 
 you," was the answer which they received. Unfor- 
 tunately for those who really cared, one dressed fowl 
 very much resembles another, and potatoes have not 
 such marked personalities that they may be distin- 
 guished with certainty ; less than this the officer 
 would not act upon. Besides, he showed a decided 
 preference in taking testimony a militiaman's uni- 
 form was a badge of truth and veracity, while the garb 
 of a rustic marked a liar every time. 
 
 However, Perry gained an accurate knowledge of 
 the force marshalled against the Wolverine troops, 
 and decided that with his comrades lay the advantage 
 only in that they would have the choice of position. 
 
 A council would be held in the evening, when action 
 was to be taken regarding future movements, and 
 Perry determined to have an ear there if possible. 
 Country people had accepted the war-like demonstra- 
 tion as an event demanding a holiday, and were out 
 in numbers exceeding the military. Very little disci- 
 pline had been maintained during the day, but at 
 night pickets were posted, and all civilians excluded 
 from the lines. Before the change, Perry had hid- 
 den himself in a clump of bushes, where he could hear
 
 206 The Wolverine 
 
 every word. A man in uniform sat near, and through 
 an open window discharged tremendous volleys of 
 tobacco juice into the very bushes that concealed him. 
 In infinite danger of being hit by the enemy's fire, 
 Perry bravely held his position till the council ad- 
 journed. 
 
 During the proceedings he repeatedly heard the 
 voice which had plotted with Gettler in Gaspard 
 Beaucceur's home that night many months before. 
 They called the voice "Major;" and the officer was 
 convinced that the Michigan troops would not fight, 
 but we're merely putting up a bluff; all of which 
 recalled that other conversation. Everyone wished 
 to avoid bloodshed if possible; and after a free dis- 
 cussion, it was decided to make a flank movement to 
 the left of the Wolverine lines, send out another 
 detachment by boat from Cleveland to threaten com- 
 munications with Detroit, and so compel the stripling 
 Governor to retreat with his forces from the position 
 he had taken. 
 
 Perry was now ready to return to his Chief, having 
 gained the information he had come for. But his first 
 movement drew the attentions of a dog, which set up 
 a furious barking. 
 
 "What-ch-got, Hick? what-ch-got?" cried a sol- 
 dier's voice, almost at Perry's elbow. 
 
 "Nothin' but a rabbit, I'll swear," said a second 
 soldier. "Wish 'twas a coon, now! Here, you, Old 
 Hickory !" continued the second voice, seizing the dog 
 by the muzzle and spinning him about. "Let up on 
 that 'ere music!" 
 
 Then the officer at the window thrust his head out,
 
 The Wolverine 207 
 
 not two feet from Perry's, and called gruffly 
 "What's all this noise about?" 
 
 For a moment there was silence. 
 
 "Nothin' but a fool dog an' a jack-rabbit, Colonel," 
 replied one of the soldiers, who fancied he understood 
 the situation. 
 
 "Sure "tain't a Wolverine?" questioned the Colonel, 
 with a bit of humor in his tones. 
 
 "Put-cher-dog in the guard-house he's disturbin' 
 meetn'," said another voice in the dark. 
 
 A laugh greeted these sallies, after which quiet was 
 restored. With Perry's second attempt he cleared 
 the bushes, but before he had gone a dozen feet he 
 was roughly seized by a soldier. Curbing his inclina- 
 tion to knock the fellow down, the captive made 
 some surly reply to the question that was put to him. 
 
 "I've run y'u out o' camp twice to-night," said his 
 captor, with an oath. "I've a good mind t' run y'u 
 through now with this bayonet!" 
 
 "Now y'u won't do that, Mr. Soldier," whined 
 Perry, cringing from the other, adopting the tactics 
 which promised best to serve his needs. "Y'u kin put 
 me out ag'in, an' I'll come back ag'in, too, s'long's 
 y'u keep my hoss an' waggin. Y'u're a lot o' thieves! 
 That's what y'u are. An' I'll say it if I die fur it. 
 Y'u begun this mornin' by stealin' my turnips and 
 chickens, and now y'u want 'o keep my hoss an' 
 waggin!" 
 
 His captor drew him toward a comrade who held a 
 lantern. Others gathered about. 
 
 "He's the feller what carried complaint to the 
 Gov'nor this mornin'," said one.
 
 208 The Wolverine 
 
 "Ride 'im out o' camp, boys," cried another, at 
 the same time thrusting a long-barreled rifle between 
 Perry's legs. In a moment the prisoner was in the 
 air the next instant the man who had seized the 
 muzzle of the rifle was sprawling on the ground. Ap- 
 parently the fellow at the rear had lifted his end too 
 high, for Perry had fallen forward, dealing the man 
 before him such a blow that he would be slow to play 
 a joke again. 
 
 "Now stop y'ur foolin', boys," whined their victim. 
 "If y'u'll give me my hoss an' waggin I'll go 'way an' 
 won't bother y'u no more." 
 
 "Give 'im his hoss an' waggin, Dick," cried a soldier, 
 facetiously, at the same time dealing the countryman 
 a thrust that sent him staggering against the man 
 addressed. 
 
 There was a general guffaw. 
 
 "I hain't got his hoss an' waggin," returned Dick, 
 and he sent the countryman back, apparently with 
 usury, for the fellow who received him tumbled to 
 the earth as if struck by a cannon-ball. 
 
 They were having a lot of fun, but two of their num- 
 ber had retired from the game. 
 
 "What's all this disturbance?" demanded an officer, 
 stepping into the group. 
 
 "I want my hoss an' waggin," repeated Perry. 
 "Y'u're a lot o' highwaymen that's what y'u are " 
 
 "Is your horse a sorrel, with a white face and one 
 white foot?" asked the officer, with an encouraging 
 air. 
 
 "Yes, sir," replied Perry, for any horse would 
 answer his purpose and he was willing to forget
 
 The Wolverine 209 
 
 about the wagon, if it would hasten his departure any. 
 
 "Come with me," commanded the friendly officer, 
 and the countryman obeyed. "Is this your horse and 
 wagon?" the officer demanded, after he had conducted 
 Perry half through the camp to a stable by the road- 
 side. 
 
 "Yes, sir," answered Perry, and indeed it was the 
 very turnout that had brought him there in the early 
 morning. 
 
 "Here, Corporal," called the officer, "conduct this 
 fellow beyond our pickets." 
 
 Five minutes later Perry was jogging along the 
 road northward, fairly started on his return. He left 
 the horse to choose his own way and gait, confident 
 the beast would carry him directly to his stable. Perry 
 had had no sleep for thirty-six hours, and sorely felt 
 the need of rest; stretching himself in the bottom of 
 the wagon, he was soon fast asleep. 
 
 As long as the jolting continued he slept soundly, 
 but the moment that ceased he awoke to find the sor- 
 rel had done his part well. Exchanging now for his 
 own fresh horse, one of the thoroughbreds which 
 the late Governor Porter had brought into the Ter- 
 ritory from Pennsylvania, Perry was not long in 
 completing the remaining distance, and day broke as 
 he was being ferried across the Maumee. Camp was 
 soon astir, and when admitted to Governor Mason and 
 General Brown, a dozen men awaited him, military 
 and civil officers of the Territory, besides politicians 
 an eager audience that hung upon his words. 
 
 "We must organize a naval force to meet this expe- 
 dition from Cleveland," declared Mason, when Perry
 
 210 The Wolverine 
 
 was done speaking. "Thank Heaven, Michigan has 
 loyal lake captains who will be equal to this emer- 
 gency! I reckon I'd better prepare the despatches 
 at once. General, how will you meet the movement 
 on our right?" 
 
 "I think these Buckeyes will discover our right 
 reaches farther than they have any idea," declared 
 the General. "Wherever they cross the line, I promise 
 you, they'll find our troops there facing them." 
 
 And he was as good as his word.
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 THE tramp of armed forces was no new sound 
 to the region about. Along this route Tonty 
 and La Salle had marched their iron-coated 
 men-at-arms, a century and a half before. A hundred 
 years later, the British General Hamilton led his 
 troops over this ground against Vincennes; under 
 him served the grandsires of many who now marched 
 with Mason. Again, a few years, and St. Clair and his 
 ill-starred army were cut to pieces here. Hard on the 
 heels of this event followed Mad Anthony with his 
 avenging forces. Then came the brave Kentuckians 
 under Winchester, blindly to their death. After them 
 the victorious Harrison chased the invader from the 
 soil. Now a new generation had gathered on the 
 spot, with impulses that burned to emulate the brave 
 deeds of this historic region. 
 
 Governor Lucas having undertaken the perform- 
 ance of a definite action, the onus of initiating war 
 devolved on him. On a night in the following week 
 the Wolverine camp was thrown into fever heat by 
 news which reached them from Phillip's Corners,
 
 212 The Wolverine 
 
 twenty-five miles to their right. Perry, returning from 
 a late, moonlight row on the river, met the startling 
 intelligence at the dock, where a score of men in 
 little knots quivered with excitement. By a strange 
 induction his own nerves began vibrating before he 
 reached the landing, and he ceased paddling to catch 
 the words which floated over the water. In French 
 and English came expressions ''fired first shot" 
 "grand combat" "fight" "prisoners" "guerre a 
 mort" "General Brown" "Buckeyes" "surveyors" 
 "massacre de sang" "killed and wounded" "car- 
 ried off their dead" all repeated an endless number 
 of times. 
 
 As Perry mounted the wharf at one end, horsemen 
 came dashing out of the gray night and drew rein at 
 the other. They were Governor Mason and Major 
 Hadley, and Perry hastened to the group which 
 formed about them. There was no need to ask ques- 
 tions, for a woodsman just brought in by scouts, began 
 pouring into the Governor's ears an exciting tale. 
 
 "How do you know this?" Mason demanded im- 
 petuously of the fellow. 
 
 "I was one of the Ohio party, sir," replied the 
 woodsman respectfully. "Only I had been out hunt- 
 ing, and so was not with the main body. I tell you, 
 sir, just as I saw it. I was about to join the Ohio 
 men when I heard firing. My friends had taken 
 refuge in a log house which your troops quickly sur- 
 rounded. They were selling their lives dearly, sir. 
 But it was no use, for there was only a handful of 
 our party, while your men were sixty or a hundred.
 
 The Wolverine 213 
 
 A few made their escape, but most of them were killed 
 or made prisoners by General Brown. That was 
 yesterday afternoon that is Sunday, day before yes- 
 terday, this being Tuesday morning," glancing at 
 the full moon, which had now climbed past the 
 meridian. 
 
 The Governor put a few questions with the dex- 
 terity of a lawyer, and was about to ride away when 
 he caught sight of Perry's face in the mellow light. 
 
 "Hello, North!" he exclaimed. "What do you 
 think of this story?" 
 
 "By gad! it's my 'pinion that General Brown's 
 acted hastily/' interpolated Hadley, before Perry had 
 decided what reply to make. "Has't ever occurred 
 to you, gentlemen, that Brown would like to bring on 
 a fight for the fame he might make out of it?" he 
 asked, with a strongly toddy-tainted breath. 
 
 "No, no," returned the Governor. "I cannot think 
 that. I have had many conferences with him, and I 
 am sure Michigan interests are quite safe in his hands. 
 When we learn all, we shall find he has but done his 
 duty. I had hoped a conflict might be avoided. But 
 if Governor Lucas has come into our Territory with 
 an armed force, we could do no less than has been 
 done." 
 
 "I agree with you, Governor," said Perry, with 
 simple force. 
 
 "Well," commented Hadley, sententiously, "we 
 shall see what we shall see." He was only a drawing- 
 room soldier, and had little relish for real campaign- 
 ing. While Mason and Perry were discussing the 
 news further, he swung out his arms, and in a thick,
 
 214 The Wolverine 
 
 stagey voice mouthed some words of Shakespeare's, 
 taking his usual liberties with the text: 
 
 "Curse it! to speak, and with no addition, 
 
 We fight to hold a little patch of ground 
 
 That hath in't no profit but the name; 
 
 To pay five ducats fugh! I would not farm it " 
 
 Some laughed at his manner, but Mason did not 
 heed him. 
 
 "Anyway, I reckon it won't be amiss to get some 
 sleep before to-morrow's work," said the Governor, 
 and wheeling about he galloped off toward headquar- 
 ters, followed by the half-drunken Major, swaying 
 ludicrously in his saddle. 
 
 Next day it was found that first accounts of the 
 engagement had been wildly exaggerated. No lives 
 had been lost, and the invaders even denied that they 
 had fired a shot, while General Brown declared his 
 men had discharged their guns but once, and then 
 into the air. Nevertheless, Ohio people were moved 
 to a furore. A number of her militia officers had been 
 captured and carried away to a Wolverine jail, and 
 others had fled for their lives. It was enough that 
 the proud State of Ohio had been put to defiance. 
 
 The two armies were now brought face to face in 
 the field. The countryside was in the wildest excite- 
 ment. But one word was lacking the command to 
 march on the Wolverine lines. Mothers and wives 
 hid their faces, with fingers thrust far into their ears 
 lest they hear that word and know the fearful carnage 
 had begun. 
 
 Hark! Deep into those finger-tips there penetrates 
 the noise of furious riding. Is the battle on? Hope
 
 The Wolverine 215 
 
 begs for one last chance. Ears that were meant to 
 be deaf are tnrown open a single instant to catch 
 the faintest murmur. There is no sound of guns! 
 What does it mean? Eyes that a moment before 
 would shut out the truth are now strained to catch 
 the minutest detail. Two foaming steeds, with riders 
 frantically waving handkerchiefs in lieu of white 
 flags, dash between the opposing forces. A short 
 conference follows, in which leaders from both sides 
 ride out and take part between the lines. 
 
 Someone remembering the anxious watchers in a 
 certain house on the hillside, carries the news to them. 
 President Jackson has intervened, and there is to be 
 no war! Commissioners have arrived, and wish to 
 continue negotiations under this roof. 
 
 Presently the rooms are filled with uniformed men; 
 men in buckskin, and men in the garb of civil 
 life. Perry, riding by the side of his Chief, had recog- 
 nized the place. There was Gaspard Beaucceur, radi- 
 ant, honored by his distinguished company, making 
 bows to the right and left. Perry hastened to him, 
 with extended hand. 
 
 "I hope we shall not long inconvenience you," he 
 said, looking beyond the stately old man, where he 
 caught glimpses of his anxious spouse and Annette, 
 the dark-eyed daughter, who reminded him of Marie. 
 
 "Ah, eet ees no ingcongvenience," returned Beau- 
 cceur, showing his perfect teeth. "Eet ees one 
 pleasair one ver 5 gre't pleasair." 
 
 Perry pressed on for a word with the ladies. 
 
 "Ah, monsieur! Ze war ees eet ovair?" inquired 
 madame, with a tremor in her voice.
 
 2i 6 The Wolverine 
 
 "I hope so," replied Perry, fervently. "But no harm 
 can come to you. In spite of the stories you hear, 
 we are not making war on women. We are only 
 defending our own." 
 
 "Mon Dieu! eet ees not meself. Ah, you know 
 not ze motter-heart. Jacques, mon fils, il est wit' ze 
 Lucas Guards!" 
 
 Perry's chief called him now to another room, 
 where he was wanted to act as secretary. There, men 
 were seated about a long table, with one vacant chair, 
 to which he was motioned. Other men were left 
 standing about the room, and with every movement 
 there was the clank of spurs and the rattle of sheathed 
 sabers. 
 
 "You understand my position, gentlemen," said 
 Governor Lucas, addressing the Commission: "As 
 an executive officer, I am but an instrument in the 
 hands of the Legislature of this State " 
 
 "Of your State," corrected Governor Mason. "I 
 must beg to remind your Excellency that you are now 
 on soil belonging to Michigan Territory " 
 
 "Have done with quibbling, gentlemen," inter- 
 jected the Chief Commissioner. "Governor Mason, 
 allow Governor Lucas to state his position." 
 
 "I was saying, your Honor," resumed the white- 
 haired Governor of Ohio, "that as an executive offi- 
 cer, I am bound to carry out the laws which my 
 legislature has enacted. I am directed by that honor- 
 able body to extend jurisdiction over this territory. I 
 shall do this by force if necessary. My troops are pre- 
 pared to act "
 
 The Wolverine 217 
 
 President Jackson. And he forbids you to use force 
 in this matter. This is a question for Congress to 
 decide/' 
 
 "Congress be hanged!" retorted the aged Gover- 
 nor, forgetting himself in a moment of irritation. "We 
 have waited, sir, a score of years for Congress to 
 decide this matter. And now patience has ceased to 
 be a virtue. Sir, the proud State of Ohio can no 
 longer brook the insolence of this stripling and his for- 
 tune-hunting followers. They have appealed to arms, 
 sir, and arms must decide it!" 
 
 "Your words recall to mind a bit of recent hisv 
 tory," commented the Chief Commissioner, with 
 quiet force, "and I beg to suggest to your Excellency 
 that discretion is the better part of valor. In a cer- 
 tain sister State there arose, not long since, a contro- 
 versy between its citizens and the General Govern- 
 ment. The State proposed to have its own way, or 
 leave the Union. President Jackson sent its leaders 
 this word: 'By the Eternal! an' you do, I'll hang 
 every mothers' son of you as high as Haman !' '' 
 
 Governor Lucas, though a brave man, paled as he 
 felt the significance of this speech, and realized that 
 the hero of New Orleans could call his acts in ques- 
 tion. Those words to the nullifiers in South Carolina 
 were extremely disconcerting. 
 
 A buzz of comment passed around the room. As 
 Perry glanced from his work he met the look of one 
 he had seen before. In an instant he recalled the 
 face and the red hair above it as Gettler's. The fellow 
 wore the uniform of a staff officer now, and was deep 
 in conversation with General Bell of the Ohio forces.
 
 2i 8 The Wolverine 
 
 Then, at Perry's elbow, came tones which startled 
 him, for they were the very ones he had overheard in 
 that house, plotting to rob Michigan of this strip of 
 land; and again a few nights ago he had heard them 
 in the enemy's camp. Somebody called the man 
 "Major Gettler," and Perry at once saw resemblances 
 which convinced him the two were father and son. 
 
 "These are the propositions which we would sub- 
 mit to you, Governor Lucas, and to you, Governor 
 Mason, and which we believe both parties can accept 
 with honor," said the Chief Commissioner. "First: 
 The boundary line shall be run and remarked pur- 
 suant to the act of the Legislature of Ohio, without 
 interruption. Second: Civil elections having taken 
 place throughout the disputed territory, the people 
 therein shall be left to their own government, without 
 molestation from either side, until the close of the next 
 session of Congress." 
 
 As the remarking of the line was the immediate 
 cause of hostilities, Governor Lucas looked upon an 
 acceptance of these terms as a victory for his State. 
 He had no idea of embroiling himself in a conflict 
 with the General Government. After a short consul- 
 tation with his staff, he accepted the propositions of 
 the Commission. 
 
 "And you, Governor Mason?" questioned the Chief 
 Commissioner. "Will you accede to this agreement?" 
 
 "Never!" returned the youthful Governor. "Michi- 
 gan is in peaceful possession of this territory now, and 
 I will never agree to anything that will compromise 
 her rights, or surrender jurisdiction here." As he 
 spoke, he drew his sword half out of its scabbard, and
 
 The Wolverine 219 
 
 sent it home with a great clatter. It was a bit of 
 stage play, but he carried it off so admirably as to 
 thrill the blood of his followers. 
 
 That was the end of the conference. Governor 
 Lucas made good the promise to disband his troops, 
 and with the disappearance of hostile forces in front, 
 Governor Mason withdrew his militia. The home- 
 ward march of the Wolverine men became a triumphal 
 procession. At every village and hamlet they were 
 received as victors returning from a glorious cam- 
 paign. The Ohio forces had come face to face with 
 the gallant men of Michigan; had beheld their bold 
 line of battle; then retreated, disbanded, and slunk to 
 their homes like curs lacking courage. So the story 
 was told from house to house, while the men feasted 
 and drank, helping themselves to what was not 
 passed out.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 WHEN Governor Mason withdrew his troops, 
 he left Perry at the seat of trouble to report 
 anything which it would be well for the 
 Detroit Government to know. In spite of unsettled 
 conditions Toledo as it is now called was growing 
 rapidly, and was scarcely to be recognized as the 
 tangled region through which the surveyor had strug- 
 gled a year before. The controversy over the bound- 
 ary remained the all-absorbing topic, and daily there 
 were disputes that not infrequently came to blows. 
 Originally, the inhabitants had favored the Michigan 
 cause, but of late, opinion had swerved radically in 
 the opposite direction, as it now appeared to the town's 
 advantage to come under the Ohio government. 
 
 Perry found his position anything but pleasant. 
 The Gazette, the local newspaper, denounced him in 
 vigorous and picturesque language, and applied epi- 
 thets to Wolverines in general that made the sheet an 
 object for future retribution in the eyes of the up- 
 country people. It was not pleasant, when walking 
 abroad, to feel that at any moment one's person might 
 stop the flight of addled eggs or rotted vegetables;
 
 The Wolverine 221 
 
 but such were the conditions under which Perry 
 moved for days. 
 
 At the hotel which was Perry's headquarters, young 
 Gettler was staying also, and on several occasions he 
 tried to draw Perry into a dispute. He publicly ap- 
 plied the name of spy to him; but as the Gettlers had 
 once held commissions from Michigan, and now 
 served the Buckeye Government, Perry could use the 
 word "traitor" with as good effect on him. In the 
 main, however, he was content to bide his time, 
 knowing the Monroe Sheriff had a warrant for the 
 Major, young Gettler's father, and only waited an 
 opportunity to arrest him. Major Gettler was away 
 now at the State Capital, but no sooner did he return 
 than swift-footed horses bore the word north, while 
 well-mounted men, making up the Sheriff's posse, 
 acted in return. 
 
 Perry was standing in a doorway, looking into the 
 candle-lighted public room of the hotel. Back of 
 him was the gray night. Before him a dozen men 
 smoked, spat tobacco-juice about the floor, and 
 talked the latest gossip. Young Gettler was there. 
 So, too, was his father, the latter having just come 
 into the room, accompanied by a short, stout gentle- 
 man with whom he had had an appointment above 
 stairs. The stranger was an officer of the Canal Com- 
 pany, recently arrived from Cincinnati. The two had 
 gone at once to the bar at one end of the room, and 
 were now discussing some question over their glasses. 
 
 "Sh! Don't betray me! Ver 5 soon you see some 
 fun," said a voice, close to Perry's ear, that surprised 
 him, coming out of the night at his back. He recog-
 
 222 The Wolverine 
 
 nized it as Antoine Beaucoeur's, and after the first 
 start, which no one noticed, held his position as if 
 nothing had occurred. "We have the house sur- 
 rounded. Ver 5 soon the Sherff will enter at the big 
 door. The large gentleman drinking, he is the Major, 
 is it not?" 
 
 Perry withdrew his head into the shadow and 
 nodded assent. 
 
 "Ah, there is mon Cousin Jacques!" exclaimed An- 
 toine, beneath his breath, catching sight of a face 
 he knew on the opposite side of the room. 
 
 "Come poys," the short, stout gentleman was say- 
 ing, "I zets um oop for eferypody. Eferypody drinks 
 now at my exbense. An' eferypody moos drink to 
 de teestruction von de Meechigan beebles. Fill um 
 oop, Mischter Par-dender." 
 
 In the movement toward the bar no one noticed 
 the door open and two officers enter the room. 
 
 "Major Gettler, I have a writ for your arrest," said 
 the Sheriff, touching that gentleman on the shoulder. 
 
 A dozen arms with well-filled bumpers at their 
 ends, were poised in air midway to open mouths. 
 
 "What's that?" cried the Major, springing back. 
 
 The Sheriff believed his words had been perfectly 
 understood. "The house is surrounded, gentlemen, 
 and I would advise you to make no resistance," he 
 added, his voice quivering a little with excitement. 
 
 "Dunder 'nd blitzen!" roared the surprised canal 
 officer. "Vhat ece eet? Dose tamn Meechigan 
 beebles haf dey gome? Py Cot! ve fight tern!" 
 
 "Not another step, sir, or I'll crush you to the 
 floor," thundered the Major, facing the officer of the
 
 The Wolverine 223 
 
 law, and swinging a chair over his head. A strapping 
 fellow next him drew a dirk. The Major's son started 
 for the door in which Perry had been standing, but at 
 that moment the crowd outside surged into the room, 
 apparently led by Perry himself, as he was forced 
 ahead. 
 
 ''This is your work," cried young Gettler, address- 
 ing North, with an oath. Then he made a run at 
 Perry, a dirk flashing in his uplifted hand. The two 
 struggled. "There, damn you; you've got it now," 
 he hissed, letting go his hold. At that moment the 
 candles were extinguished, and the utmost confusion 
 prevailed in the darkened room. Above the noise the 
 sound of hoof beats could be heard without, as horse- 
 men galloped up and down the street. 
 
 The Sheriff's voice pierced the din, giving com- 
 mands to his followers. 
 
 "Stand back someone is hurt here!" cried another 
 voice, with French accent. "Mon Dieu, don't trample 
 on thees fellow. Bring lights! The candles! the 
 candles !" 
 
 "Here, I have a locofoco," called a bass voice, and 
 there followed the noisy scratching of the newly-in- 
 vented match. Such force was required to ignite it 
 that the slender stem was broken as the brimstone 
 finally took fire, and the head falling upon some cot- 
 ton cloths, a blaze was started that increased the com- 
 motion. But at length this was extinguished and the 
 candles relighted. 
 
 "Voila, who is hurt? Bon Dieu, c'est Monsieur 
 North!" exclaimed Antoine Beaucceur, bending above 
 Perry's unconscious form. "Ah, that snake-like, red-
 
 224 The Wolverine 
 
 headed devil stabbed him! Major! Major! Speak 
 is it not so? Dieu! is he dead? See here, in the 
 breast! Ah, the blood!" 
 
 "Ciel! c'est mon Cousin Antoine!" gasped the one 
 assisting him. "You here, Antoine Beaucoeur! Ah, 
 you come wit' ze troops from oop countree. Dieu! 
 an' I know zis fel-low! C'est monsieur 1'arpenteur 
 Monsieur Nort'!" And the Buckeye Frenchman for- 
 got his intense partisan feeling in administering to an 
 old friend. 
 
 "Ah, Cousin Jacques, it is so; and a ver' dear friend 
 of mine is monsieur," declared Antoine. "What shall 
 we do? Le diable aux cheveux roux did they let 
 him escape? Voila! what is this new commotion?" 
 
 "Au diable! they say your men have set fire to 
 the hotel," answered Jacques in French. "Come, we 
 cannot stay here. I will help you carry monsieur. 
 We will take him to our house, shall we not? I have 
 my cart in the next street, and there is plenty of straw 
 in the box. Come. Perhaps he is not dead."
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 WHEN consciousness returned to Perry he 
 found himself lying under a low, white- 
 washed ceiling, bent into an angle, the 
 inclined portion of which was pierced by a window 
 that looked out upon a moss-covered roof. Life came 
 to him like waking from a dream; he could not think 
 clearly; he could not place himself. Had he been 
 ill? He was strangely weak. Where was he? The 
 pictures on the walls he had seen somewhere the 
 crucifix and the saints. Without moving, he could 
 see the pattern of the coverlet that stretched over his 
 heavy limbs, and recognized it as of French design. 
 
 Then someone came softly through a door, and 
 bent above him. "Dieu merci! Eet ees good. Mon- 
 sieur ees bettair, n'est-ce pas?" And Perry found 
 himself looking into the kind, motherly face of 
 Madame Gaspard Beaucoeur. "Eet ees what I have 
 fear mooch what I fear for mon fils for Jacques. 
 C'est le guerre! But monsieur peetty soon he will be 
 recover. C'est tres-bon." And she glided away 
 before Perry could ask a question. 
 
 In the hall, whither she disappeared, he heard whis-
 
 226 The Wolverine 
 
 pers and the rustle of skirts, and shadows seemed to 
 flit along the walls. Madame reappeared soon with a 
 bowl of something hot and delicious, and with every 
 swallow of the nourishing concoction he seemed to 
 gain strength. He wanted to ask questions, but she 
 gave him no chance, for whenever he opened his 
 mouth she filled it with her spoon. It was a joy to 
 lie there and feel warmth and life creeping through 
 his veins. Again he saw the shadows on the wall and 
 wanted to ask madame about them, but she had gone 
 from the room before his thick tongue had formed 
 a word. 
 
 The whispers were louder in the hall this time, but 
 not so that Perry made them out, for they were 
 French, and French yet required his closest attention. 
 
 "Ah, he ate it all!" sibilated madame in raptures. 
 "Soon he will be out of danger, and then I shall turn 
 him over to les demoiselles. I know you are just 
 dying for a chance to show your skill as nurses, 
 mes cheres. But I shall be partial to none not even 
 Annette shall care for him more than her cousins/* 
 
 "I thank you, ma tante, but I shall give my chance 
 to Marie," declared Mademoiselle Navarre. "Mon- 
 sieur is an old lover of hers. Ah, do not deny it, 
 Marie ; les cheveux d'or " 
 
 "Do not listen to her, ma tante!" interrupted Marie, 
 blushing painfully. "I should be inhuman did I not 
 feel deepest interest in monsieur " 
 
 "Is it possible?" exclaimed madame, opening wide 
 her little black eyes. "I did not know " 
 
 "Oh, ma mere! You have had no thought for 
 anything outside of monsieur's chamber," declared
 
 The Wolverine 227 
 
 Annette, impatiently. "Have I not said it a hundred 
 times? There! we have made so much noise we 
 have disturbed him. Run and see, ma mere! Ah, the 
 word is hardly necessary; she will care for him as if 
 it were Jacques himself!" 
 
 When madame returned she had a pretty tale to 
 tell. "Ah, he recognized your voices, mes cheres! He 
 asked questions, and I had to tell him. And now I 
 have promised him that after he sleeps again, Marie 
 shall bring the broth and feed him. And at once he 
 closed his eyes like the great, sweet baby that he is. 
 Ah, I do hope he will recover soon; it was such an 
 ugly cut, and monsieur is so weak from the loss of 
 blood!" 
 
 "Oh, ma tante, you should not have told him I 
 was here!" cried Marie, in confusion. "He will not 
 care to see me. It will be better for Annette or Claire. 
 Ah, truly, ma tante; once once I did offend monsieur 
 sorely, and I think he has never forgiven me!" 
 
 "But then you shall atone for the offense now. And 
 he will forgive you, I promise, or why did he look at 
 me with his great, blue eyes in that way? and why 
 did he close them with not one word of protest? Tell 
 me that, ma chere!" 
 
 "Monsieur is weak. It is the loss of blood," re- 
 turned Marie, with a little shudder. But hope and 
 her heart gathered a different story from madame her 
 aunt's words. 
 
 When Perry awoke, his first thought was that he 
 had dreamed Marie was in the house. It was a year 
 since he had seen her on that fateful night at the Jus- 
 tice's. Since that time he had done everything in his
 
 228 The Wolverine 
 
 power to avoid her. When strong and well, he had 
 little difficulty in putting her out of mind. But when 
 tired, or out of sorts and longing for the comforts 
 which only a woman can give, his thoughts always 
 returned to Marie. Marie but not the one who had 
 played him false; an ideal Marie whose face and form, 
 however, were the same as had early been impressed 
 on his heart. While he could differentiate between the 
 two in his waking moments, he did not expect it in his 
 dreams. The real Marie, he reasoned, would not come 
 into this troubled district in these perilous times. It 
 was but a dream he had had. 
 
 Lying on his back, not knowing whether he was 
 going to make a mend of it, or if indeed his hour had 
 come, he could not escape his early teaching and the 
 thoughts of a hereafter. Never had his doubts 
 seemed so like withered husks. Gladly would he have 
 willed to return to his one-time faith; but it required 
 more than willing, it required conviction; and sadly 
 he realized that this must come from without himself, 
 and perhaps the power to effect it existed nowhere. 
 In his utter helplessness it was whispered that he 
 should not make his religion a thing of fallible reason, 
 but have faith in the hope and longing of his heart, 
 and pray "O Thou infinite Something, I believe, 
 help Thou mine unbelief!" 
 
 The prayer had scarcely left his lips when Madame 
 Beaucceur entered with more nourishment. "One 
 may promise, monsieur," she said with disjointed sen- 
 tences; "and I did my best. And mademoiselle says 
 she will see you by and by. Ah, ze nursing," she 
 broke into English "I t'ink ze demoiselles would
 
 The Wolverine 229 
 
 lofe eet. But no, no! Zey what you call eet? so 
 awdd. I canno' tell. Monsieur moos keep hees old 
 ugly nurse eet ees one peety!" 
 
 But Perry murmured something very gallant, and 
 madame showed almost girlish pleasure in his speech. 
 Another moment, her words recurred to him, and he 
 puzzled over them till he grew weary. She had never 
 spoken of Annette that way; and she did say demoi- 
 selles. It had not been a dream; his mind would pic- 
 ture Marie. And why might she not be visiting here? 
 Gaspard was her father's brother. He made a feeble 
 protest against any thought of her. It was wrong and 
 foolish. He was doing many things that were wrong 
 and foolish his Puritan conscience told him. Sorely 
 perplexed, on the verge of tears in his weakness, he 
 turned his face to the wall. 
 
 When madame next visited him, Perry was so much 
 stronger that she signalled for those in the hall, and 
 all three demoiselles came trooping into the room. 
 Marie was the last, back of Gaspard, Jacques, and 
 Antoine, pale and contrite. With his first strength 
 the wounded man was called upon to bear more than 
 any could dream. Marie's eyes met his only once, and 
 their glance revealed nothing more than mutual em- 
 barrassment. Perry made a feeble joke, and all were 
 delighted with his progress toward recovery. When 
 each had said something, madame drove them from 
 the room as she would a brood of chickens. 
 
 After that first visit, Marie no longer hesitated to 
 approach Perry's bedside when madame sent her on 
 an errand. Indeed, she put herself in the way of being 
 sent there not boldly, but simply, modestly, with the
 
 
 23 The Wolverine 
 
 grace of a little child and the tact of a woman twice 
 her years. She had forgotten all Father Richard's 
 warnings, and was conscious of only one thing a 
 desire to win back this man's friendship and esteem, 
 both of which she had lost by practices that placed 
 her in the category of the diabolical. She could not 
 confess her wrong without an explanation which was 
 impossible. With anything short of this Perry would 
 misunderstand and she was very proud. She would 
 not have him think she was asking for his love no, 
 not for a thousand worlds. If he were ever to ask her 
 in marriage she would refuse him. But his friendship 
 he would not deny her that. In many little acts of 
 kindness she would plead to be forgiven, and, great 
 as was her sin, he was too good a man to withhold 
 what she asked. 
 
 Accordingly, the next day, Marie demurely volun- 
 teered to read something to monsieur if he wished 
 it. They had fetched Perry's belongings from the 
 hotel, which, contrary to Jacque's fears, had not 
 burned on the night of the raid ; and among his effects 
 was a copy of Irving's Sketch Book. From this Marie 
 read aloud, sitting under the little hood that roofed 
 the dormer-window, and the light falling athwart her 
 features formed as sweet a picture as mortal man ever 
 looked upon. 
 
 Perry's experience had made him wary, however. 
 He had suffered terribly because of his previous folly, 
 and was resolved to take no chances now. He might 
 cherish the ideal Marie all he would, it should not lead 
 him into words or acts of weakness toward the living 
 Marie, who could play a part with consummate skill,
 
 The Wolverine 231 
 
 as he had learned to his bitter cost. What new role 
 she was enacting he did not try to guess. He quickly 
 decided to accept her attentions as he would Annette's 
 and Claire's, and he was glad that he was seldom left 
 alone with her. 
 
 Generally, all the demoiselles were in his room at 
 once Annette to carry away his breakfast dishes; 
 Claire to renew the flowers which she gathered daily 
 from the neighboring forest for the little stand; and 
 Marie, come with the book closed upon a finger that 
 marked the place where she had left off reading. 
 There was sprightly conversation for a few moments, 
 after which Claire sat with some needle-work while 
 her cousin read aloud, with frequent interruptions as 
 they discussed the sketch under consideration, touched 
 by poor Rip Van Winkle's plight, or moved to laugh- 
 ter by the luckless Ichabod Crane. 
 
 Because Perry did not recover as fast as some 
 thought he should, they sent to Detroit for Doctor 
 Houghton, and he was in the house several days. 
 The wound had been an ugly one, four inches long, 
 in the left side, penetrating dangerously near the 
 heart. However, good nursing was all he needed now, 
 the Doctor said; and, with a gallant bow to the ladies: 
 "A man's a fool if he dies in such hands and foolish 
 if he gets well speedily." All of which proved Perry 
 both wise and clever. 
 
 Letters came from Governor Mason, Congressman 
 Lyon, and other friends, to cheer and break the 
 monotony. Jacques and Antoine brought reports of 
 local happenings, and the times were most stirring. 
 Very humorously did Antoine tell of the arrest of
 
 232 The Wolverine 
 
 Major Gettler, a day or two following the first attempt, 
 when the Monroe officers had been balked, and Perry 
 had received his wound. The Major, fairly caught, 
 had been forced astride a horse, and his feet bound 
 under the animal; thus humiliated, they led him north 
 to the county jail. Young Gettler, after his dastardly 
 attack upon Perry, had fled south, placing himself 
 under the protection of Governor Lucas, who refused 
 to honor requisition papers served upon him through 
 Mason. 
 
 Daily, Perry heard Antoine and Jacques review the 
 controversy below stairs, at times waxing exceedingly 
 warm in their discussion. Then old Gaspard, with 
 stately mien, would interfere, and the subject would 
 be banished for a time. Gaspard was content with 
 the older regime, but his son a member of the Lucas 
 Guards was a zealous advocate of Ohio's cause. 
 When, a few days later, a lawless band of Wolverines 
 swooped down upon the town, and without warning, 
 demolished the Gazette office, thinking to retaliate for 
 the blood Gettler had so foully spilled, the father could 
 hardly keep his impulsive, hot-tempered son in 
 bounds. It required all his tact, with frequent remind- 
 ers of what French courtesy meant, to prevent the lad 
 from committing an out and out breach of hospitality. 
 
 Such scenes made Perry long to get back to Detroit, 
 and so free his kind host and hostess of the dissension 
 in their family. Besides, seeing Marie daily and 
 receiving gentle administrations from her hands, was 
 proving a heavy load for certain resolutions to carry. 
 But he was not to escape mademoiselle thus. It was 
 openly talked that Michigan people meant to burn
 
 The Wolverine 233 
 
 the place, and the cousins, Marie and Claire, felt the 
 times were too strenuous to prolong their visit; so 
 an excuse was made to return while they might have 
 the company of Antoine. As soon as Perry could be 
 on his feet, therefore, the Detroit party sailed away 
 from the Maumee and the much-coveted town on its 
 banks. 
 
 Perry never appeared to better advantage than when 
 thanking someone for a kindness, and his parting 
 from the Beaucoeurs made a very touching picture. 
 He had no words to express his gratitude, but he mur- 
 mured something which, coupled with his fine bearing, 
 told more than aught else how deeply sensible he was 
 of all that had been done for him under their roof. 
 "I have a mother, Mrs. Beaucceur," his use of the 
 English term instead of "madame" showed how 
 deeply moved he was "I have a mother," he repeated 
 "let her thank you ; and if you will look in your heart 
 for a mother's thanks I am sure I need not cannot 
 say more." He finished with trembling voice and 
 eyes suffused with tears. Then he seemed to lose the 
 last of his Puritan self-repression, for, yielding to his 
 feelings and something which he saw in madame's 
 countenance, he bent and kissed her on the cheek. 
 
 Very different was his parting from Marie. Once 
 landed in Detroit, he seemed to forget her very pres- 
 ence. His studied neglect was further accentuated by 
 the few formal words of thanks which, on second 
 thought as it were, he sent through her brother An- 
 toine. 
 
 "Ah! he does not forgive me," thought mademoi-
 
 234 The Wolverine 
 
 selle, with an aching sensation in her throat. Her 
 face was pale all that day, but at night two red spots 
 burned in her cheeks, and when Governor Mason 
 called she was particularly kind to him.
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 THE last census had revealed a population of 
 eighty thousand souls, considerably more than 
 enough to entitle Michigan to admission into 
 the Union, according to the Ordinance of 1787. A 
 convention had been called some time since to form a 
 State constitution, and to this assembly Perry was 
 elected a delegate. With little practical experience, 
 he was yet one of the best read men of the Territory, 
 and his words were always listened to with respect 
 and interest. He never addressed the Chair without 
 being mindful of the gilded eagle perched above 
 the same which, back in Virginia, had looked down 
 on the old House of Burgesses and listened to the 
 eloquence of Henry, the logic of Jefferson, and the 
 wisdom of Washington; and he strove to be worthy 
 of the traditions surrounding the noble bird. 
 
 Because of Mason's action in the controversy with 
 Ohio, President Jackson removed him from his office, 
 but within a month the people of Michigan elected 
 the deposed "stripling" to be first governor of the 
 Commonwealth. 
 
 When this new applicant for statehood came knock-
 
 236 The Wolverine 
 
 ing at the doors of Congress, however, she was refused 
 admission for purely partisan reasons, till she should 
 adopt the boundary line claimed by Ohio. For months 
 Michigan held an anomalous position. At home she 
 was a State, abroad a Territory. Dual Governments 
 were in existence within her borders, at least, Presi- 
 dent Jackson's appointee was there, though he was 
 politely ignored by the influential classes, while the 
 ruder populace were hardly restrained from mobbing 
 him. 
 
 Governor Mason had meanwhile established him- 
 self in private quarters, and brought up from Virginia 
 the house servants made necessary in the changed 
 circumstances. One of these slaves, a powerful black 
 fellow, had taken the fancy of a Kentucky planter 
 named Daly, who was spending the summer in De- 
 troit. Daly had brought with him some fine thorough- 
 bred horses, one of which Mason coveted as the only 
 thing lacking to make a proper appearance at the 
 head of the militia. Every time these two men met 
 and that was about every evening at the bar of the 
 Steamboat Hotel Mason importuned the planter to 
 place this animal on sale, making flattering offers for 
 the same in good coin of the realm. Daly refused to sell 
 this horse, but he offered to trade even for the Gov- 
 ernor's slave. Mason was averse to negro trading, 
 and declared he meant to free his blacks. Indeed, he 
 had the papers all made out save his signature, when 
 Blackburn, as this slave was called, took matters in 
 his own hands and escaped into Canada. In a fit of 
 rage now, Mason tore up the nearly executed papers, 
 and there the matter rested so far as he was concerned.
 
 The Wolverine 237 
 
 Not so with Daly. He had watched the negro 
 closely, and learned that in his short stay the fellow 
 had risen to be the foremost preacher in the black 
 colony at Detroit. He correctly judged that the 
 negro brethren would not be content to forego his 
 stirring words, and, chewing on his favorite weed, 
 he bided his time. He had not long to wait. Promis- 
 ing themselves to maintain the most profound secrecy 
 the blacks prevailed upon the runaway slave to ven- 
 ture back across the river on a certain Saturday, and, 
 at dead of night, before the brethren assembled in the 
 little log meeting-house behind thickly curtained 
 windows and heavily barred doors, the negro preacher 
 delivered one of his moving sermons. But there was 
 a Jezebel in their midst, a "yeller gal" with a white 
 lover, and through her, Blackburn's visit became 
 known to the Kentuckian, who waited this oppor- 
 tunity. 
 
 That evening, as the gentlemen were playing at 
 cards in the Kentuckian's rooms, Mason renewed his 
 offer for the coveted horse. 
 
 "No but I'll tell you what I'll do," answered Daly. 
 "I'll play you a game, and I'll stake Bluegrass against 
 your runaway nigger Blackburn. What do you say, 
 Governor?" 
 
 This was a temptation to the young man. The 
 odds were ridiculously out of proportion, but alto- 
 gather in his favor. He had practically nothing to 
 lose, and a chance of winning the prize on which his 
 heart had long been set. Stakes had been small, but 
 the toddies numerous. With slight hesitation Mason 
 accepted the Kentuckian's proposition; and the
 
 238 The Wolverine 
 
 game was played, with all the other gentlemen look- 
 ing on and expressing their comments as fortune 
 favored first one and then the other. The Governor 
 lost; and Daly asked and obtained a deed of owner- 
 ship that night. 
 
 A little after midnight, Blackburn's new master 
 and Sheriff Wilson with a posse of men hid them- 
 selves in a clump of willows on the river bank near 
 the spot where the negro preacher's canoe was 
 beached. There had been a moon earlier in the night, 
 but it was quite dark now. It occurred to Wilson as 
 they waited, that Blackburn's hearers would accom- 
 pany him to the river to see that he was safely em- 
 barked on his return to Canada. Wilson deemed it 
 wisest to have as little disturbance accompany the 
 re-capture as possible, and so resorted to strategy. 
 
 A deputy and several men were sent to make a 
 demonstration about the darkened meeting-house. 
 They were instructed to permit the preacher to escape 
 through their cordon, apparently unobserved, while 
 they were to continue the search about the premises 
 and so hold the congregation there. The Sheriff, 
 Daly, and two or three remained near the canoe to 
 make the real capture when Blackburn should appear, 
 out of breath from his flight, and accompanied by 
 one or two followers. 
 
 Everything worked perfectly in the denouement. 
 While there was a great hue and cry at the meeting- 
 house, on the river bank there was only a moment's 
 noiseless struggle. Then Blackburn, securely bound, 
 was tumbled into a French cart, and hurried away to 
 jail.
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 THE exciting events which followed the capture 
 of Blackburn have passed into the history of 
 Detroit as the Negro insurrection. Peaceful 
 dwellers of the town and pioneer wayfarers en route 
 to new homes in the wilderness, awoke on that Sun- 
 day morning to find the streets in possession of a 
 frenzied black mob. Marie Beaucoeur was so fright- 
 ened on her way to early mass that she sought refuge 
 with Elva Webber under Mrs. Rolland's friendly roof. 
 An old negress, carrying a rudely-constructed ban- 
 ner, had charged upon her with a score of angry fol- 
 lowers, crying: "She's de Gub'noh's sweetheart! Tak' 
 vengeance on de Gub'noh's sweetheart! He done shet 
 up our Preacher. Let's we-alls shet up hez white 
 gal!" 
 
 Armed with clubs and stones, all day the black 
 mob stood before the jail, threatening to overpower 
 the Sheriff, break in and liberate their favorite 
 preacher. The wholesome fear of firearms alone 
 deterred them from making a concerted attack. It 
 was believed by them that Blackburn's capture had 
 been in the interest of the Governor, and from time
 
 t 
 240 The Wolverine 
 
 to time a band of dusky rioters paraded before 
 Mason's new home, with menacing attitude, shouting 
 jeers and threats at the house. 
 
 Faithful Mammie Chloe, from behind curtained 
 windows, reported to the Governor's frightened sis- 
 ters what was taking place in the street. "Hit am 
 Mammie Crosswhite what am leading dose fool nig- 
 gahs!" she declared, excitedly. "I t'ink she'd be 
 ashamed o' herself. But I reckon she doan know what 
 shame is! What for dey come heah? Dat low down 
 Blackburn ain't got no call to say dis hes home, t'ank 
 de Lawd! Massah Tom done mak' good bargain 
 when he sell dat niggah to de gemmen from Kain- 
 tuck. Heah dose fool words what dey say! I reckon 
 dey doan know Massah Tom done sell dat trash!" 
 
 Chloe had overheard Mason tell his mother that 
 he had parted with all right and title to his late slave, 
 and that the ownership was now vested in Daly. A 
 messenger had come early to the house, explained 
 the nature of the disturbance in a few hurried sen- 
 tences, and requested the Governor to meet with Gen- 
 eral Cass and others in a council looking toward the 
 protection of life and property. From the few hasty 
 words which she had overheard, Chloe had drawn 
 such conclusions as suited her fancy. 
 
 "I reckon I put dat b'iler o' water over an' heat it 
 up," said Chloe, presently, as the shouts in the streets 
 became more threatening. "An' den if dey gits too 
 sassy and comes nigh de doah, I'se jus' gwine t' give 
 'em a dipperful in de face. Dat's what I's gwine to 
 do. Now, Honeys, doan you go to gettin' skeered. 
 I reckon I kin be 'nough for every las' niggah in de
 
 The Wolverine 24 1 
 
 Michigan Territory. Dose Norfern black trash doan 
 know what a real Vaginnie niggah kin do. But I'se 
 gwine to show 'em, Honeys." And she swept away, 
 a mountain of black flesh, to the kitchen. 
 
 But the mob in front of the house was presently 
 called elsewhere. A son of Africa, wearing nothing 
 but a pair of trousers, belted at the waist, came run- 
 ning up the street, calling loudly to re-enforce their 
 friends before the jail. The Sheriff was about to 
 remove Blackburn to the boat; and the messenger 
 pointed to the wharf where the "Sheldon Thompson" 
 lay with steam up, the light-colored wood-smoke 
 pouring from her funnels. 
 
 "It would be folly to try to remove your man in the 
 face of such a mob," declared Wilson, as he and Daly 
 peered from an upper window of the jail. "It would 
 take a whole company of soldiers to hold them in 
 check; and I haven't a dozen men with me. You'll 
 have to give up your plan of taking him on the boat 
 to-day. To-morrow the coast may be clear. We'll 
 spread a report that you've given up the idea of taking 
 Blackburn down the river. To-morrow those infuri- 
 ated black devils will all be at work, and there'll be 
 some chance of getting your man off without blood- 
 shed." 
 
 "By gad, I wish I was in Kentucky!" exclaimed 
 Daly, fuming because his plans were frustrated. "A 
 heap of courage you fellows at the North have got!" 
 he declared with sarcasm. "Three good Kentucky 
 gentlemen would disperse that howling pack of curs 
 in one minute. Lord! how I would like to jump on 
 the back of Bluegrass, and ride into them devils by
 
 242 The Wolverine 
 
 the side of Colonel Fitz Hugh Cleigh and Fairfield 
 Breckenridge. There'd be a right smart scattering 
 of niggers, or before you could say 'Who killed 
 Tecumseh?' there'd be black carcasses to put under 
 the sod. You've got to kill a nigger about every week, 
 or they'd run the plantation just as they're running 
 your town now." 
 
 "There's no need of anybody's getting killed, if 
 you only make use of a little strategem," returned 
 the Sheriff. "What's one day if it will save bloodshed? 
 I believe in going slow just now. Your Southern 
 slaves aren't like our Northern free Negroes. Your 
 methods won't do here. These fellows aren't so easily 
 overawed as are your blacks, who are continually 
 under the lash." 
 
 "Why, I tell you this is galling to a Southern gen- 
 tleman!" cried the Kentuckian, as threats reached him 
 through the open window. "Domineered by niggers! 
 Where's your militia? Where the devil's your young 
 Governor? He's got none of your Northern blood in 
 his veins. He'll do something right smart, I reckon, 
 if I can get word to him." 
 
 "Just you keep cool, Mr. Daly. Governor Mason 
 is at the Capitol conferring with General Cass, who 
 has just arrived from Washington on a visit to his 
 home. The militia, as you know, has gone to fight 
 Black Hawk. But there are two companies of regu- 
 lars at Fort Gratiot, which the General will order 
 here if it is deemed necessary to preserve the peace. 
 It strikes me we're already doing a good deal to put 
 you in possession of property doubtfully yours?"
 
 The Wolverine 243 
 
 "What do you mean?" blustered Daly, red with 
 anger and vexation. 
 
 "I mean to do my full duty in my own way," 
 returned the Sheriff, ignoring the Kentuckian's real 
 question. And this was all the satisfaction that could 
 be got out of him. 
 
 At four o'clock the "Sheldon Thompson" steamed 
 away. The negroes, having thwarted the officers, 
 and finding that their preacher was safe for a time, 
 began to disperse. At dark there were barely a half 
 dozen left on the streets, and the authorities went to 
 their beds that night feeling the worst was passed. 
 But at twelve o'clock, at two o'clock, and again at 
 four o'clock the inhabitants were awakened by alarms 
 of fire. The total destruction of the town was still 
 within the memory of many of its citizens, and such a 
 cry speedily aroused them to energetic action. Though 
 the water barrels were found to be tipped over, or 
 otherwise emptied of their contents, the newly insti- 
 tuted underground reservoirs saved the city from a 
 conflagration. Everything pointed to a studied 
 preparation of an incendiary nature, and suspicion 
 naturally fell on the Negroes. 
 
 At daylight, the black mob re-assembled with 
 increased numbers. The streets were paraded with a 
 boldness that waxed as each succeeding lawless act 
 went unrebuked. The midsummer sun favored them 
 with a fierce, tropic heat, akin to their native clime. 
 Excepting the time of the thunderstorm in the after- 
 noon, scarcely a breath of air was stirring all day. 
 The cowed inhabitant had at any time but to go to his 
 door, if the din was not in his very street, to hear it
 
 244 The Wolverine 
 
 progressing with unabated frenzy in some other quar- 
 ter of the town. Convinced, at last, that a show of 
 force would be necessary to restore quiet, General 
 Cass, at the request of Mayor Chapin, despatched 
 word for a company of United States troops from 
 Fort Gratiot. 
 
 Urged on by Daly, Sheriff Wilson made an attempt 
 at the noon hour to remove Blackburn from the jail 
 to a boat which was about to leave for some port in 
 Ohio. The moment seemed advantageous, for the 
 rioters, leaving a handful to watch the jail, had sepa- 
 rated into two bands, each having a stolen pig, which 
 it was proposed to barbecue. But the Sheriff's judg- 
 ment was at fault in estimating the distance they had 
 taken themselves to. At a signal from the watch, like 
 two storm clouds they came together, and a perfect 
 cyclone swept down upon the officer and his half- 
 dozen deputies before they had proceeded a third of 
 the distance to the river. 
 
 Armed with clubs and stones, -and in a few instances 
 with weapons of a deadlier sort, the howling con- 
 course set upon the little posse. The cart in which 
 Blackburn was being conveyed was surrounded, and 
 further progress stopped; shots were fired, and the 
 Sheriff fell, blood streaming from a severe wound in 
 the chest. Blackburn was seized by his friends, un- 
 bound, and with cries of demoniac joy, escorted to 
 the river, where were canoes which conveyed him and 
 his adherents safely to the Canadian shore. 
 
 Exaggerated stories of the fight passed from house 
 to house, and for a time terror reigned in the city. 
 Business was completely at a standstill. Women dared
 
 The Wolverine 245 
 
 not venture out of doors. Merchants put up their shut- 
 ters, shoved their bolts into place, and stood, gun in 
 hand, in their darkened shops, guarding their goods. 
 No one knew what the Negroes would do under the 
 intoxication of success, and at least two days must 
 elapse before troops would arrive from Fort Gratiot. 
 
 Among the followers of the negress Crosswhite 
 when she led the unsuccessful charge on Marie Beau- 
 cceur, was Baptiste Bovie. He was a son of Beau- 
 cceur's slave Tetro, but the Ordinance of 1787 made 
 him a free negro, while his father remained in bond- 
 age. Mammie Crosswhite's action had given him an 
 idea. In his mind, Governor Mason was absolute 
 ruler, and it was for him that Blackburn had been re- 
 captured. The proper thing now was to make a 
 counter capture to strike the Governor as close home 
 as possible, then negotiate for an exchange of prison- 
 ers. On Monday morning Baptiste learned that 
 Marie had crossed the river in a canoe, proceeding 
 toward Mere Gobielle's; thus giving him a second 
 grand chance to take the great man's sweetheart. 
 
 At the very hour when the fight was going on in 
 the streets of Detroit, Marie, all unconscious of dan- 
 ger, came tripping down the path from Mere Gobi- 
 elle's house, several miles away, to the spot where 
 she had left her canoe. Grand'mere had inquired why 
 she never brought Monsieur North to see her any 
 more, and Marie was pondering on the reply she had 
 made, and wondering whether the saints would ever 
 forgive her for telling a half-truth which seemed a 
 monstrous lie, when there was a crash in the bushes 
 before her, and a rush at her back, and she found
 
 The Wolverine 
 
 herself surrounded by three burly negroes. Marie 
 screamed so grand'mere heard, but what could a 
 decrepit woman do in the shadow of her hundred 
 years? The negroes grinned, and closed upon 
 mademoiselle. 
 
 "Bust your pretty throat," growled Baptiste Bo vie, 
 "but it won't do you no good. You've got to come 
 with us." And he took her roughly by the hand. 
 
 "Baptiste! Let me go!" cried Marie, nearly beside 
 herself with fright. Though Baptiste and she had 
 been playmates when very young, he was none the 
 less terrible in his full-grown madness. "I shall 
 report you," she threatened. "Monsieur le gouver- 
 
 neur will hang " But she got no farther. A great 
 
 yellow-black palm closed over her mouth; she was 
 lifted bodily from the ground, and borne swiftly to 
 the water's edge; in her own canoe she was carried 
 away up the river to a lone island, and there securely 
 hidden in the depths of the forest. 
 
 Tetro had taken no part in the uprising, but 
 remained loyal to his master, and loudly denounced 
 the actions of his fellow negroes. That night there 
 was an excited interview between father and son, for 
 at a late hour Baptiste returned to town prepared to 
 treat with the whites, through the old man, for an 
 exchange of prisoners. But learning of Blackburn's 
 escape, and that other arrests had been made, he now 
 proposed to hold Marie till all blacks should be set 
 free, with a promise that no prosecutions would follow. 
 Tetro poured out his indignation in good, round 
 French terms, thanking le bon Dieu that his son bore
 
 The Wolverine 247 
 
 a different name, and declaring henceforth he should 
 refuse to own him kin at all. 
 
 From the moment that Baptiste confessed the cap- 
 ture of Marie, Tetro had risen and paced the floor, his 
 fingers opening and closing in fists like iron, for 
 despite the disadvantages of years, there was every 
 impulse to attack this degenerate son. Marie was a 
 great favorite with the old slave; he had waited on her 
 from her birth; had led her first tottering steps to 
 seek the meadow-lark's nest, had carried her on his 
 shoulders to the forest to make the acquaintance of. 
 the shy flowers that grew there; he had built cages 
 for her, and filled them with little furry animals, and 
 together they had studied a thousand and one of the 
 natural beauties which the old man knew so well. 
 His wrath mounted with each moment of the inter- 
 view, till he declared he would not act as go-between 
 for the lawless element, and stepping between Baptiste 
 and the door, he threatened to turn him over to the 
 authorities to make one more among the prisoners 
 which they held. 
 
 Baffled, and feeling that his safety was imperilled, 
 the younger negro became enraged. Hissing out 
 a nameless threat against Marie, he sprang upon his 
 gray-haired father and bore him to the floor. The 
 next instant he escaped through the door, leaving the 
 old man but half conscious, with hands covering his 
 face, groaning aloud.
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 AT three o'clock there had been a heavy thunder- 
 storm, yet the over-heated atmosphere was 
 scarcely changed. Sweeping down the Clinton 
 River, the tempest drove ashore a canoe bearing an 
 Indian and a white man, with a set of surveyor's 
 instruments. The two sought shelter under some 
 hazel bushes till the clouds spent themselves, when 
 they launched their birch bark and pushed on as if 
 time was an important factor in their calculations. 
 
 Work had taken Perry away from Detroit early in 
 the spring, with every promise of detaining him till 
 late in the autumn. The interior was rapidly filling 
 up with settlers, who were crying for improved high- 
 ways, and as the best lines for these roads were to be 
 determined upon, numerous surveys were necessary 
 through the primeval forest. Besides, Michigan, too, 
 had a canal project on hand, for people then had 
 more faith in this mode of transportation than in 
 the newly invented steam-locomotive. This canal was 
 to connect Lake Michigan with the river near De- 
 troit, and so cut off the long, circuitous route through 
 the Straits of Mackinaw. It was these duties that
 
 The Wolverine 249 
 
 kept Perry from marching away with the Bradies 
 when they went to the Black Hawk war, but as none 
 of the Michigan men saw active service, his time 
 was better employed in peacefully advancing civiliza- 
 tion. 
 
 A strange accident, however, happened to his sur- 
 veyor's level in the middle of summer, and for a time 
 put a stop to his work. The tripod had been left 
 standing a short distance from camp. In the middle 
 of night one of his men, awakened from a sound sleep 
 by some prowling beast, fancied a single red eye 
 staring at him from the forest blackness. Seizing his 
 gun, he fired at what he believed a panther, but which 
 proved to be the object-glass of the level reflecting the 
 dying light of the camp-fire. The shot was perfectly 
 aimed, and caused the destruction of the lens. Taking 
 an Indian guide, Perry had set out with all haste for 
 Detroit, where he hoped to repair the damages. 
 
 Reaching the lake, they turned southward past 
 Huron point, heading toward Milk River. Night did 
 not hinder their progress, for a bright moon promised 
 to hang in the heavens till past midnight. Along the 
 western horizon, however, a bank of billowy cloud 
 glowed from time to time with a fitful light, accom- 
 panying which were surly mutterings that threatened 
 to nullify the moon's promise. The Indian, kneeling 
 in the stern, silent, and naked above the waist, 
 plied the short paddle with tireless energy. By and 
 by he made a slight change in the course, and the 
 canoe was pointed toward the broad Detroit, into 
 wh\ch the lake water flowed. 
 
 They had barely entered the river when moon and
 
 25 The Wolverine 
 
 cloud, long hastening toward each other in the west- 
 ern sky, met, and earth and water were swallowed in 
 inky blackness. 
 
 "It make um rain putty soon," said the Indian, but 
 with no cessation of the paddle. 
 
 "We'll have to put ashore again, won't we, Many 
 Talk?" inquired the white man, trying to peer ahead, 
 as lightning flashes gave him advantage. 
 
 "Cha-pens," replied the Indian in his own French, 
 which, after a number of strokes, he interpreted as, 
 "T'ink so." His companion was too familiar with 
 the conceit which made this silent creature speak his 
 few words in the three or four dialects at his com- 
 mand, to show amusement at this time. 
 
 "Me know un beau wigwam. French she mak' 
 him. Go way moch jour. We git um putty soon." 
 From this Perry gathered that his guide knew of a 
 deserted hut near, in which they could take shelter 
 till the storm passed. He asked no questions, but 
 when the canoe was pushed through some bushes to 
 a low bank, took a few belongings and stepped ashore. 
 Many Talk pulled the birch-bark in after him, and 
 deftly turned it over, as a protection to what was left 
 behind. Then he silently moved into the forest. 
 
 They had not gone far before the Indian grunted. 
 "French fink come back," he said. And the one fol- 
 lowing saw the light of a fire burning a short distance 
 ahead. The ground was spongy, so there was nothing 
 to herald their coming, and both were inside the hut 
 before their presence was suspected. 
 
 The Indian's "Bon" was hardly uttered when he 
 was fiercely pushed aside, and one of the inmates
 
 The Wolverine 251 
 
 fled percipitously into the forest. Then a cry from 
 some hidden corner set the white man's blood tingling 
 as it had not in many months. 
 
 "Dieu merci! c'est Monsieur North!" 
 
 Instantly, the remaining negroes set upon the 
 intruders, and a fierce and deadly struggle ensued. 
 The contest was even, so far as numbers were con- 
 cerned, yet within a minute the Indian's life was for- 
 feited for a cause he never knew. His antagonist, 
 thinking only of self-preservation, fled the instant life- 
 less hands ceased to hold him, after his knife was 
 buried in the Red Man's heart. Perry and Baptiste 
 continued to struggle with all the fury of great muscu- 
 lar men, one fighting for life, the other for something 
 dearer than life. The wound received at Toledo made 
 itself felt like a cold hand clutching at Perry's heart, 
 and he wondered how long he could keep up the fight. 
 But the moment his strength began to fail, the negro 
 broke away, and followed his companions into the 
 night and the storm, which was now raging through 
 the forest. 
 
 Perry and Marie were alone in a hut full of horror. 
 The dead Indian had fallen with one arm in the fire, 
 and the smell of burning flesh filled the hot, damp 
 atmosphere. So excited was Perry he did not become 
 conscious of this till after he had liberated Marie 
 from the cords which bound her. A glance or two 
 that conveyed more than their few exclamations, was 
 all that passed between them. Perry continually 
 turned toward the door, not knowing how soon he 
 would be set on again, perhaps by overwhelming num- 
 bers.
 
 2 $z The Wolverine 
 
 Without, flash followed flash of the most brilliant 
 lightning, revealing tree trunks and underbrush sway- 
 ing in a tempest of wind. It is doubtful whether 
 Marie or Perry could hear the few words they spoke, 
 so great was the fury of the storm. The sound was 
 one prolonged, deafening roar. Rain was falling in 
 torrents, and now and then, a gust blew a cloud of 
 spray in at the door; otherwise, squalid as the hovel 
 was, it afforded protection from the elements. 
 
 Guarding all, Perry's eyes continually wandered 
 from the stark, half-naked form of the Indian to 
 Marie, then to the door. Warily he examined Many 
 Talk, starting at every sound from the forest. Con- 
 vinced that his faithful guide was dead, grim lines 
 came into the white man's face. The scene, surpass- 
 ing in hideousness all previous waking moments, gave 
 the impress of a horrible dream. The tremor in Perry's 
 knees, however, and all else that lent consciousness, 
 assured him of the appalling reality of his surround- 
 ings. 
 
 The negroes had been cooking something for their 
 supper, which, during the struggle, was spilled into 
 the fire, and added now to the stench. Blue smoke 
 from smouldering embers curled through the humid 
 atmosphere, stung the eyes and smarted in the throat. 
 Then, to add unknown terror to the situation, the 
 flames flickered and went out, leaving only dull coals 
 that gave bloody tinges to the mirk which prevailed 
 between the lightning flashes. 
 
 Marie would gladly have shut her eyes to the whole 
 gruesome spectacle, but some morbid quality seemed 
 to make it impossible. If, for a monent, this weak-
 
 The Wolverine 253 
 
 ness was overcome, there followed an irresistible im- 
 pulse to look upon the nightmare once more. The 
 storm was passing, and the lightning becoming less 
 and less frequent; but her unnatural gaze never fal- 
 tered; she seemed to wait with rigid muscles till the 
 next flash should reveal again the stiffening form 
 and drawn features of the dead Indian. The thing 
 seemed an embodied climax of all the frightful experi- 
 ence of the past twelve hours. Perry broke the spell 
 when he threw his coat over the ghastly object, and 
 came and touched Marie with an arm full of assur- 
 ance. 
 
 Whatever they had been once, whatever they would 
 be again, they were now, of all the natural universe, 
 the sole comfort for each other. There was no attempt 
 at conversation for some time. The sound of words 
 might draw unknown enemies upon them. They 
 could not flee, for they were as likely to choose a path 
 that led to danger as one leading to safety. A few 
 hushed sentences of exclamatory nature, a manner 
 that inspired hope and confidence from Perry, and an 
 attitude of complete trust on the part of Marie, filled 
 those long waiting hours. 
 
 The position of protector and dominant agent came 
 to Perry as naturally as the years of his life. His 
 strong, virile muscles began to feel a fierce animal joy 
 in shielding this woman from others of his kind and 
 the brute world. They were both very close to pri- 
 meval conditions. Events had thrust them back thou- 
 sands of years, but if nothing more untoward hap- 
 pened, a few short hours would carry them forward 
 again to the conventionalities of civilized life. Emo-
 
 254 The Wolverine 
 
 tions springing from their horrible situation could 
 bear no relation to the past nor carry promise of the 
 future. 
 
 With swift thought there passed before Perry the 
 two Maries which his mind had invented neither of 
 whom, however, was the real Marie, the Marie that 
 clung to his arm and looked to him in the dark for 
 protection. Something of this he recognized as from 
 moment to moment the living, breathing Marie by 
 his side revealed qualities he had assigned to neither 
 of the others ; qualities that were eminently commend- 
 able, and strongly invited a reincarnation of that per- 
 fect Marie of his mind in the warm flesh and blood 
 over which he watched. 
 
 The hovel serving as prison, death-trap, refuge, all 
 in one, faced the northeast; thus, with the high alti- 
 tude of the summer sun, its inmates caught the first 
 signs of approaching day. As soon as it was light 
 enough to see in the forest, Perry went cautiously to 
 the door and reconnoitered. Marie, ^rembling and 
 starting at every sound, followed him closely, shud- 
 dering as they were forced to step across Many Talk's 
 dead body. Perry took her by the hand to give her 
 confidence when the sight of her figure smote his 
 heart. There were haggard lines upon the countenance 
 once simply beautiful. Disorder was about her hair 
 and dress. But the sweet curves of her mouth, the 
 suffering in her face, her helplessness and trust in 
 him all her womanliness, in fact stirred his old 
 longing, and gave rise to an impulse to catch her in 
 his arms, kiss away everything that was painful, and
 
 The Wolverine 255 
 
 fly with her to some impossible region of peace and 
 contentment. 
 
 Beyond themselves, the forest seemed deserted of 
 all save the birds, which were beginning to carol their 
 morning songs. Nature, everywhere refreshed, was 
 pouring into the crystal atmosphere the sweet, wild 
 odors of luxuriant vegetation amidst the sweep of 
 broad, pure waters. Could one forget what had been, 
 this might seem that region of peace and content- 
 ment. But Marie had not taken a dozen steps before 
 her strength gave out completely. 
 
 "You must permit me," said Perry, and taking 
 her in his arms, he hurried to the spot where Many 
 Talk had left their canoe. By clinging to his shoul- 
 ders, she made it easier for him to carry her. "When 
 have you had anything to eat?" he asked, as they drew 
 near the place. 
 
 "There has been but one night?" she questioned, 
 with weary reflection; "then it was yesterday morn- 
 ing. I did not eat with grand'mere, for I thought to 
 be home in a few minutes. But they carried me off 
 the negroes!" 
 
 "I have something in the canoe. Can you stand 
 a minute? It is so wet everywhere !" Perry was angry 
 because no dry place had been reserved for the bur- 
 den he was reluctant to let go. 
 
 "Ah, I will be strong," she declared bravely, and 
 freeing herself from his arms, leaned against a tree 
 while he rummaged among the effects of the canoe. 
 
 "Drink a swallow from this," he commanded, re- 
 turning to her with a small flask. "And here is some 
 praline and a bit of meat which I had the Indians
 
 The Wolverine 
 
 cure for me. You must eat a little while I am launch- 
 ing the canoe. It will be two hours before we can 
 reach home." 
 
 "And you do you not need to eat?" she asked, 
 looking into his face as she took the food from his 
 hands. 
 
 Perry was not likely to forget how she thought of 
 him, distressed as she was herself. 
 
 "I will eat while I work," he replied, and set her a 
 generous example by partaking of the simple fare, 
 which was all that could be provided in their haste 
 to get away from danger. 
 
 Only a few moments were required to get the birch- 
 bark ready. Then, with Marie a little forward of the 
 centre, and himself in the stern, he paddled out into 
 the blue, rolling stream, broad and majestic in its 
 sweep between the dark-green, heavily-wooded banks. 
 To the right of them widened the beautiful lake, 
 with the sheen of pearl on its surface, and along the 
 eastern horizon where shortly the sun was to appear. 
 There was not a cloud in the azure heavens where the 
 night before had raged such a storm; the water alone 
 seemed to retain restlessness born of the tempest, but 
 only to a degree that imparted vigor to the arm 
 which stroked its surface. 
 
 The swallow of spirits and the nourishment had 
 refreshed Marie. In a few words she told Perry of 
 the negro uprising, while his strong muscles and the 
 current swept them toward the still sleeping town, 
 from which fear had not yet wholly departed. As 
 the horizon widened about them, with nothing more 
 threatening in sight than the ripples on the water,
 
 The Wolverine 257 
 
 confidence returned, and with it the future, demanding 
 thought and recognition. Soon they were to part 
 again, and she could not have it as on that last time 
 when they came up from her Uncle Gaspard Beau- 
 coeur's. She remembered the long-ago night at the 
 Justice's, and that this man must still judge her by 
 her action there a righteous judgment, she con- 
 ceded; nevertheless, her heart yearned to have it set 
 aside. Had she not atoned for her sin by the suffering 
 of months since? Would he not understand and for- 
 give if she was to confess her wrong? He seemed 
 to desire only such relations with her as gentlemanly 
 conduct demanded; this was evident from his calm- 
 ness and perfect bearing during the whole of the hor- 
 rible night they had just come through. But she 
 longed for his friendship and esteem as she had had 
 them before committing that terrible blunder. Hop- 
 ing, longing, dreading precious moments were 
 allowed to slip by. All too soon, as it seemed, they 
 were at the great tree where her own canoe was usu- 
 ally beached and would be now had not the negroes 
 carried it away when they had stolen her. 
 
 "Mr. North " she faltered, extending her hand 
 
 as they stood on the bank 
 
 "I will go with you to the house," Perry inter- 
 rupted, fancying he was anticipating some request 
 prompted by fear. 
 
 "It is not that," she declared. "My life, you have 
 saved it! I wish to say something. I want you to 
 forgive me for what I have been! I cannot say it 
 now what I wish! But you will come again! You 
 will give me a chance when I am stronger? Promise
 
 258 The Wolverine 
 
 me, monsieur. Ah, I cannot let you go till you do 
 promise me that!" 
 
 Perry was not greatly surprised at her emotion. 
 The night had been enough to shatter the strongest 
 nerves. He did not understand, however. To for- 
 give her for what she had been meant simply for 
 the possible care and trouble of the last eight hours. 
 
 "I have done nothing more, Miss Beaucceur, than 
 a thousand other men would rejoice to do and do as 
 well. To see you safe once more is all I wish in the 
 shape of thanks. Believe me when I tell you that 
 the less said the better I shall like it. My stay in 
 town will be short. But I will see you again before I 
 go back into the woods. I hope you will not be ill. 
 It has been a terrible night for you for a woman! 
 You have been very brave." 
 
 She was clinging to his hand with the clasp of one 
 drowning. "Ah, I hope you will know all sometime 
 how I thank you !" And then they parted, he carry- 
 ing away a vision of her face stirred by the deepest 
 emotion, with tears on her cheeks reflecting the sun 
 which rose at that moment over the wooded shore 
 beyond the river they had just left.
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 WHEN Perry entered the town, he found 
 armed citizens patrolling its streets. He 
 went at once to the Mayor's office and re- 
 ported the points in his night's experience, early 
 knowledge of which was essential to the public wel- 
 fare; then to his boarding place, where his appear- 
 ance created a welcome surprise. Aside from the 
 kitchen servant, Mrs. Rolland and her niece were 
 alone at the time, as the one other male boarder had 
 gone with the militia against Black Hawk. The ter- 
 rifying events of the last two days had given the 
 women little chance for rest; and the protection 
 afforded by a strong man's presence in the house 
 became the source of infinite relief. 
 
 Breakfast, which had been served the moment 
 before Perry's arrival, was prolonged for an hour and 
 a half, for little could be eaten when so much was to 
 be said. None cared if the food did grow cold, and 
 Bridget was not rebuked for remaining in the dining- 
 room listening to the excited conversation, while 
 her rolls burned before the kitchen hearth. Perry 
 had done nothing heroic, and could tell the story in a
 
 260 The Wolverine 
 
 straightforward manner, simply and without self-con- 
 sciousness, as he would relate any fortunate occur- 
 rence. He had not driven the negroes away and res- 
 cued Marie by any display of personal strength and 
 courage. Her abductors, made cowards by their own 
 evil deeds, had fled in terror before what they believed 
 a rescuing party, out in force. Perry never again told 
 the story half as well as on that first recital. Ever 
 after he felt called upon to explain the facts and refute 
 the popular notion that he was a hero, and this sadly 
 marred the narrative. 
 
 "Poor girl! I must see her as soon as it is safe to 
 go abroad," said Elva, with genuine feeling. "But 
 rest is what she needs to-day more than anything else. 
 Will you take me there to-morrow, Mr. North?" 
 
 Perry said he would, with pleasure, and then lis- 
 tened to an account of what had taken place in the 
 town as far as known to the two women. His brow 
 darkened when he heard of the repeated attempts the 
 negroes had made to secure their captive, and the 
 reason for Marie's abduction, involving the statement 
 that she was the Governor's sweetheart, caused him 
 to wince. Perry wore his heavy boots and wilder- 
 ness trappings generally, making a handsome and 
 striking figure, a veritable Viking in form and appear- 
 ance. An abundance of yellow hair, worn long as 
 was the fashion, covered a head the face of which was 
 bronzed by exposure to sun and wind. A glance out 
 of his eye, set in a fearless countenance, could strike 
 terror if the moment demanded it, but ordinarily one 
 saw only what was frank, sweet and trustful in his 
 expression.
 
 The Wolverine 261 
 
 An hour later he was dressed as a man about town. 
 His few days in the Capital promised to be very busy 
 ones, and it behooved him to lose no time in setting 
 about his work. The absence of the Brady Guards 
 made it easier for him, as the wild young fellows 
 with whom he had associated in these later months 
 were not there to demand an evening of conviviality. 
 After the regulars summoned from Fort Gratiot 
 arrived, he took Elva to see Marie, and with one act 
 kept two promises. Any interview with mademoiselle 
 was bound to be only painful, and he determined not 
 to go to the Beaucoeur home again. Marie was 
 slowly recovering from the shock to which she had 
 been rudely subjected, and he need burden himself no 
 further with anxiety regarding her. He could reflect 
 after this manner, but it failed utterly to put out of 
 mind the sweet, pale face, the quiet, demure air of the 
 one who received them that afternoon. 
 
 "Marie isn't at all the girl she used to be," Elva 
 declared, as they came away. "I sometimes think she 
 has had more to sober her in the last few months than 
 any of us have knowledge of. Her recent experience 
 would cause her to look dispirited to-day. But I have 
 seen a sad expression in her face for a long time/' 
 
 There was a question Perry determined to ask now, 
 first making sure of hiding his feelings in the matter. 
 "Once you told me she was a lovely girl," he began, 
 in a tone made natural by sheer force of will. "Do you 
 think she would trifle with a man's heart? She was 
 very ill in the spring after Etienne Baddeau's death. 
 You heard the story that went the rounds then "
 
 262 The Wolverine 
 
 He ceased speaking with a rising inflection, and waited 
 her answer with quickened pulse. 
 
 "Yes, I heard the story. No, I do not think Marie 
 would trifle with a man's affections," replied Elva, 
 categorically. "We were once quite intimate, but 
 since my visits to New York we have drifted apart. 
 Marie was never one to impart confidences, so I can- 
 not say how she regarded. Etienne Baddeau. I have 
 been interested in the way her name has been linked 
 with the Governor's. Marie is very loyal to her 
 Church. Her nature is not a light one, and when she 
 loves it will not be lightly. If there should be a clash 
 between her love and her religion, I fancy it would 
 produce in her just such behavior as her friends have 
 witnessed of late." 
 
 "You think she loves the Governor?" he questioned 
 slowly as one studying a problem. "He is a Protes- 
 tant; she is a Catholic. Will she become a Protestant, 
 or will she give him up?" But he was thinking "I 
 
 too am a Protestant, and if she loves " He 
 
 allowed his reasoning to go no farther. Had he not 
 given her up? What a fool he was! 
 
 "Or will the Governor become a Catholic?" his 
 companion interjected 
 
 Perry checked the cynical laugh in his throat. If 
 he were to become a Catholic! Fate could hardly 
 be more ironical. 
 
 "You must not omit any of the elements," Elva 
 added to her interjected remark. "I frankly admit 
 the answer is beyond me. I can imagine Marie in one 
 mood would sacrifice everything to her religion. Her 
 teaching has been such that she might even resort to
 
 The Wolverine 263 
 
 practices that would shock an outsider. The end 
 justifies the means you know, Mr. North." 
 
 "I have heard of that Romish motto," mused Perry, 
 using the thought as a key to the locked situation, but 
 failing to make an opening. 
 
 "Under another impulse, she might sacrifice her 
 sectarianism for a good man," Elva continued. "This 
 is what I like to think would happen. Marie is bound 
 to be sincere at last in whatever she undertakes. 
 There may be moments of trifling or what may 
 seem trifling but in reality is play that leads to self- 
 revelation, real growth, and development of character. 
 Whenever possible she has sugar-coated the bitter 
 pills of life." 
 
 " 'Under another impulse she might sacrifice her 
 sectarianism,' " Perry repeated to himself. The 
 thought lured him as the Lorelei, but he knew the 
 story of the sweet-voiced siren, and was warned. 
 Granting Marie's action the most favorable judgment 
 possible, it would take long to eradicate the impres- 
 sion he had received. 
 
 On two different days Perry spent an hour with 
 Father Richard, coming away each time buoyant 
 with the strength and uplift of his godly companion- 
 ship. The old Priest overflowed in gratitude for the 
 part he had played in rescuing Marie, who was very 
 dear to him. He had known her since birth, having 
 performed the ceremony at the marriage of her par- 
 ents. She was his favorite among all the daughters 
 of his parish, and he talked long, relating incident 
 after incident in her life, all of which revealed a char- 
 acter of peculiar sweetness and strength. This,
 
 264 The Wolverine 
 
 coupled with what Elva had said, kept Perry's mind 
 on the edge of doubt and indecision. 
 
 Then came the dinner Elva had determined upon 
 while the regulars were in town, and before Perry 
 should return to his work in the interior. 
 
 "I am going to ask Mr. North to take you out, 
 Marie,'' Elva explained in a moment alone with the 
 French beauty. "The Governor, you know, properly 
 belongs to me. You will not be jealous?" The words 
 were said playfully, but they gave opportunity for a 
 reply by which mademoiselle might be judged. 
 
 "No indeed!" returned Marie, with a laugh of 
 amusement. "Really, you look as if you expected me 
 to be jealous. Ah, Elva, the foolish stories please do 
 not believe them. It is false that they are." And 
 she looked quite annoyed. 
 
 "You are such a discreet body," Elva replied, her 
 tones an apology. "I am sure your nearest friends 
 cannot tell what is in your heart." And she embraced 
 her as in the old school-girl days. 
 
 When Elva told Perry what she required of him, 
 a frown came into his frank, sunburned face. Was 
 it not hard enough to keep away from Marie of him- 
 self without having fate thrust her at him at every 
 turn? It would be impolite to offer objection to his 
 hostess's arrangements, however, and so he made the 
 best of a trying situation. 
 
 The affair was a very delightful one to most of 
 those present. Colonel Campbell was there, with 
 other red-coated officers from Fort Maiden, glad to 
 meet old friends in blue again from the fort above. 
 The recent adventure was of necessity much talked of,
 
 The Wolverine 265 
 
 and the way their names were associated was not 
 always pleasing to Perry and Marie. However, Miss 
 Webber directed conversation so well that little em- 
 barrassments were quickly forgotten, and in the end 
 Perry congratulated himself on coming through the 
 ordeal so well. 
 
 Wine was served, and Perry did not turn down his 
 glass, as Marie noted at once, with a little pang of 
 remorse. She half feared he would go the same 
 lengths as the other men, and it was a great relief 
 when his second glass remained untouched. For her 
 part, the wine was not tasted through the whole meal, 
 though a glass filled with the sparkling beverage stood 
 beside her plate. 
 
 Remembering Elva's words, Perry noticed many 
 evidences that Marie was not her old gay self. The 
 witty sallies which before had made her the centre 
 of nearly every group, were no longer let fly from her 
 lips. One could not accuse her of moping, or form- 
 ing a shadow on an otherwise bright picture. She 
 simply chose to play a less prominent part, and as in 
 society the prominent part is generally played by a 
 butterfly, observant minds were sure to give her 
 greater credit. Perry felt the force of this reasoning 
 when he thought it over alone in his rooms. 
 
 The position in which he and Marie found them- 
 selves was a strange one. They were meeting each 
 other again, and as by tacit agreement ignoring a 
 passage in their lives which by all the laws of psychics 
 should have proved fatal to further intercourse. Was 
 it right to go on in this way? Either Marie was guilty 
 or she was not guilty of a very heinous offense. If
 
 266 The Wolverine 
 
 she was innocent she should long since have de- 
 manded an explanation of him. Not having done so 
 was proof of her guilt, despite all Father Richard and 
 Elva Webber might say of her, and he in justice to 
 himself, should let her severely alone. To-morrow he 
 would be off to the woods again, and that would put 
 an end to this useless torture. 
 
 Perry had not Many Talk to guide him back into 
 the wilderness now, and must needs hire someone else 
 to convey him. The man whom he secured proved to 
 be an Adventist follower of William Miller, who be- 
 lieved the end of the world at hand. As the seventh 
 day was his Sabbath, he would not continue the jour- 
 ney on Saturday. Happening among a pious commu- 
 nity, the strength of long-established custom asserted 
 itself, and Perry remained over Sunday also. Although 
 he had ceased to recognize the day as divinely 
 appointed for rest, his practice was in keeping with 
 his early training, and he gave up the hours to read- 
 ing a pamphlet he had brought with him entitled, 
 Evidences of Christianity, by William Ellery Chan- 
 ging. 
 
 On the whole, he did not feel that the two days were 
 lost, impatient as he was to get back and complete 
 his work in the Grand River Valley. Some hours 
 were given up to fruitless argument, it was true, but in 
 the main the time was well employed. Saturday had 
 seen a grand wolf hunt. In this Perry had taken 
 part, "borrowing" the Adventist's gun on a hint from 
 its owner that if he knew nothing of the matter his 
 conscience would not be troubled. A night or two 
 previous some neighboring farmer had had his best
 
 The Wolverine 267 
 
 sheep slain by wolves, which, biting their victims in 
 the throat, drank their blood and left the carcasses 
 for the foxes. For miles around the men gathered to 
 exterminate this ruthless enemy of their flocks. The 
 great swamp, recesses of which formed dens for wild 
 creatures of every sort, was surrounded; then signal- 
 ling one another with tin dinner-horns, the hunters 
 gradually drew in the circuit, shooting the fierce gray 
 beasts as they appeared, driven to bay at every quar- 
 ter. 
 
 It was exciting sport, and many were the stories told 
 at night when the men gathered before the doors of 
 their rude log houses. Perry was an excellent shot, 
 and had to his credit no less than five skins, which 
 he arranged to have properly dressed and cared for 
 in his absence. While listening to these adventures, 
 the housewife, who reminded Perry of his mother, 
 kept industriously at her work; now she removed the 
 candles from their moulds, an extra supply of which 
 had been run that day to light them over Sunday. 
 The most perfect ones were laid aside to be carried 
 to the meeting-house on the morrow, for Elder 
 Hickox was to preach there, on his circuit, both morn- 
 ing and evening, and full length candles would be 
 required to out-last his second sermon. 
 
 What news Perry had of the Black Hawk war was 
 imparted to these isolated people, with kindred topics 
 of the day. A number of the young men of the set- 
 tlement had gone out with the militia, and mothers 
 and sweethearts were anxious for their absent ones. 
 The men reverted to political matters, and all agreed 
 that Michigan was suffering a great injustice in its
 
 268 The Wolverine 
 
 belated admission into the Union. Then, as the wan- 
 ing moon rose through the tree trunks, they separated 
 for such rest as comes after a hard day's work. 
 
 The air in the loft whither Perry was shown was 
 stifling with the odor of soft soap, which had boiled all 
 day beneath the open window. Rather than suffer 
 the ills of that hot chamber, he took a blanket and 
 went into the forest to sleep as he had on so many 
 nights before. This was not done by descending 
 the ladder which had brought him to the low room 
 under the roof, but by springing stealthily from the 
 window to the ground when all was still below, lest 
 he cause his patient, mother-faced hostess to regret 
 she could not give him such comforts as regularly fall 
 to the lot of a "city man/'
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 ECHOES of a dreadful cholera epidemic reached 
 Perry in the far-off wilderness, but the mat- 
 ter was passed over at first as an exaggerated 
 report. 
 
 Six weeks after his last visit to Detroit, he was once 
 more making his way by forest and stream back to 
 the Capital. His work in the Grand River Valley 
 had been completed much earlier than he had antici- 
 pated. Although the month was September, the sun 
 shone with the ardor of mid-summer, and the canoe 
 voyagers gladly kept to the shady side of the streams 
 whenever possible. Up the Looking-glass they pro- 
 ceeded, then, after a short portage, struck the Shia- 
 wassee; still paddling against the current, they pushed 
 on up this stream and its branches, making portages 
 from time to time, traversing a dozen little lakes, 
 pocket mirrors that some glacial giant had dropped 
 in retreating across the continent, and, with the last 
 watershed placed behind, launched their canoes on a 
 branch of the Clinton, whose waters would carry them 
 through Lake St. Clair to the Straits. 
 
 High spirits reigned in the surveyor's little com-
 
 27 The Wolverine 
 
 pany. Hard work was over for a time; ahead lay the 
 greeting of old friends, and participation in social 
 gaieties innumerable, as they thought. The joy of 
 strong muscles well exercised, the freedom of primeval 
 conditions, the exhilaration of an all-encompassing 
 virile nature combined to transform the labor that 
 remained into a fascinating play. Beyond every bend 
 of the silver thread down which they glided lay the 
 charm of discovery. Now it was a bear they chanced 
 upon, and found sport in his droll surprise at their 
 sudden appearance. With meat in plenty, they were 
 content to frighten the lumbering creature with 
 strange shouts and improvised cries of unearthly 
 sorts. Again, in the midst of the wilderness, they hap- 
 pened upon some wayfaring pioneer, stopped by the 
 very river that was a friend to them; and they enjoyed 
 the novelty of his unexpected society, while lingering 
 to give him such aid as he stood in need of. 
 
 On another day they met an Indian and his squaw 
 in their canoe, and the two bearing signs of having 
 recently traded in town, were stopped and questioned. 
 When the white voyagers told what they had heard 
 of the cholera the Pottawattamie grunted a corrobora- 
 tion. Mimicking the tolling-bell of Ste. Anne's with 
 a realism that was startling, he added: "Dong-ng 
 dong-ng dong-ng dong-ng, all day; no stop!" 
 
 Passing through the village of Pontiac, they stopped 
 just below to pick up the skins trophies of Perry's 
 wolf hunt on his way out. As Perry and his com- 
 panions approached along the miserable road that 
 led up from Detroit, they were halted by an armed
 
 The Wolverine 271 
 
 sentinel, who refused to allow them to enter the vil- 
 lage. 
 
 "What's the matter?" demanded Perry. "We're not 
 robbers or cut-throats." 
 
 The sentinel laughed cunningly. "I guess y'u 
 know what's the matter all right 'nough. Y'u hain't 
 come along that 'ere road all the way from Detroit, 
 'thout findin' what's the matter before this. Y'u kin 
 go 'round the town, an' keep on yer way. But y'u 
 can't stop; an' y'u can't go through it, nuther!" 
 
 "We're not from Detroit " began Perry. 
 
 "I hain't b'en any nigher Detroit than I be now, 
 in six months," interjected his companion, and as 
 this was stronger than Perry could put it himself, 
 he allowed the statement to go unqualified. 
 
 "We're from the Grand River Valley, on our way 
 to Detroit," Perry explained. 
 
 "Well, then jest turn 'bout and pick up yer tracks," 
 said the sentinel. "I should say the same to a man if 
 I seen him comin' out'n a well, an' he should tell me 
 'at he was from the moon an' on his way to Chiny. 
 Y'u can't pull no fur over this 'ere coon's eyes," 
 declared the fellow, with a fine appreciation of his 
 own shrewdness. 
 
 "See here," cried Perry, becoming impatient; "all 
 I want is to go to yonder house on the hill, and get 
 some wolf skins that belong to me. Then I'll come 
 away, and you'll not be bothered with us any longer." 
 
 "It sounds reasonable; but appearances are all ag'in 
 y'u. A feller said somethin' like that 'ere yest'day. 
 But he stayed, and now we got a case o' cholera in a 
 lean-to down here a piece. No sir; y'u can't come
 
 272 The Wolverine 
 
 into this 'ere town for no skins. Howsomever, Mr. 
 Skilling, what lives in that 'ere house, as y'u know if 
 yer tellm' me the truth, '"11 be down here after a spell, 
 an' I'll speak to him about them 'ere skins of your'n. 
 Y'u kin jest make yourselves com'table on yender 
 log, if y'u care to wait, so long's the wind's not blowin' 
 anything ketching this 'ere way." 
 
 "How long will we have to wait?" inquired Perry. 
 
 "Well, 'bout as long's it takes a man to eat a snack, 
 and make tracks from the house to this 'ere place. 
 Then I'll go and eat somethin', an' if there's any skins 
 there for y'u, I'll bring 'em back. I guess y'u kin 
 wait that 'ere long, if y'u want 'em bad." 
 
 Perry concluded so, too, and he and his companion 
 retreated to the log, where they made themselves 
 com'table as directed. When at last the skins were 
 brought from the house, the two in waiting were 
 made to retreat still farther along the road, while the 
 bundle was brought and deposited near the log. After 
 the bearer had returned a safe distance, Perry was 
 allowed to advance and get his property. Then the 
 two groups bade each other a rather ironical good 
 afternoon. 
 
 The next day, near the mouth of the Clinton River, 
 Perry was hailed from the low bank by a voice, which 
 he recognized as belonging to his friend and tailor, 
 MV. Steinmann. 
 
 "Yo-ho! Mischter Nort'; Mischter Nort'! Vhere 
 avay for you boundt? Nod to dot Teetroit no, for 
 sure?" 
 
 "Steinmann!" cried Perry, scarcely believing his 
 senses. "What are you doing here?"
 
 The Wolverine 273 
 
 "Py kosh, I'm geeping away from dot zickness! 
 You not heard of dot zickness, alreaty? Dot gollery! 
 Eferypody in dot town ece dead, alreaty. You gome 
 / ashore mit my family, unt ve dake gare mit ourselves. 
 Eef anypody from dot town gome, ve schoot um so 
 gwvick as dot!" He pointed his gun at an imaginary 
 intruder, dropped it, and struck his palms together 
 with a loud report. 
 
 "Aren't you afraid Fll give you the cholera, Mr. 
 Steinmann? They wouldn't let me come into their 
 towns back here." 
 
 "Ah, yah! dot ece so. Nein, nein! I nod 'fraid 
 mit you. You nod been by dot town, Teetroit, zince 
 dot gollery gome. Ah, yah! Dot de vay dey do by 
 me by dot town of Yipsilanti. I go dot vay first to 
 find a blace for my family. Py kosh! vun man mit a 
 gun say, 'Schtop! schtop!' But dot stage-coach man 
 mit vun eye vot his name? Paron le Porgne he 
 schtop not a leettle bit. An' de man he schoot py 
 kosh vun dose coach horses dead, already! Out on 
 dot Chicago road dey build fences agross de vay, 
 unt purn down deir pridges, dot nopody from Teetroit 
 can gome by deir homes. Ach! mein Gott, eet ece 
 derrible, derrible!" concluded the German, with em- 
 phatic shakings of the head. 
 
 All of Perry's men, with the exception of the Ad- 
 ventist, cast in their lot with Steinmann. The Miller- 
 ite had left a wife and child behind when setting out, 
 and was filled with anxiety for their welfare. Though 
 none had special claims on Perry, he was scarcely 
 less anxious to reach the doomed town; and so the 
 two pushed on with all speed, down the lake close
 
 274 The Wolverine 
 
 to the right shore, following the course pursued by the 
 ill-fated Many Talk but a few short weeks before, 
 past the island where Marie had been held a prisoner 
 by the three blacks, and where Perry's Indian guide 
 had met his fate, and so on to their journey's end. 
 
 The sun, low and lowering over the town, was full 
 in their eyes when they caught the first glimpse of the 
 plague-infected spot. It seemed to them as if the 
 Capitol were being devoured by flames, such a lurid 
 picture was presented or was it the Angel of Death 
 hovering over the place with a flaming sword? The 
 atmosphere was sultry and oppressive, as it had been 
 for many days. 
 
 Though showers of rain had been frequent, they 
 had failed to bring relief from the unnatural condi- 
 tions that prevailed; instead, the increased humidity 
 had made the heat well-nigh unbearable. Scarcely a 
 breath of air seemed stirring, and no sail was to be 
 seen, going or coming on the Straits. The naked 
 spars and masts of a few deserted schooners moored 
 at the docks, cut purple lines across the copper-colorecl 
 sky. Not a sound came over the lifeless waters to 
 greet the two voyagers, as they approached their 
 destination. Even the tolling bell which the Potta- 
 wattamie had mimicked with such startling reality, 
 had been ordered discontinued by the authorities, for 
 its awful, solemn notes, recurring hourly, day and 
 night, were more than could be borne by the inhabi- 
 tants, already stricken with a mortal fear. 
 
 It was impossible to escape the depressing effects 
 of the scenes that greeted his eyes when once his feet 
 bore him along the desolate streets, but Perry sum-
 
 The Wolverine 275 
 
 moned all his forces to fight against the grim terror, 
 knowing that in this alone lay his salvation. Here 
 and there were horseless carts, abandoned by their 
 owners, many of whom now lay in hastily made 
 graves. All signs of business had long since disap- 
 peared from the shops and markets; misery and 
 wretchedness seemed stamped on every line that went 
 to make up the devoted town. Now and then a wail 
 of despair came through some open door or window, 
 and smote on the ears of the new arrivals like the cry 
 of a lost soul. At the street corners great kettles of 
 pitch were burning, the fumes of which were believed 
 to purify the atmosphere by driving out the miasm 
 that caused the deadly contagion. Deep, red flames 
 were given forth, with columns of inky smoke which 
 rose and spread like a pall over the stricken com- 
 munity. 
 
 Young Doctor Houghton was the first person 
 whom Perry met. 
 
 "My God! do you know what you have come to?" 
 asked the sturdy little man as he wiped his pale, care- 
 worn brow. 
 
 "I hope I have come to help," answered Perry, with 
 great feeling. "Who are sick, and who have died?" 
 he questioned yet dreaded to hear the answer. 
 
 An expression of hope came into the tired face of 
 the over-worked physician as he gazed into the fresh, 
 strong countenance before him. In a few graphic 
 words he told the- story of the last six weeks how the 
 soldiers returning from the Black Hawk war had 
 brought the cholera with them. A dozen of the promi- 
 nent dead were named in quick succession; and his
 
 276 The Wolverine 
 
 listener breathed a sigh of relief when none of his par- 
 ticular friends were enumerated, though he had 
 known and associated with all who were mentioned. 
 There were strong, manly fellows from the Bradies, 
 merchants and mechanics of the town, matrons and 
 belles whom he had met at gay social festivities all 
 had been forever removed, as he was told, but could 
 hardly realize in that brief moment. 
 
 "Mrs. Holland?" Perry questioned. 
 
 "She is doing baking, and feeding the nurses and 
 others immediately employed about the sick. Caring 
 for the orphaned, too a splendid woman, North, and 
 nobly doing her duty. We have turned the court and 
 jury rooms at the Capitol into hospitals and are caring 
 for the sick there. The old Presbyterian Church has 
 been converted into a hospital also, under the care of 
 the Sisters of Ste. Claire/' 
 
 "Miss Webber?" 
 
 "Has that happened, too, since you went away? She 
 is married and gone! Campbell was first called to 
 Halifax, suddenly, I believe; and they are now on 
 their way to England." 
 
 At a less trying time these words would have 
 elicited their full meed of surprise. But now they 
 passed with only a moment's narrowing of the eye- 
 lids. 
 
 "The Beaucoeurs?" next questioned Perry. 
 
 "They left the city as soon as the scourge broke 
 out, and are with relatives up the St. Clair all but 
 Marie. Marie is caring for the suffering at the Catho- 
 lic Hospital; one of God's good angels! as sure as 
 there is a sky above us."
 
 The Wolverine 277 
 
 "What can I do to help?" 
 
 "Come with me to the Capitol, and I'll set you to 
 work," returned the physician, leading the way at 
 once. 
 
 From that moment North was introduced to such 
 scenes as he had never witnessed before, nor has he 
 seen their like since. All night he watched over 
 delirious, plague-stricken patients; saw them writhe 
 in awful spasms; administered the small comforts 
 which an imperfect science afforded; beheld the ap- 
 proach of fatal weakness and final collapse after most 
 terrible suffering. At the early dawn French carts 
 were marshalled to carry away the dead of the night 
 before, sixteen in all; and an unbroken column was 
 formed stretching away to the old cemetery, a fearful 
 line of festering corpses. One-half of the inhabitants 
 had fled during that first week of the cholera; and 
 three hundred newly made graves marked the resting- 
 places of an appalling per cent of those who remained.
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 ANOTHER stifling day followed, and it was 
 noon before Perry was relieved and could take 
 a few minutes' rest. He hurried to his rooms 
 at Mrs. Rolland's that he might be as far from the 
 horrible scene of suffering as possible. He had prom- 
 ised to return at dark and resume his duties. 
 
 Perry found Mrs. Rolland feeding a tableful of 
 children made orphans by the terrible scourge. 
 
 "Aye, Meester North! They telt me ye war coome 
 back. I dinna think it would be lang afore I see ye. 
 The bairns will make room for ye; and I hae enough 
 for a'. Ah! is it nae a waeful sight a waeful veesa- 
 tation of Providence? How long, O Lord, how long? 
 But ye maun sit a bit for a bite, an' then awa' to yer 
 room. I hae redd it oop against yer coming. Ye 
 hae heard I hae lost my Elva?" she questioned sud- 
 denly, and for a time they talked of her and the change 
 that had come into her life. 
 
 The sight of the children did Perry good. They 
 were too young to realize their loss, and here under 
 Mrs. Rolland were well cared for. Perry found their 
 conversation most startling at times, as they chanced
 
 The Wolverine 279 
 
 to speak of details connected with their loss; for refer- 
 ence was always made in the plainest, baldest terms; 
 and frequently they ran to the windows, interested in 
 sights which their elders turned from with awe and 
 shudders. 
 
 For three days the whole of Perry's time was 
 divided between this house, where he snatched a few 
 hours' rest, and the Capitol where, imder the super- 
 vision of Doctor Houghton, he administered to the 
 sick. The one passion of his life caused him often to 
 think of Marie Beaucceur, and wonder how she was 
 enduring the strain which these trying days put upon 
 all. At last the desire for positive information became 
 so strong that he turned his steps toward the old 
 Presbyterian Church, instead of going to his rooms 
 for the rest which he was supposed to seek while off 
 duty. 
 
 He had not been in the edifice since those first days 
 under the Reverend Montieth. The exterior remained 
 the same, but changes had been made within to fit it 
 for its new use. A few Sisters in the quaint garb of 
 the order of Ste. Claire moved hither and thither, 
 assisted by daughters of some of the leading French 
 families. Otherwise, the scene was like the one from 
 which he had just come. 
 
 To his surprise and alarm, none had seen or heard 
 aught of Marie for thirty-six hours. All that he could 
 learn was that she had left at an appointed time to go 
 to her home for rest. The hour for her return had 
 passed twice without her re-appearance ; and so pressed 
 were all with immediate duties, none could be spared 
 to look her up. This was a task Perry undertook
 
 280 The Wolverine 
 
 without a moment's hesitation, urged on by many 
 forebodings. 
 
 The way led him by the humble home of Father 
 Richard, and acting on an impulse, he turned his steps 
 toward the Priest's door. He had not seen this friend 
 since returning to the city, though he had heard mar- 
 vellous accounts of the faithful man of God working 
 unceasingly for the relief of the cholera-stricken suf- 
 ferers. No one answered Perry's summons with the 
 knocker, and trying the door, he found it unfastened, 
 and entered. The place was not strange to him, so 
 he readily made his way to an inner room, where he 
 discovered the Priest, smitten with the dread disease, 
 and there, caring for him, was Marie ! 
 
 "Ah, my son, thou hast come at last!" cried Father 
 Richard, in French, as he beheld Perry standing over 
 him. "I have longed to see thee once more. I have 
 fought against this malady, but it has claimed me at 
 last. It is hard to be helpless when so many need my 
 services. Dost thou bring news, my son? How are 
 the sick?" 
 
 "It is reported, Father, that the scourge is abating. 
 The dead numbered but ten this morning; and Doctor 
 Houghton told me there were fewer new cases than 
 since the first week of the epidemic. I did not know 
 thou wert ill, or I should have come sooner. I shall 
 remain now till thou art recovered," said Perry, with 
 hope that was contagious. 
 
 "Thou hast been doing thy duty elsewhere, my 
 son?" questioned the Priest, with the confidence of an 
 affirmative answer.
 
 The Wolverine 281 
 
 "At the Capitol, Father. But they do not need my 
 services, now that the cases are fewer." 
 
 "Kneel and receive my blessing," the Priest com- 
 manded, and Perry knelt by the side of his couch, 
 while the emaciated hands were feebly extended and 
 placed upon his head. 
 
 When Perry rose, he turned to Marie. "You are 
 worn out with watching," he said. "I will take your 
 place here. Go and get some rest." As he spoke, 
 he moved toward her, and they clasped each other's 
 hand a moment. There was not the freedom from 
 self-consciousness that marked Perry's meeting with 
 others; nevertheless, their greeting promised that 
 further intercourse would be free from constraint. 
 
 Save the pallor in Marie's face, she was looking as 
 well as Perry had ever seen her. The red lips and 
 dark hair and eyes were accentuated by the lack of 
 color in her countenance, while a certain poise gave 
 promise of character rarely found in company with so 
 much beauty and loveliness. "I am glad you have 
 come," was all Marie said; and then she followed 
 Perry's bidding, and sought rest. 
 
 During the day Perry had calls from the Doctor 
 and the acolyte who assisted the good Priest in his 
 offices, but who, in the illness of his superior, was 
 kept busy elsewhere. From these Perry again heard 
 the story of Father Richard's work. In the midst of 
 the awful epidemic he had continued his labors day 
 and night, administering the sweet consolation of his 
 religion to the members of his flock. Afflicted him- 
 self with every symptom of the dread disease for 
 many weeks, and most of the time greatly debilitated,
 
 282 The Wolverine 
 
 he had not ceased to discharge the duties of his sacred 
 office with his accustomed zeal, till completely over- 
 powered. 
 
 Perry had become acquainted with the progress of 
 the disease, so it was no surprise but none the less a 
 great shock when the physician told him the Priest 
 could not recover. 
 
 It was in the still watches of the night that Marie 
 returned to the sick chamber to resume her duties. 
 Perry, believing the end not far off, would not leave 
 her alone, though he had not slept for twenty-four 
 hours, nor tasted food for half that time. The good 
 Priest knew he could not live. He had received the 
 last solemn rites of his church, so far as his assistant 
 could administer them, and despatched the acolyte to 
 others who had not the power of self-consolation that 
 he possessed. To the end he was mindful of his 
 parishioners whom, for a third of a century, he had 
 baptized, married, and absolved; these must miss him 
 sorely in their last hours. 
 
 Silently the tears came to Marie's eyes as she knelt 
 at the feet of her dying confessor. With her, as with 
 Perry, in no case had the fell destroyer struck so 
 close home as now. Two short years ago Perry had 
 distrusted this man above all others. What a radical 
 change had come over his feelings! As for Marie, 
 through her whole life the stricken man had filled a 
 place in some respects exceeding that of a natural 
 parent. 
 
 "Where art thou, my children?" called the Priest 
 in quavering voice. For though a single wax taper 
 burned in the room, death had already so dimmed his
 
 The Wolverine 283 
 
 eyes that he could not see. "Come close that I may 
 bless thee both once more," he bade. And taking a 
 hand of each in his own, he joined them, and then 
 placed his trembling palms upon their bowed heads. 
 The act was something which neither ever forgot. 
 The words that the Priest uttered were hardly audible, 
 and none heard them save the One to whom they were 
 addressed. Marie's sobs, though subdued by the in- 
 tense nature from which they sprung, nevertheless 
 made her deaf to every sound; and Perry could 
 scarcely be conscious of aught else. 
 
 Presently the hands of the Priest slipped from their 
 resting place, and the two kneeling figures thought 
 the holy father was at rest. But after a time he revived. 
 Perry administered some stimulant, and new hope 
 came to all. 
 
 "My son," spoke the Priest, with his renewed 
 strength, "I have loved thee in a peculiar manner. 
 Thou hast an insight into things that I have found 
 in few. But thou shouldst have the aid of Mother 
 Church to keep thee true to the faith. I had hoped 
 to lead thee to that safe anchorage ere I died. Ah! 
 could I but receive the last rites of our Holy Church 
 from thy hand! But I leave it all with the good God. 
 He will not let my work be in vain. I trust in Him. 
 I believe in thee the goodness of thy heart. My 
 daughter thy sister comfort her." 
 
 There was silence for a time, save the sobbing of 
 those soon to be bereft. The Priest's hands once 
 more found their way to the young man's head, where 
 they crossed themselves. "Ah that with these hands 
 I could install thee with holy orders !" A moment
 
 284 The Wolverine 
 
 later a smile broke over his face, as if the heart's wish 
 had been granted. Feeble, but exultant, his voice 
 gave forth its last words : " 'Now, O Lord, dost Thou 
 dismiss Thy servant according to Thy Word, in 
 peace/ " 
 
 So died Father Gabriel Richard, missionary and 
 Priest of the Catholic Church, friend and counsellor 
 of his Protestant neighbors trusted, admired, and 
 beloved of all.
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 NEWS of the death of the faithful old Priest 
 spread through the city with the sense and 
 rapidity of pain along a lacerated nerve. 
 Consternation and sorrow followed in its wake every- 
 where. Distracted before, now might his people 
 despair. But more than they were to suffer; his tak- 
 ing off was a public calamity; his place could not be 
 filled. Though his immortal spirit had ascended to 
 the God who gave it, the influence of his wise coun- 
 sels, his loving devotion and Christian example, re- 
 mained to persuade his survivors into nobler living, 
 the effect of which promises to endure through all 
 ages. 
 
 The day of the funeral came. His remains, dressed 
 in the robes of his sacred order, lay in state in the 
 church which he had built, his head toward the altar, 
 and the face exposed to the view of his sorrowing con- 
 gregation. From early morning till dark of night a 
 multitude came from all quarters, despite the terror 
 of the dread disease; and the sanctuary was filled 
 with the homage of a vast concourse, who reverently 
 took their last look upon the face of their friend and
 
 286 The Wolverine 
 
 Father. By chance there was in the city another 
 Priest on that day, come to procure prayer and hymn 
 books which he had had printed in the Ottawa tongue 
 Father Baraga, a name scarcely second to Father 
 Richard's in the annals of the Wolverine State; and 
 he fittingly led in those last sad rites. 
 
 Beneath the very spot where the bier stood sur- 
 rounded by the funeral candles, in time the sacred 
 dust found its last resting place. There, to this day, 
 the curious and the reverent may be directed, and 
 there they may hear again from the lips of an acolyte 
 in voice correctly hushed, as befits his honored sub- 
 ject, the story, in brief, of the life and labors of that 
 holy man of God. 
 
 Among all those gathered to do him reverence, 
 the two who had passed the last hours at his bedside 
 were not to be found. A strange thing had happened. 
 In that lone chamber, while the shock of death was 
 still on Perry and Marie, the door had opened behind 
 them, and a lad, exhausted and out of breath, tottered 
 into the room. The haunted look of a mortal terror 
 was on his face, but this quickly gave place to a mo- 
 mentary glad light, as his eyes fell on the bowed figure 
 of mademoiselle. 
 
 "Ah, Marie, ma sceur, cherie!" escaped from his 
 lips, as Francois fell unconscious by the side of his 
 sister, whom he had sought long and wearily. 
 
 With an exclamation of surprise and pain, Marie 
 sprang from the dead to care for the living. 
 
 "Francois, cheri! what does this mean?" she mur- 
 mured, bending over her brother. "Ah, Mere de Dieu!
 
 The Wolverine 287 
 
 he has the malady!" she cried, her soul wrung with 
 new anguish. 
 
 "Take me home, ma sceur," pleaded the boy, pite- 
 ously, as he revived. "Take me to the dear old homel 
 I have come far to see it and thee. Ah, I am so 
 sick! But take me home, ma chere soeur. Take me 
 to the home!" 
 
 "I will carry him," said Perry, coming to Marie's 
 side. "We are not needed here longer. We can stop 
 on our way and tell Rena Poulier. Others will come 
 quickly to take our place. Come, let us go." 
 
 Perry took the lad in his strong arms, soothing him 
 with gentle assurances as they moved along. Marie 
 followed, carrying such medicines as Perry directed 
 her to bring from those the Doctor had left for Father 
 Richard. They covered the silent form with a sheet 
 before slipping out into the steel-blue light of early 
 morning a touching group which the skeleton of a 
 waning moon looked down on from its low perch 
 in the eastern sky. The air was filled with the resinous 
 smell of burning pitch, lowering flames of which rose 
 feebly from a dozen street corners, where stood kettles 
 now long unreplenished. This was the quietest hour 
 in all the twenty-four claimed by Death as peculiarly 
 his own. Then those who could sleep were deep in 
 the slumber of exhaustion; while watchers were 
 hushed by the solemn presence of that sombre, silent, 
 awful visitor, who, heedless of the dumb agony of 
 heart-broken friends, stalked relentlessly through 
 their midst, claiming such as pleased his cold fancy. 
 
 The journey to the Beaucoeur home drew upon 
 Perry's already over-taxed strength to the verge of
 
 288 The Wolverine 
 
 endurance. But by sheer force of will he fought off 
 exhaustion till he had reached their destination, and 
 had administered to the lad such treatment as the 
 first stages of the disease demanded. Then, after a 
 deep draught of milk, he sought rest on the couch in 
 that upper room where once he had been held a pris- 
 oner; content to leave their new patient for a time 
 in charge of Marie, knowing that later his renewed 
 strength would prove of vital need in the struggle 
 which they were entering upon. Scarcely had he 
 stretched his weary limbs along the hard pallet than 
 consciousness was swallowed up in oblivion, and six 
 hours of refreshing slumber were vouchsafed him 
 before he was called upon to act again. 
 
 It was about mid-day when Perry re-entered the 
 room where they had laid Francois. He found the 
 boy's condition somewhat improved. He, too, had 
 had some restful sleep after the poultices which Perry 
 had bound upon him; and now he was telling Marie 
 what had brought him back to the distracted city. 
 
 "Ah, it is an ugly place up there," he was saying in 
 his native tongue. "I could not bear it longer. I 
 must die somewhere. If I remained there the home 1 
 sickness would kill me. And then I think if I come 
 back here maybe I shall not take the cholera. And 
 thou wast here, Marie, cherie. Ah, it was so dreadful 
 without thee ! And I had not mon pony ! Thou hast 
 not told me how Adrien is. Do horses ever have the 
 plague? And may I go to the barn soon to see 
 Adrien?" 
 
 "Adrien is well," replied Marie, caressing him ten- 
 derly. "As soon as thou art strong enough thou mayst
 
 The Wolverine 289 
 
 go and see him. Benoit is caring for the ponies. I 
 must not let thee talk so much. Thou wilt make thy- 
 self worse. Ah, mon cher frere, I do wish thou hadst 
 remained with our father and mother. If thou wast 
 not so ill I think I should scold thee much for run- 
 ning away from them. They will think thou art lost 
 in the forest " 
 
 "Ah, so I was, Marie," exclaimed Franqois. "It is 
 many days I think so many as four," reflectively. "It 
 is one day yesterday that I came? Two days then I 
 was lost in the forest ! Ah, and there were wild beasts 
 I heard le loup garou!" Then at sight of Perry 
 he rose partially from his couch. "Now it all comes 
 back to me!" he cried, excitedly, and in English 
 added: "Monsieur North it is him zat have found 
 me and brought me here; is it not so? Firs' I think 
 it is one dream. But no it is true, is it not?" 
 
 "Be quiet, mon frere. Do not excite thyself. In- 
 deed it is true. Monsieur brought thee here in his 
 arms last night. It was no dream. Now lie down 
 and go to sleep again," his sister begged in alarm. 
 
 "I will watch by thee, Franqois," said Perry, in 
 French, coming to his side and forcing him gently 
 back into the bed. "We will send Marie away for 
 rest, and I will tell thee of Adrien. I have been to the 
 stables not five minutes ago. Shall we do this? Shall 
 we send the sister away?" And as Franqois smiled 
 assent, Perry made a play of driving Marie from the 
 room. 
 
 "Ah, monsieur has learned to spe'k ze French bet- 
 ter zan I can spe'k ze Anglish," said the lad, with
 
 290 The Wolverine 
 
 pretty despair. "And it is but one short time monsieur 
 has mak' ze effort. But with me it is ver 3 long." 
 
 "It is your kindness that does not find errors in my. 
 French," replied Perry, returning to the chair from 
 which he had just driven the boy's sister. "I tell thee 
 truly, Frangois, thou hast greatly improved in thy 
 English. And now if thou wilt be obedient and 
 remain quiet, thou wilt soon be well again. Let me 
 tell thee of Adrien." 
 
 "Mon cher pony," murmured Francois, and con- 
 tinuing in French "I will hear of him. And when 
 you go to the stables again, put your arms around his 
 neck and tell him that Frangois loves him. If mon- 
 sieur will do this, when I am well I will turn his lathe 
 all one day for him and ask no other pay." 
 
 "I will do it, mon petit ami," said Perry, moved by 
 the lad's devotion. 
 
 "Adrien now," prompted Frangois, lest the story be 
 forgotten. 
 
 Then Perry told the incident, with something sooth- 
 ing and restful in the very tones of his low, musical 
 voice. He entered into details that brought back to 
 the homesick lad the innumerable objects about the 
 place, which were so dear to his heart, and which he 
 was too ill to visit then. The pear trees bore but 
 little fruit that year, and the most of that little was 
 badly spotted with some blight. However, Benoit had 
 found one pear that was a marvel among its fellows; 
 and he had stowed it away in his coat pocket, think- 
 ing to give it to his sweetheart, Rosette Bardesene, 
 who worked in his master's kitchen. But while he 
 was raking out the stables, Adrien smelled the fruit,
 
 The Wolverine 291 
 
 and discovered its location in Benoit's pocket. Before 
 the busy groom knew what the mischievous pony was 
 about, the pear had been removed from its hiding- 
 place and bitten. The story was told in a way to make 
 Adrien the hero, and Benoit's disappointment very 
 amusing. Francois listened, with complete forgetful- 
 ness of disease and pain. 
 
 "Now, mon brave garden, is it not time for some 
 breakfast?" questioned Perry, when he had finished 
 the recital. "Wilt thou eat with me? Rosette has 
 made a gruel for us, and I will order it served here at 
 once." And so he led the lad from his fears, and 
 imparted to his weakened body the strength needed 
 to combat disease. 
 
 For two days Francois continued to improve, and 
 there was every reason to believe he would speedily 
 recover. But on the third day a most deplorable 
 circumstance intervened. Benoit Leposeur begged to 
 see his little friend, and was permitted to come into 
 the sick-room for a time. Benoit had had the cholera 
 once, and believed himself immune from a second 
 attack. In the course of his stay, he sat on the head 
 of Francois's cot, and the lad twitted him of stupidity 
 in letting Adrien get the pear from his pocket. 
 Benoit marvelled that his little friend knew of the 
 matter; he had not been aware of Perry's presence in 
 the stables when he cursed Adrien, and declared the 
 use he proposed to make of the pear. His eyes grew 
 large, his face long, while he shook his head, mur- 
 muring darkly of witchcraft, le diable, and other un- 
 canny things. It pleased the lad to puzzle one older 
 than himself, and he prolonged the visit to the limits 
 of his sister's indulgence.
 
 292 The Wolverine 
 
 Francois's senses, scarcely less acute than his 
 pony's, discovered that another pear reposed in the 
 groom's pocket, presumably for no less a purpose 
 than the first. To play a second trick on the thick- 
 witted fellow became the boy's delight; and removing 
 the pear from its lodging place, Frangois hid it under 
 his pillow, intending to tease his victim after a mo- 
 ment. Benoit, however, was called from the room 
 before the lad saw fit to complete his joke. 
 
 Alone, Frangois drew the ripe, yellow beauty from 
 under his pillow, and feasted his eyes on its marvel- 
 lous size and perfect shape. Then he put the pear to 
 his nose and inhaled its delicious fragrance. He had 
 eaten many green pears at his uncle's, earlier in the 
 season, but none so perfectly ripened as this. Since 
 his improvement he had begged for just one of the 
 beauties which he knew were going to waste on the 
 ground outside; but his nurses had been rigid in main- 
 taining a safe diet, and thus far had denied him every- 
 thing save gruel and broth. 
 
 Frangois argued the question with himself; he knew 
 he was well enough to eat what he liked; and alto- 
 gether the temptation proved greater than he could 
 bear. The forbidden fruit was eaten to the very core ; 
 never so much as one seed being left to tell the fateful 
 story. In an hour the alarming symptoms returned, 
 and from that moment the little sufferer grew steadily 
 worse. Hot applications were resorted to again, and 
 the most powerful remedies the Doctor had were ad- 
 ministered. But at midnight Frangois was suffering 
 from awful spasms, and all but Marie had despaired 
 of his life.
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 TO the very last his sister worked with untiring 
 devotion. Between the spasms there werq 
 moments of relaxation when Franqois called 
 weakly, piteously for relief. Once he seemed quite 
 at ease, and then he made a strange request. 
 
 "Marie, ma chere soeur the story of the diso- 
 bedient children, tell it me, wilt thou not?" he begged 
 with short breath, feebly tossing his head. 
 
 With trembling voice, Marie repeated the legend, 
 a favorite with her brother. 
 
 "Do not be alarmed, Marie, cherie. Do not cry, 
 ma soeur," said Francois, when she had finished. "I 
 am going there. I have seen le Nain Rouge, and I 
 am to be imprisoned in the sky. But tell Louis and 
 he will come for me. Louis is such a perfect shot 
 with the arrow. I do not fear. I have thrown apples 
 in the air, and he has pierced them every one." 
 
 "Mon mignon, mon cheri, do not break my heart," 
 entreated his sister. "See, I will sprinkle thee with 
 holy water, and le Nain Rouge will not dare come." 
 
 But the dying lad shook his head. "Pere Richard 
 is he not dead? I think the holy water will not be of
 
 294 The Wolverine 
 
 use now. No, no; le Nain Rouge but laughs! I am 
 not afraid. Louis will find the spirit of the aspen- 
 tree, and he will guide him to the cloud-land. Louis 
 will never tire of shooting with the arrows till he has 
 found me and released me. Ah, there will be much 
 lightning and many golden rents in the sky, and 
 Louis will see through, and at last find where I am 
 kept a prisoner. Then he will shoot straight, and I 
 will escape through the door, which he will open. Do 
 not cry, ma chere sceur; I do not fear." 
 
 In the dim light of the single candle, the lad's 
 drawn features and sunken eyes were startling amid 
 the white linen of his little bed. Restraining the sob 
 which burned in her throat, Marie escaped from her 
 brother's side one moment, and flew to Perry. She 
 had not far to go, for he stood just without the room, 
 where he had heard all that passed between them. In 
 dumb agony he had suffered no less for her than she 
 was suffering herself. 
 
 "Mon Dieu! I cannot let him die unshriven," she 
 moaned, wringing her hands. "Ah, monsieur, you 
 must find the Priest that came from the north Father 
 Baraga, is it not he? Ah, mon mignon, the Saints 
 help thee; Francois, cheri, mon mignon! Ah, Mere 
 de Dieu! the Priest will monsieur find him? Will 
 monsieur do it for his petit ami, mon cher frere oh! 
 will monsieur do it?" 
 
 "I will do anything you say, Marie," replied Perry, 
 his strong voice giving way under emotion. "God 
 knows I wish it was more I could do," he added, with 
 complete forgetfulness of self. "But I will find Father 
 Baraga if he be in town !"
 
 The Wolverine 295 
 
 Away he hurried on his vain search through the 
 night, driven as one distracted. Death was coming 
 again to strike very near home. Life what a mys- 
 tery it was! A few short years of consciousness 
 separating two eternities of nothing. Father Richard 
 life, reason, love; was not, is, and is not! And now 
 his young friend was soon to complete the same tran- 
 sitions. Lacking words to comfort the grief-stricken 
 sister, Perry groaned aloud as he chased through the 
 hushed streets, coming now suddenly out of fathom- 
 less blackness into the weird light of flaming pitch, 
 vanishing again to reappear presently with lurid 
 countenance; knocking at a door here, making inqui- 
 ries there; burdened with sorrow, helpless, and well 
 nigh despairing. 
 
 After a two hours' search for the Priest, he learned 
 that Father Baraga was positively out of the question, 
 having the night before gone several miles down the 
 river where duty called no less than in the city. Even 
 the acolyte who served with Father Richard could 
 not be had; for cholera had claimed him, too, at last. 
 Father Baraga might return some time during the 
 day: this was the only hope Perry could carry back 
 to Marie. In the meantime the wan hours of dawn 
 had come, bringing the lad to the last stages of col- 
 lapse. 
 
 "Ah, mon Dieu! is there not pity?" moaned the 
 agonized sister. "Monsieur you you are good! He 
 said so! He would have made you a Priest Pere 
 Richard would! His hands blessed thee ah! I 
 can believe they did make thee a Priest! There is no 
 one else you must be!" It was the cry of despair,
 
 296 The Wolverine 
 
 with a last ray of hope. "I will tell you the words 
 I know them by heart. And you must say them after 
 me. I will fetch the holy water. Pere Richard blessed 
 it and his hands blessed monsieur. I saw them on 
 your head, and I heard him say the words. And he 
 did beg to receive the last rites of our Holy Church 
 from monsieur's hands thy hands, Pere North! 
 shall I not say it? And thou wilt not deny me! For 
 Francois's sake thou wilt do this. Ah, I have Pere 
 Richard's vestments in the house! He did give them 
 to me to mend the place burned by a coal from the 
 censer. And thou wilt put them on, and with that and 
 the blessing from his hands, and the goodness of thy 
 heart, thou shalt indeed be a Priest, Pere North." 
 
 Deny her was not in Perry's power; nor did the 
 action seem mockery to him then. He did not pause 
 to question or analyze his motives. It was enough 
 that the thing gave Marie comfort that she wished 
 him to do it; and he never once faltered, but went 
 through the part, putting his very soul in every word 
 and act; for somehow it gave him comfort also. 
 How many, many times in their nightly discussions 
 had he listened to Father Richard intone these sol- 
 emn, rhythmic, moving words! Prompting was 
 unnecessary, for a lasting impression had been made 
 on Perry's mind. 
 
 This was not the only time he had lent himself to 
 Marie's bidding. But how far had he come! Had it 
 been told the Puritan stranger at their meeting on 
 the river bank long ago, when first he yielded to her 
 girlish whims, that the time would come when she 
 would command and he in all seriousness enact the
 
 The Wolverine 297 
 
 role of a Romish Priest, he would have replied : "Then 
 may she order the end of the world!" And the fiat 
 duly sent forth, he would have expected directly to 
 witness the crack of doom. 
 
 While Perry was pursuing that ineffectual quest for 
 Father Baraga, Franqois had passed into a stupor, 
 and from this he never aroused. The rites enacted 
 now under Marie's dictation were performed over 
 the lad's unconscious body. Nor did the work of this 
 vicar-priest end there. When the little funeral cor- 
 tege followed the remains to the cemetery on the river 
 bank, it was accompanied by a figure in vestments, 
 marvellously like Father Richard. The wonder and 
 amazement of Benoit Leposeur, Rosette Bardesene, 
 and the two or three others with Marie, amounted to 
 little less than fear. None doubted it was a super- 
 natural appearance. Perry's intonations, strikingly 
 like the dead Priest's own voice, coming from the 
 depths of the sable cowl, but heightened the illusion. 
 He had never listened to the ceremony from other lips 
 than Father Richard's. Was it so very strange that 
 he should repeat them now as he had heard them? 
 
 If Marie had had a single misgiving at first, it was 
 dissipated as the burial rites moved off without fur- 
 ther incentive than an appealing look from her. Long 
 over-worked, this last crushing blow had made her 
 mind keenly susceptible to impressions, and she was 
 only less deceived than those about her. Though 
 there were scores in the cemetery who yearned for the 
 consolation of a Priest, none dared approach the black 
 gowned figure, come from the grave as they believed, 
 to perform a sacred duty for the family he had long
 
 The Wolverine 
 
 loved and held most intimately. But as the little 
 group emerged from the sacred burial place, many 
 near whom they passed, knelt, crossed themselves, and 
 breathed a prayer to the Saints that their eyes had 
 beheld this thing, and that they yet lived. 
 
 Marvellous were the tales told of that morning, 
 when tranquillity was once more come to the town. 
 To these Benoit Leposeur and his good wife, Rosette, 
 added, in the years that followed, their account of 
 a miracle which the holy Father Richard later worked 
 before their very eyes. With many realistic details 
 their listeners were told how the good Priest had bade 
 Marie go up the lake to her uncle's, where her father 
 and mother then were, for the rest which she so much 
 needed; how he had commanded them to accompany 
 her also, and promised that they should find a brig 
 at Barthelet's wharf manned and ready to sail; and 
 how, acting on his word, never doubting, they had 
 found it all even as he said. It was a phantom affair 
 the brig and those who manned it; and after land- 
 ing them at Isadore Navarre's place, disappeared, no 
 doubt as Father Richard himself disappeared in a 
 cloud of smoke that rose from the chimney-pot, lead- 
 ing to the room into which they had seen him enter. 
 For none had ever looked upon him or that mysterious 
 bark again. 
 
 There was one who, the Leposeurs declared, might 
 corroborate their words, if he would but open his 
 mouth. He had been much at the Beaucceur place 
 during Francois's illness, and they had found him 
 again at the wharf when they had embarked, come to
 
 The Wolverine 299 
 
 bid them adieu and bon voyage. It was their belief 
 that he, too, had seen Father Richard, and that the 
 good Priest had put a seal on his lips. "Zees mon ees 
 none other," Benoit is wont to declare, "zan ze Hon- 
 orable Perry Nort' ze ver* one zat now ees " 
 
 But the reader must wait for that, the historian can- 
 not spoil his narrative to make good Benoit's.
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 DETROIT was slow in recovering from the 
 ravages of that fearful pestilence, and the year 
 that followed brought many changes to 
 Perry. 
 
 During the summer the serious illness of his mother 
 called him back to New England. It was the first time 
 he had been home since leaving it for the West. 
 Prosperity had enabled him to surround the dear ones 
 with many comforts, and this was the source of great- 
 est joy; but it cut to his heart like a jagged knife 
 when he remembered his infidelity as his mother 
 surely would have called it; the secret which he must 
 keep to himself. Never would his ears lose the sound 
 of her quavering treble voice as it used to mount 
 daily from their kneeling triangle to the Throne of 
 Grace. It came to him a hundred times during that 
 last tedious journey, and after those words "We 
 thank Thee, Heavenly Father, that we may come to 
 Thee direct, without the intervention of Romish 
 priests/' he experienced a terrible nightmare in which 
 he saw himself in gown and cowl, sprinkling holy 
 water, lifting high the crucifix, and repeating formal 
 prayers for the dead!
 
 The Wolverine 301 
 
 The day following Perry's arrival his mother died. 
 Again he felt those unanswerable questions revived, 
 and because of the inability of the mind to accept the 
 longings of the heart, the battle of faith was re-fought. 
 Like some shipwrecked mariner, running up and 
 down a desolate promontory, he had strained his eyes 
 aross a dark and shoreless sea. Should he live a 
 thousand years, he must search for something that 
 promised an existence beyond the desert on which 
 he found himself, cast from he knew not whence. 
 
 As at the time when he himself lay near death's 
 door, so now peace came only when he yielded to the 
 heart in utter defiance of the mind. Two bits of verse 
 which he had clipped from recent periodicals, were of 
 great comfort to him. One began 
 
 To him who in the love of Nature, holds 
 Communion with her visible forms, 
 
 and the other 
 
 Lead, kindly light; lead thou me on. 
 
 These had become his sole creed and expression of 
 hope. 
 
 Perry's return to Detroit was in time to give him 
 part in a conference between leaders of the two parties, 
 held with a view to calling a state convention to accept 
 what Congress now offered the land north of Lake 
 Michigan in lieu of the strip claimed by Ohio. 
 
 "Consistency is a jewel but jewels may become a 
 sign of vanity," declared Congressman Lyon, as the 
 argument waxed warm. "A man is a fool to bite off
 
 302 The Wolverine 
 
 his nose to prove his consistency. Here we may have 
 many times the amount of land, and get into the 
 Union in season to share in the division of the sur- 
 plus. Nearly half a million dollars will come to 
 us " 
 
 "And for that you wish us to sell ourselves!" 
 exclaimed Woodbridge angrily. 
 
 "No such thing/' retorted Lyon. "I want you to 
 take a commonsense view of the matter. We can't 
 have the Toledo strip any way. Congress will never 
 give it to us. By refusing to take what we may have, 
 we but remain out of the Union. If you Whigs would 
 listen to reason " 
 
 "We listened to reason and right," interrupted 
 Perry warmly, "and went to Toledo time and again, 
 with muskets on our shoulders, and you Democrats 
 have the glory of it. And now you want us to follow 
 you again so you may step into good, fat offices " 
 
 "Perry, that speech is unworthy of you," said Lyon, 
 with injured dignity. "Only the wound you suffered 
 there can win my forgiveness. I have striven early 
 and late at Washington for the best interests of 
 Michigan; and now my friends have hard names for 
 me. Some even call me a traitor. Cannot you see, 
 gentlemen, that it is the part of a wise man to make 
 the best of a situation?" And at once he forgot his 
 personal injuries in arguing for the good of his Com- 
 monwealth. "I know this region that is offered us 
 seems barren, but I believe the future will prove it 
 to be worth many times the little patch of ground 
 coveted by Ohio. I have been through this northern 
 peninsula, and know it well. And, my friends, Cass
 
 The Wolverine 303 
 
 and Schoolcraft, will bear me out in what I say. Be- 
 sides all that, notice the magnificent appearance it 
 gives us at once on the map! No State in the Union 
 has such distinction!" 
 
 The young Governor's watch snapped as he closed 
 it. 
 
 "I reckon such meetings as these can be fruitful of 
 nothing but duels on the Canada shore," he spoke up 
 with great impatience. "For my part, I prefer to 
 dance attendance on the ladies to bandying words 
 here. Gentlemen, have you forgotten the ball at the 
 American? Senator, do you attend? It is time we 
 were there." 
 
 Lyon would have prolonged the conference, but 
 the Whigs rose and filed out of the room. 
 
 "Aren't you going to the ball, North?" asked Had- 
 ley, as they tramped down the dark hallway. "The 
 first in a year everybody will be there. A promenade 
 with some fair creature that I wot of a smile from 
 her cherry lips and a glance from her black eyes 
 'twill sweeten this disposition of thine right merrily/' 
 
 "Of whom do you speak?" demanded Perry, in- 
 clined to be angry. 
 
 "Not of Miss Beaucceur, I do assure you," the 
 Major replied with mockery. "I fancy the Governor 
 will monopolize her this evening. Tis too bad we 
 can't all be Governors and ride a-cock-horse ! But 
 you are going? The first since the cholera; surely 
 you'll not miss it!" 
 
 Perry had flung his invitation aside carelessly when 
 received, but now of a sudden he thought favorably of 
 attending. He had not seen Marie in several weeks.
 
 34 The Wolverine 
 
 Out of sorts with others, he was in a mood to yield 
 himself this gratification. 
 
 At the scene of the festivities, Hadley was the first 
 to greet him. "Ah, you took my advice," he said. 
 The remark was unfortunate, as Perry wished to think 
 he was acting quite independent. "Come and have 
 some apple-toddy. It never was finer. Yes, they are 
 at it dancing in there Mason and Marie Beaucceur! 
 I overheard Lyon ask for a number, and mademoiselle 
 replied: 'Ah, nearly too late, Mr. Senator. I have 
 only one left/ Of course I couldn't have any then. 
 But Fll swear Mason has his name on her card for a 
 dozen. And I'll wager two to one candles or cur- 
 rency that you don't get a promenade with her." 
 
 It was too bad that Perry could not know the Major 
 had said much the same to a dozen others that even- 
 ing. More than half in love with the French beauty 
 himself, it was natural that Hadley should imagine 
 all other men in a similar position, in which, after 
 all, he was scarcely at fault. 
 
 Struggling not to feel resentment, Perry yielded 
 to the invitation, and drank more toddy than he was 
 aware of. He was tempted to substitute for Hadley's 
 wager another that he would not ask mademoiselle 
 to promenade, when he and the Major came face to 
 face with Marie and Senator Lyon as they were leav- 
 ing the ball room. 
 
 "Ah, Mr. North! I am very glad to see you," ex- 
 claimed Marie, with more sincerity than usually 
 accompanies words of conventionality. "It is rare that 
 one sees you now-a-days. You were down East at 
 your home, I know, early in the summer. I was in
 
 The Wolverine 305 
 
 hopes you would call and tell me about your trip. 
 Do you know I think you neglect your friends." 
 
 Marie had improved with time, even where perfec- 
 tion seemed already attained. The girlish lines in 
 her figure had become womanly, and her face had 
 added to its natural beauty the stamp of character. 
 Sympathy and understanding radiated from her large, 
 lustrous eyes, and sweet, mobile mouth. Such suf- 
 fering as had come had not rubbed the bloom off, nor 
 taken aught from the remarkable richness of color 
 that was hers by inheritance.- 
 
 "I am sorry if I displease you," answered Perry, 
 stooping to pick up the card which she had dropped, 
 bearing the record of her dancing engagements. 
 Before returning it, he saw that every number was 
 filled. "If I danced, there would be no opportunity 
 for me here," he commented, with some disappoint- 
 ment. "And I came hoping for one promenade." 
 
 "If you knew how I had set my heart on a dance 
 with you, Miss Beaucceur," said Hadley, at the same 
 time, "you would not deny me, and give two to 
 another." 
 
 Before either finished, Marie began a reply to 
 Perry: "There is one that is cancelled. Doctor 
 Houghton, he has been called away Ah, now you 
 make me choose between you!" she exclaimed, com- 
 prehending the Major's words. "I cannot do that!" 
 she added, with polite perplexity. 
 
 "Indeed, mademoiselle cannot," interjected Lyon. 
 "You must give the dance to me." 
 
 "No, no! The gentlemen must draw lots," declared
 
 36 The Wolverine 
 
 Marie, as with a happy solution. "Senator, have you 
 not two bits of paper?" 
 
 "The dance must come to me!" protested Hadley. 
 "Mr. North has conscientious scruples against 
 gambling!" 
 
 Marie's face became suddenly grave. "Oh! I beg 
 " she began, and looked as if an irreparable blun- 
 der had been committed. 
 
 "Mr. Hadley will speak for himself! If Miss Beau- 
 coeur will proceed, I will abide by my fate," declared 
 Perry, with greater seriousness than the situation 
 really demanded. 
 
 When the Senator had supplied the bits of paper, 
 Marie continued: "I will hold them. The one who 
 gets the longer may fill Doctor Houghton's number 
 as he likes." She turned her back, while arranging 
 the cuts; and to Perry was given the choice when 
 she faced about. The two ends seemed just alike. 
 But when Perry would have drawn one, it would not 
 slip from Marie's fingers. Meeting her eyes, he read 
 something that directed him to draw the other. This 
 he did and won. 
 
 "Ah, fate is against you, Major Hadley," said Marie, 
 sweetly; and then to Perry: "There are two numbers 
 first, Mr. North. I shall leave you to find me." And 
 she allowed Lyon to lead her away. 
 
 "She would not choose between us !" repeated Had- 
 ley, with bitter sarcasm. "But she did, all the same; 
 I saw her direct you which to draw!" Perry pro- 
 tested, but the Major continued: "Don't give me any 
 such stuff! I saw it. And what did she say about 
 calling? I don't think I'd have to be urged. Egad!
 
 The Wolverine 307 
 
 I believe she is partial to you. I have never forgotten 
 how she included you in the play we gave once. 
 Heavens! what chances you have had and thrown 
 away. Wounded at Toledo and nursed by her! Saved 
 her from the niggers, and a thing worse than death! 
 During the cholera and the devil knows how much 
 besides!" 
 
 Indeed, Perry felt something like rich wine flowing 
 through his veins, and it was not all due to the toddy 
 he had drunk. He knew Marie's suitors often com- 
 plained that she slighted them. Not since that fatal 
 night at the Justice's had she showed him other than 
 the most sincere and kindly consideration. It is true 
 he had not asked much of her; indeed, he had rarely 
 sought her society ; but whenever they met, their inter- 
 course had been marked by something that seemed to 
 set their friendship apart from others. There was 
 now never any of the pretty trifling, as when he first 
 knew her. Sometimes he rather missed this. He 
 would like to be played with, if he could know there 
 was sincerity back of it all. 
 
 Hadley's last words had restored Perry's self-com- 
 placency, lifting him as far above his normal spirits as 
 before he had been depressed. Then came the mo- 
 ment when he sought out Marie and claimed his 
 engagement. 
 
 Though it was late in the autumn, the night was as 
 balmy as one in June. For a quarter of an hour they 
 followed the line which marched up and down the 
 broad board walk that extended on two sides of the 
 hotel. Besides the soft light of many-colored lanterns, 
 a waning moon had risen to add its mellow influence
 
 308 The Wolverine 
 
 to the night. Marie directed their conversation to 
 his recent visit home, and spoke with tender sym- 
 pathy of the death of his mother. 
 
 "Ah, I think of such things often," mademoiselle 
 declared, with low, rich accent; "very often since 
 dear little Francois died. And it is not always to be 
 sad. Those that have been good here, the good God 
 will make happy elsewhere. Ah, and I love to think 
 they may pass quickly from there to here that they 
 may be about us any time, though we see them not. 
 Is it not a sweet thought? I have quite my own ideas. 
 Father Richard used to tell me this was wrong. But 
 now I seem to feel him about me at times; and I can 
 even see his face; and instead of being displeased, he 
 even encourages me to go on. Ah, and what Father 
 Montieth said Sunday night! It explained what I 
 have felt: that God has messages which he sends 
 direct to each of his children. Is it not a sweet and 
 holy thing?" 
 
 "It is indeed!" was Perry's reply, and he felt con- 
 viction then that was rare with him. Her "Father 
 Montieth" recalled his "Mr. Richard," causing him 
 to reflect on the influence of early teaching. Evidently 
 neither Marie nor he had been content with the doc- 
 trines taught them, but must needs find something to 
 fit their individual wants. "Surely she is freeing her- 
 self from the bondage of Rome!" he thought, with a 
 return of the old Puritan satisfaction. 
 
 The time was up, yet she showed no desire to return 
 to the ball-room. She was telling him of the last let- 
 ter she had had from Elva, who, as the Duchess of 
 Cairngyll, had recently entertained the Princess Vic-
 
 The Wolverine 309 
 
 toria at the Duke's Highland Castle. Marie could 
 have no idea of the flight of time, he thought; while 
 she, believing his honesty Quixotic, expected every 
 moment to be told of engagements that she was 
 neglecting. But Perry would have kept her all the 
 evening if he could, and this might have happened had 
 not Mason caught sight of them as they were passing 
 the brilliantly lighted door. 
 
 "Is it possible?'' exclaimed Marie, when told the 
 number that was forming. "Ah, I beg your pardon. 
 The time slips by so quickly when two are talking of 
 old friends." She withdrew her hand from Perry's 
 arm, and slipping it within Mason's, was led away 
 where the lights burned brightly and the air was 
 a-quiver with gay music. 
 
 Perry shut his teeth hard. Raised to the highest 
 pitch of delight, now suddenly his spirits were 
 plunged to the other extreme. For the first time in 
 his life he was seized with jealousy that would not be 
 controlled, and all directed against the man who had 
 robbed him of something inestimably precious as he 
 felt, despite all reasoning. Then came Major Had- 
 ley, like Mephistopheles, and tempted him to the 
 buffet and more toddy . 
 
 "Six dances he has had with her," said Mephisto; 
 "I have kept the count. By gad, if we can't be Gov- 
 ernor, if we can't dance with mademoiselle I say, 
 Perry, if we can't by gad ! we can drink to her health. 
 An' here's a toddy for ever* dance. By gad six, 
 that's the count. We can drink her health, by 
 gad "
 
 3 10 The Wolverine 
 
 Perry scarcely heard what the fellow said, for his 
 own emotions occupied his thoughts. Men came and 
 went, and there was coarse laughter and heavy drink- 
 ing on every side. 
 
 "Now le's go back," said Hadley, at length, wiping 
 his lips. "I said I'd keepsh-count, an' by gad! I will. 
 
 Shix's what I said 'Scuse me! no 'fense meant, by 
 
 gad." And he righted himself after reeling against a 
 neighbor. 
 
 "'Sey're at it 'gain? By gad! seven, did I say? 
 
 makesh eight or seven Whatsh-say? Coin' 
 
 'way? By gad 'tshame! Wants-help to keepsh-count. 
 Gettin' mixsh 'lone. 'S-eight, did say? 'sen's 'tnine 
 by gad, 't's nine!" 
 
 Perry heard no more, for he flung himself out of 
 the building. He had caught a glimpse of Marie and 
 Mason whirling about the room together, and the 
 sight was more than he could endure. 
 
 The fresh air cooled his heated brow. He would 
 take a canoe and paddle on the river, and so regain 
 his saner self. He tried to argue against the passion 
 that controlled him to-night. The situation was not 
 really different from any time in the last two years. 
 Why should he feel as he did? Was it the toddy he 
 had drunk? He knew he had taken more than was 
 good for him but not so much as Hadley. Heaven 
 keep him from such a spectacle! 
 
 He loosed his canoe, and paddled far out into the 
 stream. His thoughts came like stabs from a jagged 
 blade, making wounds which he must suffer without 
 an anaesthetic, Elva was married and gone abroad.
 
 The Wolverine 311 
 
 His mother was dead. Laura was married, and in 
 her own home. He had none. If Mason were to 
 
 marry Marie Perry dropped his paddle, and took 
 
 his head in his hands, swaying from side to side of 
 the frail bark.
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 THE old yellow house half trading-store, half 
 dwelling formed the background of the next 
 scene in that little drama to which night birds 
 alone were spectators. In the foreground two great 
 pear trees stretched gnarled and naked limbs toward 
 the pale moonlight, and cut lines that crossed and re- 
 crossed the dark, steel-blue sky. Beneath the trees 
 two agitated figures confronted each other. One, a 
 woman in ball-room gown, clasped her hands in real 
 distress; the other, a dark-haired man of cavalier 
 mould, awaited an answer to some passionate words 
 that had just escaped him ill-advised, as he knew 
 the moment they had flown. 
 
 "Ah, monsieur, the last time you promised never 
 to speak to me of this again!" 
 
 "Promised? I reckon I did! But I knew I should 
 not keep it. Ask a promise of the sun not to shine! 
 Marie, I tell you this is my life my love for you! 
 They tell me I have won honor and fame I have 
 heard it whispered that I may rise to the highest posi- 
 tions; and I will, if it will win me your love! Day and 
 night I have thought of you and with every new
 
 The Wolverine 313 
 
 achievement counted it one more ally to win your 
 heart. This battle is harder than a thousand with 
 sword and gun! Why do you tell me my love is 
 hopeless? You say you will never marry any one " 
 
 "No, monsieur. But you make me very sad. I 
 thought you would keep your promise. I thought 
 you would not care for me in this way long. I have 
 done wrong to dance with you as I have to-night. Ah, 
 the positions the fame they it can make no differ- 
 ence. Once it might but it is too late " 
 
 "You speak sadly," the Cavalier mused. "Is it 
 truly for me? Do you love another but you say you 
 will not marry any one! Is it then that old love 
 the one that was drowned Baddeau?" 
 
 "No, monsieur," she murmured, like a frightened 
 bird. Her regard for this man as a friend chained her 
 to the spot when every other desire was to fly, and so 
 escape from a painful position. 
 
 "I reckon Then he is already married," he 
 
 said, deep in the problem. But doubt and jealousy, 
 mingled with anger for one who thus kept happiness 
 from two, swept him off his feet. "Marie, tell me! 
 who is he?" And close in the shadow of the quaint 
 old house, he seized and held her by the arm. 
 
 "Monsieur! Let me go! The question it is not 
 honorable. Monsieur! I am surprised " 
 
 "Forgive me, Marie. I forget myself. Gods! But 
 who is the man?" he groaned, turning himself about. 
 "What fortune to come to him and he may care 
 nothing for it ! Heavens ! that could not be. Married, 
 he may be fettered worse than I " 
 
 "Hush, monsieur! I have not said "
 
 3H The Wolverine 
 
 "No not right with words. But, Marie, I am not 
 blind. Heaven forgive me! you have suffered too; 
 and I have thought only of myself! A right fine 
 beast I am! I would pry into your heart the heart 
 I would give worlds to call mine. God help me to 
 be a man!" he cried, with sudden altered emotion. "I 
 see I see! It is North! The lucky fool and he 
 will not marry you because you are a Catholic! Gods, 
 such fanaticism! I'd marry a nigger if I loved her 
 as I love you!" 
 
 "Monsieur le gouverneur, you are beside yourself! 
 Mere de Dieu, how I pray it might be different! Not 
 
 this not this that you wish But just friends. Ah, 
 
 I think of you much as a friend as a noble man. 
 Let it be so always. Good night !" She spoke quickly, 
 and then flew to the house. He stretched out a hand 
 to detain her, but she eluded him, and disappeared 
 within the door. 
 
 " 'A noble man !' " he repeated with scorn, turning 
 away fiercely. "What does it matter if she will not 
 have me? But I shall win her I shall win her yet!" 
 And, beating the empty night air wildly, he hurled 
 himself down the path toward the river that sparkled 
 under the moon. 
 
 One emotion followed another with almost the 
 rapidity of his flying feet. " 'A noble man/ " he mur- 
 mured again, now with a note of sadness. " 'Tis easy 
 to be noble when I remember her face. Gods! I 
 reckon I could follow that face to the bottomless pit! 
 But Marie Beaucceur goes not that way. North 
 the yellow-headed fool! She did not deny it! And 
 to-night she gave him my dance to promenade out
 
 The Wolverine 315 
 
 under this moon. Heavens! what riches come to 
 some men! The pious fool keeps away from her 
 because of her religion he is making her unhappy! 
 I could punch his head curse him!" 
 
 Staggering along the path, Mason came to the great 
 elm overshadowing the water. The moon made a 
 silvery path to his feet. Across the path lay Marie's 
 canoe, moored at the roots of the tree. He was in 
 no mood for sleep. The scene invited him. But 
 before entering the canoe, he took another look at 
 the house that sheltered Marie. 
 
 " 'Tis but the third refusal," he murmured, grimly 
 making himself the subject of some humor; and then, 
 seriously: "Because most things have come to me 
 easily, can I expect the prize of my life to drop into 
 my arms? I reckon not! 'A noble man. Let it be 
 so always.' Heaven helping me, I will! And I will 
 win her yet!" 
 
 Then he paddled away backward, that he might 
 keep in view the house that held his love. Did she 
 sleep? or was she tossed about by the problems of her 
 life? Mason doubted not the latter was the case, and 
 remembering his rival, hissed "The fool!" and prod- 
 ded the water with sudden, overpowering rage. 
 
 A little way from him "the fool" drifted, tossed with 
 waves which met no resistance from his canoe. Prone 
 in the bottom he lay now staring at the feebly 
 twinkling stars that stretched above the gunwales 
 now shutting them out with hands that, clasped 
 over his eyes, tightly clung to an aching head.
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 THE waning moon had risen nearly to the zenith. 
 Had her cold heart been capable of emotion 
 she might have felt pity for the two lovers. 
 One drifted because he had grown weary, struggling 
 against odds. The other labored hard that he might 
 relieve a stress of mind with the fatigue of muscle. 
 Again and again their paths crossed, but always at a 
 safe distance. Why did the moon hide herself at 
 last, making a collision inevitable? and why did she 
 reappear the next instant to reveal the identity of 
 the two so unhappily met? 
 
 "Mason! Confound you! why have you followed 
 me here?" cried Perry in vexation, starting to a sitting 
 posture. 
 
 "The Fool!" exclaimed Mason in surprise, as he 
 looked over his shoulder. 
 
 "Yes I was a fool to think the thing could be run 
 away from," Perry returned, lashing himself into a 
 rage. "But you're a greater one to follow me. Take 
 that confound you! and know I'm in no mood to 
 be trifled with!" Perry struck Marie's canoe a blow 
 that shattered its side nearly to the water-line, and 
 the Governor barely escaped upsetting.
 
 The Wolverine 317 
 
 "Deuce take you! What do you mean, North? Are 
 you drunk?" And in a frame that matched the other's, 
 Mason gave back as good as was sent. 
 
 Moved by sudden frenzy, both men allowed free 
 range to their passions. They had lost their heads 
 for the time, but not their skill as canoeists. The cur- 
 rent separated them, but with dexterous strokes they 
 faced about and bore down upon each other. 
 
 It was an odd naval battle that followed, there, 
 under the yellow light of a dying moon. Now the 
 two canoes rammed each other with all the force that 
 trained muscles could impart. Now they slipped 
 along side by side, and paddles became fierce battle- 
 axes, and blows that were not parried, fell on head 
 and shoulders. Again the current, like a peace-loving 
 third person, intervened, and the combatants were 
 separated but only for a moment. 
 
 Did they seek each other's lives? Certain it is they 
 came together with the fury of wild beasts, and prob- 
 ably with no more thought or intention. In the 
 renewed struggles they lashed the water to a foam, 
 and a line of yellow bubbles floated away with the 
 silent current. Again, the two were completely hid- 
 den in a cloud of spray, thrown up by paddles which 
 seemed to work in air and water at the same time. 
 Had there chanced a spectator to the scene, he would 
 have thought a mortal combat was taking place be- 
 tween two unknown giant saurians of the deep. What 
 a story he would have told about town next day! 
 And how the thing would have spread from mouth to 
 mouth, with all the details of snakelike heads, enor- 
 mous sinister eyes, and mammoth, scaly bodies! For
 
 3 J 8 The Wolverine 
 
 an excited imagination, under the half-veiled moon, 
 could easily have seen all these. 
 
 No words were spoken to give hint of human 
 agency in the fight. Each combatant looked upon 
 the other as continuing the strife, and each was more 
 than eager to meet his assailant half way. Had either 
 been questioned, he would have declared the other 
 began the attack, and that he himself was acting on 
 the defensive. Strong men, they panted with the 
 fierceness of the struggle, trembling with such rage 
 as baffled their very endeavor. Perry madly recalled 
 the times he had been pitted against Mason in one 
 way or another the play particularly was in his mind ; 
 this should not end as that, he vowed, and redoubled 
 his efforts. 
 
 It was a strange duel so Mason thought, even in 
 the excitement of fierce conflict but such only as his 
 antagonist would fight. More than once they had dis- 
 cussed the ethics of duelling after a meeting of their 
 friends on British soil, where affairs of honor were 
 generally settled. Perry could find some excuse for a 
 thing done in passion, but a cold-blooded affair with 
 pistols was without his principles. 
 
 The last time the canoes rammed each other, the 
 prow of Perry's cut through the side of the other near 
 the bow, and, for a space, was firmly held there. 
 Kneeling in their respective barks, neither belligerent 
 was within striking distance of his antagonist: then it 
 was that the fight degenerated into a spraying con- 
 test. In a twinkling both parties were wet to the skin 
 with a shower that, in a less heated moment, would 
 have felt like a plunge into Arctic waters. No doubt
 
 The Wolverine 319 
 
 it acted in a measure to quench the fires which had 
 kindled their rage. Besides, the desperate effort with 
 paddles presently liberated their locked canoes. 
 
 They began circling about a common center, eyeing 
 each other, apparently for a favorable opening. Now 
 that they could think of a thing apart from their imme- 
 diate wrath, the likelihood that either would take the 
 initiative in renewing the battle was small. Both had 
 been severely punished. Mason's canoe was slowly 
 filling with water. 
 
 In estimating his strength, Perry had calculated 
 without the wound received from Gettler. A year 
 had passed, and given him no trouble from that 
 source. But as soon as the excitement of the fight 
 began to abate, he found his heart fluttering strangely. 
 A moment later, his paddle dropped from his hands, 
 and, in a swoon, he fell across the side of his canoe, 
 which at once overturned. Half submerged, the 
 birch-bark floated away, its extremities alone showing 
 above the surface in the pale moonlight. Perry had 
 disappeared beneath the water. 
 
 " 'A noble man/ " repeated Mason, as one beside 
 himself, and again as a child with a phrase newly 
 learned. Then the thing broke into his consciousness 
 and worked a miracle. The next instant he, too, was 
 in the water. With sturdy strokes, he forced his way 
 toward a form that, limp and seemingly lifeless, had 
 twice risen and sank beneath the waves. The course 
 of the recent combat had been toward the right bank 
 of the river, and fortunately, but a narrow expanse of 
 water intervened now. Skilled as he was in the 
 swimmer's art, it was no easy task for Mason, battered
 
 320 The Wolverine 
 
 and bruised, to accomplish even that slight distance 
 with his unconscious burden. 
 
 Once on shore, the Governor's dripping form hov- 
 ered over the other in search of life. As he tore open 
 coat and waistcoat, a step sounded along the river 
 bank. The stooping figure started, at first in alarm, 
 but quickly put his guilty fears from him. The steps 
 had ceased. Anxiously he listened, and presently 
 was rewarded by the sound of movements through 
 deep grass. "Help!" Mason called, in a voice that 
 sounded to his own ears like another's. Was it only 
 the wind that he had heard? 
 
 "Help!" he called again, louder. 
 
 "Bon Dieu! eet ees monsieur le gouverneur! What 
 ees ze trouble?" And a black figure, parting the 
 reeds, peered at the strange sight before him. 
 
 "Tetro thank God! You must help me. This is 
 Mr. North. I reckon you know him. He fainted in 
 his canoe and fell into the river like he was dead. I 
 have just taken him out of the river. See I'm wet 
 too. I we how far is it to your cabin?" 
 
 "No mo'n a step, monsieur le gouverneur. We 
 mak' heet easy.'* 
 
 "But Mammie Chloe is she with you?" 
 
 "Non, non. Don' monsieur recommember ze 
 demoiselles zey wish Chloe to stay at ze maison zees 
 neeght. But I fetch her eef monsieur say ze " 
 
 "No, no, Tetro! Mr. North and I would rather no 
 one knew of this. Do you understand?" 
 
 "Ah, yez, yez, perfaitly," returned the negro, shrug- 
 ging his shoulders. "I spec's ze toddy was powerfu*
 
 The Wolverine 321 
 
 at ze grand ball. Gemmen do mighty strange t'ings! 
 But zees garc,on kin keep a secret. Ya! ya!" 
 
 Then he took hold with Mason, and they carried 
 Perry through the reeds to higher ground, thence 
 along a path, till presently a rude cabin rose, like a 
 dark gray patch against the lesser gray of the moon- 
 light. 
 
 Within, Tetro soon had a candle lighted, revealing 
 a room as neat and tidy as the skilful hands of Chloe 
 could make it. On a bed to one side North stirred 
 with returning consciousness. All the blankets in the 
 house had been thrown over him, and Tetro was 
 replenishing the fire to give further warmth. Mason 
 moved up and down the room with chattering teeth; 
 for, since the wetting, the November night seemed 
 like mid-winter. 
 
 When at last the fire burned briskly, Tetro was 
 despatched to the Armory, where both men had 
 changes of clothing. Armed with Perry's keys, the 
 faithful slave did his errand without meeting any who 
 might ask troublesome questions. Later, he proved 
 of invaluable service in dressing hands and heads 
 that were bruised and scratched. 
 
 "This night's work was like to play the devil with 
 us both at one time," declared Mason, after numerous 
 explanations, when Perry was once more in posses-, 
 sion of his faculties. The two men, dressed in their 
 military uniforms, were extracting comfort from a 
 blazing wood fire. Tetro, in an outer room, was pre- 
 paring an early breakfast. "If the town had awak- 
 ened this morning," continued Mason, "to find you at 
 the bottom of the river, and me in this plight"
 
 322 The Wolverine 
 
 nursing his wounds "with difficulty to explain 
 things; and our canoes as they must inevitably be 
 
 found " He shrugged his shoulders, and left his 
 
 companion to imagine the situation. 
 
 "I don't understand why it wasn't so," replied 
 Perry, gloomily, yielding to the old impression that 
 a poetic justice ruled in the natural world, "unless 
 a kind fate intervened to save you from possible hor- 
 rible charges. For my part, I've acted the fool all 
 along, and deserve nothing better than a bed at the 
 bottom of the river. I've tried to play the lion before 
 the world, but everyone has seen the long ears through 
 the disguise, and when I've opened my mouth they've 
 heard me bray. I say it's time to quit! Why in the 
 name of Justice, didn't you leave me to drown?" 
 
 "Let it go that it was the possible horrible charges," 
 returned the other, with emotions that failed to do 
 him justice. He was pacing up and down from corner 
 to corner, to get the greatest length in the narrow 
 quarters. "I reckon you're needlessly hard on your- 
 self, North," he continued, magnanimous when his 
 rival attacked himself. "I reckon I know how you 
 feel." But he was wondering more at his own prompt- 
 ings "A noble man," kept running through his head, 
 rilling him with impulses both romantic and chival- 
 rous. "I reckon neither of us will deny that he's in 
 love with Marie Beaucceur, and that it was jealousy 
 that made us fight when we met, unexpectedly, out on 
 the river " 
 
 "It was the toddy," asserted Perry, starting up 
 excitedly; "and by anything! it sha'n't make a fool 
 of me again. I'll drink nothing but water, so help
 
 The Wolverine 323 
 
 me God!" The words came at the close like a rev- 
 erent and humble prayer, though he had started out 
 feeling little faith in anything above himself, and 
 never had he so completely lost faith in himself 
 before. 
 
 "Toddy nothing!" retorted Mason. "A hundred 
 men drank more toddy last night than you; why 
 didn't they all come out here and sink my canoe, 
 batter me over the head, and get battered? It was 
 Marie Beaucceur; be a man, North, and own the 
 coin!" 
 
 "Well and what if it was?" demanded Perry, tes- 
 tily. 
 
 "She's too good for either of us," answered Mason. 
 "But we can act like white men in the future, I'reckon, 
 and not go into a stag-fight over her. Let the best 
 man win her, according to civilized customs, I say, 
 and make her happy the rest of her days." 
 
 "That means you, Governor," returned Perry, fall- 
 ing back into the gloom that possessed him. "She 
 couldn't be happy with me. She wouldn't have 
 me " 
 
 "Have you ever asked her?" Mason questioned 
 suddenly, mindful of nothing so much as the repeated 
 rejections he had received. 
 
 "N-no," faltered Perry. 
 
 "I have three times!" There was cynicism in the 
 accent and curl of his lip, but at the end the tones 
 softened into an unconscious demand for sympathy. 
 
 Perry was on the point of resenting the question, 
 when this confession and the accompanying feeling 
 completely turned his choler. Marie had refused him
 
 324 The Wolverine 
 
 the Governor three times! All the fame and 
 honor and position had not been sufficient to win her. 
 Perry's countenance cleared. But in spite of this he 
 declared, like a petulant boy, "I don't know that I 
 
 want her for a wife " Yet he was mindful of the 
 
 happiest possibilities. 
 
 "That's it! That's where you play the ass! That's 
 where you're acting like a fool!" cried Mason, disgust 
 for his rival's stupidity augmented by rebellion 
 against his own hard lot. "You don't know what you 
 want. But I know! You do want her but you're 
 not man enough to put old prejudices behind, and 
 walk up and ask her to be your wife. I've small pa- 
 tience with you. If there weren't others to suffer I 
 could wish you out there at the bottom of the river." 
 And finally breaking into maledictions, the young 
 Governor declared he could put him there with a 
 good heart cursing himself for having been weak 
 enough to rescue a fool! 
 
 Why did he talk thus? Why was the Governor egg- 
 ing his rival on to declare himself, when it might 
 mean the destruction of his own hopes? Mason won- 
 dered at himself. He was like one come to the edge 
 of a precipice, and his sensations invited him to 
 destruction. "A noble man" he heard in his ears, 
 and acted on impulse. 
 
 Perry defended his position weakly. There were 
 many things to think of when a man chose a wife; 
 he said this, and much besides that was trite. But in 
 the talk he worked away from the subject, and re- 
 turned to the spectacle the two had made out on 
 the river. "It was the toddy," he declared again.
 
 The Wolverine 3 2 5 
 
 And again he pledged himself to have no more of it. 
 He told Mason of his early life and training. He was 
 not meant for social gaieties. He had made a fool of 
 himself every time he tried to be one of the beau 
 monde. He was tired of it, and meant to return to 
 his earlier life. 
 
 Perry's dejection had a line of humor in it, but 
 Mason's laugh was not hearty. The bit of cynicism 
 in its ring saved the Governor from giving offense; it 
 so plainly said "I too have suffered!" However, he 
 was not without his satisfaction. He had leaped from 
 the precipice and made a safe landing; he had more 
 than done his duty as "a noble man." 
 
 "Messieurs, ze breakfas' eet ees prepare'," called 
 Tetro, thrusting his bald, brown pate into the room. 
 
 The subject was one they could not take before the 
 slave, so it was dropped there.
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 THE conversation in Tetro's hut was often in 
 Perry's mind, but long schooled to the idea 
 that Marie and he were not for each other, it 
 had become well nigh impossible for him to act. The 
 memory of his mother and her prejudices, and the 
 recollection of that fateful night at the Justice's, were 
 like ball and chain about his ankles. 
 
 Marie's correspondence with Elva brought her often 
 to the house, ostensibly for a talk with Mrs. Rolland, 
 regarding interesting matters across the water; so, 
 though they seldom met in society, through this good 
 woman each knew pretty well the life the other was 
 leading. Marie heard of the stand Perry had taken in 
 the temperance movement which swept over the land 
 at that period, and he in turn cherished the report that 
 at a succeeding ball she danced but once with the 
 Governor. But matters went no further. 
 
 In politics, however, great strides had been 
 achieved. An irregular assembly, called by the Whigs 
 in derision "The Frost-bitten Convention," had voted 
 to accept the boundaries prescribed by Congress, and 
 the authorities at Washington had at once declared
 
 The Wolverine 327 
 
 Michigan a State in the Union. But no sooner was 
 the quarrel with Ohio settled than the sky became 
 lurid with possibilities of foreign war. The Patriots 
 of Canada had become active on American soil, and 
 Governor Mason found it necessary to send Perry 
 with a squad of Bradies to Fort Gratiot to bring away 
 the military stores kept there. In the personal inter- 
 view between the two men, their eyes met, and each 
 thought of the night they battled on the river, and 
 each wondered what of his rival and Marie Beaucoeur 
 since that was not known to him. It was a desperate 
 mission the Governor proposed, one fraught with in- 
 numerable dangers, as the movement must be made 
 by boat through narrow channels covered with thick 
 ice. A thousand experienced lake men declared the 
 thing impossible. Could the Governor have an ulte- 
 rior motive in sending him into the jaws of death? 
 Perry had questioned, but put the thought from his 
 mind as unworthy the friendship between them. 
 Another moment, and he welcomed the undertaking 
 with a feeling that any fate was better than to con- 
 tinue longer in the present paralysis of doubt and 
 indecision. 
 
 Four days had passed now, and not a word from 
 the little band. 
 
 Mrs. Rolland and Bridget were paring apples 
 slicing, coring, and stringing the pieces, when a quick, 
 light step sounded along the hall leading to the kitchen 
 where they were at work. The knocker had failed 
 to announce the caller, and the two paused in their 
 labors, wondering at the approaching tread, till Marie
 
 328 The Wolverine 
 
 Beaucoeur, fur-clad, flushed, and rosy-cheeked, stood 
 before them. 
 
 "Letters from Elva!" she cried, waving two folded 
 bits of paper above her head. "I was at the post-office 
 and when I found one for me I inquired for you, 
 Mrs. Rolland!" She was excited, and quite out of 
 breath. 
 
 Mrs. Rolland sprang from her chair to seize the 
 missive outstretched to her, and pans and parings fell 
 clattering to the floor. 
 
 "I haven't read mine yet/' declared Marie. "They're 
 both from London. I've seen that! The Queen I 
 hope Elva has been to see her crowned, and has writ- 
 ten all about it " 
 
 'I dinna think Elva would gae sae soon after- 
 
 began Mrs. Rolland, and then recalled the flight of 
 time. "Ay, but the little Laird is as mooch as six 
 months auld. If she hasna written me a' aboot the 
 bairn I shall scold her fine. Another Laird Percy! 
 I would gie my een to see the bit ween " 
 
 "Faith, an' wit'out yer oyes how could ye see the 
 wee thing at all, at all?" demanded Bridget. 
 
 Each had flown to a window and broken the seals 
 that held her letter. Marie read aloud the first para- 
 graph that presented itself, which chanced to be one 
 in the very middle. " The young Queen is so charm- 
 ing this I think I have written you before; not a 
 beauty, but so very bright and interesting. It is a rare 
 sweet sight to behold such self-possession and dignity 
 in all her official acts, and afterward witness the girl- 
 ish abandonment with which she romps with the chil- 
 dren '"
 
 The Wolverine 329 
 
 Mrs. Rolland in like manner from her window read 
 aloud, retaining her accent: " 'I hae written Marie 
 hoo the Queen looks and acts on the throne, but I 
 moost tell ye hoo she behaves wi' the baby my 
 Laird Percy ; for you know we are quite of her house- 
 hold while staying in London ' " 
 
 "Sure, which am Oi to listen to?" cried Bridget, in 
 distraction, turning her head first one way and then 
 the other. 
 
 Marie's laugh trilled forth. "Of course! I'll wait. 
 Your letter, Mrs. Rolland we'll listen to yours 
 first." Yet while mademoiselle kept her ears open 
 to the other, her eyes continually sought her own. 
 
 "Lay aff yer wraps an' stay wi' us the day," begged 
 Mrs. Rolland, when she could dwell on a thing apart 
 from the two letters. "I wouldna hae ye think I was 
 sae unmindfu' of my manners. Boot a letter frae the 
 auld hame land drives a' else oot o' my head. That's a 
 deary! I moost hear aboot the Queen's coronation 
 again afore ye gae. Ay, to think oor ain Elva the 
 lass was in it wi' a' the ither grand folk!" 
 
 "If you will let me help with the apples, Mrs. Rol- 
 land," returned Marie, making this the condition of 
 her stay. 
 
 "Bless yer bonny sweet face! I would be glad o* 
 yer help. Hoo many bushels is it, Bridget, that are 
 like to decay if they arena ta'en care of at ance?" 
 
 "Faith, and is it o' thrying apples ye can talk in 
 the same breath wit' the blessed Queen Victoria and 
 all the gentle folk and nobility? Rotting apples and 
 royalty! Git out wit' ye, Mrs. Rolland! The blissed 
 Saints know there is enough to do, Miss Beaucceur,
 
 33 The Wolverine 
 
 if ye will but stay; but first let me git ye an apron. 
 Ye'll be spoiling yer purthy gown." 
 
 "I'm mair than glad ye hae droppit in to see me, 
 Marie," said Mrs. Holland, as she gave mademoiselle 
 needle and cord with which to string the pieces of 
 apples. "There is sae mooch these days for a body to 
 talk aboot. I mind me yer brother is awa' wi' Meester 
 North. Hae ye no heard aught frae him?" 
 
 "Nothing!" breathed Marie, a cloud coming over 
 her face, and for a time the white, ear-shaped pieces 
 lay a motionless heap in her lap. 
 
 "I called to Doctor Houghton frae the door as he 
 was passing this morning," continued Mrs. Rolland, 
 "an' he said he dinna think they could coome through 
 the ice that has formed in the Lake. I pray God no 
 harm may coome to the lads! But it is a pitifu' time. 
 I dinna need to ask ye if ye hae heard of the battle 
 that was fought yestere'en on the island doon the 
 river? The Doctor says the number killed and 
 wounded is mooch exaggerated." 
 
 "Oh, I hope no one is killed!" protested Marie in 
 agony. "Governor Mason was in the post-office, and 
 he said he should send troops up to meet them soon, 
 if no word came. We did not look for anything from 
 Antoine; but it is time he they returned. Major 
 North is a brave man but he will not lead his men 
 into needless danger." 
 
 "Indade he is a brave man," interjected Bridget. 
 "Do ye moind the toime he saved ye from the niggers 
 on the island, Miss Beaucceur? I had just served the 
 breakfast whin he burst into the house. An' I moind 
 how the rolls burned that morning whilst I list' to
 
 The Wolverine 331 
 
 the story he had to tell. Her Leddyship was wit' us 
 thin; and the Dooke, who was only Colonel Campbell 
 thin, called that evening " 
 
 "Ah! that is it I will never forget," said Marie, with 
 quickened pulses, and the color, which the atmosphere 
 of the room had considerably subdued, came back to 
 her cheeks in full measure. 
 
 Having thus drifted to Perry, the conversation 
 clung about him for some time. He was a favorite 
 with his landlady, who delighted to tell the many 
 trifling incidents of his life under her roof, all of which 
 revealed an honest character, mingling simplicity, 
 strength, and amiability. 
 
 "I think I was the first to greet him when he came 
 to Detroit," boasted Marie, after a time, and in such 
 genial atmosphere she told how Perry had rescued 
 her brother Francois from the boys who bullied him 
 long ago on the Savoyard. 
 
 "Sure, and he's a rale gintleman," declared Bridget 
 warmly. "Niver once in all the toime I've known 
 him has he said wan cross worrd to me and Oi'm 
 not denying he has had occasion. Do ye moind, 
 Mrs. Rolland, the day I burned his shirt bosom by 
 leaving the iron to stand a minute too long? It was 
 the day me brother died. But phwhat does Misther 
 North say? Faith, Oi'll niver forgit them worrds; 
 says he: 'Oi kin git another shirt, Bridget/ says he; 
 meaning it as sympathy for me, as wan would say 
 'Ye kin niver git another brother the loike, Bridget!' 
 Ah, 'tis a koind heart the Major has!" 
 
 So the hours sped by. From time to time Mrs. Rol- 
 land carried away great strings of apples to the attic
 
 33 2 The Wolverine 
 
 where they were left to dry, hanging about the mam- 
 moth chimney that gave warmth to the low apartment. 
 In the afternoon she said to Marie: "Would ye no 
 like a peep at the bonny lot I hae there?" and led 
 her up the two flights of stairs to exhibit the house- 
 wifely store. 
 
 As they were coming away, the good woman recol- 
 lected the jam she had over the fire and Bridget 
 gone out to a neighbor's. Excusing herself for the 
 haste she must make, Mrs. Holland flew down the 
 passage, but stopped long enough to point out the 
 door leading to Perry's workshop, which stood 
 slightly ajar. "While ye're oop here," she called back, 
 "ye maun step in and see where Meester North works. 
 The place is nae sae sacred that he would think ye 
 intruding. It's nae a bonny sight but ye maun be 
 
 interested for a bit look " Scarcely finishing her 
 
 sentence she sped on to the kitchen, leaving mademoi- 
 selle to turn aside or not, as she chose. 
 
 In spite of Mrs. Holland's words, Marie felt some 
 hesitation about entering the room. It was almost as 
 if she would steal up to take a look at Perry himself 
 while he slept. Then she recalled the fact that her 
 brother had spent many happy hours there. Ah, she 
 would see where Frangois had worked. Murmuring 
 this to her quickened heart, she tiptoed over the saw- 
 dust and shavings that littered the floor. 
 
 In the centre of the room she paused and looked 
 about, half daunted. The great chimney which had 
 warmed the other part of the attic was too far away to 
 have any effect on the atmosphere here, and Marie's 
 breath formed in a little clou4 before her face. The
 
 The Wolverine 333 
 
 odors of the kitchen had found their way thither and 
 grown stale. Altogether, the place was scarcely 
 inviting, with its naked rafters and barren, unfinished 
 walls. The one redeeming spot was near the win- 
 dow, through which the sun shone with a warmth 
 that was both surprising and grateful to one stepping 
 from the chill shadow. 
 
 This must be where Franqois stood when he 
 turned the lathe, she thought. The great wheel was 
 in reach, and putting out her hand, she set it revolv- 
 ing slowly. And there monsieur would stand and 
 work! She tried to comprehend what that work was. 
 The tools lay about the bench just as Perry had left 
 them when the summons came from the Capitol. 
 Marie picked up now one, now another, as if they 
 might answer her unspoken question. There was 
 the great wooden-framed plane, and her soft hand 
 attempted to fill the place where the man's large one 
 was accustomed to grasp it. She was careful to re- 
 turn each tool to the exact spot whence it was taken; 
 no trace should be left for the master to discover her 
 invasion. 
 
 Who turned the lathe for him now? she wondered. 
 Francois's strength had not been greater than her 
 own. And forthwith a marvellous picture rose before 
 her eyes: in it she herself turned the lathe, and the 
 master worked at her side. But it was not work it 
 was something that yielded a joy never experienced 
 before. For a moment she seemed actually to see him: 
 his strong, muscular frame lithe and graceful in all 
 its activity worked away on some problem that 
 absorbed his whole mind; his hair les cheveux d'or
 
 334 The Wolverine 
 
 had gathered in curls on the brow grown warm 
 with exercise; the litter of work was about him and 
 on him, but only to add charm to his manly appear- 
 ance. 
 
 Not even the approaching tumult up the Gratiot 
 road could draw her from that picture, nor the noise 
 of people scurrying through the streets below, eager 
 to meet the little band returning in triumph from its 
 hazardous mission. But presently something else 
 did: a book which Perry had been reading, and had 
 left open on the other side of the bench and yet not 
 the book either, but the bit of lace and linen that 
 marked his place. She took it up. Without doubt 
 it was the very handkerchief, grown yellow, that 
 Mere Gobielle had given her; almost the last bit of 
 work she had done before becoming utterly helpless; 
 and for two years its loss had been mourned in a 
 peculiar manner. 
 
 "Mon joli mouchoir! how came it here in his pos- 
 session?" In her surprise she breathed the words 
 aloud. 
 
 "I found it in the Presbyterian Church one evening 
 long ago. Then it is yours?" 
 
 This answer was returned as soon as she had asked 
 the question, in a voice quiet and full of friendly 
 assurance; and so great was her surprise in finding 
 the handkerchief that for an instant it prevented as- 
 tonishment over this other Perry's sudden appear- 
 ance. 
 
 "Yes," she returned, forgetting herself in the joy 
 of recovering a thing long lost and prized ; and lifting
 
 The Wolverine 335 
 
 her eyes, for a single instant she looked frankly un- 
 abashed into Perry's face. 
 
 Then came a full realization of her stolen position 
 in his room, and the greatest confusion followed. 
 "Oh! I did not hear your step I did not know you 
 had returned! Mrs. Rolland sent me here that is, 
 
 she said I might take a peep I hope I have not 
 
 disturbed anything. Franqois worked here It 
 
 was that " Blushing, bewildered, mademoiselle 
 
 sought to explain her presence in his room. Blindly 
 the handkerchief was restored to its place in the book. 
 
 "We have only just returned," Perry explained, 
 before she had finished. His effort was to relieve her 
 confusion while seeming to ignore it. A gallant, 
 manly appearance he made, dressed in his buckskin 
 uniform. "I relinquished command as soon as the 
 Governor met us," he went on, "and turned down a 
 side street to escape to my rooms. I have been under 
 considerable strain." He put it thus, lightly. "The 
 men behaved splendidly. Your brother all are well. 
 We have brought off the stores. The handkerchief 
 if it is yours " 
 
 He took it from the book and extended it to her. 
 Their hands and eyes met at the same time. There 
 were questions and confessions in touch and glance 
 which words would not have been allowed to convey. 
 Further struggle against the inevitable was worse 
 than useless now, and barriers which both had long 
 maintained gave way. Mademoiselle's shoulders 
 lifted with intense emotion, seeing which Perry for- 
 got everything save the passion that had consumed 
 him for months.
 
 33^ The Wolverine 
 
 "Marie!" 
 
 It was a cry a plea a command out of the infinite, 
 and their two natures yielded to the path of least 
 resistance. Perry held her in his arms as if a moment 
 had been given him out of all eternity. But when 
 they could speak, explain, it was found that the 
 moment need not end there, but might drift on into 
 unlimited time after its own fashioning. Yet with all 
 the joy, recollection of that night at the Justice's 
 crowded upon the lover, and an impulse to resolve 
 every doubt forced him to seek explanation. 
 
 "But you told me once you had forgiven me that," 
 replied Marie, lifting her face toward his. Something 
 in her tears and the words recalled their parting on 
 the river bank after he had saved her from the 
 negroes, and gave a further revelation of the bond 
 between them. "Oh, forget it too!" she begged with 
 faltering lips. 
 
 That look into her heart was enough for the most 
 exacting lover, and Perry never alluded to the fateful 
 incident again. 
 
 "Then you do love me, Marie?" he reiterated as a 
 thing almost beyond belief; and her confession, put 
 into words for the first time, gave him the most 
 exquisite moment of his life. 
 
 Perry trembled often enough afterward, when he 
 thought by what a narrow margin he had reached his 
 happiness. He might have gone on living the same 
 desolate life to the end of his days, had he not met 
 Marie in his workshop that afternoon; chanced to 
 meet her, he called it at first, but later dropped the 
 term, unable to believe such perfect joy as was theirs
 
 The Wolverine 337 
 
 could come except by design. And design implied a 
 Designer which meant Providence, leading him in 
 time back to a faith akin to his mother's. 
 
 "A bit of earthly love helps maist wonderfu' to 
 reveal the love of our Heavenly Father; that, and the 
 warks o' the gude Doctor Chalmers, have done the 
 pairt of a revival in the lad's heart," said Mrs. Hol- 
 land to Perry's sister, at the time of Laura's first 
 visit to Detroit, a year after her brother's marriage. 
 "I was maist afeared for his releegious preenciples 
 when he telt me the Romish Priest, Father Kundig, 
 was to solemnize the wedding. But the next Sabbath 
 he came wi' his bonny bride to his ain kirk, and there 
 they hae baith continued maist faithfu' syne the 
 first. Marie is nae sae simple to understand, but 
 bonny and sweet, as ye say. I doot not she leads her 
 husband a gay dance, but ony sic a ane as a braw 
 lad loves frae his lass. Ay! and he is honored by the 
 people, as ye maun see syne they aye put him forward 
 when the grand folk coome to toon. First, it was 
 juist to deliver a toast at the reception gi'en to Har- 
 riet Martineau, and noo he is to be master o' cere- 
 monies during the veesit of Daniel Webster. Perry 
 has a' that a man could ask and I'm no denying 
 the lad deserves it." 
 
 "If mother could only have lived to see it/' sighed 
 Laura. 
 
 "Ay, but do ye no think they ken it a' in Heaven?"
 
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