A Mating in the Wilds | Page 7

which were to be ready before noon, he asked a
question.
"New to the district, aren't you?"
"I wintered here," replied Stane briefly.
"Then you did no trapping," said the factor with a laugh, "or you'd have
brought your pelts in. I guess you must be prospecting?"
"I have done a little," agreed Stane, a touch of reserve in his manner.
"A lonely job!" commented the factor.
"Yes," was Stane's reply, then he nodded and turned towards the door.
The factor watched him go with frowning eyes, then turned to his
assistant.
"Not a very sociable sort, hey, Donald?"
The assistant grinned, and shook his head. "Tongue-tied, I guess."
"I wonder where he has his location."
"Somewhere North!" answered Donald. "He came upstream, I saw
him."
The factor said no more to him, but passed out of the store towards the
warehouse. As he did so he caught sight of Stane standing in the Square
watching a canoe far out on the river. The factor's eyes were good and
he recognized the occupants of the craft quite easily, and as he saw
Stane's interest in them, the frown gathered about his eyes once more,
and he muttered to himself:
"I wonder what Mr. Ainley's little game means?"

Then as he was unable to find any answer to his question he turned
again to his own affairs.
As for Hubert Stane he stood in the Square for quite a long time
watching for the return of the canoe, determined to have speech with
Ainley. Then, as it still lingered, he turned and made his way to his
own camp.
It was quite late in the afternoon when the opportunity he sought was
given to him. Impelled by the merest curiosity he had strolled over to
the Indian tepees and had there encountered Miskodeed teaching a
puppy-dog tricks. He had stopped to speak to her, and was still engaged
in a rather one-sided conversation, when the sound of English voices
caused him to turn round.
The governor's party, accompanied by the factor, was moving towards
the tepees. His first impulse was to go away, then seeing Ainley among
the little knot of people, he decided to remain, and to serve his own end,
kept Miskodeed in conversation, as when left to herself she would have
fled to the moose-hide tent.
The party drew nearer. Stane was conscious of its attention, and the
blood in Miskodeed's face came and went in a manner that was almost
painful. Any one looking at them, and noting the apparent absorption of
the man and the certain embarrassment of the girl, must have utterly
miscomprehended the situation, and that was what happened, for a
moment later, the sound of a laughing feminine voice reached him.
"Behold an idyll of the land!"
He looked up with an angry light in his blue eyes. The party was just
passing, and nearly every pair of eyes was regarding him curiously.
And one pair, the grey eyes of the girl who had been with Ainley, met
his in level glance, and in them he saw a flicker of contempt. That
glance sent the blood to his face, and increased the anger which had
surged within him at the laughing remark he had overheard. Ainley was
among these people, and come what might he would have speech with
him before them all. He stepped forward determinedly; but Ainley, who

had been watching him closely, anticipated his move by falling out of
the group.
"Don't be a fool, Stane! You'll do yourself no good by kicking up a dust
here. I couldn't come last night, but tonight at the same time I will not
fail."
He turned and moved on again before Stane could reply, and as he
joined the English girl, the latter inquired in a surprised voice, "You
know that gentleman, Mr. Ainley?"
Stane caught the question, but the answer he did not hear, though he
could guess its purport and found no pleasure at the thought of what it
would be. Consumed with wrath and shame he went his way to his own
camp, and seeking relief from intolerable thoughts busied himself with
preparations for a start on the morrow, then schooled himself to wait as
best he could, through the long hours before Ainley's appointed time.
Again the midnight sun found him sitting behind his smoke-smudge,
waiting, listening. All the songs and cries of the wild faded into silence
and still Ainley had not come. Then he caught the sound of light feet
running, and looking up he saw Miskodeed hurrying towards him
between the willows. Wondering what had brought her forth at this
hour he started to his feet and in that instant he saw a swift look of
apprehension and agony leap to her face.
"Beware, my brother----"
He