The Tribune
F M KIMMELL Publisher
MTOOK
I M
NEBRASKA
ARCH
OF THE
WHITE
GUARD
Hy
SIR GILBERT PARKER
mr o C K jf
csxnBsaBo
Copy iRlt 1902 oy 1L F Fcnio Co
CHAPTER IV Continued
And Jaspar Hume was left alone
with the starving Indian who sat he
side the lire eating voraciously and
the sufferer who now mechanically
was taking a little biscuit sopped in
brandy For a few moments thus
and his sunken eyes opened and he
looked dazedly at the man bending
above him Suddenly there came into
them a look of terror You you
are Jaspar Hume the voice said in
an awed whisper
Yes and the hands of the Sub
factor chafed those of the other
But you said you were a friend
and come to save me
I am come to save you
There was a shiver of the sufferers
body This discovery would either
make him stronger or kill him alto
gether Jaspar Hume knew this and
said Varre Lepage the past is past
and dead to me let it be so to you
There was a pause
How did you know about me
I was at Fort Providence there
came letters from the Hudson Bay
Company and from your wife saying
that you were making this journey
and were six months behind
My wife my wife Rose
Yes I have a letter for you from
her She is on her way to Canada
We are to take you to her
To take me to her He shook
his head sadly but he pressed the
letter that Jaspar Hume had just
given him to his lips
To take you to her Varre Lepage
No I shall never see her again
I tell you you shall You can live
if you will You owe that to her to
me to God
To her to you to God But I
have been true to none To win her
I wronged you doubly and wronged
her too and wronging both of you
I wronged That Other One I have
been punished I shall die here
You shall go to Foil Providence
Do that in payment of your debt to
me Varre Lepage I demand that
In this sinning man there was a
latent spark of honor a sense of jus
tice that might have been developed
to great causes to noble ends if some
strong nature seeing his weaknesses
had not condoned them but had ap
pealed to the natural chivalry of an
impressionable vain and weak char
acter He struggled to meet the eyes
of Jaspar Hume and doing so he
gained confidence and said I will
try to live I will do you justice yet
But oh my wife
Your first duty is to eat and drink
We start for Fort Providence to-morrow
morning
The sick man stretched out his
hand Food Food he said
In little bits food and drink were
given to him and his strength sen
sibly increased The cave was soon
aglow with the fire that was kindled
by Late Carscallen and Cloud-in-the-Sky
There was little speaking for
the sick man soon fell asleep Varre
Lepages Indian told Cloud-in-the-Sky
the tale of their march how the
other Indian and the dogs died how
his master became iil as they were
starting toward Fort Providence from
Ma itou Mountain in the summer
weather how they turned back and
took refuge in this cave how month
by month they had lived on what
would hardly keep a rabbit alive and
how at last his master urged him to
press on with his papers but he
would not and stayed until this day
when the last bit of food had been
eaten and they were found
CHAPTER V
The next morning Varre Lepage
was placed upon a sled and they
started back Jacques barking joyfully
as he led off with Cloud-in-the-Sky
beside him There was light in the
faces of all though the light could not
be been by reason of their being muf
fled so All day they traveled scarce
ly halting Varre Lepages Indian be
ing strong again and matching well
Often the corpse like bundle on the
sled was disturbed and biscuits wet
in brandy and bits of preserved veni
son were given
That night Jaspar Hume said to
Late Carscallen I am going to start
at the first light of the morning to get
to Gaspe Toujours and Jeff Hyde as
soon as possible Follow as fast as
you can He will be safe if you give
him food and drink often I shall get
to the place where we left them about
noon yea should reach there at night
or early the next morning
Hadnt you better take Jacques
with you said Late Carscallen
The Sub factor thought a moment
and then said No he is needed most
where he is
At noon the next day Jaspar Hume
looks round upon a billowy plain of
sun and ice but he sees no staff no
signal no tent no sign of human life
of Gaspc Toujours or of Jeff Hyde
His strong heart quails Has he lost
his way He looks at the sun He is
not sure He consults his compass
but it quivers hesitatingly and then
points downward For a while wild
bewilderment which seizes upon the
minds of the strongest when lost
masters him in spite of his struggles
against it He moves in a maze of
half blindness half delirium He is
lost in it is swnyed by it He begins
to wander about and there grow upon
his senses strange delights and reelng
agonies He hears church bells he
catches at butterfles he tumbles in
new mown hay he wanders in a tropic
garden But in the hay a wasp stings
him and the butterfly changes to a
curling black snake that strikes at
him and glides to a dark flowing river
full of floating ice and up from the
river a white hand is thrust and it
beckons him beckons him He shuts
his eyes and moves toward it but a
voice stops him and it says Come
away come away and two arms loiu
him round and as he goes brck from
the shore he stumbles and falls and
What is this A yielding
mass at his feet A mass that stirs
He clutches at it he tears away the
snow he calls aloud and his voice
has a far away unnatural sound
Gaspe Toujours Gaspc Toujours
Yes it is Gaspe Toujours And be
side him lies Jeff Hyde and alive ay
alive Thank God
Jaspar Humes mind is itself again
It has but suffered for a moment what
comes to most men when they rec
ognize first that they are being shad
owed by the awful ban of Lost
Gaspe Toujours and Jeff Hyde had
lain down in the tent the night of the
great wind and had gone to sleep at
once The staff had been blown down
the tent had fallen over them the
drift had covered them and for three
CHAPTER VI
To conquer is to gain courage and
unusual powers of endurance Na
poleon might have marched back from
Moscow with undeciraated legions
safely enough if the heart of those
legions had not been crushed The
White Guard with their faces turned
homeward and the man they had
sought for in their care seemed to
hare acquired new strength Through
days of dreadful cold through nights
of appalling fierceness through storm
upon the plains that made for them
paralyzing coverlets they marched
And if Varre Lepage did not grow
stronger life at least was kept in him
and he had once more the desire to
live
There was little speech among them
but once in a while Gaspe Toujours
sang snatches of the songs of the voy
agers of the great rivers and the
hearts of all were strong Between
Jacques and his master there was
occasional demonstration Jacques
seemed to know that a load was being
lifted from the heart of Jaspar Hume
and Jaspar Hume on the twentieth
day homeward said with his hand on
the dogs head It had to be done
Jacques even a dog could see that
And so it was all right for the
White Guard One day when the sun
was warmer than usual over Fort
Providence and just sixty five days
since that cheer had gone up from ap
prehensive hearts for brave men go
ing out into the Barren Grounds Ser
geant Gosse who every day and of
late many times a day had swept the
northeast with a field glass rushed
into the Chief Factors office and with
a broken voice cried The White
Guard The White Guard and
pointed toward the northeast And
then he leaned his arm and head
against the wall and sobbed And the
old Factor rose from his chair trem
blingly and said Thank God and
went hurriedly into the square But
he did not go steadily the joyous
news had shaken him sturdy old
pioneer as he was As he passes out
one can see that a fringe of white has
grown about his temples in the last
two months The people of the Fort
had said they had never seen him so
irascible yet so gentle so uneasy yet
so reserved so stern about the mouth
tj
He Moves in a Maze of Half Blindness Half Delirium
days they had slept beneath the snow
never waking
Jeff Hydes sight was come again
to him Youve come back for the
book he said you couldnt go on
without it You ought to have taken
it yesterday and he drew it from
his bosom
No Jeff Ive not come back for
that and 1 did not leave you yester
day it is three days and more since
we parted The book has brought us
luck and the best We have found
him and theyll be here to night with
him I came on ahead to see how you
fared
In that frost bitten world Jeff Hyde
uncovered his head for a moment
Gaspe Toujours is a Papist he said
but he read me some of that book
the day you left and one thing we
went to sleep on it was that about
Lightenin the darkness and defend
in us from all the perils and dangers
of this night Here Gaspe Toujours
made the sign of the cross Jeff Hyde
continued half apologetically for his
comrade It comes natural to Gaspe
Toujours I guess it always does to
Papists But I never had any trainin
that way and I had to turn the thing
over and over and I fell asleep on it
And when I wake up three days after
heres my eyes as fresh as daisies
and you back Captain and the thing
done that we come to do
He put the book into the hands of
Jaspar Hume and Gaspe Toujours at
that moment said See And far
off against the eastern horizon ap
peared a group of moving figures
That night the broken segments of
the White Guard were reunited and
Varre Lepage slept by the side of
Jaspar Hume
yet so kind about the eyes as he had
been since Jaspar Hume had gone
with his brave companions on this
desperate errand
Already the handful of people at
the Fort had gathered Indians left
the store and joined the rest the
Factor and Sergeant Gosse set out to
meet the little army of relief God
knows what was in the hearts of the
Chief Factor and Jaspar Hume when
they shook hands To the Factors
In the name of the Hudson Bay Com
pany Mr Hume there came By the
help of God sir and he pointed to
the sled whereon Varre Lepage lay A
feeble hand was clasped in the burly
hand of the Factor and then they
fell into line again Cloud-in-the-Sky
running ahead of the dogs Snow had
fallen on them and as they entered
the stockade man and dogs were
white from head to foot
TO BE CONTINUED
Lombard Would Put Him Up
Harding Lombard of Wales Me
was a quaint character He had a
ready wit but was slow to express it
on account of an impediment in his
speech
One stormy night in winter a big
tramp called and Mr Lombard going
to the door in his stockings the
tramp asked if he would put him
up
Yes sir yes sir replied Mr L
You wait till I get my boo-boo-boots
on and I will pu put you up so high
vou neverll get down again
Everything Her Own Way
He after a spat I sometimes
think you women court domestic quar
rels
She We do not If we had our way
thTed bo none
He Oh exactly if you had your
way
Standing for a Good Deal
What my frionns dramatically
demanded Thomas Bott does the old
party stand for
Well you for one thing rcpli 1
a pessimistic voice from the back of
the hall Puck
r B
LZ
Wai533iTa aggB
ALONE AT CHRISTMAS
By S BARING GOULD
Is there can there be a man more
lonely than one returned from a far
country who has been out of his home
land for 20 years and comes back
when his parents are dead his old
friends dispersed and the old nest
has passed to other occupants And
can his loneliness be more emphasized
than when hs return syncronizes with
Christmas
That was my condition when I re
visited the mother country With a
beating heart and straining eyes I had
looked for the first sight of dear old
America after having left it as a lad
hardly a man some 20 years ago
I was back not to home I had no
home now My heart began to fail
me my spirits decline when I reached
the little country town near which I
had been born and where I had fleet
ed the golden hours of childhood No
one knew me In the churchyard I
laid a wreath on the graves where
lay dear old father and mother I
looked at our house It had been re
built and was occupied by strangers
mwmSsSm If
4r ylWiMMWim
WmMMr T
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You Are Very Good
I went through the village The little
shops had fresh names over them
The old rector who had baptized me
was dead The old school was gone
The ancient church had been reno
vated The village inn was in new
hands The old Christmas was no
more No frost no snow no icicles
only sludge and a drizzling rain
I returned from my visit to the vil
lage in deep depression I would
haste to the rooms I had taken in a
house in the town and spend my
Christmas Eve with my pipe and glass
alone with not even an old dog to
lie at my feet and look up with speak
ing eyes into my face and sympathize
with me in my solitude I would pass
the evening before the fire looking
into the red coals not building castles
among them but watching the tum
bling down of old cottages old farms
old reminiscences into ash
I had done well in the other land
and had returned not a rich man but
with a competence
It had been my wish my ambition
to settle in the village about which
ME
clung all my sweetest and holiest
thoughts to buy there a little land
to tread the old paths ramble in the
same woods look upon the same
scenes dwell among the same people
re make a home in the same place
But now Could it be
As I walked back to my lodgings
through the street and by the market
place folk were hurrying in all direc
tions some with bunches of holly in
their hands a girl or two with a sprig
of mistletoe slyly hid in her muff a
man wheeling a Christinas tree on a
barrow butchers boys carrying joints
for the morrows dinner Plum pud
dings and mince pies were displayed
in the confectioners shops The
chemist the hairdresser the seeds
man the draper had stuffed their win
dows with toys toys toys He who
had come to earth as a little child
had filled every heart with thought
of the little ones and desire to make
Christmas a day of joy to them I
had no tiny ones of my own no little
nieces and nephews no small cousins
for whom to provide anything I was
alone utterly desolately alone
As I pursued my way I saw a tall
slim girl walking before me with a
basket on her arm and I noticed that
the bottom had come out and that
the contents fell on the pavement
Of this she was unaware I stooped
and picked up a little woolly lamb
then a something wrapped in paper
then a silver match box breaking
out of its covering
Gathering them together I ran after
the girl and stopped her
Excuse me said I Are you a
female Hop o my Thumb dropping
tokens whereby your track my be
known
I showed her what I had collected
She colored and thanked mo Then
I recognized her as the daughter of
my landlady
You must allow me said 1 to tie
my handkerchief round the basket
and to carry it for you I believe
that we go the same way
You are very good she replied
We are about to have a Christmas
tree for the children this evening
and I have been making some trifling
purchases as presents for my brothers
and sisters and for papa and mamma
who must not be forgotten
There go the candles I ex
claimed as a cataract of red yellow
and green tapers shot out of the bas
ket
And theres an orange said she
as one of these fruit bounced forth
and fell and rolled away into the
gutter
We were forced to stoop and col
lect the scattered wax lights and
then to tie my large handkerchief
about the basket
What a fortunate thing said I
that I have got a good sized kerchief
in place of one of the miserable little
rags that do service nowadays That
is because I cling to old customs
and when I was a boy my mother al
ways gave me something like a dish
cloth in my pocket
Then we proceeded on our way and
when we went into the house she re
ceived the basket from me and again
thanked me You must not remove
the kerchief till all is unpacked I
said or there will be another dis
charge of the contents and then the
children will see what you have pro
vided for them
jflagyvjqgBapgg
THE TRUE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT
wasfgc illifspS
L
nut to mor
Shall you be urn
rr nobI8havc none to dine
with I know no om be
snail yo
evening
And this
V XSF Iave nowhere
fire and sat
room I made up the
down and reread newspaper
There was much in It J0 5
the M
preaching feast I had
papers They had issued Christmas
supplements with Plf0
Father
of Old
family gatherings
Christmas of waits and carol s ngers
the waits and
I might perhaps hear
the
certainly hear
singers I should
Christmas bells That would be all
I sat
I had done with my papers
before the fire in a brown study ana
and ever low
my spirits sank lower I
er I recalled the old Christmases
had spent at home with my parents
I remembered how I had looked into
the morning to see
mv stockings on
if Old Father Christmas had visited
and had left there
me in the night
some presents for the Good Boy
Alas No Father Christmas would
visit me now All that was of the
past the utterly and irrevoauijr
past
I did not light my candles I could
read no more I needed no light for
my thoughts they were too dark to
be illumined thus
As I stood thus musing I heard a
tap at my door and shouted Come
in There ensued delay and I called
again Come in
Then the door opened and I saw
some little heads outside with golden
curls and flushed cheeks and a childs
voice said Please Mr
will you come to our tree down
stairs
I I
As I hesitated the child said
Please Annie told us to ask you
And then I saw the tall girl whom
I had assisted draw back into the
dark behind them
Most certainly I will as you are
so kind as to invito me
So I descended and there were my
landlord and landlady radiant with
happiness and the five children
danced before me and said He Is
oome is it not nice Behind pres
ently entered Annie somewhat shy
ly and pretending she had come from
the kitchen
I was witness of the delight of the
little ones over their presents the
1 Saw the Tall Girl
woolly lamb a small cart a cannon
a doll the father over a pair of warm
stockings of Annies knitting the
mother over a shawl also of her
work and I stood smiling and happy
when up sprang one of the children
and plucked from the tree the silver
match box
This said the child is for Mr
Sister Annie said
it was for him
I was moved more than I can say
So some had been thinking of me
though I was only a lodger
Look here sir said the father
youre a stranger in the country and
at such a time as this there must bo
no strangers You must really sup
with us and dine also with us to
morrow I can promise you a good
dinner for it is of Annies making
All was changed I was a stranger
and they took me in I was Ionely
and they made of me a friend
Christmas day 1030 p m
I returned to my room upstairs
made up the fire and seated myself
before it I had spent a very pleasant
day and a pleasant evening before
that I did not now feel so discour
aged so hopeless That was a nice
family very friendly and considerate
And I began to build in the fire I
no longer saw only ruins I saw as
it were a pleasant home rise out of
the coals and a pleasing face looked
up at me out of them very much like
that of Annie Ah if the old home
was gone might I not build one that
would be new I need no longer live
in the past but look to the future and
next Christmas please God I would
not be alone that is if Annie but I
cannot say win consent to put an
end to my loneliness and help in
building up a future
Of Interest to Stockholders
Jaspar I hear that Santa Claus has
given up his yearly rounds
Jumpuppe You dont tell me
Jaspar Yes He has accepted a
regular position on the SalariesCom
mittees of various big corporations
Town Topics
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