The Honor
By Jiiks
Saws0 CiirwS)dl
PROLOG UE.
Up in the "Big Snows," near
the dome of the earth, lies the
scene of this story of real men
and real women, who have all of
,the virtues of their hardening en
vironment and few of the failings
of their more civilized relatives.
This is a tale for reading when
one is tired of the artificialities
of civilization or at any other
time when a good story is appre
ciated. You will find in it ro
mance and adventure and mystery
mixed in such skillful manner and
in such proportion that no ingre
dient interferes with another. Vet
all go to make fine reading for
women who like to hear of brave
deeds and sacrifice for love's
sake and for men with even a
drop of the spirit of adventure
in their veins. And one thing
more the author has lived among
the people whose lives he de
scribes, and he knows how to tell
a story,
CHAPTER I.
The Music
r
ISTEN, John. I hear music!"
The words came In a gentle
whisper from the woman'8
llpi. One white, thin band
lifted Itself weakly to the rough face
of the man who was kneeling beside
her bed, and the great dark eyes from
which he bad hidden his own grew
luminously bright for a moment as she
whispered again:
"John, I hear music I"
A sigh fluttered from her lips. The
man's head drooped until It rested very
near to her bosom. lie felt the quiver
of her hand against his check, and in
its touch there was something which
told John Cummins that the end of all
life had come for him and for her in
this world of 6now and ice and for
est very near to the dome of the earth.
His heart beat flercely, and his great
shoulders shook with the agony that
was eating at his souL
"Yes, it is the pretty music, my Me
Ilsse," he murmured softly, choking
back bis sobs. "It is the pretty music
In the skies."
The hand pressed more tightly
against his face.
"It's not the music in the skies, John.
It Is real real music that I hear."
"It's the sky music, my sweet Me
lisse. Shall I open the door so that
we can hear It better?"
When he looked again at the wo
man her eyes were open, and there
glowed In them still the feeble fire of
a great love. Her lips, too, pleaded
with him In their old. sweet way,
which always meant that he was to
kiss them and stroke her hair and tell
her again that she was the most beau
tiful thing In the whole world.
"My Mellsse!"
Tie crushed his face to ber, his eob
hlng breath smothering itself in the
soft masses of her hair, while her arms
rose weakly and fell around his neck.
He heard the quick, gasping struggle
for breath within her bosom, and.
faintly again, the words:
"It Is the music of my people!"
"It is the music of the angels In the
flkies, my sweet Mellsse. It is our mu
sic. I will open the door."
The arms bad slipped from his
shoulders. Gently he ran his rough
fingers through the loose glory of the
woman's hair and stroked ber face as
softly as he might bare caressed the
cheek of a sleeping child.
"I will open the door, Mellsse."
Ills moccaslncd feet made no sound
as be moved across the little room
which was their home. At the door
he paused and listened. Then he open
sd It, and the floods of the white night
poured in upon him as he stood with
his eyes turned to where the cold, pale
flashes of the aurora were playing
over the pole.
It was on hour past midnight at the
post, which had the barren lands at
Its back door. It was the hour of deep
slumber for Its people. But tonight
there was no sleep for any of them.
Lights burned dimly in the few rough
log homes. The company's store was
aglow, and the factors ofllce, a haven
of the men of the wilderness, shot one
gleaming yellow eye out Into the white
gloom. The post was awake. It was
waiting. It was listening. It was
watching.
As the woman's door opened, wide
and brimful of light, a door of one of
the log houses opened and then anoth
er, and out Into the night, like dim
shadows, trod the moccaslned men
from the factor's ofllce and stood
there waiting for the word of life or
death from John Cummins. In their
own fashion these men, who without
knowing It lived very near to the
ways of God. sent mute prayers Into
the starry heavens that the most beau
tiful thing In the world might yet be
spared to them.
It was Just two summers before that
this beautiful thing bad come Into
Cummins' life and Into the life of the
post Cnmmlns, red beaded, lithe as a
cat, big sonted as the eternal moun
tain of the Crees and the best of the
m of the-
IT- - - ' ' J " 1
Copurlaht. 1911. bg the Bobbs
Merrill Co.
company's hunters, had brought Me
llsse thither as bis bride. Seventeen
rough hearts bad welcomed ber. They
had assembled about that little cabin
In which the light was shining now,
speechless In their adoration of this
woman who had come among them.
their caps in their hands, their faces
shining, their eyes shifting before the
glorious ones that looked at them and
smiled at them as the woman shook
their bands, one by one.
Perhaps she was not strictly beauti
ful as most people Judge, but she was
beautiful here, 400 miles beyond civ
ilization. Mukee, the half Cree, had
never seen a white woman, for even
the factor's wife was part Chlppeway
an, and no one of the others went
down to the edge of the southern wil
derness more thun once each twelve
month or so.
The girl she was scarce more thnn
budding into womanhood fell happily
Into the ways of her new life. She did
nothing that was elementally unusual,
nothing more than any pure woman
reared in the love of God and of a
homo would have done. In her spare
hours she begun to teach the half doz
en wild little children about the post,
and every Sunday she told them won
dcrful stories out of the Bible. She
ministered to the sick, for that wus a
part of her code of life. Everywhere
she carried her glad smile, her cheery
greeting, her wistful earnestness, to
brighten what seemed to her the snd
and lonely lives of these silent men of
the north.
And she succeeded, not because she
was unlike other millions of her kind,
but because of the difference between
the fortieth degree und the sixtieth,
the difference in the viewpoint of men
who fought themselves Into moral
shreds in the big game of life and those
who lived a thousand miles nearer to
the dome of the earth.
A few days before there bad come a
wonderful event in the history of the
compuny's post A new life was born
into the little cabin of Cummins and
bis wife. Then bad come the sudden
change, and the gloom, that brought
with it the shadow of death, fell like
a pal) upon the post, stifling its life
and bringing with It a grief that those
who lived there had never known be
fore.
There came to them no word from
Cummins now. lie stood for a mo
ment before his lighted door and then
went back, and the word passed softly
from ono to another that the most
beautiful thing in the world was still
living her sweet life in that little cabin
at the end of the clearing.
"You hear the music in the skies
now, my Mellsse?" whispered the man,
kneeling beside her again. "It la very
pretty tonight!"
"It wos not that" repeated the wo
man. She attempted to stroke his face,
but Cummins saw nothing of the ef
fon, for the hand lay all but motion
less. U e saw nothing of the fading
softness that glowed In the big, loving
eyes, for his own eyes were blinded
by a hot film. And the woman saw
nothing of the hot film, so torture
was saved them both. But suddenly
the woman quivered, and Cummins
keard a thrilling sound.
"It Is the music." she panted. "John.
John, It Is the music of my peo
ple!" The man straightened himself, his
face turned to the open door. lie heard
It now. Was it the blessed angels com
tng for his Mellsse? II e rose, a sob
bing note In his throat and went bis
arms stretched out to meet them. lie
bad never heard a sound like that
never In all his life In this endless wil
derness. "My Mellsse. my MellsseP' be sob
bed. A figure came from the shadows, and
with the figure came the music, sweet
and soft snd low John Cummins
stopped and turned his fnce straight
Dp to the sky. Tils heart died within
htm.
The mnslr ceased, and whto he look
Big Snows
AMtar if "Tfc
OT HIT-
ed again the figure was close to him.
staggering its It walked, and a face
white and thin und starved came with
It It was a boy's face.
"For the niuseok of the violon some,
t'lng to ent!" he heard, und the thin
figure swuyed and fell almost Into his
arms. The voice came weak again.
"Thees is Jan Jan Thoreau and his
violon."
The woman's bloodless face and her
great staring, dark eyes greeted them
as they entered the cabin. As the man
knelt beside her again and lifted her
head against his breast she whispered
once more:
"It is the music of my people the
violin!"
John Cummins turned his head.
"Play." he breathed
"Ah, the white angel Is seek ver'
seek." murmured Jan, and he drew his
bow gently across the strings of his
violin.
From the Instrument there came
something so soft and sweet that John
Cummins closed his eyes as be held
the woman against his breast and lis
tened. Not until he opened them again
and felt a strange chill against his
cheek did he know that his beloved's
soul had gone from him on the gentle
music of Jan Thoreau's violin.
For many minutes after the last gen
tle breath hnd passed from the worn-
"Ah, th whit angel n seek ver' seek."
murmured Jan.
an's lips .Ian Thoreau played softly
upon his rloliu It was the great,
heartbroken sob of John Cummins that
stopped him In the dim light of the
cabin their eyes met. It was then thai
Juo Thoreau knew what had happen
ed. He forgot his starvation. He
crushed bin violin closer and whispered
to himself:
"The white angel ees gone!"
Cummins rose from the bedside slow
ly, like a man who had suddenly grown
old. His moccaslned feet drugged as
be went to the door. ,They stumbled
when be went out into the pale stur
glow of the night
Jan followed, swaying weakly, for
the lust of his strength hnd gone in the
playing of the violin. Midway In the
cnbln be paused, and bis eyes glowed
with a wild, strange grief as he gazed
down upon the still face of Cummins'
wife, beautiful in death as it hud been
j in life und with the sweet softness of
I life still llncerlne there. Some time.
ages and ages ago, be bad known such
a face and bod felt the great clutching
love of It
Cummins bad partly closed the door
after him, but watchers had seen the
opening of It A door opened here and
another there, and paths of yellow
light flashed over the hard trodden
suow as shadowy life came forth to
greet what message he brought from
the little cabin. When the word came
to them at last and passed from lip to
Up and from ono grim, tense face to
another the doors closed again and the
lights went out one by one, until there
remained only the yellow eye of the
factor's ofllce and the faint glow from
the little cabin In which John Cum
mins knelt with his sobbing face
crushed close to that of his dead.
There was no one who noticed Jan
Thoreau when he came through the
door of the factor's ofllce. Ills coat of
caribou skin was In tatters. Ills feet
thrust themselves from the toes of his
moccasins. Ills fnce was so thin and
white tbnt It shone with the pallor of
death from Its frame of straight dark
hnlr. Ills eyes gleamed like black dia
monds. The madness of hunger was
In him.
An hour before denth had been grip
ping at bis throat when he stumbled
upon the lights of the post That
night he would have died In the deep
snows. Wrapped In its thick coat of
bear skin he clutched bis violin to bis
breast and sunk down In a ragged
heap beside the hot stove. Ills eyes
traveled snout him In fierce demand.
There Is an beggary among these
. 1
strong souled men of the far north,
and Jan's l!;r did not beg. He uu
wrapped the bear skin and whispered:
"For the museek of the violon Rome
t'lng to eat!"
lie played even as the words fell
from him, but only for a moment for
the bow slipped from his nerveless
grip and his head sauk forward upon
his breast.
In the hnlf Cree's eyes there was
something of the wild beauty that
gleamed lu Jan's. For an instant
those eyes had met In the savage rec
ognition of blood, and when Jan's
bead fell weakly and his violin slipped
to the floor Mukee lifted him in his
strong arms and carried him to the
shack In the edge of the spruce and
balsam.
And there was no one who noticed
Jan the next day, except Mukee. lie
was fed. His frozen blood grew
warm. As life returned he felt more
and more the pall of gloom that hnd
settled over this spark of life in the
heart of the wilderness. He had seen
the woman In life and In denth. and
he, too, loved her and grieved that she
was no more. He said nothing; he
asked nothing. But he saw the spirit
of adoration In the sad. tense faces of
the men.
It was not bard for Jan to under
stand, tor be. too, worshiped the mem
ory of a white, sweet face like the one
that he had seen In the cabin. He
knew that this worship nt Lac Bain
was a pure worship, for the honor of
tho big snows was a part of bis soul,
it was his religion and tho religion of
these others who lived 400 miles or
more from a southern settlement
it meant what civilization could not
understand freezing und slow starva
tion rather than theft and respect for
the Tenth Commandment above all
other things. It meant that up here,
under the cold chill of the northern
skies, things were as God meant them
to be and that a few of his creatures
could live In a love that was neither
possession nor sin.
A year after Cummins brought his
wife into the north, a man came to
the post from Fort Churchill, on Hud
son's bay. He was an Englishman
belonging to the home ofllce of the
Hudson's Bay company In London. He
brought with him something new, as
the woman hnd brought something
new, only in this Instance it was an
element of life wblcb Cummins' peo
ple could not understand.
Cummlus was away for a month on
a trapllne that went Into the barren
I lands. At these times the woman fell
j as a heritage to those who remained,
and they watched over her as a parent
j might guard Its child. Yet the keen-
est eyes would not have perceived that
I this was so.
With Cummins gone the tragedy pro
' gressed swiftly toward flnnllty. The
Euglishmnu came from umong women.
For months he had been lu a torment
lot desolation. Cummins' wife was to
' him like a flower suddenly come to re
lieve the tantalizing barrenness of a
desert, and with the wiles aud ways
of civilization he sought to breathe its
' fragrance.
j As yet there wns no suspicion In her
j soul She accepted the Englishman's
! friendship, for be was a stranger
I among her people. She did not hear
the false note, she saw no step that
promised evil. Ouly the men nt the
post heard and saw and understood.
But they were quiet evaded the Eng
: llshuiau ns much as possible and
. watched always watched.
I One day something happened. Cum
j mlns' wife came Into the company's
store, and u quick flush shot Into her
j cheeks and the glitter of blue dia
monds Into her eyes when she saw the
stranger standing there. The man's
j red face grew redder, and he shifted
i his gnze. When Cummins' wife pass
'ed blm she drew her skirt close to
her.
That night Mukee, the hnlf Cree.
slunk around in the edge of the forest
to see that nil was well In Cummins'
Then Mukee's Hands Changed. They
Flew to the Thick Throat of the Man
From Civilization.
tittle home. Once Mukee hnd suffered
a lynx bite that went clear to the
bone, and the woman bad saved bis
hand. After that the savage In blm
was enslaved to ber like an Invisible
spirit
He crouched for a few minutes In
the snow, looking at the pale filter of
light that came through a bole In the
curtain of the woman's window, and
is be looked something came between
blm and the light With the caution
of a lynx, bis bead close to the snow,
tie i ei-d nrouud the logs. It was tb
Eiisrlishiiutn who stood looking througi
the wludow
Mukee's moccaslned feet made no
sound. His hand fell as gently as a
child's upon t Ut stranger's arm.
"The Is rot the houor of the bees
snows." be whispered. "Come!"
The Englishman chuckled. TheD
Mukee's bunds changed. They flew to
the thick, reddening throat of the man
from clvtlUatlou, und without a sound
the two sauk together upon the snow.
The nexi day a messenger behind
six dogs set out for Fort Churchill1
with word for the company's home
ofllce that the Englishman had died In
the big snow, which was true.
Mukee told this to Jan. for there
was the bond of blood betweeu them.
(To Bt Continued.)
ELECTION BALLOTS OVER
FIVE FEET IN LENGTH
Kimii Weilnt'siluy's Daily.
Tlie Journal tins I u engaged
this week in printing tin election
ballots. If the man who goes in
to tlie polls next Tuesday and
happens to m less than live feet
tall, lie will unroll a ballot, longer
than he is, as that is I he length
of tlie ollh'ial ballot , including the
county ticket, as now mailt1 up and
lie-in) ili'livei'i'il to I he various pre
cincts of tlie county by County
Clerk Morgan. It is the largest
ballot over voted in Cass county.
The next largest ballot was in
190 i, when Roosevelt run for
president and Mickey for gov
ernor. This year there are the
amendments, the extra electors,
but tho county ticket is very short.
When tho voter unrolls this mon
ster ballot ho will see at onco that
the blanket ballot, placing all the
tickets in a row, as now used in
both Iowa and Missouri, is the
most convenient way of voting.
ENTERTAINS THE
LADIES AUXILIARY
From Wednesday's Dally.
A very pleasant meeting of
yesterday afternoon was that of
the Ladies' Auxiliary society of
I ho First Presbyterian church,
which was hold at the home of
Mrs. C. A. llawls. During the
early hours the regular business
session was held, after which the
ladies indulged in social conversa
tion and stitching on dainty
needlework. At the proper lime
the hostess served excellent re
freshments to the large number
in alteiiilanco, which was most
I horoiighly appreciated.
ENTERTAINED IN HONOR OF
FRED MURPHY, OF CHICAGO
i'rom Wednesday's Dally.
At the home of Mr. and Mrs.
Ilenjaiiiin Klson, at Los Angeles,
California, u jolly party . of old
I'lattsinoulh people gathered on
Monday night, October 2i, in
honor of Mr. Fred Murphy of Chi
cago, who came to the coast to
visit his father at Long lloach,
whom he had not seen for fifteen
years. Mr. Murphy was spending
the day with Mr. and Mrs. A. K.
(Juiiiii nml tho gathering of old
lime friends was a pleasing sur
prise to him. Delightful refresh
ments wore served by Mrs. Klson
to the following guests: Messrs.
and Mesdamos A. K. Quinn, M.
A. Clark, lieu Klson, Mrs.
Clark. A. Clark, Hen Klson; Mrs.
Cox. Misses Helen Cox, Ilhella
Clark. Fretl Murphy.
A Log on the Track
of the fast express means seriou9
trouble ahead if not removed, so
does loss of appetite. It means
lack of vitality, loss of strength
and nerve weakness. If appetite
fails, take Klectric Hitlers quickly
to overcome the cause by toning
up the stomach and curing the in
digestion. Michael Hesshcimer
of Lincoln, Neb., had been sick
over threo years, but six bottles
of Klectric Bitters put him right
on his feet again. They have
helped thousands. They give
pure blood, strong nerves, good
digestion. Only 50 cents at F. O.
Fricke & Co.
Farm for Sate.
135-acre farm, four miles from
town, between 50 and CO acres
under plow, 7 acres hay land, bal
ance pasture. Running water.
Seven-room house and other im
provements. Inquire at the ofllco of llawls
& Ilohertson. 10-10-tf-wkly
FOIl SALE An organ. Has
solid walnut case. Inquire of
Ralph Haynie, Route 2, Paltts-
ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION.
Known All Men by These Pres
ents, that we, Jno. A. Chopieska,
Sam i. Smith, D. O. Dwyer, II. M.
Soenniclisen and John T. Lam
bert, so associated ourselves to
gether for the purpose of form
ing and becoming a corporation
in the State of Nebraska, for tho
transaction of tho business here
inafter described.
1. Tho name of the corpora
tion shall be the Chopio Gasoline.
Kngine Company (Limited). Tho
principal place of transacting its
business shall be in the city of
l'latlsmoiith, County of Cass, and
State of Nebraska.
2. The nature of the business
to be transacted by said corpora
tion shall bo the manufacture and
sale of gasoline engines, other
engines, and machinery aud tho
erection ami maintenance of such
buildings and structures as may
be deemed necessary, and to pur
chase real estale for a site there
fore, and to procure any and all
necessary property, both real and
personal, incidental to or re
quired in the manufacture of
gasoline engines.
3. Tho authorized capital
stock of said corporation shall
be Two Hundred Thousand Dol
lars, divided into shares of ten
dollars each, to be subscribed and
paid for as required by the Hoard
of Directors. One-half of said
stock shall be preferred, and
which preferred stock shall draw
seven per cent, to be paid out of
tho net earnings of tlie company,
per annum. The other half shall
bo common stock, on which
dividends shall bo paid as tho
Hoard of Directors might de
termine. Only the owners of tho
common stock shall be entitled to
participate in tho further profits,
election of officers and manage
ment of the Company. All of said
stock shall be non-assessable.
h. The existence of this
corporation shall commence on
the 5th day of October, 1912, and
continue during the period of
twenty-five year?.
5. The business of said cor
poration shall be conducted by a
Hoard of Directors not to exceed
live in number, to be elected by
the stockholders of the common
stock. The first- election oft
directors shall take place at
l'lal I smooth, Nebraska, on tho
day of October, 1912, and
theroaflor such election to tako
place at such time and bo con
ducted in such manner as shall
be prescribed by I tie by-laws of
said corporal ion.
('). The oillcers of said cor
poration shall be president, vice
president, secretary, treasurer,
and a general manager, who shall
be chosen by the Hoard of Direct
ors, and shall hold their ofllco
for tho period of one year and
until their successors shall bo
elected and qualified.
7. The highest amount of in
debtedness to which said corpora
tion shall at any time subject it
self shall not be more than two
thirds of its issued and paid up
capital stock.
8. The manner of holding tho
meeting of stockholders for tho
election of oillcers, and tho
met hod of conducting the busi
ness of the corporation, shall bo
as provided in the by-laws
adopted by the Hoard of Directors.
In Witness Whereof, we havo
hereunto set our hands this nth
day of October, 1912.
Jno. A. Chopieska.
Sam (J. Smith.
II. M. Soenniclisen.
D. O. Dwyer.
John T. Lambert,
n presence of
Hossio Shea.
STATU OF NF. lift ASK A,
Cass County, ss.
On this 2nd day of October,
1912, before me, Hessie Shea, a
notary public, in and for said
county, personally appeared the
above named Jno. A. Chopieska,
Sam 0. Smith, D. 0. Dwyer, II. M.
Soenniclisen and John T. Lam
bert, who arc personally known to
mo to be the identical persons
whose names are alllxed to the
above articles as parties thereto,
and they severally acknowledged
their instrument to be their
voluntary act and deed.
Witness my hand and notarial
seal at Plaltsmoulh, Nebraska,
this 5th day of October, 1912.
(Seal) Hessie, Shea,
Notary Public.
Mv commission expires Juno
3rd, 1913.
State of Nebraska,
Secretary's Office.
Received and filed for record
October 7, 1912, and recorded in
Hook 20, Miscellaneous Incoc
porations, at pago 528.
Addison Wait,
Secretary of State.
By fieo. W. Marsh, Deputy.
If you have a house for rent try
a Journal Want Ad.
mouth. Neb. 10-28-2wks-wkly
