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A noise of many birds came from the ravine, and winged bodies darted past the door uttering the cries of spring. Abbé Edgeworth sauntered by and she saw him, and was startled. "Who is that?" "A priest." "When did he come?" "He rode here with me this morning." "Louis," she asked, leaning back, "who took care of me?" "You have been with the Grignons since you came to the Illinois Territory."
They were the first Winnebagoes I had seen, and they were decidedly not the finest specimens of their tribe. The mitiff, a scion of the wide-spreading tree of the Grignons, was the bearer of an invitation to us from Judge Law, who, with one or two Green Bay friends, was encamped a few miles above, to come and breakfast with him in his tent.
"Am I in the Illinois Territory?" "Yes, I found you with the Grignons." "They must be kind people!" "They are; the earth's salt." "But who brought me to the Illinois Territory?" "A family named Jordan." "The Indians didn't kill them?" "No." "Why wasn't I killed?" "The Indians regarded you with superstition." "What have I said and done?" "Nothing, madame, that need give you any uneasiness."
And when, panting and laughing, I at length reached the summit, he would throw up his hands, and shout, with the utmost glee, "Mamma Manitou!" Our old acquaintances, the Grignons, seemed much surprised that I should have ventured on such a journey. They had never undertaken it, although they had lived so long at the Kakalin; but then there was no reason why they should have done so.
At least, it is said there are in the possession of the family many old papers and records which would give that impression, although the orthography of the name has become slightly changed. Be that as it may, the Miss Grignons were strikingly dignified, well-bred young ladies, and there was a charm about their soft voices, and original, unsophisticated remarks, very attractive to a stranger.
It drew me, and must draw me forever, whether she knew me again or not. One meets and wakes you to vivid life in an immortal hour. Thousands could not do it through eternity. The river piled hillocks of water in a strong north wind, and no officer crossed from the stockade. Neither did any neighbor leave his own fire. It seldom happened that the Grignons were left with inmates alone.
The more I thought about it the less endurable it became to have her dependent upon the Grignons. My business affairs with Pierre Grignon made it possible to transfer her obligations to my account. The hospitable man and his wife objected, but when they saw how I took it to heart, gave me my way.
Of course Madeleine Jordan, or anybody else who lacked a roof, would be left with the Grignons; but in that house a hermit seemed out of place, and I said so to Madame Ursule. "Poor child!" she responded. "I think she likes the bustle and noise. She is not a hermit. What difference can it make to her whether people are around her or not?"
"Your inference is correct. The Grignons always lodge the priests, and a great man like this one will be certainly quartered with them." "What is he like?" "A smooth and easy gentleman." "In a cassock?" "Tell a poor post lieutenant what a cassock is." "The long-skirted black coat reaching to the heels." "Our missionary priests don't wear it here.
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