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She mad for cause my fat'er all tam talk with me." "Three years ago!" said Ambrose. "You must have been a little girl then!" "I fourteen year old then. My mot'er got 'not'er osban' now. Common man. They gone with Buffalo Lake people. I not care. All tam I think of my fat'er. He is one fine man. "Las' summer the priest come here. Mak' good talk, him. Say if we good, bam-by we see the dead again.
Garth lowered his gun; but he still kept it across his knees, and his face did not relax. The woman was loathsome to him. "What do you want?" he demanded coldly. Rina came a little closer. "I sorry," she said sulkily like a child unwillingly confessing a fault. "I t'ink I go looney for a while. I not hear right. I t'ink she try to tak' my 'osban' from me!"
"You are my 'osban', and you can beat me, and you can kill me, but I would not cry out, or think bad of you. But you cannot mak' me help you to mak' a pig of you again. I will mak' you to have good credit, an' to be a rich and strong man, an' you can go back and spit on the poor breeds that mock you before. I will not help you trade in whiskey; whiskey mak' you poor, an' sick, an' crazy!"
Bishop Lajeunesse is the bes' man for cause no ot'er man can look him down. White men stronger than red men for cause they got stronger fire in their eyes. So I tell you when you choose a 'osban', tak' a man with a strong eye." The girl looked at him startled. This was a new thought. Musq'oosis, having made his point, relaxed his stern port.
"A white woman!" announced Johnny triumphantly. Bela frowned and stole a side glance at Sam. The men having lately come from the land of white women were not especially impressed. "Only one white woman here before," Johnny went on. "Her comp'ny trader's wife. This her sister. Call Mees Mackall. Her old, but got no 'osban' at all. That is fonny thing I t'ink. Boys say all tam talk, laugh, nod head.
Give you quite a send-off, eh? Well, you can't drag me into it. I like a different kind of woman." Bela was no tame spirit. Anger answered anger. She faced him pale and blazing-eyed. "No woman want you, anyhow!" she cried. "You cook! You only half a man! You too scared to fight for a woman! You only talk! Go away from me! I tak' a man for my 'osban'!"
"Do you want to be?" She shrugged with fine carelessness. "I suppose I got get 'osban' some tam." "Well, take your pick of the four of us," said Jack. "I ain't sayin' we're prize specimens, mind you. But you'll hardly do better at that up here. Anyhow, look us over." She proceeded to do so. Under her glance each man bore himself according to his nature.
"I believe this smooth-faced young whelp has cast an eye on you too," he snarled. "You're false to me!" A low cry was forced from Rina's lips; she made a rapid move; and Garth understood that she had thrown herself at the man's feet. "'Erbe't, you know you don' speak true," she whispered painfully. "You my 'osban'! All men I hate, but you!" "Then do what I tell you," snarled Mabyn.
"Bishop Lajeunesse coming up the river soon," suggested Bela. "Will you get me 'osban' for him marry? I lak marry by Bishop Lajeunesse." "Foolish woman!" repeated Musq'oosis. "How do I know? A great work takes time!" Bela pouted. Musq'oosis rose stiffly to his feet. "I give you somesing," he said.
I not lak them ver' moch. Only my mot'er. But I am live there before for 'cause I not know not'ing. Well, one day I hit my fat'er wit' a stick no, hit my mot'er's 'osban' wit' a stick. So my mot'er tell me my fat'er a white man. Her fat'er white man, too. So I mos' white. So I go 'way from those people." "But you've got to have some home somebody to live with!" said Sam anxiously.
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