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The Seaforth News, 1941-07-17, Page 6e !habitations!" exclaincd Mabel, twlen cite lcn ,,- after z ;survey ,ihe• t scene, it ,., s principal leuthantte, forced thentsel ves on -lie; active and her .brilliant int- - agination: "this is indeed being on a frontier." "Have they more sightly scenes titan this nearer the sea and around their large towns?" demanded Path- finder. with an interest he was apt to discover in such a subject. "I will not say that! there is more to remind one of his fellow -beings there and here; less, perhaps, to re- mind one of 'God." "Ay. 'Mabel, that is what my own feelings say. I am but a poor hunter, I know, untaught and animated; but God is as near me, in this my home. as he is near the king in his royal palace." '1\Vho .can doubt it?" returned Mab- el looking from the view- up into the hard -.featured but 'honest face of her companion, though not without sur- prise at the energy of his manner, "One feels nearer to God in such a spot, I think, than when the mind is distracted by the objects of the towns." "You say all I 'wish to say myself, Mabel, bat in so much plainer speech, :that you make me ashamed of wish- ing to let others know what 'I feel on such .:tatters. 1 have coasted this 'lake in search of skins afore the war, and have )been here already; not at this very spot, for we landed yonder, where you may see the !blasted oak that stands above the cluster of hem- locks—" "'Hots, 'Pathfinder, can you remem- ber all these trifles so accurately?" 'These are our streets land houses, our 'churches and ,palaces. Remember them, indeed! I once made an ap- pointment with the Big Serpent, to meet at twelve 'o'clock at noon, near the foot of a certain pine, at the end of six month.a, when neither of us w•as within three hundred miles of the spot. The tree stood and stands still, unless the judgment of 'Providence has lighted an that too. in the midst of the forest. fifty miles from any set- tlement, but in a most extraordinary neighbourhood for beaver." ":Ind did you meet at that very spot and hour?" -Does the sun rise and set? ']Chian 1 reached the tree, 1 ionto] the Sar - pent 'leaning. againstits trunk with :, r0 leg ging, and nutdclird it oceas'- ins. The 'Delaware had got into a s,"11 ', and it worried him not a little to find his war out of it: hut as the s,ny Vwhich refines ,iter the: eastern hills in tite morning goes down be- hind the western at night, so was he true to time and place No fear Of rChin ac hgook when there is either a friend or an enemy in the case. He is equally Sartain with each." "Ami ,,there is the Delaware ti.'w? shy is he not with its to -day?" He is scouting on the I\lingo trail. where 1 might to hat' hien t,r hut for a great tunnat infirmity," "Y,u eeern above, 'beyond, superior to all infirmity, Pathfinder; I never vet :ret with a man who appeared t he so litfie'liablc to the weaknesses of nature:" "If you mean in the way of health and strength, Mabel, Providence has been kind to me: though I fancy the open air, long hunts active scoutings, forest fare, and the sleep of a gond conscience, may always keep the doc- tors at a distance. But iI am amnia!) after all; yes, I find I'm very human in some of my feelings." 'Mabel looked surprised, and it would he no more than delineatinng the ,character of her sex, if we added that her sweet countenance expressed a ;good deal of curiosity, too, though her tongue was more discreet. ''There is something 'bewitching in this wild life of yours, :Pathfinder,'' she exclaimed a tinge of etttdtnstasue mantling her cheek;. '1 'final I'm fast getting to be a frontier girl. and art coming ing 'to love Iris grand silence of the woods. The t0''h'ne seem tante to ane; and s r.,; father w 11 probably pass the remainder of his days here. where he iias already lived so long. I begin to inel that I should 'ire happy PAGE SIX tuff. d,' 1?» t Ge't+�I ill': UAW The to ar la claim it; I' parr. which 'vas to land con- sisted 'n -.i ec c: Sergeant t?unham his daughter. and .he Pathfinder. Accuse- •omed to the canoe. Mabel took her neat in thecentre with great steadi ness. her father was placed in the 'bows. while the .guide assumed the of- fice of conductor, by steering in the sterna There was little need of impell- ing the canoe by means of the paddle, for the rollers sent it forward at mom - tote with a :violence that set every 'ef- fort :to govern its movements at def- iance. More than once, before the shore was reached. tMaibel repented of her temerity, but Pathfinder encour- aged her. and really manifested so much selfipossession, coolness, and strength of arm himself, that even a female might have hesitated about owning all 'her apprehensions. Our heroine was no coward; and while she felt the novelty of her situation, in landing through a surf, she also ex- perienced a fair proportion of its wild delight. At moments, indeed, her heart was in het- mouth, as the Ibebible of a 'boat floated on the very crest of a foaming breaker. appearing to shim the water like a swallow, and then she rushed and laughed, as, left by the glancing element, they appeared to linger !behind as if ashamed of having been outdone in the headlong race. !A few minutes sufficed for this excite- ment; for though the distance bet- ween the cutter and the land consid- erably exceeded a quarter of a mile the intermediate space was passed in a very few minutes. On landing, the Sergeant kissed his daughter kindly, for he was so much of a soldier as always to feel more at home on terra firma than when afloat, and, taking his gun he announced his intention to pass an hour in quest of game. "Pathfinder will remain near you, girl, and no doubt he will tell you of the traditions of this part of the world. or some of his own experiences with the Mingos." The guide 'laughed promised to have a care of Mabel. and in a few minutes the father had ascended a steep acclivity and disappeared in the freest. The others took another direct- eviti•zh. after a ew minutes of a r;.ascent also. brought theist to a .sail naked point cm the promontory, 1. ere td,e eye overlooked nit c•xtfns- n d very peculiar panorama. Isere <.. -e' :toil herself .,15 a fragment tahet. rock to recover her 'breath strength,while her companion. +-., ae'st sinews nc. ;-rsonai . a xertit.n r+et: to make any impression, .stood et eer side. leaning in his own and not ..tazraceinl manner on hits long rifle. eeeeral mimes passed and neither evoke tMabil narticttla , ,tieing lost admiration of the eiew. he position the two had obtained sas sufficiently elevated to command .side reach of the lake. which s,ret- ray towards the north-west in sheet. glittering beneath a ..f an afternoon's sun, and. et ,hetrtiedng the retrains of that au - on • hien it had endured while Pser; fry the late tempest. The land iet 'tic...Inds to its limits in a huge eres- e t. r.ieappearing in distance' towards south-east and the north, Far as the Eye could reach, nothing but for- e.; ti.ible, not even a solitary e gr: of civilization breaking in on the trifar.nt and grand magnificence of attire. The gale had driven the Scud beyond the line of those .forts with which the French were then endeav- r.uring to gird the English North Am- erican possessions: for, following the c'hanne'ls of 'communication between the great lakes, 'their posts were on the (banks of the !Niagara,. while otir adventurers had reached a point many leagues westward of that celebrated strait. The cutter rode at single aneh- or. without the 'breakers resembling some weal imae ined and accurately- -a a c t -toy, intended rather for a glass—case than Inc straggles with the elements which she Marl so lately gone through. while the canoe lay on the narrow 'leach just gnat of reach of the waves that came ac `atiting upon the land, a speck Hro~ the shingles. les. (,\e are ,very .a. .:.e f,_„i human THE SEAFORTH NEWS to continue with him, ,..:.I t:nt to re- turn to the sea -shore." "'Die tau'>d' are never silent, ,i\liJl el to such as mderst:atd their meaning. Days al a time .have I trat•dled therm al"ne, without feeling the want of company: and, as for conversation, for .such a - can comprehend their u,.nagt .there is no want of rational :ma instructive discourse." +I think you are happier when alone Pathfinder. than when mingling with your fellow -crew tures." "'I will not say that, I will not say ::idly the t. I have seen the time w111 I nave thought •that Clod wa- .iciritt .,'r me in the forest, and -.,r. I hate craved no more than FIis "linty and ;His .care, But -other feel- _= have got uppermost, and 1 stilt- • „-e tiattir' will have its tray, Al' ':',et' creatures - urate, -Mabel, and it aas intended 015111 should do so too." ":10,1 hate yon never 'bethought on 01 seeking a wife, Pathfinder, to share your fortunes:" inquired the girl, with the directness and sint!plic- its that the .pure of heart and the un- deeigtting .are the most apt to mani- fest, and wth that ,feeling ng of affection ction which is inbred in Iter sex. 'To me it seeut, you only w'an' a 110 ate to re- turn to from your wandering to rend - your life completely 'happy. t\Vere 11 a man, it would the my delight to roam through these forests at will, or to sail over this 'beautiful lake." I understand you, Malbel; and •God !bless yott for thinking Of the welfare of men as humble as we are. We have our pleasures it is true, as well as our gifts, but we .might be happier; yes, 1.'do think we might' he happier," 'cilappierl in what tray, 'Pathfinder? Ih this pure air, with these cool and shaded forests to wander through, this lovely lake to gaze fit and sail upon, with clear consciences, and ab- undance for all their real wants, men ought to be nothing less than as per- fectly 'happy as their infirmities will 1'1]01:" "Every creatur' ,has its gifts, Mabel, and .Wren have theirs," answered the guide, lodkinlg stealthly at his beauti- ful .companion, whose cheeks had flushed and eyes 'brightened under the ardour of feelings excited Iby the nov- elty of her striking situation; "and all must dbey them. Do you see yon- der pigeon that is just a'ligittin' on she ibeach--'here in a line with the .fallen chestnut?" "'Certainly; it is the ottly thing stir- ring with life in it, besides ourselves, that is to be seen in 'this vast solit- ude." "Not so, 1\Iabei, not so: !Providence makes nothing that lives to live quite alone. 'Here is its mate, just rising on the wing: it has been !feeding near the other !beach, but it will not long be separated ,froth its companion," "I understand you, Pathfinder." re- turned Mabel, smiling sweetly, 'though as calmly as if the discourse was with her father, °'Batt a hunter may find a mate, even in this wild region. The Indian girls are affectionate and true, I know; for sntc'h was the wife of Ar- rowhead. to a hus'b'and who oftener frowned than smiled. "That.would never do, ,Mabel, and ,good would never come of it. 'Kind must cling to kind, and country to country, if one would find happiness, If, indeed, I could meet with one like you. who would consent to: he a'hunt- my ignor,tnzc and rudeness, then, in- deed, ac,nld all the lod of tie past al' - pear like :hi .sporting t,f the young deer, and all the future like sunshine." "One like. nae! A girl of -my years and indiscretion woa'ld hardly maid a lit compaction for the !boldest scout on the lines," " tit \dabs]! I fear me that 1 have been improving tt red skin's gifts with i, pale -face's nataar':° Such a character would insure a wife in an indian village." "Surely, surely, Pathfinder, you would tint think of choosing one so ignorant. so .frivolous, so vain, and s" inexperienced tis 1 for your trite: llae1 would have added, "and as young;" bat an instinctive feeling of delicacy repressed tic word;, ":Ind why not, I\lahel? If yon are ignorant of frontier usages, you knot\ more than all cif us of'pleasant tunic es and town cat5411115' as for friv- olous, I -know not what it nteatta; ;inrt if it signifies theauty, al's me! I fear it is no faultin my eyes, 'Vain y'ott are not, as is seen by the :kind manner in which you listen to all my idle tales about ct nucs and trails; and for eat t nience. that will come with years. Besides, !Mabel, T fear men think little of these matters when they are about to take wives: d do." "Path'fhider, your words,—your looks —surely, all this is meant in trifling; you speak its pleasantry'?" "To me it is always agreealble to Ibe near you, Mabel; and I should sleep sounder this 'blessed night than II have done for a 'w'ee'k tpast, could S think that you 'find such discourse as pleas- ant as I do." !We shall not say that Mabel Dun- ham had not 'believed herself a fav- ourite with the ,guide, This 'her 'quick feminine sagacity bad early discover- ed; and perhaps sagacity; had occasionally thought there had ntingted with his regard and friendship some of that manly tenderness which the ruder sex must Ibe coarse, indeed, not to show on oocasions to the gentler; hent the idea that he seriously sought her ifor his 'cs4fe had never 'before crossed the mind of 't'he spirited and ingenuous girl. Now, however, a 'gleam of some- thing like the truth !broke in upon her imagination, 'less induced Iby the words of her companion, perhaps, than Iby his manner. T.iooking earnest- ly into -the bugged, honest counten- ance of the scoot, Mathes own feat- ures 'became concerned and 'grave; and when she 'spoke again, it was with a gentleness of manner that at- tracted him to her even more power- fully 'than the swords themselves were calculated to repel, "You and 'I ahouid 'understand each other, 'Pathfinder," said she with an earnest sincerihy; ""nor should there Ibe any cloud !between us. You are too upright and frank to meet with any- thing 'but sincerity and frankness fn return, Surely, surely, all 'this means nothing, has no other connection with your feelings than such a :friendship as one of your wisdom and character would naturally feel •fhr et ;girl like Inc?" "I tbelieve it's all natural, Mailtel:. yes, T do: the Serigeant tells ate he had such feelings towards your own mother, and I think I'.ve seen sonte- thing like it in the young people I have front time to time 'guided through the wilderness. Yes, ves, I er's wife, and who :would not scorn daresay it's all nafral enough, and that Hakes it come so easy, and is a great comfort to me," "Pathfinder, your -wands stake me uneasy, (Speak plainer, or change the. subject for over. You do not, cannot mean that—you cannot wish nate to autdtr-tancl"---even the tongue of the spirited Mabel faltered, and she shrank with maiden shame, front ad- ding what site wished se earnestly to say.. }tallying her courage, however, and determined to know a'li as soma as plainly its :possible, after a mom- ent's hesitation, she continued,—'1. mean, Pathfinder, that you do not u'istt Inc 111 understand that you -'t•r- iotrsly think of tate as a wile?" "1 do, Mabel; that's just it; and yon have ,prat the matter in a Hauch better point of 'view than I with my forest gifts and frontier ways would ever the able to do. The Sergeant and I have concluded on the matter, if it is ag- reeable to you, a$ he tltin'ks is likiy to be the case; though d donlbt my OW11 power to please Otte tvho deser- ves the best husband America can produce." hlf bcls countenance changed from uneasiness' to surprise; and then, :by a transition still quicker, front surprise to pain. '`.fly father!" she exclaimed, --"'any dear father has .thought of my becom- ing ycsut' wife, Pathfinder?" "Yes, he has, 1'1'albel he has, in- deed. Be has even thought such a thing Haight the agreeable .to tyou, and has almost encouraged me to fancy it :tight .be true." "$utt you alelutreclf,—youicetltlaittlly can care nothing whether this singul- ar expectation shall ever Ibe realized or Hat?" ,`Arran?" "a mean ,Patlifinler, that you have taiked of this match more to oblige any father than anything else; that your feelings are no way concerned, let my answer be what it array?" The scout looked earnestly into the Iheaattifud face of IMalbel, which had flushed with ardour and novelty of her sensations, and it was not'possilble to mistake the intense admiration that (betrayed itself in •every lineament of his ingenuous countenance. 'I have often thought myself happy Ddalbel, When ranging the woods on a successful hunt, :breathing ,the pore air of the hills, and filled with vigour and health; but I now 'know that it has all been ildeness and vanity compared with the delight it would give me to know that you thought 'better of me than you think of most others." ",Better of you]—I do, indeed, think !better of you, 'Path'finder, than of most others: I ant not certain that 1 do not think (better of you ,than of any other; for your truth, 'honesty, simplicity, (justice and courage are scarcely equalled 'by any of earth." "A'h, Mabel, these are sweet and encouraging words 'from youl and the Sengeant, after all was not so near wrong as I feared." "Nay, ,Pathfinder, in the name Of all that is sacred and just, do not let us misunderstand each other in a n'at- ter of so much importance. ",While !I esteem, respect, nay, reverence you, almost as mach as 'I reverence my own dear father, it is impossible that T should ever ]become ,your wife—that I—„ Notice to Creditors, 3 wks. for $2,50 Gui::unter Check Books; e Are Selling Quality Books 'Books are Well Made, Carbon is Olean and Copies Readily. All styles, Carbon Leaf and Black Back. Prices as Low as You Can Get Anywhere. Get our Quotation on Your Next Order. • The Seaforth News SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, THURSDAY, JULY 17, 1941 PROFESSIONAL CARDS MEDICAL SEAFORTH CLINIC Dr. E. A, McMaster, M.B., Graduate of University of Toronto, Paul L. Brady, MD, Graduate of University of Toronto, The Clinic ie fully equipped with complete and moderu x-ray and other up-to-date diagnostic and thereuptic equipment. Dr. F. J. R. Forster, Specialist in Diseases of the Ear, Eye, Nose and Throat, will be at the Clinic the first Tuesday in every month from 4 to 6 p.m. Free well -baby clinic will be held on the second and last Thursday 15 every month from 1 to 2 p.m. JOHN A. GORWILL, B.A.,M.D, Physician and Surgeon In Dr. H. H, Ross'' office. Phone 6J DR. F. J. R. FORSTER Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Graduate in Medicine, University of Toronto, Late Assistant New York Ophthalmic and Aural Institute, Moorefield's Bye, and Golden Square throat hospitals, London, Eng, At Commercial Hotel, Seaforth, third Wednesday in each month from 2 to 4 p.m. Also at Seaforth Clinic first Tuesday in each month. -63 Waterloo St, Stratford. Telephone 267. AUCTIONEER GORDON M. GRANT, Licensed Auctioneer for the County of Huron, Arrangements can be made for Sale Date at the Seaforth News, or by writing Gordon M. Grant, Goderich Charges moderate and satisfaction guaranteed. F. W. AHRENS, Licensed Auction• eer for Perth and Huron Counties Sales Solicited. Terms on Application. Farm Stock, chattels and real estate props*ty. R. R. No, 4, Mitchell, Phone 634 r 6. Apply at this office, HAROLD JACKSON Licensed in Huron and Perth coun- ties. Prices reasonable; satisfaction guaranteed. For information, write or phone Harold Jackson, phone 14 on 661; R. R.4, Seaforth. EDWARD W. ELLIOTT, Licensed Auctioneer for Huron. Correspond, ence promptly answered. Immediate arrangements can be made for Sale Date by calling Phone 203, Clinton. Charges moderate and satisfaction guaranteed, Watson & Reid REAL ESTATE AND INSURANCE AGENCY (Successors to James Watson) MAIN ST„ SEAFORTH, ONT. All kinds of Insurance risks effect- ed at lowest rates in First -Class Companies. The McKillop Mutual Fire Insurance Co. HEAD OFFICE—SEAFORTH, Ont. OFFICERS President, Wm. Knox, Londesboro Vice President, W. R. Archibald Seaforth; Secretary Treasurer, M. A Reid, Seaforth, AGENTS F, McKercher, R, R.1, Dublin; Johe. E. Pepper, R, R. 1, Brucefield; J. 1?. Prueter, Brorlhagen; James Watt Blyth; Aldred Yeo, Holmesville. DIRECTORS Alex Broadfoot, Seaforth; William Knox, Londesboro; Chris Leonhardt, Dublin; E. J. Trewartha, Clinton; Thomas Moylan, Seaforth; W. R. Archibald, Seaforth; Alex McBwing, Blyth; Frank McGregor, Clinton; Hugh Alexander, Walton. Parties desirous to effect insurance or transact other business, will be promptly attended to by applications to any of the above named officers addressed to their respective post offices. TONS OF ODD SWEETMEAT A curious Yorkshire sweetmeat, Pontefract "cakes", is growing in popularity overseas, It looks like a black coinfor it carries a stamp by which it has been known since the days of George III, These tiny "cakes" are made from liquorice, a plant brought to the South Yorkshire town in the 16th century, A hundred years later, one George Dunhill . made the first Pontefract "cakes" by mixing the extract from boiled liquorice roots with sugar and other ingredients. Since then the number of these round black sweets sent overseas has reached an astronomical total, Tho United States .and Canada in parti- cular are taking even more of them than they did before the was: a huge consignment weighing five tons has recently been shipped to Canada. Want and For Sale Ads, 1. week 25c