A Little Girl in Old Detroit

ody and then bring back a faint echo. It was a great holiday with the French. The early mass was thronged, somehow the virtue seemed gr

and should be confirmed," since M. Bellestre had some objections and insisted that Jeanne should n

been baptized she should be confirmed," said Father Rame

with a strange confidence, "an

n a chil

a very good man. And, M'sieu, some who come to mass, to their shame be

that doesn't l

me yet. This time a lon

d she heard about the betrothal. The house had been crowded with guests an

deeply hurt that she should be left out.

ther emphatically. "And no one knows whether she has any

erything so that she quite misled her nurse into thinking that she really did not care. Then she made Pani tell some

one of the beautiful caves where there are

ests. There are no birds in the waters. And fi

t Berthê Campeau is going to Quebec to become a nun and be shut out of it. How can you praise God for things you do not see and cannot enjoy? And is it such a good

ead. The child h

au afterward. She will be very lonely.

" with a

onsieur Bellestre wants

nod

ater's edge had fallen in. There was a little bend in the river, and it

up. The sun had gone down and there were

ed, "do not hug the shore

and he flashed on, his paddle

!" with eag

oe turned over and floated out of

t was a fallen tree. It was so d

em. "I wonder if you can

the canoe there." She was afraid to risk taking h

u. Yes, that

ing. Jeanne propelled her canoe along and drove the other in to shore,

heeded your warning or asked you what

extra one

end certainly.

d leaped adroitly into it. She was

dangerous thin

must have recently fallen in. The

" and he laughed. "I do not mind a wetting. As for the lost paddle that will bre

Angelot," sh

-do know you a little. My fat

ave a little c

for you. I was coming

nne. We ought to go a little faster," said Pani

d to-morrow I shall be glad to come and

d Jeanne, with a

ys often did, in a sort of carouse. Men were playing on fiddles, crowds of men and boys were dancing. By some flaring light others were playing c

e. "And to think Monsieur St. Armand has sent me a message! Do you suppose he is in

ani, as if it wer

and, where the English come from. I should think they would-it is such a little place. Ever

have som

nto the river. And it was funny! If he had heeded what

ater is so clear that it can easily be seen in

ation. She was in exuberant s

as playing. There was no moon, but the stars were bright and glittering in strange tints. Now and then a party rather merry with wine and

ins to be drawn. Some obstreperous soldiers were marched to the guardhouse. Some drunken revel

erved. There was a certain respect paid to law and the new rulers were not so arbitrary as the English had

aster how it was, and he will pardon me. And I will get two lessons to-morrow, so t

non a merry whistle that one might fancy came from the woods. She ran out and in, she looked up and down the narrow street with its crooks

ame running up to greet her; to

e, and I said, 'By the time thou art old enough to marry she will have a houseful of babies, perhaps she will give you her first daughter,' and he replied, 'I shall not wait that length of time. There are st

nodded

at father beat him. And Monsieur Beeson and mother nearly quarreled over the kind of learning girls should have. He said every one should know how to read and writ

it kept a wider distinction between the classes. But the jolly, merry Frenchman, used to the tradition of royalty, cared little. His place was at the end of the line and he enjoyed the freedom. He would not have

onist from New England made this a specialty. As soon as possible in a new settlement schools were est

r patience was almost exhausted. She was struck with a

uld not keep my wor

er did," she a

urageous and honorable men in the world. But you know I have not met everybody," laughing and showing white, even t

ps my handling of the canoe did not impress you with the idea of superior knowledge, but I have

branches like so many clinging arms, and it was getting pu

You see the paddle caught and over I went. But the first thing this morning some boatmen

e chilly now along the river's edge. The sun s

. I have been a traveler, too. It w

gely solitary. "Your father, Monsieur, is in F

in New York, from which place we set sail, though the journey is a somewhat dangerous one now, wh

ch of disappointment. It gave a be

are never long apart. We a

er-" she asked

when she died. But my father keeps her in mi

ed leathern case with silver mou

ming women such as men like for companions. It will be hard and tiresome, but she must persevere and learn to write so that she can send me a letter, which I shall prize very highly. Give her my blessing and say she must become a true American and honor the country of

ing about and the pen would go twenty ways as if there was an evil sprite in my fingers. But I shall keep on although it is very tiresome and I have such a longing to be out in the fields and

d some day. Then I may take a good account to hi

y glad to. And he will write m

ses. And I shall tell him you are happy an

what makes the strange feeling. It does not come often, and perhaps when I have learned more it will van

studied the beautiful eyes with their frank innocence, the dainty mouth and chin,

father's blessing. We shall return to America and fi

moment to give up M. Belle

sed his lips upon it with the

softly. "Pani, wa

ead with a deeper fee

chattering demoiselles, their proudly held heads, their dignity, their soft voices, their air of elegance and refinement, all this Jeanne Angelot felt but could not have put into words, not even into thought. And this young man was over on that side. Oh,

m his lips had been, what a gentle touch! She pressed her own l

ming about, Jeanne?

erstand; now she felt the keen, far-reaching difference between them, between her and the De Bers, and Lou

ehension, and Jeanne's love of nature was so overwhelming. Then the autumn at the West was so glowing, s

was dismissing some scholars kept in until their slow wits had m

, "a grasshopper who takes long strides, a bee who goes buzzing, a glad, gay bird who says to his mate, 'Come, let us go to the unknown land and spen

ill spend the whole afternoon in the woods. Thou shalt cons

ter took out his luncheon. He was not overpaid, he had no fam

aize are so good, and no one cooks fish with such a taste an

Indian woman gi

homever I like;"

thou like

t I know, too, they deserve it. And you speak so sharp! I used to jump when I heard it, but now I only give a little start, and sometimes just

then for a loaded wheelbarrow, or two men carrying a big plank on their shoulders, or a heavy burt

d fish toasted before the coals ever tasted so good? The sagamite he had learned to tolerat

, one could see the shine of the river, the distant lake, the undulations where the tall trees did not cut it off. Crows were chattering and sc

ies where you have been," and Jeanne dropped

, he thought he had never seen a fairer sight than this. It warmed and ch

d firs with their rough dark tops were like great Indian wigwams and were enough to terrify the beholder. Sharp, shrill cries at night of fox and wolf, the rustle of the deer and the slo

red with buffalo or bear hide, and winter garments were brought out. Even inside the palisade one could see a great change in apparel and adornment. The booths were no longer invitingly open, but here and there were inns and

some special occasion. There was husking corn and shelling it, there were meats and fish to be salt

ld Detroit changed very little under the new régime. There was some delightful social life around the older or, rather, more aristocratic part of the town, where several titled Eng

nowballing, there were sledging, swift traveling on skates and snowshoes, and if the days were short the long evenings were full of good cheer, though many a gruesome story was told

r face to face and sometimes did not notice her at all. Marie was very important when she recovered from the surprise that a man sh

out his hand, which was a sign that he would come soon. And, Ros

," and Rose tosse

re was a dock and a rough sort of basin, quite a boat yard, for Antoine Beeson had not yet aspired to anything very grand in ship building. They pulled out the great fur rugs and han

dance," and he gave his broad, hearty lau

looked amaze