Dick's Desertion: A Boy's Adventures in Canadian Forests / A Tale of the Early Settlement of Ontario

from the

idery of earliest green things which heralded the swift, brief, infinitely caressing spring of the north. Gone also was peace and happiness from Stephanie's heart, and the k

and piping through the sunny wonderland of the woods, and still neither Dick nor his dark-faced tempter reappeared, Stephanie lost hope, and even cheery Mr. Collinson could give her little comfort in this strait. "He's sure to come back, my dear," he

armer had carefully schooled himself to view the matter in its best light-and indeed there were many and great excuses for Dick-but sometimes even he meditated upon the probable consequences of finding himself confronting the runaways with a stout cane or sapling in his hand. Yet, in spite of all, he was as fond of Dick as ever, ungrateful though the lad had shown himself to be; and

re bitter sting in her trouble than this. She was utterly humiliated. She had relied on Dick's affection for herself, but above all upo

that as it may, poor Stephanie felt for a long time that, while she had love and forgiveness for her brother in plenty, she could have little trust or pride in him. "I don't think I should mind anything,

Indian wretch knows the country as few do, and they're both used to wood-wandering, the naughty boys. Oh, he 's safe enough, if that were all you have to worry about." But perhaps at the bottom of their hearts n

g. Practically, young Underwood has put his life into the Indian's hands, and I doubt whether that clever little brown villain values the said life enough to take very good care of it. However, ther

on oracularly. And her husband screwed up his face as in preparation for

that cut through the fields, returning to the homestead with great store of frail, exquisite arbutus, and the starry hepaticas, blue, pink, and white, nested in

it trees lost their snow of blossom. Sturdier, less shadowy flowers replaced the bloodroot and hepatica. The birds were busier. All about the homestead w

would return eventually, she firmly believed, drawn back by his affection for her. And as the weeks went on, she set herse

with a great show of cheerfulness, when Stephanie had been quieter or sa

ome? Suppose I wait for years, and still he does not come? I know I 'm silly, but you don't know-you can't know what he was to me. I hate

ing, I know. But many lives seem to be made up of waiting and prayings of which we don't see the end-more hopeless waiting and praying than yours. For, after all, such things are in higher hands than ours. And if we

love of the wilds. That did not make the pain of disappointment and anxiety any the less. But as time went on, the sincere and simple faith of the Collinson homestead taught Stephanie an abiding l

, and wild strawberries were nearly ripe. And still no word of Dick or Peter Many-Names. The day after the sugar-making was finished

was so surrounded by affection, and so much occupied by work, that she had no opportunit

Collinson, "but how long, how long will it be? It s

are moments afterwards, she had hurried down to the edge of that ravine which ran up through the fields to the very farm buildings themselves. It had been her wont of late to haunt the edge of the clearing

e is no more lovely time of the year than June, when things are ripened to full beauty, and yet young, when each tree has still its own individual shade of green

g, think nothing, but that he had left her, his only sister. Those feelings were softened now; softened with the sure though gradual growth of her trust and faith in that love deeper than her own, which could guard and care for her brother through all things. But she longed for a sigh

her. He was tall, and his dark, bright face showed his mixed French and Indian descent; he was almost fantastically dressed in fringed deerskins and quaint finery, and the cap which he raised was decorated with feathers. But Stephanie had seen such trappers before in the old days, a

NY PACKAGE, WRAPP

IRING GLANCE

phrases of gratitude and comfort and endearing words-she scarcely knew what. When she came to herself a little, the trapper had gone, as he had come, in utter silence. She tore off the outer

were with me now! I never thought the world could be so beautiful, and I feel as if I were living now for the first time. I 'm sorry and miserable, of course; but I wish you were here to see the trees and the skies and the rivers that I am gr

lised what Dick's struggle must have been, realised also what was his passionate love of freedom. She felt the tears wet on her cheeks-tender, forgiving tears-a

e fire, apart from Peter Many-Names, scrawling those hurried words of affection and penitence and boyish delight; and then wrapping th

o realise so little the deeper meaning of his action, and evidently regarded it as a child might regard a delightful but naughty escape from s

the woods," she cried almost merrily; "a trapper came out of the woods and handed it to me like a messenger i

he said tenderly, "he does not forget." Then he fell silent, reading and re-rea

his wife aside, and spoke to her in his gruff whisper. "We must keep up Steenie's heart,

phanie think that,"

onfident. Dick did not forget her, and she could

nt patience, comforted and strengthened, not to be shaken i

ile, how ha