trappers to the south was finished, but because he had suffered a hurt
in falling from a slippery ledge. When Jan, from his wood-chopping in
the edge of the forest, saw the team race up to the little cabin and a
strange Cree half carry the wounded man through the door, he sped
swiftly across the open with visions of new misfortune before him.

What he saw when he reached the door was reassuring. Cummins was upon
his knees beside the cot, his big shoulders hunched over, and Melisse
was welcoming him with her whole vocabulary of sound. The injury to
Cummins' leg was not serious; and not being serious, it was accepted
as a special incident of Providence by Jan, for the new thoughts that
had come into his head were causing him great uneasiness.

He lost no time in revealing his fears, after Maballa had been sent to
the factor's wife. With graphic gesture he told of what had happened.
Cummins hobbled to the door to look upon the wallows in the snow, and
hobbled back to the table when Jan ran there in excited imitation of
the way in which he had found the little Melisse in Maballa's sling.

"She ees ceevilize!" finished Jan hotly. "She ees not papoose! She
mus' be lak--HER!" His great eyes shone, and Cummins felt a thickening
in his throat as he looked into them and saw what the boy meant.
"Maballa mak papoose out of Melisse. She grow--know not'ing, lak
papoose, talk lak papoose--"

Jan's feelings overwhelmed his tongue. His shining hair rumpled
thickly about his face as he leaned anxiously toward Cummins; and
Cummins, in turn, stared down in dumb perplexity upon the joyful
kickings and wrigglings of the growing problem.