suffusions of the sunshine, was metamorphosed to the wide spread of the
Tennessee River, with the noon-day blaze on its burnished expanse of
ripples; and grand'maman had long since ceased her ministry of soothing
and consolation, and found her own comfort in the peace and quiet of the
grave. And ere Odalie could suffer more than a pang to realize that she
was so far from that grave, her head drooped once more--she was asleep.

No; she was awake, awake and splendid in a white dress, her beautiful
bridal dress in which she had looked a very queen, with her
grand'maman's pearl necklace, itself an heirloom, about her white
throat. And so, standing at the altar of the little church with
Alexander, and much light about her, and a white dress, oh, very
white--and suddenly! all the church is stricken to darkness. No; there
is light again!

It was a flash from a thunder cloud, reflected in sinister, forked lines
in the Tennessee River, so that they seemed in the very midst of the
lightning, until it vanished into the darkness of a lowering black sky,
that overhung the water and made all the woods appear bleak and
leafless, though here and there still a red tree blazed. The world was
drearier for these grim portents of storm, for all the way hitherto fair
weather had smiled upon their progress. Still she could not heed--she
did not care even when the rain came down and pitilessly beat upon her
white face; she did not know when Fifine crept under the shawl which
Hamish threw around her, and that the frightened little girl held to her
tight with both arms around her waist, while the pioneer cat very
discreetly nestled down in the basket on Josephine's back. She was not
roused even by loud voices when later a pettiaugre, a much larger boat
than theirs, pulled alongside with eight or ten warriors and remained in
close and unremitting conversation with Willinawaugh for several miles.
Poor Hamish could hardly sustain himself. He felt practically alone.
Odalie was, he thought, on the verge of death from exhaustion and
realized naught of her surroundings. His brother had been left in these
wild woods with a party of savages, who were as likely to murder him for
a whim or for the treasures of the bales which the packhorses carried,
as to respect the safe conduct of Willinawaugh and the supposed
character of French traders. This, Hamish was aware, hardly sufficed
now, so unrestrained was the ferocity of the glances cast upon them by
the I