dis day," said the Frenchman. "He's good man, an' he
ain' never goin' to hurt her none." He paused. "Dere's jus' wan t'ing I
want for ask it of you, John--you 'member dat day we stop on de birch
grove, an' you spik 'bout her an' tol' me dose story 'bout her moder?
Wal, I was dreamin' dat tam', so I'm goin' ask it you now don' never
tell her w'at I said."

"Doesn't she know, my boy?"

"No; I ain' never spoke 'bout love. She t'inks I'm broder wit' her,
an'--dat's w'at I am, ba Gar!" He could not hold his voice even--it
broke with him; but he avoided the old man's gaze. Gale took him by the
shoulders.

"There ain't nothing so cruel in the world as a gentle woman," said he;
"but she wouldn't hurt you for all the world, Poleon; only the blaze of
this other thing has blinded her. She can't see nothing for the light
of this new love of hers."

"I know! Dat's w'y--nobody onderstan's but you an' me--"

Gale looked out through the open door, past the sun-lit river which
came from a land of mystery and vanished into a valley of
forgetfulness, past the forest and the hills, in his deep-set eyes the
light of a wondrous love that had lived with him these many weary
years, and said:

"Nobody else CAN understand but me--I know how it is. I had even a
harder thing to bear, for you'll know she's happy at least, while I--"
His voice trembled, but, after a pause, he continued: "They neither of
them understand what you've done for them, for it was you that brought
her back; but some time they'll learn how great their debt is and thank
you. It'll take them years and years, however, and when they do they'll
tell their babes of you, Poleon, so that your name will never die. I
loved her mother, but I don't think I could have done what you did."

"She's purty hard t'ing, for sure, but I ain' t'ink 'bout Poleon Doret
none w'en I'm doin' it. No, I'm t'ink 'bout her all de tarn'. She's
li'l' gal, an' I'm beeg, strong feller w'at don' matter much an' w'at
ain' know much--'cept singin', an' lovin' her. I'm see for sure now dat
I ain' fit for her--I'm beeg, rough, fightin' feller w'at can't read,
an' she's de beam of sunlight w'at blin' my eyes."

"If I was a fool I'd say you'd forget in time, but I've lived my life
in the open, and I know you won't. I didn't."

"I don' want to forget," the brown man cried, hurriedly. "Le bon Dieu
would not let me forget--it's all I've got to keep wit' me w'en I'm
lookin' for my 'New Countree.'"

"You're