one?" she asked. "There is only Stiffy
and Mahooly, the traders. The gov'ment won't let the police to marry."

"Wait," said Musq'oosis impressively. "More white men are coming. Many
white men are coming."

"I can't wait," complained Bela rebelliously. "Soon I be old."

"Some are here already," he added.

She looked at him questioningly.

"Las' week," he went on, "the big winds blow all the ice down the
lake. It is calm again. The sun is strong. So I put my canoe in the
water and paddle out. Me, I can't walk ver' good. Can't moch ride a
horse. But my arm's strong. When I yo'ng, no man so strong lak me on a
paddle. So I paddle out on the lake. Smell sweet as honey; shine lak
she jus' made to-day. Old man feel lak he was yo'ng too.

"Bam-by far across the lake I see little bit smoke. Wa! I think, who
is there now? I look, I see the sky is clean as a scraped skin. I
think no wind to-day. So I go across to see who it is. I go to
Nine-Mile Point where your fat'er built a house long time ago. You
know it. Wa! Wa! There is five white men stopping there, with moch
horses and wagons, big outfit. Rich men.

"So I spell wit' them a while. They mak' moch fun. Call me ol' black
Joe. Feed me ver' good. We talk after. They say gov'ment goin' measure
all the land at the head of lake this summer and give away to farmers.
So they come to get a piece of land. They are the first of many to
come. Four strong men, and anot'er who cooks for them. They got wait
over there till ice on the shore melt so they drive around."

"All right. I will marry one of them," announced Bela promptly.

"Wait!" said Musq'oosis again, "there is moch to be said."

"Why you not tell me when you come back?" she demanded.

"I got think first what is best for you."

"Maybe they got girls now," she suggested, frowning.

"No girls around the lake lak you," he stated.

She was mollified.

"Do everything I tell you or you mak' a fool!" he remarked
impressively.

"Tell me," she asked amenably.

"Listen. White men is fonny. Don't think moch of somesing come easy.
If you want get white man and keep him, you got mak' him work for you.
Got mak' him wait a while. I am old. I have seen it. I know."

Bela's eyes flashed imperiously. "But I want him now," she insisted.

"You are a fool!" said Musq'oosis calmly. "If you go after him, he
laugh at you. You got mak' out you don' want him at all. You got mak'
him run after _you_."

Bela considered this, frownin