gs come from France. And if the poor mother
was dead--"

"There are so many orphans, Monsieur. Kind people take them in. I know
of some who have been restored to their families. It is my dream to
gather them in one home and train them to useful lives. It may come if
we have peace for a while."

"She has a trusty guardian in you."

"If I could decide her fate, Monsieur. Truly she is a child of the
Church, but she is wild and would revolt at any abridgment of her
liberty. We may win her by other means. Pani is a Christian woman though
with many traits of Indian character, some of the best of them,"
smiling. "It cannot be that the good Father above will allow any of his
examples to be of none effect. Pani watches over her closely and loves
her with untiring devotion. She firmly upholds M. Bellestre's right and
believes he will return. The money to support them is sent to M. Loisel,
the notary, and he is not a churchman. It is a pity so many of out brave
old fathers should die for the faith and the children not be gathered in
one fold. In Father Bonaventure's time it was not so, but the English
had not come."

The good priest sighed and began folding up the articles.

"Father Gilbert believes in a stricter rule. But most of the people have
years of habit that they put in the place of faith. Yet they are a good,
kindly people, and they need some pleasures to compensate for their hard
lives. They are gay and light-hearted as you have no doubt seen, but
many of them are tinctured with Indian superstitions as well. Then for a
month, when the fur traders come in, there is much drinking and
disorder. There have been many deep-rooted prejudices. My nation cannot
forgive the English for numberless wrongs. We could always have been
friends with the Indians when they understood that we meant to deal
fairly by them. And we were to blame for supplying them with fire water,
justly so called. The fathers saw this and fought against it a century
ago. Even the Sieur Cadillac tried to restrict them, though he did not
approve the Jesuits. Monsieur, as you may have seen, the Frenchman
drinks a little with the social tendency of his race, the Indian for the
sake of wild expansion. He is a grand hero to himself, then, ready for a
war dance, for fighting, cruelty, rapine, and revenge. I hope the new
nation will understand better how to deal with them. They are the true
children of the forest and the wilderness. I suppose in time they would