"There’splentytotellaboutCanada，"hesaid，"butnotnow。Whatstartedme？Oh，democracy。Yes，itwasyouthatbeganit。
Democracy？Afterall，itisworthwhilethatthepeoplewhoareonedaytofillthiswidelandshouldbetrulydemocratic，trulyfree，andtrulygreat。"
Oncemorethelightbegantoburninhiseyesandinhisface。
"Ah，tohaveahandinthat！"
"Andyou，"shesaidinalowvoice，"youwithallthatinyou，areonlyapreacher。"
"Amissionary，"hecorrected。
"Well，amissionary。Onlyamissionary。"
Disappointmentandscornwerealltooevidentinhervoice。
"ONLYamissionary。Ah，ifIcouldonlybeone。Amissionary！
Withamissionandamessagetomypeople！IfonlyIhadthegiftoftongues，offlaming，burning，illuminatingspeech，ofheart—
compellingspeech！Totellmypeoplehowtomakethiscountrytrulygreatandtrulyfree，howtokeepitfreefromthesordidthings，thecruelthings，theunjust，theunclean，theloathsomethingsthathavedebasedanddegradedtheoldernations，thataredebasinganddegradingevenyouryoung，greatnation。Ah，tobeamissionarywithatongueoffire，withamessageoflight！A
missionarytomypeopletohelpthemtohighandworthyliving，tohelpthemtoGod！ONLYamissionary！Whatwouldyouhaveme？A
money—maker？"
Heturnedswiftlyuponher，amagnetic，compellingpersonality。
Fromthefuriousscorninhisvoiceandinhisflamingfaceshevisiblyshrank，almostasifhehadstruckher。
"No！"shebreathed。"Nothingelse。Onlyamissionary。"
Silentshestood，asifstillunderthespellofhiswords，hereyesdevouringhisface。
"Howyourmotherwouldhavelovedyou，wouldhavebeenproudofyou，"shesaidinalowtone。"Is——istherenooneelseto——torejoiceinyou？"sheaskedshyly，buteagerly。
Helaughedaloud。"There’sdad，dearolddad。"
"Andnooneelse？"Stillwithshy，eagereyessheheldhim。
"Oh，heaps，"hecried，stilllaughing。
Shesmileduponhim，aslightlyuncertainsmile，andyetasifhisanswersomehowsatisfiedher。
"Good—bye，"shesaidimpulsively，offeringherhand。
"Butyouarenotgoing！You’restayingafewdays！"hegasped。
"No，we’regoing。We’regoingrightaway。Goodbye，"shesaid。"I
don’twantthoseotherstosee。Goodbye。Oh，it’sbeenawonderfulmorning！And，——and——afriendisawonderfuldiscovery。"
Herhandheldhisinastrong，warmgrasp，buthereyessearchedhisfaceasifseekingsomethingshegreatlydesired。
"Good—bye。Iamsorryyouaregoing，"hesaid，simply。"Iwanttoknowyoubetter。"
"Doyou？"shecried，withasuddeneagernessinhervoiceandmanner。Then，"No。Youwouldbedisappointed。Iamnotofyourworld。Butyoushallseemeagain，"sheadded，asiftakinganewresolve。"Wearecomingbackonabighunt，andyouandyourfatheraretojoinus。Won’tyou？"
"Dadsaidweshould，"saidtheyouth，smilingattheremembrance。
"Andyou？"shesaid，withatouchofimpatience。
"Ifthingscansoarrangethemselves——mywork，Imean，anddad’s。"
"But，doyouwantto？Doyoureallywantto？"sheasked。"IwishIknew。Ihatenottounderstandpeople。Youarehardtoknow。I
don’tknowyou。Butyouwillcome？"
"Ithinkso，"saidtheyoungman。"Ofcourseafellow’sworkcomesfirst，youknow。"
"Work？"shecried。"Yourwork？Oh，yourmissionarywork。Oh，yes，yes。Ishouldliketoseeyouatit。Come，letusgo。"
Mr。CornwallBrandtheyfoundinafeverofimpatience。Hehadthetripscheduledtoatimetable，andhehatedtobeforcedtochangehisplans。HisimpatienceshoweditselfinsnappycommandsandinquiriestohisIndianguides，who，however，merelygruntedreplies。Theyknewtheirjobanddiditwithoutcommandoradvice，andwithcompleteindifferencetoanythingthewhitemanmighthavetosay。ToPaulatheonlychangeinhismannerwasanexcessofpoliteness。
Herfather，however，metherwithremonstrances。
"Why，Paula，mydear，youhavekeptuswaiting。"
"What’stherush，pater？"sheenquired，coolly。
"Why，mydear，wearealreadybehindourschedule，andyouknowCornwallhatesthat，"hesaidinalowvoice。
"Cornwall！"saidPaula，inaloudvoiceofunmistakableilltemper。
"DoesCornwallrunthisoutfit？"
"MydearPaula！"againremonstratedherfather。
Sheturnedtohimimpatiently，withanangrywordatherlips，caughtuponBarry’sfacealookofsurprise，pausedmidwayinherpassion，thenmovedslowlytowardhim。
"Well，"sheasked，inaneven，coldvoice，"whatdoyouthinkaboutit？Andanyway，"shedroppedhervoicesothatnoneheardbuthimself，"whyshouldyouhaltme？Whoareyou，togivemepausethisway？"
"Onlyamissionary，"heanswered，inanequallylowtone，butwithasmilegentle，almostwistfulonhisface。
Aswithaflashthewrathfulcloudvanished。
"Amissionary，"sherepliedsoftly。"GodknowsIneedone。"
"Youdo，"hesaidemphatically，andstillhesmiled。
"Come，Paula，"calledCornwallBrand。"Weareallwaiting。"
Herfacehardenedathiswords。
"Good—bye，"shesaidtoBarry。"Iamcomingbackagainto——toyourwonderfulCanada。"
"Ofcourseyouare，"saidBarry，heartily。"Theyalldo。"
Hewentwithhertothecanoe，steadiedherasshetookherplace，andstoodwatchingtillthebendintherivershutthemfromview。
"Nicepeople，"saidhisfather。"Veryfine，jollygirl。"
"Yes，isn’tshe？"repliedhisson。
"Handsome，too，"saidhisfather，glancingkeenlyathim。
"Isshe？Yes，Ithinkso。Yes，indeed，very，"headded，asifponderingthematter。"Whendowemove，dad？"
Alookofreliefcrossedthefather’sface。
"Thisafternoon，Ithink。Wehaveonlyafewdaysnow。WeshallrunupBuffaloCreekintotheFoothillsforsometrout。Itwillbealittlestiff，butyouarefitenoughnow，aren’tyou，Barry？"
Hisvoicewastingedwithanxiety。
"Fitforanything，dad，thankstoyou。"
"Nottome，Barry。Toyourselflargely。"
"No，"saidtheboy，throwinghisarmroundhisfather’sshoulder，"thankstoyou，dearolddad，——andtoGod。"
CHAPTERII
ONTHEREDPINETRAIL
OntheRedPinetrailtwomenweredrivinginabuckboarddrawnbyapairofhalf—brokenpintobronchos。Theoutfitwasaratherramshackleaffair，andthedriverwaslikehisoutfit。StewartDuffwasarancher，oncea"remittanceman，"butsincehismarriagethreeyearsagohehadlearnedself—relianceandwasdisciplininghimselfinself—restraint。Abig，leanmanhewas，histhickshouldersandlarge，hairymuscularhandssuggestinggreatphysicalstrength，hisswarthyface，heavyfeatures，coarseblackhair，keendarkeyes，deepsetundershaggybrows，suggestingforceofcharacterwithapossibilityofbrutalityinpassion。Yetwhenhesmiledhisheavyfacewasnotunkindly，indeedthesmilegaveitakindofruggedattractiveness。Hewaspasthisfirstyouth，andonhisfacewerethemarksofthestormywaybywhichhehadcome。
Hedrovehisjibingbronchoswithsteadyhands。Nolighttouchwashisuponthereins，andthebronchos’wildplungingmetwithacheckfromthosemuscularhandsofsuchironrigidityastoflingthembackhelplessandamazedupontheirhocks。
Hiscompanionwashisoppositeinphysicalappearance，andinthosefeaturesandlinesthatsounmistakablyrevealthenatureandcharacterwithin。Shortandstout，inclinedindeedtofat，tohisgreatdistress，histhick—setfigureindicatedstrengthwithoutagility，soliditywithoutresilience。Hehadapleasant，openface，withakindly，twinklingblueeyethatgoeswithamerryheart，withagenial，sunnysoul。Buttherewasintheblueeyeandintheopenface，forallthetwinklesandthesmiles，acertainalertshrewdnessthatproclaimedthekeenmanofbusiness，andinthecleancutlipslaythesuggestionofresolutestrength。
Alikablemanhewas，withaninfinitecapacityforhumour，butwithabedrockofunyieldingdeterminationinhimthatalwayssurprisedthosewhojudgedhimlightly。
Themenwerefriends，andhadbeencomradesmoreorlessduringthosepioneerdaysthatfollowedtheirarrivalinthecountryfromScotlandsomedozenyearsago。Oftentheyhadfallenoutwitheachother，forDuffwasstormyoftemperandhadahabitoflettinghimselfswingoutuponitsgustsofpassion，recklessofconsequences；buthewasevertheonetoofferamendsandtoseekrenewalofgoodrelations。Hehadfewfriends，andsoheclungthemorecloselytothosehehad。Atsuchtimestheotherwouldwaitincool，good—temperedbutdeterminedaloofnessforhisfriend’sreturn。
"Youcanchewyourcudtillyou’recoolagain，"hewouldsaywhentheoutbreakwouldarise。Butinvariablytheirdifferenceswerecomposedandtheirfriendshipremainedunbroken。
Themensatinthebuckboard，leaningforwardwithhunchedshoulders，swayingeasilytothepitchingofthevehicleasitrattledalongthetrailwhich，especiallywhereitpassedovertheroundtoppedridges，wasthicklystrewnwithstones。Beforethem，nowonthetrailandnowrangingwideovertheprairie，ranabeautifulblackandwhiteEnglishsetter。
"Greatdogthat，Sandy，"saidDuff。"Icouldhavehadadozenbirdsthisafternoon。Awonderfulnose，andsteadyasarock。"
"Agooddog，Stewart，"assentedSandy，butwithslightinterest。
"Thereain’tanotherlikehiminthiswesterncountry，"saidtheownerofthedogwithemphasis。
"Oh，Idon’tknowaboutthat。Therearesomeverygooddogsaroundhere，Stewart，"repliedSandylightly。
"ButIknow。Andthat’swhyI’msayingthereain’thislikeinthiswesterncountry，andthat’sastrueasyournameisSandyBayne。"
"Well，mynameisSandyBayne，allright，buthowdidhecomeoutattheCalgarytrials？"
"Aw，thosedamnedgawks！Theydon’tknowagooddogfromahe—
goat！Theydon’tknowwhatadogisfor，orhowtousehim。"
"Oh，now，Stewart，"saidSandy，"IguessWillocksknowsadogwhenheseesone。"
"Willocks！"saidhisfriendwithscorn。"There’swhereyou’rewrong。DoyouknowwhyhecutSlipperoutoftheBlueRibbon？
Becausehewouldn’trangeamileaway。Darnedoldfool！What’sthegoodofapointamileaway！Keepsyourunningoverthewholecreation，makesyoulosetime，tiresyourselfandtiresyourdog；
andmorethanthat，inninecasesoutoftenyouloseyourbird。
Givemeacloseranger。Hecleansupashegoes，keepsyourgamerightatyourhand，andgetsyouallthesportthereis。"
"Whobeatyou，Stewart，inthetrials？"
"ThatbitchofSnider’s。"
"Man！Stewart，that’sabeautifulbitch！Iknowherwell。She’sabeautifulbitch！"Sandybegantoshowenthusiasm。
"Oh，thereyougo！That’sjustwhatthosefooljudgessaid。
’Beautifuldog！Beautifuldog！’Supposesheis！Looksain’teverything。They’resomething，butthequestionis，doesshegetthebirds？Now，Slippertheregotthreebirdstoherone。Got’emwithinrange，too。"
"Ah，butStewart，yon’sagoodbitch，"saidSandy。
"Lookhere！"criedhisfriend，"Ihavebredmoredogsintheoldcountrythanthosemeneversawintheirlives。"
"Thatmaybe，Stewart，butyon’sagoodbitch，"persistedSandy。
ForamilemoretheydiscussedthemeritsofSlipperandofhisrivals，Sandywithhissemi—humorouschaffextractingquietamusementfromhisfriend’swrath，andthelatter，thoughsuspectingthathewasbeingdrawn，unabletorestrainhispassionatechampionshipofhisdog。
AtlengthSandy，wearyingofthediscussion，caughtsightofafigurefarbeforethemonthetrail。
"Whoisthatwalkingalongthere？"heenquired。
Togethertheyranoverthenamesofallwhointhishorsecountrywereunfortunateenoughtobedoomedtoapedestrianformoflocomotion。
"Guessit’sthepreacher，"saidDufffinally，whoseeyeswerelikeahawk’s。
"He’sbeenoutatmyplaceSundayafternoon，"saidSandy，"butI
haven’tmethimmyself。Whatsortishe？"
"Don’taskme。Isometimesgowiththemadametochurch，butgenerallyIfallasleep。He’snoalarmclock。"
"Thenyoucan’ttellwhatsortofapreacherheis，"saidSandywithatwinkleinhiseye。"Youcan’thearmuchwhenyouareasleep。"
"Ihearenoughtoknowthathe’snogoodasapreacher。Ihearthey’regoingtofirehim。"
"Itellyouwhatitis，Stewart，"saidSandy，"Idon’tbelieveyouwouldknowagoodsermonifyouheardone。"
"What’sthatyousay？I’veheardthebestpreachersinthecountrythatbreedspreachers，inthecountrywherepreachersgrowliketheberriesonthebramblebushes。Iknowpreaching，andIlikegoodpreaching，too。"
"Oh，comeoff，Stewart！Youmaybeagoodjudgeofdogs，butI’mblowedifIamgoingtotakeyouasajudgeofpreachers。"
"Thesamequalitiesinallofthem，dogs，horses，preachers，"
insistedDuff。
"Howdoyoumakethatout？"
"Well，takeahorse。Hemustbeagood—looker。Thispreacherisagood—looker，allright，butlooksain’teverything。Mustbequickatthestart，musthavegoodaction，goodstyle，stayingpower，andgoodatthefinish。Mostpreachersneverknowwhentofinish，andthat’sthewaywiththisman。"
"Areyougoingtotakehimup？"inquiredSandy，fortheywerenowcloseuponthemanwalkingbeforethem。
"Oh，Iguessnot，"repliedDuff。"Ihaven’tmuchuseforhim。"
"Say，what’sthematterwithhim？Helooksratherpuffedout，"
saidSandy。"Bettertakehimup。"
"Allright，"repliedDuff，pullinguphisbronchos。"Goodday。
Willyouhavearide？Mr。BarryDunbar，myfriendMr。Bayne。"
"Gladtomeetyou，Mr。Bayne，"saidBarry，whowaspaleandpantinghard。"Thanksforthelift。Thetruth——is——I’mrather——doneup。
Atouchofasthma——thefirst——infiveyears。Anoldtroubleofmine。"
"Getuphere，"saidSandy。"There’sroomforthreeintheseat。"
"No——thankyou，——Ishould——crowdyou，——allrightbehindhere。
Beastlybusiness——thisasthma。Worsewhen——thepollen——fromtheplants——isfloating——about——sotheysay。Idon’tknow——nobodydoes——Ifancy。"Theydroveon，bumpingoverthestones，Barrygraduallygettingbackhiswind。Thetalkofthemeninthefrontseathadfallenagainondogs，Stewartmaintainingwitheverincreasingvehemencehisexpertknowledgeofdogs，ofhuntingdogs，andveryespeciallyofsetterhuntingdogs；hisfriend，whilegrantinghisknowledgeofdogsingeneral，questioningtheunprejudicednatureofhisjudgmentasfarasSlipperwasconcerned。
AsDuff’sdeclarationsgrewinviolencetheybecamemoreandmoreelaboratelydecoratedwithprofanity。Inthefulltideoftheirconversationaquietvoicebrokein：
"Toomany’damns。’"
"What！"exclaimedDuff。
"Ibegyourpardon！"saidSandy。
"Toomany’damns，’"saidBarry，lookingquietlyatDuff。
"Dams？Where？"saidDuff，lookingabout。
"Beaverdams，doyoumean？"enquiredSandy。"Idon’tseeany。"
"Toomany’damns，’"reiteratedBarry。"Youdon’tneedthem。Youreallydon’tneedthem，youknow，andbesides，theyarenotright。
Profanityisquiteuseless，andit’swicked。"
"Well，I’llbedamned！"saidStewartinalowvoicetohisfriend。
"Hemeansus。"
"Andquiteright，too，"saidSandysolemnly。"YouknowyourEnglishisrottenbad。Yes，sir，"hecontinued，turningroundtoBarry，"Iquiteagreewithyou。Myfriendisquiteunnecessarilyfreeinhisspeech。"
"Yes，butyouarejustthesame，youknow，"saidBarry。"Notquitesomany，butthenyouarenotquitesoexcited。"
"Gotyouthere，oldsport，"gruntedDuff，highlyamusedatSandy’sdiscomfiture。ButtoBarryhesaid，"Iguessit’sourownbusinesshowweexpressourselves。"
"Yes，itis，but，pardonme，notentirelyso。Thereareothersintheworld，youknow，andyoumustconsiderothers。Thehabitisabadhabit，arottenhabit，andquiteuseless——silly，indeed。"
Duffturnedhisbackuponhim。Sandy，givinghisfriendanudge，burstintoaloudlaugh。
"Youareright，sir，"hesaid，turningtoBarry。"Youarequiteright。"
AtthispointSlippercreatedadiversion。
"Hello！"saidDuff。"Say！Lookathim！"Hepointedtothedog。
"Ain’theapicture！"
AhundredyardsawaystoodSlipper，rigid，everymuscle，everyhairtaut，onefootarrestedinair。
"I’lljustgetthose，"saidDuff，slippingoutofthebuckboardanddrawingthegunfrombeneaththeseat。"Steady，oldboy，steady！
Holdthelines，Sandy。"
Hemovedquicklytowardthedogwho，quiveringwiththatmysteriousinstinctfoundinthehuntingdog，stillheldthepointwithtautmuscles，noseandtailinline。
"Hello！"Barrycalledout。"Itisn’ttheseasonyetforchicken。
Isay，Mr。Duff，"heshouted，"itisn’tthechickenseason，youknow。"
"Betterleavehimalone，"saidSandy。
"Butitisn’ttheseasonyet！Itisagainstthelaw！"protestedBarryindignantly。
MeantimeStewartDuffwasclosingupcautiouslybehindSlipper。
"Forward，oldboy！Ste—e—e—ady！Forward！"Thedogrefusedtomove。"Forward，Slipper！"
Stillthedogremainedrigid，asifnailedtotheground。
"On，Slipper！"
Slowlythedogturnedhisheadwithinfinitecautionhalfroundtowardhismaster，asifinprotest。
"Hello，there！"shoutedBarry，"youknow——"
Justashecalledtherewasonallsidesagreatwhirringofwings。
AdozenchickenflewupfromunderDuff’sfeet。Bang！Bang！wenthisgun。
"Missed，asI’masinner！"exclaimedSandy。"Ithoughthewasabettershotthanthat。"
BackcameDuffstridingwidetowardthebuckboard。Fiftyyardsawayheshouted：
"Say！whatthedevildoyoumeancallinglikethatatamanwhenhe’sonthepointofshooting！"Hisfacewasblackwithanger。Helookedreadytostrike。Barrylookedathimsteadily。
"But，Iwasjustremindingyouthatitwasnottheseasonforchickenyet，"hesaidinthetoneofamanpreparedtoreasonthematter。
"What’sthatgottodowithit！Andanyway，whosebusinessisitwhatIdobutmyown？"
"Butit’sagainstthelaw！"
"Oh，blankthelaw！Besides——"
"Besidesitisn’t——well，youknow，itisn’tquitesportingtoshootoutofseason。"Barry’smannerwasasifdealingwithafractiouschild。
Duff，speechlesswithhispassion，lookedathimasifnotquitesurewhatformhisvengeanceshouldtake。
"He’squiteright，Stewart，"saidhisfriendSandy，whowashugelyenjoyinghimself。"Youknowwellenoughyouaredownonthefarmerchapswhogopothuntingbeforeseason。It’srottensport，youknow。"
"Oh，hell！Willyoushutup！Can’tIshootovermydogwhenhepoints？I’mnotoutshooting。IfIwanttogivemydogalittleexperienceanoddbirdortwodon’tmatter。Besides，whatthe——"
"Oh，comeon，Stewart！Getin，andgetamoveon！Youknowyouareinthewrong。ButIthoughtyouwereabettershotthanthat，"
addedSandy。
HisremarkdivertedDuff’srage。
"Bettershot！"hestormed。"Whocouldshootwitha——a——a——"hewasfeelingroundhelplesslyforaproperlyeffectiveword，——"withafellowyellingatyou？"heconcludedlamely。"I’dhavehadabraceofthemifithadn’tbeenforhim。"
"Inthatcase，"saidBarrycoolly，"Isavedyoufromthelaw。"
"Savedmefromthelaw！Whatthedevildoyoumean，anyway？"saidStewart。"IfIwanttopickupabirdwho’stohinderme？Andwhat’sthelawgottodowithit？"
"Well，youknow，I’mnotsurebutitmighthavebeenmydutytoreportyou。Ifeelthatallwhobreakthegamelawsshouldbereported。Itistheonlywaytostopthelawlessdestructionofthegame。"
Barryspokeinavoiceofquietdeliberation，asifponderingtheproperactioninthepremises。
"Quiteright，too，"saidSandygravely，butwithatwinkleinhisblueeye。"Theyoughttobereported。Ihavenouseforthosepoachers。"
Duffmadenoreply。Hisrageanddisgust，mingledwiththesenseofhisbeinginthewrong，heldhimsilent。Nomaninthewholecountrywasharderuponthegamepoachersthanhe，buttobeheldupinhisactionandtobethreatenedwiththelawbythisyoungpreacher，whomheratherdespisedanyway，seemedtoparalysehismentalactivities。Itdidnothelphisself—controlthathewasawarethathisfriendwashavinghisfunofhim。
Atthismoment，fortunatelyfortheharmonyoftheparty，theirattentionwasarrestedbytheappearanceofamotorcardrivenatafuriousratealongthetrail，andwhichalmostbeforetheywereawarecamehonkinguponthem。Withawildlurchthebronchoshurledthemselvesfromthetrail，upsettingthebuckboardandspillingitsload。
Duff，cumberedwithhisgun，whichhehadreloaded，allowedoneofthereinstodropfromhishandsandtheteamwentplungingaboutinacircle，butBarry，thefirsttogettohisfeet，rushedtotherescue，snatchedthereinsandheldontillhehaddraggedtheplungingbronchostoahalt。
TheragewhichhadbeenboilinginDuff，andwhichwithdifficultyhadbeenheldwithinbounds，suddenlyburstallbondsofcontrol。
Withafierceoathhepickedupthegunwhichhehadthrownasideinhisstrugglewiththehorses，andlevelleditatthespeedingmotorcar。
"ForGod’ssake，Stewart，stop！"shoutedBayne，springingtowardhisfriend。
Barrywasnearerandquicker。Theshotwentoff，buthishandhadknockedupthegun。
"MyGod，Stewart！Areyoucleancrazy！"saidBayne，grippinghimbythearm。"Doyouknowwhatyouaredoing？Youarenotfittocarryagun！"
"I’dhavebusthisblankedtiresforhim，anyway！"blusteredDuff，thoughhisfaceandvoiceshowedthathehadreceivedashock。
"Yes，andyoumighthavebeenamurdererbythistime，andheadingforthepen，butforDunbarhere。Youowehimmorethanyoucaneverpay，youblankedfool！"
Duffmadenoreply，butbusiedhimselfwithhishorses。Nordidhespeakagaintilleverythingwasinreadinessfortheroad。
"Getin，"hethensaidgruffly，andthatwashislastworduntiltheydroveintothevillage。
Atthestorehedrewup。
"Thankyouforthelift，"saidBarry。"Ishouldhavehadatoughjobtogetbackintime。"
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