196 LIFE IX THE FAB WEST. 



" Who was this La Bonte", Antoine, who you say was so 

 brave a mountaineer ? " she asked one day. 



" J'ne sais pas ; he vas un beau gargon, and strong comnie 

 le diable enfant de garce, mais he pas not care a dam for 

 les sauvages, pe gar. He shoot de centare avec his cara- 

 bine, and ride de cheval comme one Comanche. He trap 

 heap castor (what you call beevare), and get plenty dollare 

 niais he open hand vare wide and got none too. Den, 

 he hont vid de Blackfoot and avec de Cheyenne, and all 

 round de montaignes he hont dam sight." 



" But, Antoine, what became of him at last ? and why 

 did he not come home, when he made so many dollars ? " 

 asked poor Mary. 



" Enfant de garce, mais pourquoi he com home ? Pe gar, 

 de niontaigne-man, he love de montaigne and de prairie 

 more better dan he love de grandes villes meme de 

 St Louis ou de Montreal. Wagh ! La Bonte, well, he 

 one montaigne-man, wagh ! He love de buffaloe and de 

 chevreaux plus que de boeuf and de mouton, maybe. 

 Mais on dit dat he have autre raison dat de gal he lofe 

 in Missouri not lofe him, and for dis he not go back. 

 Mais now he go ondare, m'on dit. He vas go to de 

 Californe, maybe to steal de hose and de mule pe gar, 

 and de Espagnols rub him out, and take his hair, so he 

 mort." 



" But are you sure of this ? " she asked, trembling with 

 grief. 



" Ah, now, j'ne suis pas sur ; mais I tink you know dis 

 La Bonte. Enfant de garce, maybe you de gal in Mis- 

 souri he lofe, and not lofe him. Pe gar ! 'fant de garce ! 

 fort beau garcoii dis La Bonte ; pourquoi you ne 1'aimez 

 pas? Maybe he not go ondare. Maybe he turn op, 

 autrefois. De trappares, dey go ondare tree, four, ten 

 times, mais dey turn op twenty time. De sauvage not 

 able for kill La Bonte, ni de dam Espagnols. Ah, non ! 

 ne craignez pas : be gar, he not gone ondare encore." 



Spite of the good-natured attempts of the Canadian, poor 

 Mary burst into a flood of tears : not that the information 

 took her unawares, for she long had believed her lover 



