He had not , to be sure , been a villain ; but he had been a fool , and that is almost as bad , under some circumstances . The Dumonts , however , did not trouble him . After all , Tannis ' four years in Prince Albert had not been altogether wasted . She knew that white girls did not mix their male relatives up in a vendetta when a man ceased calling on them -- and she had nothing else to complain of that could be put in words . After some reflection she concluded to hold her tongue . She even laughed when old Auguste asked her what was up between her and her fellow , and said she had grown tired of him . Old Auguste shrugged his shoulders resignedly . It was just as well , maybe . Those English sons-in-law sometimes gave themselves too many airs . So Carey rode often to town and Tannis bided her time , and plotted futile schemes of revenge , and Lazarre Merimee scowled and got drunk -- and life went on at the Flats as usual , until the last week in October , when a big wind and rainstorm swept over the northland . It was a bad night . The wires were down between the Flats and Prince Albert and all communication with the outside world was cut off . Over at Joe Esquint 's the breeds were having a carouse in honor of Joe 's birthday . Paul Dumont had gone over , and Carey was alone in the office , smoking lazily and dreaming of Elinor . Suddenly , above the plash of rain and whistle of wind , he heard outcries in the street . Running to the door he was met by Mrs. Joe Esquint , who grasped him breathlessly . `` Meestair Carey -- come quick ! Lazarre , he kill Paul -- they fight ! '' Carey , with a smothered oath , rushed across the street . He had been afraid of something of the sort , and had advised Paul not to go , for those half-breed carouses almost always ended in a free fight .
He burst into the kitchen at Joe Esquint 's , to find a circle XXXXX mute spectators ranged around the room and Paul and Lazarre in a clinch in the center .
After above across by in of on that to under