Produced by Al Haines. [Illustration: "ALL DAY THE RIVALS FISHED UP THE STREAM"] JEAN BAPTISTE A STORY OF FRENCH CANADA BY J. E. LE ROSSIGNOL Author of "Little Stories of Quebec" LONDON & TORONTO J. M. DENT & SONS LTD. MCMXV To MY MOTHER LA RIVE NATALE O patrie! ô rive natale. Pleine d’harmonieuses voix! Chants étranges que la rafale Nous apporte du fond des bois! O souvenirs de la jeunesse, Frais comme un rayon du printemps! O fleuve, témoin de l’ivresse De nos jeunes coeurs de vingt ans! O vieilles forêts ondoyantes, Teinte du sang de nos aïeux! O lacs! ô plaines odorantes Dont le parfum s’éleve aux cieux! Bords, où les tombeaux de nos pères Nous racontent, le temps ancien, Vous seuls possédez ces voix chères Qui font battre un coeur canadien! OCTAVE CRÉMAZIE. *CONTENTS* CHAP. I. The Vocation of Jean Baptiste II. The Migration III. The Sorcerer IV. The Loup Garou V. Castles in Spain VI. The Habitant VII. Her Majesty’s Mail VIII. The City Man IX. The Loan X. Blanchette XI. La Folie XII. Profit and Loss XIII. The Return of Pamphile XIV. The Triumph of Pamphile XV. The Pastime of Love XVI. The Temptation of Jean Baptiste XVII. Vengeance XVIII. Michel XIX. Mother Sainte Anne XX. The Robbery XXI. Love and War XXII. The Wilderness XXIII. The Cure XXIV. The Relapse XXV. Treasure Trove *JEAN BAPTISTE* *CHAPTER I* *THE VOCATION OF JEAN BAPTISTE* "You may read, Jean," said Mademoiselle Angers; whereupon a breath of renewed interest passed through the schoolroom, as Jean Baptiste Giroux rose in his place and began to read, in a clear and resonant voice, the story of that other Jean Baptiste, his patron saint. "Saint John, dwelling alone in the wilderness beyond the Dead Sea, prepared himself by self discipline and by constant communion with God, for the wonderful office to which he had been divinely called. The very appearance of the holy Baptist was of itself a lesson to his countrymen. His dress was that of the old prophets--a garment of camel’s hair attached to his body by a leathern girdle. His food was such as the desert afforded--locusts and wild honey. Because of his exalted sanctity a great multitude came to him from every quarter. Brief and startling was his final exhortation to them: ’Repent ye, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’"