William Merriam Rouse (1884-1937) was a prolific writer of Northern stories for the Pulps. For a time Rouse lived in Quebec, absorbing the language and beliefs, which he used for his “Tales of Old Québec.” Not all these tales have supernatural elements but a good handful do.
Probably the best of the lot is “The Creepers” (Argosy, December 27, 1919). The novella begins on a hot day in the summer in St. Anne des Monts when Thomas Michaud shows up during a thunderstorm. The evil-looking man doesn’t even flinch when a bolt of lightning kills the massive dog pulling his wagon. Richard Bordoleau unwisely christens him “Black Michaud”, an act Michaud says he will repay him for.
Michaud takes up the trade of shoemaker and harness repairman. He pays for everything generously with cash. He slowly insinuates himself into the local crowd, always hinting that he has black powers though never using them. Jules Perron, a handsome young man of the village is betrothed to the belle of town, the mayor’s daughter, Chloe Pujos. Black Michaud demands she marry him. Pujos refuses. They have a contract, and Chloe loves Jules. The local priest, Father Paradis, confronts the man but Michaud repels him with curses.
Later, as winter arrives, Telesphore Vilas tells how a clump of mist visited him while working outside. Michaud declares that it is the fifollett, a type of death omen. Vilas freaks out, begs Michaud to intervene. Michaud’s price is Chloe Pujos. Father Paradis rails against the superstitions that take men from God. Despite all this, Vilas gets small pox and dies. Only Perron and Paradis have the courage and faith to nurse him. Someone lights Vilas’s house on fire in the night.
After the small pox scare, another threat comes to the village. Wolves come down from the north and attack people at night. They are called Loup-garou, because they do not fear fire and seem to have the intelligence of men. They are led by a large black wolf. (Loup-garou are traditionally thought of as werewolves but there are subtle differences here. Men are not changing into wolves. Instead, the belief is that the spirit of a man has entered the body of the wolf leader through sorcery, taking control.) Again the villagers look to Black Thomas to end the raids with his magic but his price has not changed. The wolves eat the village dogs foolishly left outside. Jules Perron keeps his large mastiff, Boule, safe inside.
When the little daughter of Richard Bordoleau is killed (remember Black Michaud swore vengeance for that sobriquet) the men of village, with Black Michaud at the front, go to the mayor’s house to force Chloe Pujos to marry Michaud. Jules Perron holds them off, coming very close to shooting Black Michaud in the face. To satisfy the crowd, Jules promises he will go out into the night and kill the loup-garou. Michaud smiles. Even if he did not get Chloe (yet), he hopes to be rid of Perron.
That night, alone, Jules goes into the streets with his gun. The wolves circle him. He shoots and kills some of the wolves. They stop and eat their dead before coming closer. He shoots and swings his gun, desperately trying to kill all the beasts. Things look bad but the door to the mayor’s house opens, and Chloe is shooting too. She pulls her fiance inside. When he goes back outside, his dog Boule faces off with the black leader. The dog gets the wolf by the throat and rips out its throat. The rest of the wolves disperse.
The townsfolk gather to cheer Jules Perron. Black Michaud is not among them. When they go to his house, they find him dead, his throat torn out. He was the sorcerer controlling the loup-garou. Only the priest, Father Paradis, claims Michaud killed himself, for he does not believe in werewolves.
Rouse uses certain motifs here that will appear in other stories: the couple-to-be married, the man handsome, the girl the prettiest, the town that won’t help the lone hero, etc. he will also recycle the names in each story. Later in another story, Michaud is the priest’s name. Rouse’s familiarity with French Canadian culture is key here. Of all the strange Northerns, Rouse’s are some of very best, ranking with S. Carleton’s “The Lame Priest” and Algernon Blackwood’s “The Wendigo” as both effective weird tales and Canadian stories. These are the two must-haves for a great strange Northern.
