The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1890-10-10
III.

fully resolved to stay there whether welcome
CT unwelcome.
III.
The door through which l had burst like a
Dattering-ram opened straight into a sort of a
kitcnen, SO although l entered in q most I'M
qlgnlfled way, in fact on my hands and knees,
was well-established in the center of the
room before the man and woman emerged
IRON behind the door, where my successful
assault had thrown them. | stood up and
laced uiem. They We're a couple of ordinary,
respectfully attlred country people. The man,
q sturdy, strong built, bull-necked rascal,
$1,000 sowing at me, and, l concluded, max
ing up his mind as TO what course to pursue.
NJ good people, ] said, you are behav-
ing IN the most unheard-of manner. Can't
you understand that / mean to pay you we'll
for any trouble l give YOU? But whether Won
IKE II or not, here l stay tonight. To turn
me out would be sheer murders
60 saying i pulled off my overcoat, and be-
gan shaking the snow out of my whiskers.
i aalHsay my determined attitude, my re-
spectacle, as well as my muscular appearance,
impressed my unwilling hosts. Anyway,
they gave in without more ado, Whist tile
woman shut the door, through which the
sn0wtakes were whiriing, the man said SUI
len aWe,, worm i, 70 = snona .na
chair. We've no beds here for strangers,
Specially those as amt wanted.'
Very well, my friend. Having settled
the matter you may as well make yourself
pleasant. Go out and put my horse under
cover ana give him 4 feed of some sort
make a mash if you can"
After given the woman u quick glance as
II warning, my scoWling host lit a horn Ian
tern, and went on the errand j suggested. /
gladly sank into a chair. and warmed myself
heiol re- a cheerful fire. The prospect of spend
alluring, but 1 had, at least, a roof over nv
head. '
As a rule, the more churlish the nature. the
more ayaricious it is found to be. My prom
Use OF liberal remuneration was, after all, not
whose refusal to afford me refuge had so
nearly endangered my life. They conde-
scended to get me some tea and rough food.
After | had disposed of all that, the man pro-
duced a bottle OF gin. We filled our glasses.
and then, with the aid of my pipe, 1 settled
hard wooden chair.
l nau come across strange people in my
travels, but l have 10 hesitation in saving
that my host was the sulleneSt, sulkiest. most
bocrish specimen of human nature | had as
yet met with. In spite OF his recent i%Il-treat-
inent of me I was quite ready to establish
matters on a friendly footing, and made sew
eral attempts to draw him into conversation.
The brute would only answer in moliosylla-
bles, or often not answer at all. So l gave
up ta!hlus dS q uau Jop, anu SAT III silence,
smoking and looking into the fire, thinking a
good deal, it may be, of some one l should
have met that morning at iilymere, had the
wretched snow but kept off.
h long cl0ck-that cumbrous eight-day
machine which inevitably occupies one cor
The woman rose and left us. ] concluded
she was going to bed. Ii so ! envied her.
Her husband showed Ito sigh of retiring. He
sIill sat over the fire; opposite me. BY this
time was dreadfMlly tired; every bone i'll
my body ached. The hard chair which, an
now scarcely came up to my IDEAS of the com
tort l was justly entitled to claim. NV ulky
companion had been drinking silently but
steadily. Perhaps the liquor he haG poured
INTO himself might have rendered his frame
of mind more pleasant and amenable to rea-
son.
"My good fellow" / said, '.your chairs are
excellent ones OF the kind, but deucedly I'M
comfortable. l am horribly tired. If the re-
sources OF your establishment can't furnish a
bed for me to sleep in, couldn't you find a
mattress or something to lay down before the
iire?!'
You've got all you'll get tonight" he an
swered, Knocking the ashes out of his pipe.
"Oh, but l say?:n
$50 do | say. 1 say this: If YOU don't like
1t you can leave it. We didn't ask you to
come"
Iou itieIIlal neaSt, j muttereu-anu
meant it too-I declare had | not been so ut
! tefly, worn out, l would have had that bullet
iieaaea fu!llan up for a few rounds on his
own kitchen floor, and tried to knock him in
to a more amiable frame of mind.
Never mild.'l said, but, remember,
cl,ylllty costs nothing, and often gets reward
ed. However, il you wish to retire to your
couch. don't let your native politeness
stand IN your way. fray don't hesitate on
my Sccount. Leave plenty of fuel, and /
shall lnanage until the morning"
=, Where you STAY, l stay" lie answered.
Then he filled his pipe, and once more re-
lapsed INTO stony silence.
L bothered about him no more. / dozed off
Iofa few minutes-woke-doZed of AGAIN
Tor some hours. | was in an uncomfortable
sort OF half sleep, cTammed full of curious
1reahs-dreamS from which started, Won
aerlng Where l was and how l got there. ]
even began to grow nervous. All sorts OF
horrible travellers tales ran throughmy head.
IL was IN just such places as this that unsus.
pecung Voyagers were stated to have been
murdered, and robbed, by just such unmiti-
gated llt!ia1s as my host-1 can tell you that
aihnngether l spent a most pleasant night.
10 make matters worse and more dismal,
the storm still ragged outside. The wind
moaned through the trees, but it had again
changed, and l knew from the sound OH the
w~indow-panes that heavy rain had succeed.
"a snow. AS the big drops OF water found
rusaA way uONH ule ttISo Oll-ltSlllOnt0
chimney, the fire hissed and spluttered like a
spitetul vixen: Everything combined to de
prlve me OF what dogs sleep 1 could by sheer
persistency snatch.
4 think i tried every position which an ordi.
nary man. not an acrobat, is capable of adopt
chair, l even lay down on the hard flags. /
actually tried the table. ! propped up tile up.
per half of my body against the corner walls
OF the room; but found no rest. At last ]
gave up all idea of sleeping. and fully
aiousea myself. l c0mforted myself by say.
ny mat my misery was only temporary-thai
tle longest night must come to an end.
NY companion had by now succumbed Il
1atllgtie, OF to the combined effects of fatigue
anu gln-and-water. His head was hanging
sSl.aeways and ne slept IN a most uncomforta
feeling quite sure that if such a c!od was can
able OF dreaming ut all. his dreams must be
worse even than mile. | filled another pipe
poked the smoldering logs into a blaze, and
sat almost nose and Knees over the fire, find.
,og some amusement in Specializing upon the
ing the Lord | was not like unto this man
Suddenly an idea flashed across me.
lad seen this fellow before. But wlef
or where | could not remember. His feat
ures, as l looked at them with kecner inter
to me. Where could Ihave met him? Some
where or other, but Wherep L racked my
brain to associate him with some scene. some
event. Although he was but an ordinar,
c0untryman, such as one sees scores of in i
days ride, only differing from his kind on ac
count Of his unpleasant face, ] felt sure W.
We're old acquaintance. When he awoke fol
q moment and changed his strained attitude
my feeling grew stronger and stronger. YET
puzzle n puzzle as ! would l could not cal
to mind a former encounter; SO at last l be.
gan to think the supposed recognition wa
pure fancy on my part.
Having smoked out several pipes, l thought
thai a cigar would be a slight break to The
monOtony of the nights proceedings. So |
drew out my case and looked at its contents
Among the weeds was one of a lighter colo
than the Others. As 1 took it out l said tf
myself, why, old Brand gave me that Oh
when / was last at his house" Curiously
enough that cigar was the missing link in tie
chain OF my memory. As / held 1t in my
hand l knew at once why my hosts ugly FACE
! seemed familiar 70 me.