The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1900-10-04

Of his distressful drive-John, who saw
things little, remembered them less,
and could not have described them at
all, beheld in his minds eye the gar
Den OF the Lodge, detailed as in map:
he went to and fro in 1t, feeding his
terrors; he saw the hollies the snowy
borders, the paths where he had sought
Alan the high conventual walls, the
shut door-what! was the door shut?
Ay, truly, he had shut it-shut in his
money, his escape, his future life-shut
It with these hands, and none could
now open it! He heard the snap of the
Bpring-lock like something bursting in
his brain, and sat as stunned.
And then he woke again, terror jar
ring through his vitals. This was no
timeto be idle; he must be UP and doing,
ne must think. Once at the end OF this
ridiculous cruise; once at the Lodge
door, there should be nothing for it
but to turn the cab and trundle back
again. Why, then, go SO far? why
add another feature of suspicion to a
case already so suggestive? Why not
turn at once? 1t was easy to say, turn,
but whittier? He had nowhere now to
go to; he could never-he saw it in
that cab; he was saddled with that cab
forever. Oh, that cab! his soul
yearned and burned, and his bowels
sounded to be rid of 1t. He forgot all
other cares. He must first quit himself
of this ill-smelling vehicle and of the
human beast that guided it-first do
that; do that. at least; do that at once.
And Just then the cab suddenly
stopped. and there was his prosecutor
rapping on the front glass. John let
1t down, and beheld the port-wine
countenance inflamed with intellectual
triumph
II ken wha We arew cried the husky
voice. Il mind We now. Ye're Much
olson. I drove We to Hermiston to a
Christmas party, and We came back on
the box, and I let We drive"
1t Is a fact. John knew the man;
they had been even friends. His en-
envy, he now remembered, was fellow
of great good nature-endless good ma
ture-with boy; why not with man?
Why not appeal to his better side? He
grasped at the new hope.
Great Scott! and so you did," he
cried. as IL in a transport of delight,
mis- voice sounding false in his own
ears. well, II that's so, I've some
thing to say to you. I'll just get out !
guess. Where are we, anyway"
The driver had fiuttered his ticket in
the eyes Of the branch-toll keeper, and
they were now brought to on the high
est and most solitary part Of the by
road. On the left, row of fieldside
trees beshaded 1t: on the right 1t was
bordered by naked fall0ws, undulating
down hill to the Queensferry road; in
front, Corstorphine Hill raised its
-bedabled, darkling woods against
the sky. John looked all about him,
drinking the clear air like wine; then
his eyes returned to the claimants face
as he sat, not ungleefully, awaiting
Johns communication, with the air of
one looking to be tipped.
The features of that face were hard
TO read, drink had so swollen them,
drink had SC painted them, in tints
that varied from brick red to mulberry.
The small gray eyes blinked, the lips
moved, with greed; greed was the rul-
Ing passion; and though there was
some good nature, some genuine kind
illness. q true human touch in the old
topper, his greed was now so set afire by
hope, that all other traits of character
lay dormant. He sat there a monu-
ment of gluttonous desire.
Johns heart slowly fell. He had
opened his lips. but he stood there and
uttered nought. He sounded the well
of his courage, and 1t was dry. He
CROPPED in his treasury of words, and it
was vacant. A devil OF dumbness had
him by the throat; the devil of terror
babbled in his ears; and suddenly.
without a word uttered, with no con-
scious purpose formed in his will. John
whipped about, tumbled over the road
side wall, and began running for his
life across the fallows.
He had not gone far, he was not past
the midst OF the first field, when his
whole brain Numbered within him,
Fool! You nave your watchm The
shock stopped him, and he faced once
more toward the cab. The driver was
leaning over the wall, brandishing his
whip, his face empurpled, roaring like
a bull. And John saw Tor thought
that he had lost the chance. No watch
would pacify the mans resentment
NOW; he would cry for vengeance also.
John would be had under the eve of