Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1900-05-17

q ~ fF NtN&1Asfft@F
canflhly. and the SIM WAS already Tar
doun m the west. when she pansed,
and turning around, waited Tor AIh ~
reach her side.
T~hav were on fine brink Of the nre-
clpitops ravIne known as the Haunted
Hellow. and. parting the u~naer-FoWiA
trar grew here rank and thick, tsizpAl
disp;ay ed q sreeE. narrow path. a
lad down INTO the darkly-shaaoWeu
deufts below.
swear she said. holding her hand
mn toward the setting sun-"swear you
win NOT lEstray the secret / an gong
IN reveal 10 yau. Swear Il by the nleal-
orr Of Sybil Lee. -.
..Ny good woman. / never swear,
answered the doctor. calmly.
He waS beginning 10 suspect thcre
might. after all. be- method In Rtzpahs
madness. and he put himself mentally
on guard.
.If / can help YOU. or any one one
thar ia i'm pain or peril. I am ready 20
do Il. NV business is with suffering
nor with crime. The worst villain In
/ the world would be safe in my hands,
Las long as be needed my services as a
doctor
She looked at him steadily for a mo-
ment. as III striving 10 read his mean
ing. 49,,
.Are ron n friend Of Robert CliyeE
she asked him. abruptly.
II am neither FREUD nor Zoe 70 Il
man. was the old doctors character
istic answer. II am bound by no ties
of klnstip or friendship. The world
and / uarrsd company more than forty
( years ago, and have never joined
hands or hearts since"
Enough. said Rizpah, with her
glastly smile. IF you are not his
friend. / can trust you. What you
learn from me viii only make You his
foe. Come. / ask nN further PLEDGE
only say TO ypu that there il one IN
deadly peril who needs your skill"
She turned again, and proceeded
swiftly. though more cautiously, down
the path 10 the hollow.
The doctor followed her as well as
his sitter limbs would permit, though
the way was steep and difficult
enough TO have made him at any other
time heartily anathematiZe his folly.
But his interest now was thoroughly
aroused. aud he determined TO follow
this weird old creature. let her lead
him where she might.
at last they reached the bottom OF
the Hollow, through whose gloomy
shadows a llttle stream brawled noisi-
ly owe it's stony bed.
The lsath was easier here, and RiZ-
pah seemed 10 glide through the loDg
grass and rank weeds without bending
a blade or twig.
She still had the quick. elastic tread
OF the daughters of the forest; and the
old doctor looked after her and won
dered. in spite Of all his practical phil
osophy. IL she was indeed a creature OF
earth. or some of those eerie beings
with whom German legends people the
shad0wy solitude OF forests like these.
Now the little stream widened. and
in the deepest shadow was spannea by
a rude bridge, consisting of n moss
grown log.
With the canton OF three-score. the
doctor hesitated before trusting his
feeble limbs 10 sc frail a support; but
Rizpah. turning around. held out her
long. talenlike fingers 10 him.
"Do not fear she eaid; '.the l0g Is
strong and my arm can balance both
of us"
And. walking sideways over the
rough bridge, she guided the doctor
safely and surely over: then. shopping
down. before he was aware of her pur-
pose, she slipped the log from its rest
ing place, and it fell heavily into the
water.
"Why have YOU done that?' asked
the doctor. quickly. DO you mean TO
keep me a prisoner heref"
There are two roads TO every door,
answered Rizpah, composedlv; ''but
they are fools who leave the WAYS
open and the gates unbarred, when a
treasure lies Within Come. Harry
Bond she added, in a gentier tone
you are as safe here-aye. safer than
o would be In the robbers castle
that crowns yon hill. You are hunts
man enough to know that you have |
naught to fear from a wounded foe"
They had reached the entrance Of the
OF the Witches Cave as she spoke, and
pushing aside the deerskin mat that
served 10 screen the rude doorway, the
old woman led her companion into the
hut where she had, some ten days be-
fore. met Syba.
A few embers smouldered on the fat
stone that served for a hearth: the
huge stalactite flung its lurid CLEAN
.pon the strange abode.
There was no one visible. but al
hoarse sound came from some hidden
recess. as Of a strong man struggling
with grief that he could not entirely
control.
The expression OF Rizpah's face
changed utterly as the sound reached
her err. A strange softness crept over
withered features. and her harsh
voice turned itself almost into tender
ness as she whispered:
MY boy-my poor. poor boy, This
day has made him again a childr'
And motioning the doctor to follow
her, quietly. Rizpah lifted another eur
that hung at the further extremi
ty Of the hut. and they entered a close.
narrow. dark passage, that seemed TO
lead into the very bowels of the earth,
and which was terminated by an iron
door.
This the old woman touched in n
very peculiar way. and ii flew open
no~iseleSsly, revealing 70 her amazed
anr1ns sains a xyt1n wax,1&AQ i