The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1902-01-17

terlng spirits 70 the earth people.
Perhaps Mia was one. He means
TO find out--that very evening.
Accordingly, he watches hi; oppor-
tunity. 1t is evening. and the shad-
owy desk accentuatcs TO details. the
outline Of a white figure communing
on the cliff.
He steps to her, touching her awe
somely. Would she vanish!'
"Ah! l have found you!" he makes
her understand. and waits. would
she send him away You are so
lonesome here; come, share my harem
be my precious! You .hall have
your blanket looms, baskets filled
with soft woods, skins Of fox and otter,
and you shall be mistress Of your own
domain. Waystec shall not bother
you more. And. o! my heart tells
me We shall he happy. For the last
half moon | have loved you lie
waits. Will she understand?
For answer she Zip. .hyly one hand
into his and intuXicatcs him with a
full glance from the liquid depths Of
her nut-brown eyes.
The view Of thi. fresh. womanly
beauty. beauty such a. he has never
cen before. now pure and ethereal.
now beautiful in il. fe.hy habilimcnt.
thrills his sensitive organization. pc
culiarly susceptible.
Listen" She makes him under
stand. II love you. but may not be
yours till ] have won one soul to
l%lerncs. That can only he done
through sacriiice!' And she glidcs
mysteriou.ly away.
Bcwildering days cnsucd for Joe.
lie thinks only Of Mia and the earth
quake. Mia. who eludc. him 20 elu-
sively as he pondcrs the wording Of
her answcr-"sacrifce"-and the
earthquake. which had come 20 sud.
denly. 50 subtly. the next day.
lie remember. the gumbling sound
heard occasionally the abicci attitude
Of dog and hor,c, the strained silence
os the very %lcaycs. whose rustic
seemed stillcd forever. Remembered
the sombcr yellow cast Of the atmos-
phere. And now the great cliiT--a
landmark for ages-was separated
from the mainland. aud old ocean
now Tapped it a. her possession.
We-a-wi.-ka ,hook hi. head. THE
gods were offended S0lcmnly u
council was called. From il. dclibcra-
tons verdict wa. given that Mia was
to be sacrificed!
Wind-drivcr, the ncctc.t runner In
the tribe. had declared he had seen
Nita-a spirit on the elf. all dressed
in whito-ihc evening before, with
outstretched hand. TO the sea. One
related how she had cured a sick
child Surely ,hc wa. a ]sorcercss.
Sacrifice her" va, the cry. Wa not
her lonclincs, u mute appeal; Joe
flung hi, head dciiantly to the great
lcht and pleaded cloqucntly-but in
vain.
We-a-wi,-ka had given The final YER
diet Of the council:
Let Mia be sacrificed TO appca.c
the gods. She hath done good. but
the good i. swallowed up in the
greater evil. Let her be thrown from
the cliff to the water, meath. unless
some n will offer theirsolf a. n ,acri-
iicc!"
Joe's head swims. lie seem, in a
dream. And one figure only i, clear.
lie remember. how he had .tood that
evening with Nita-how spiritual she
had looked in the gossamcr film of
the dainty dress she had donncd from
the box he had rescued from the mys-
t%eriou, craft. Remembered her many
loving deeds: above all, her m%y.tcri-
Gus answer to him. IVA, she to be
sacrilicod:" lii lines of ambition
tugged.
If she would only vouch,afc to him
one look-as she .at so lonely, un-
heard as TO her share in tho great cx-
perience.
Suddenly a touch on the shoulder,
irritating. recall. him.
II is Trader Jim, one Of the early
pioneer men. now more Indian than
white. In the hu,hcd silence Of the
forest Jim relates how he had de,
%ciphered the scroll found on Mia,
which ran thus:
"Nita, child ofthe god Hormcs. i'm
mortal, II through many deeds OF
-. l. -. H. LII ~