The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-06-02

A-AS-@- - - NNOA-O-
breathed not for a full minute. Meth
er did Mr.. Erasmus Mallet. Neither did
the assemblage on the piazza Of the
hotel. Pehongan walked TO the shore,
entered a boat and no one said him
nay. He rowed away, vanishing behind
a bend of the shore. At this point. Mr..
Mallet laughed and so did the guests,
merrily all.
The next morning, the lake had gone
down a foot. By night, it had sunk five
inches more. On the following morn
ing, three inches were added to the
others and came Pehongan demanding
the half of Mr.. Mallet's income. Mr..
Mallet gave him two cigars, and q
blackberry n a lemon pie, which Pc
hOngan did not go to the kitchen to get
but We're brought by the head bell boy.
Pehongan forthwith ate the pies and
repeated the curse, ending with a yet
louder whoop than before, and smoking
one of Mr.. Mallet's cigars. rowed away
in one of Mr.. Mallet's boats
Next day, the lake had sunk another
foo; by night, nine inches more. Some
of the guests remembered that Lake
Wingra at Madison and Rush Lake in
Fond du Lac county, nov drying up,
and the once great Lake Horizon, now
completely dried up, had been brought
to this pass by the curses Of Indians.
The day following, the lake fell another
foot. Twelve people and a bull dog
were leaving TO take the train when the
chief appeared to demand three-fourths
of Mr.. Mallet's income as the price of
raising the curse. Mr.. Mallet offered
-, I'D -hr11 ~>oalI hove
who belonged TO the bull dog, two
weeks board, if they would stay and
lend him the bull dog 10 use on Chief
Pehongan. But they refused. They did
not a their beast cursed.
Day after day, the lake sunk. Only
an inch or two a day now. But the
guests departed faster than the lake
sunk. The fourth week of August found
the hotel empty. chief Pehongan was
shot at with duck shot the last two
times he called. and so he called no
more. But every night his camp fire
CLEANED out on Rantouls Point Mr..
Mallet began to think of turning his
property into a shooting resort It
would soon be a marsh, Lake Pehongan
that had always boosted of its freedom
from weeds. Ducks YOU come and he
would advertise as. a hunters resort
and keep open during the shooting sea-
SON.
The hotel being closed, there was
nothing for Tom Mallet to do. Its VAL
ue as a resort being apparently ruined.
there was no reason for putting off his
assault upon the heart of Miss Elfrida
Olson. So he resolved to HE to Slough
ton. WiscOnsin's Norwegian metropolis,
and as speedily as he could, if he could,
become engaged to Miss Elfrida. He
on his wheel in the dim hours
of the dawn. The afternoon was wear
ing away as he turned southwark from
Madison along the three lower of the
four lakes. Past Monona, around the
end of Waubesa, skirtinE the shore OK
kegOnSa-it was just sunset as he roll
I'd over the bridge across the Catfish
a. me outlet of that lake. Black
against the disk of the setting sun, he
saw objects moving in the i've beyond
him. 1t was some time before the glare
had softened enough for him to see
that il was a gang of men with a road
machine deepening the channel OF the
river.
What are you up to-" he called.
The lake is so low tina the river
doesn't bring down water enough to
run the mills at Stoughton,' replied a
voice The river has lutte a fall here
and by deepening it a little for q few
hundred feet through the sand. we in
crease the low"
A sudden illumination shot across
Toms mind. He was almost upon the
point of turning back. But no. Slough
ton and Elfrida were but -four miles
away. Lake Pehogan was twenty
times four. If he saved the resort fist,
he might have to postpone his marriage
with Elfrida and if he did not come to
the point pretty quick, there We're
other men in the field n he might
never get her n he could moi endure
the thought of that. His case would
be better if he were first plighted to
Elfrida, than it would be if he saved
the resort and then asked his unele's
consent to an engagement not already
entered upon. SO he would go to
Stoughton now and return home in
the morning. Why he did not leave for
two days, whether Elfrida was too 10y
or too charming, has nothing TO do
with this tale.
Mr.. Erasmus Mallet's ~misfortunes
and his schemes for retrieving them,
prevented him from sleeping. He rose
While II was yet dark ana started out
to drive down the western side of the
lake. he turned eastward across the
southern end. Here was the only place
where cat-tails in the entire lake.
This spot, which he had formerly con-
sidered an eye sore, had become Of in
terest to him. Stray ducks had some
times settled there. He was studying
the possibilities of duck shooting in the
only place where ducks had YER settled
before. The lake ended here in Il mar
row. sha~rp-pOinted bay, finally empty
ing through a little brook that led lazfly
across a flat strip of sand for some
three hundred feet. and then darted
abruptly down a slope into n large
creek. This sand covered for some
depth the harder barrier of clay that
formed the southern wall of the lake.
Mr.. Mallet logged slowly over the Gull
vert over the brook and all at once he
became aware Of a connection taking
place somewhere between him md the
lake. He heard a series of grunts and
presently saw through the dim morning
twilight. the figure Of a man bearing