The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-05-08
CHAPTER I,
THE COPPER CYLINDER.


lbut as he found himself alone on the
country road his spirits revived and he
Thought that he must be mistaken in
supposing he had just been face to face
with one whose presence he feared.
l"Not much changed after all these
1 years" he murmured, as he looked to
fright and left over the smiling land
Escape. THANK heaven! it was in the
y country and not in the city, for, in the
latter case, all traces might have been
4 lost
u Evidently the beauties of nat<re did
4 not appeal to him particularly on that
occasion, though the glories of sum
mer rested on the land.
He seemed to be in quest of some
thing, and anxious lest he should not
I find it.
Sst When at last wood came in sight
q his steps quickened and his furrowed
throw became more deeply lined with
anxiety. From right to left he glanced
with his sharp eyes, examining the
trees on each side searchingly and
93lcarefully.
v The forest is standing yet, much as
/ II left it, he muttered to himself. 1T
has stood still, looking not bit older,
while i have been aging. Well, things
promise well, for it might have been
laid waste by a forest fire, or cut down
and town built on the site Matters
are not SO bad as might be. You will.
come out ahead 1 think, Job, from the
appearance Of things"
He began to walk more slowly now,
land occasionally paused to consider,
rubbing his nose thoughtfully the while,
as he examined the trees and bushes
with the keen eye OF a naturalist. 1t
was in one of these stops that, looking
Eup, he saw something that drew a
tstartled exclamation from his lips. 1t
was a bit of, red flannel tluttering from
the limb of a maple.
The sight Of such an unimportant OBJ
lject seemed to worry him greatly, then
he drew near the bushes that lined the
ledge of the road like a green wall, and,
pushing them aside, plunged into the
underground.
II would just as leave not have such
people nOsing about he muttered. But
they know me better than to interfere
with my work He forced his way
through the thickest of the underbrush
and entered little glade in the midst
tof which rose the stump Of What must
have been a great tree.
r. The: man smiled at the sight, and
H waving his hand toward 1t, said: Bless
We, old fellow, for standing sentinel 50
long. Your usefulness did not cease
when you We're struck by lightning"
He passed the tree and went on his
way down one Of the aiSles Of the forest
(which at one time must have been a
sisSRttSoLi lOdSt, {DlL w ilSW@oSChfuH WALL
grasses Now and then he paused to
lreconnoiter and to look around.
in From time to time he smiled and
nodded his head, as If satisfied that he
was pursuing the right path.
SUI denly, in the midst of his walk,
without warning, sharp shot rang out
land his hat fell to the ground. He
II stopped calmly, picked it up and exam
lined ii carefully. Not a bad shot, ex-
Eanin1ng the holes, which had evidently
been produced by bucl1shot. "a little
n nearer and I should have had consider
able ola headache" and replacing the
III hat on his head, without even stopping
81 to look for his assailant, he. continued
on his way turning neither to right
nor left.
3 THAT must have been the work of a
( greenhorn," he said to himself He
must be demonstrated with before go
/ any further. might stand a chance of
being ported against when his aim was
rrRar. sf s5 Il.
Nothing further happened; the in
visible marksman did not attempt to
repeat his experiment. The little man
h had now come to an opening in the
woods. Beyond, to his right, his sharp
df ifting 9lazily UP through the warm air,
and it was In this direction that he now
n bent his steps.
Entering a little glade he saw beyond
him what seemed to be the foundations
sof house rooted over with old tar
paulins and bark. 1T was out of a hole
In this roof that the smoke was drifting,
| and which had attracted his attention.
There seemed to be no opening to this
building, but near the front wall set
q in the ground, was a square slab of
! wood like the covering to a well.
Without o moments hesitation he
lifted this, disclosing a burrowlike hole
taa
interiors3of the place. Carefully he
climbed down into the hole and, pass
ling through a dark passage, found him
siseH in o. cellarlike room feebly lit and
filled with sitting smoke and green
| boughs with which the fire had been
fed.
Alloy there! Anybody at homer"
for, In that light, there was no human
n being visible s.ss 5zss .
Then what he had taken to be a
bundle of fagots lying by the fire,
seemed to become suddenly endowed
ES3 y he form Of q little woman bent with
age, who came hobbling forward with
Nsurprising agatlity. "a
on know me, mother" bending his
head down near to hers for a moment,
n while she examined his features keenly
II and then passed e withered hand over
Will i know YOU. What do you
here ~ 3$
it tiers not roughly. "And let
III me tell you,ssI am not 60 be potted like
bird by your people. Just. now, as I
IVA H coming through the woods, some
s,Ils fired on me. z AZ
1T viii not happen q gain, she said,
ssst iInid III. 1T was the youngster; he is
new and has much to learn M s ss
1T W jill be well IL you tell him there
II are lessons 4 can teach him that are
nor learned IN sci ools. I. said he, harsh
lessons that once learned, are new
;S Ell Yorgot ten. Ysou understand, mother?
III the lad know that once forgive
a for I, is yout b. but agai ll------ g
You have nothing to fear, z she
ndnlered e
s 1e broke out again into a loud laugh
s IL reused strange echoes In the
ss1 ace. 81
saaa 'ea All did you say? A pleasant
IN ord and ss,f on the ton que, but what
IA ces if mean ??ss and he laughed again.
Seeing pick Handing against the
x wan he TOOK lit. sss1 have need Of this
III She node ed e. s3Ig
III VIII you be here Icri 8 {? B.
hat ma be as business calls for.
III siaply sto ped here nov that you
4 Iliisy I1t give that man O. aiming. 4 lie