Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1904-03-17

lation to the last shreds Of opium that
were left to him; when those were,
gone he sat down and waited for the
end.
On the morning following that dark
and MINDLESS night he awoke with the
old horror of awakening Upon him.
The dreams. were. done with The saw
himself, as he had done so often be-
fore, an unc1ean thing crawling UNI
der heaven, and flt only to be swept
away with the refuse of the world.
Hearing. a moan from the couch, he
covered his ears and, shrank away
| from what he knew to. he his. work.
Then. feverishly he began to. fill the
| little pipe again and to make prepare
lions for lighting it; saw the unqiliet
figure on the couch, dropped the pipe
| and covered his face with his; hands.
'When she dies" he whispered,
| when she goes straight to her God,
she'll point to me down here and say
what ! was, and what l am, and what
| dragged her down to- And God on
his throne will judge me-now, before
I've time to do anything--to say any
thing. And they'll strike me down
send me to the place I've dreamed of
and awakened in so often She's going
now-nothing can hold her back. And
her mother will be therein heaven
1t will be a double condemnation for
me. i'll could only get awayln53 -
,Coward-like, and feeling that he
stole out of the place. ;aad got into 1.-THE
air--fearful of he knew. not what.
Running sometimes, and stumbling as
he ran, he got away as far as he Could
and dared notigo back, .,aEs. -
'Ill go back when she gets fuiets-
when she cannot stare at me with her
mothers, eyes and show me, what /
have DONE" he muttered. "It hasn't
been my fault; everything has been
against me-froln the first"s Z. as,ts&a
Meanwhile the Fates had decided,
somewhat tardily,. to fight for Grace
Yarwood. 1t was little late: in the
day, perhaps, but then the Fates have
a curious way of doing things, without
apparent rhyme. or reason And tie
instrument employed on this. occasion
was curious one.
While the girl lay in the little wood
en- house man was coming ont Of the
world that lay round about the ruined
town in the Wilderness and was max
ing straight towards her There was
no settled purpose in his mind and
there never had been; he might almost
be called one of Natures children. SO
much was he part OF the landscape
h,S, ,[xr.1, i,1,s 4 =
Of great stature-with deep-set eyes
that had looked. on life and son death
for many years and had aaiotr been
been afraid; man with a long beard
that swept his great chest; creature
of the wilds in his picturesque dress.
Even in that benighted town they
knew him, as all the countryside knew
him-Enoeh Flame. a,N.. ..,sss
He was a Notwithstanding from
out of the past that did not join hands
with the civilization of the present.
He was reputsd to be rich in knowl.,
edge of herbs and other strange things
and to have learned much lore from
the Indians with whom he sometimes
wandered. Every now and then he
made his appearance in some ont-of-
the-way place, and remained there un-
til the time came for him to vanish as
suddenly and mysteriously. as he had
appeared. People. We're little afraid
OF him, as matter Of fact, although
there was little enough to fear in. him.
He came into the town with his ma!
jestic stride; and with his grave and
dignifed method of salutation ito such
as he met. They had seen him 4theer
before, and now, coming at the begin
ming of g .dreary day. with no promise
of excitement in 1t. he was quite vel.
come. The previous day had had its
excitement in the coming Of. the men
who were. hunting for q certain Mr..
Owen Jaggard, wanted for the murder
of man he had; shot down in cold
blood; end the few. stragglers left in
the town, having once tasted OF ex.
citement, as it We're, longed for more,
Truth to tell. old Enoch Flame had
little to say to them; accident alone
had brought him into the place. He
gravely smoked in the bar of the one
saloon, and told them such news of
the countryside as they had not heard:
SASiA A1S AAao1A SA
selves. 80 -.--',"s
It leaked out, quite casually, that
one or..twos of the inhabitants; had been
down with fever, but were recovering
save, that's, for those who had died.
Then one man drawled out something
about old YaTwood's daughterAsaftf to
be dying in the little house the. other
sidesof the town, The man added, as
an item of news. that she was expect
ed to be gone by that time, if their
own doctor l!2 was to be depended upon;
and he had not made a mistake yet
a "A woman z asked thesold man. 81.
had not heard; of her. Is she young??"!.
He was informed that she was
mere girl-that she. lived alone; with
her father;sit was added that the faith
er was q hard lot, lor any one to have
live with. Before the drawing utter
ances of the various m Ell were half
over Enoch Flame was striding up the
V<.~lS RA xE u