The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1905-05-12
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
CHAPTER Vl.-continued.

AZ YOU NipW lne DiackS. you III Snlll
and say | had my labor for my pain
the which L had. His place was a
the quarters. and OF what Went OF
within the house he knew no NOR
than l. But this he told me; that com
parry surely was expected, II tina
some air of mystery was abroad.
When he WAS gone l ate a soldier
portion. knowing OF old how i'll a thin,
1T is to take an empty stomach int,
battle. For the same cause | drank
second cup of wine-'twas old maderii
OF my fathers laying-in-and would
have drunk a third but that the bottl,
would not yield it.
1t was fully dark when l had finish
ed. and. thinking ever on my plan
would strive afreSh to weld it's weakes
link. This was the hazard of the weap
on-gettinS. With full-blood health ant
strength might have gone bare hand.
ed; but as it was. l feared to take thu
chance. So with a candle l Went a.
proving in the deep drawers of the ole
oaken clothes press II in the es.
c%ritoirc which once had been my moth.
ers. II .ound no weapon bigger thar
a hairpin.
1T was no great disappointment. for ]
had o before with daylight in the
room. Besides. the wine was mount
ing. II hen the search was on the
hazard seemed the less. So 1 could
rush upon him unawares and put my
knee against his back. l thought the
Lord of Battles would give me strength
to break his neck across it.
At that | capped the candles, and.
taking post in the deep bay of the Win
dow. set myself to watch for the light
ing of the great room at the front.
This had two windows on my side and
while / could not see them, l knew
that l should see the sheen of light
upon the lawn.
The night was clear but MOON
less. and the thick-leafed masses
of he oaks and hickories rose
a wall OF black to curtain
half the hemisphere of starry sky.
was shrilly vocal. though to me the
chipping din of frogs and insects hath
ever stood for silence. Somewhere be-
You'd the thicket-wall an owl was CALL
ing m%ournfully, and b%ethought me of
that superstition-old as man, for aught
| know. And hen | laughed, for surely
death would come to one or more OF
those beneath my fathers roof with the
compass of the night.
Behind the close drawn curtain.
though l could see it not. the virgin
forest darkened all the land: and from
nfar within its secret depths heard,
or thought ! heard. the dismal bowling
of the timber wolves. Below, the
house was silent as the grave. and this
seemed strange to me. For in the time
of my youth a wedding was a joyous
thing. Yet l would remember that these
present times We're perilous: n also
that my bridegroom %captained but a
little band of troopers in a land but
now become tiercely debatable.
1t must have been an hour or more
before the sound of distance muf1led
hoofbeats on the o broke in upon the
chirping silence Of the night. l looked
and listened, straining and ear.
hearing but little and seeing less until
three shadowy horsemen issued from
the curtain wall of black beneath my
window.
1t was plain that Others watched as
we'll as l, for at their coming a sheen
of light burst from the opened door be-
low. at which there We're sword clank-
ings as of armed men dismounting, and
then a few ~low-voiced words of well
come. Followed quickly the closing Of
the door and silence; and when my eyes
grew once again accustomed to the
gloom, saw below the horses standing
head to head. and in the midst a man to
hold them.
So" l thought: but three in all.
and n of them a V Twill be
u scantly guested wedding" And then
l ragged within again to think of how
my love should be thus ~dishonored in a
corner when she should have the world
To clap its hands n praise her beauty.
At that. and While l looked, the
lawn was banded farther on by two
bsoad beams of light; n hen knew
my time was come.
Feeling my way across the darkened
chamber l softly tried the door latch.
1t yielded at the touch. but not the
door. | pulled, and braced myself and
pulled again. Twas but a waste of
strength. The door was fast with that
c~ontrivance wherewith my father used
to bar me in what time l was a boy
and would go %raccooning with our
negro hunters. My enemy was no fool,
He had been shrewd enough to lock
me in against the chance of interrupt
ton.
| wish you might conceive the help
less horror graphing with me there be-
hind that fastened door: but this, in
deed. YOU may not, having felt it not.
For II daZed moment l was sick as
death With fear and frenzy and know
not what besises. and all the %blackness
OF the night swan sudden red before
eye, the madness left me cool and sane.
IS if the fit had been the travail-pain
of some new birth of soul. And after
that. as ] remember, L knew not rage
nor haste nor weahness-knew nc other
thing save this; that had set my
SELF a task to do II | would do it..
My window was in shape like half a
cell of honeycomb. and close beside it
on The outer wall there grew an arcien:
ivy Vim which more than once had held
my weight when l was younger and
would evade my fathers vigilance.
| swung the easement noiselessly and
clambered out. with hand and foot in
proper hold as il those youthful fittings
of my boyhood days had been but yes
ternight. A GREATNESS minute later l
was down and afoot on solid ground:
and then a thing CHANGED which l
would had not. The man whom l had
called a servant turned and saw me.
Halt! Who goes Thereof he cried.
"A friend said l, between my wish
inss for a weapon. For this servant of
my preiiSurings proved to be a trooper,
booted. spurred and armed.
"I,~iod, ! think you lie," he said:
anG 4 fter that he said no more, for he
wa.Slown among the horses hoofs and
l upon him, kneeling hard to scant his
breath for S~houtings.
1t grieveS me now through all these
years 10 think hat ! did kneel too hard
upon this man. He was no enemy of
,,,i,,, ,,,I Iil hut J~-~u cool. %~ a.