The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-05-12
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
CHATTER Vl.-consinued.

You may be sure questioned him, an,
ii YOU know the blacks. youll smil
and say l had my labor for nay pair
the which l had. His place was &
the quarters. and of what Went o
within he house he knew no NOR
than 1. But this h. told me: that com
pany surely was expected, and tbs
some air of mystery was abroad.
When he was goHe l ate a soldier
portion, knowing of old how ill a thin
II IS 10 take an empty stomach int
battle, For the same cause l drank
second cup of wine-'twas old maderi
OF my theirs laying-in-and woul
have drunk a third but that the bottl
would not WELD ii.
1t was fully dark when 1 had finish
ed. and. thinking ever on my Plan
would strive afresh to weld it's weakes
INK. This was the hazard of the weap
on-getting. With full-blood health ant
strength might have gone rare hand
ID: but as it was, l feared to take tn.
chance. So with a candle L went a.
proving in the deep drawers OF the ole
oaken clothes press and in the es.
critoire which once had been my moth.
ers, and found no weapon bigger thar
H hairpin.
1t was no great disappointment. for
mad before with daylight in the
room. Besides, the wine was mount
ing. and when the search was on the
hazard seemed the less. So 1 could
rush upon him and put my
Knee against his back, l thought the
Lord of Battles would give me strength
to break his neck across 1t.
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 1 could not see them. / knew
that i should see the sheen of light
upon the lawn.
less. and the thick-leafed masses
Of the oaks and hickories rose
A wall OF black to curtain
half the hemisphere of starry sky.
As always in our forest land. the hour
was shriliy vocal, though to me the
chirping din of frogs and insects hath
ever stood for silence. Somewhere be-
yond the thicket-wall an owl was call
ing m%ournfully. and / bethought me of
that superstition-old as man, for aught
know. And then l 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
affair within it's secret depths l heard,
or thought / heard. the dismal bowling
or 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 were perilous: and also
that my bridegroom captained but a
little band of troopers In a land but
now become tiercely debatable.
1t must have been al hour or more
before the sound of distance muf1ed
hoofbeats on the road broke in upon the
chirping silence of the night. l looked
and listened, straining eye and ear.
hearing but little and seeing less until
three shadowy horsemen issued from !
the curtain wall of black beneath nv
window.
1T was plain that others watched as
wen 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 d~ismounting, and
then a few low-voiced words of well
come. Followed quickly the closing of
the door and %silerce; and when my eyes
grew once again accustomed to the
gloom. I.saw below the horses standing
head to head, and in the midst a man to
hold them.
So" I thought; but three in all,
and one of them a servant. Twill be
a scantly guested wedding" And then
1 ragged within again to think of how
owe should be thus dishonored in a
corner when she should have the world
10 crap IT'S hands and praise her beauty.
At that. and while 1 looked, the
was banded farther on by two
bpoad beams of light; and Their / knew
my time was come.
Feeling my way across the darkened
chamber l softly tried the door latch.
Ut yielded at the touch, but not the
door. l pulled. and braced myself and
pulled n rai1 'rTuoc hit =,
strength. The door was fast with that
c~o!itriyance wherewith my father used
10 bar me in what time l was a bow
and would go raccooning with ou1.
negro hunters. My enemy was no fool
He had been shrewd enough to lock
in against the chance of interrupt
ton.
| wish you might conceive the help
less horror graphing with me there be-
II that fastened door; but this. in
deed, you may not, having felt 1T not.
For one dazed moment / was sick as
death with fear n frenzy and / know
what besides. and all the %blackness
of The night swan sudden red before
eyes. Then. in the twinkling of an
the madness left me cool and sane.
as IL the fit had been the travail-pain
IF some new birth of soul. And after
hat, as | remember, l knew not rage
nor haste nor weakness-knew no other
iiiliS save lnlS, that L had set NV
self a task to do and | would do it.
My window was in shape like half a
ell of h~oneycomb, and close beside 1t
IN the outer wall there grew an ancient
w vine which more than once had held !.
ny weight when | YVES younger and !,
evade my fathers vigilance.
] swung the easement noiselessly and .
'iatnbercd out, with hand ami foot in
roper hold as if those youthful fittings !,
VI my boyhood days had been but yes ,
\ GREATNESS minute later !
vas down and afoot on solid ground. I,
then a thing CHANGED which !
would had not. The man whom 1 had !
allied a servant turned and saw me.
Halt. Who goes there" he cried. ,
a friend, said L, between my wish !
ngs for a weapon. For this servant of !
NY ~pretigurillgs proved to be a trooper,
spurred and armed. ,
r~lod, | think you lie," he said; !
ne 4 fter that he said no more, for he +
va Town among the horses hoofs and a
upon him, kneeling hard to scant his 8
'reath for shoutings. !,
1T gfieVes me now through all these i
ears TO think that l did kneel too hard =
pom this a He was no enemy of ,
zine, and did but door seek to do 5
is duty. But he would fight or die,
md l must fight or die; and so it end r
d as such strivings will. with some t
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