The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-07-10
L r. Church
in the Swamp
By DALLAS LORE SHARP
VoopyrIsht, BY Joseph B. Bowles.l

almost every woody bend as they pad
died down the Savannah from Angus
ia. Bat the streams Of population have
changed their course since the coming
of the railroad. The low-lying swamps
are nearly deserted and now, except
at the few regular statio9sss< ~ boat
turns her shovel nosz~r bank
only when she smell Il resin,
a bale of cotton, loney
q higher levels for
ii had been beautiful
er but the game was
Re end of two days wan
II not heard a gobble, and
OF the second day came
"a dreary drizzle, | was back
river awaiting for the re-
BOAT
There | was | did not know.
6t relish the prospect of an
hight in the swamp, not in this
|borhood anyhow. alone, in the
Wand reeds, and among the snakes,
,knalaria and other beasts lodging there
ABOUT. | dared wait no longe and,
shou, ing my rifle, made my way
back fna higher, dryer bed.
HAD not gone far waen l found
was following an Old path-a hog trail
probably land, with just hope that
IL would lead to clearing, | kept on.
With the extra sense of a woodsman,
felt was nearing something or some
where; and, turning a bend over the
rising ground, saw through the trees
what seemed like a number of piles
blazed by the pitch gatherers. But, on
approaching, the pitch pines proved to
be, not pines, but gravestones. | had
stumbled upon an ancient graveyard.
Only a few of the names could be
made out, They were all in French
and | guessed 1t must be an old HUI
guenot burying ground
Peering in among the cedars that
had rooted out many of the stones,
caught glimpse of white house.
and hurrying forward as though | had
not done one of my 40 miles that day,
wondering If 1t was white-washed
cabin, a turpentine still or-I suddenly
stood before a Westinghouse, older
and thousand times more spectral
than the graveyard. 1t was on a knoll,
and h.. been in sight of the river be-
low once; but now the brush and trees
completely hid it. except when one
might happen to run upon it,; and 1t
looked in the gloom as If | might be
the only one to have done that in half
a century. The door was locked.
tried the windows. They were fasten-
ed, too; but on the river side the end
window was partly torn away, leaving
an opening large enough to admit me.
! | climbed inside and CROPPED my way
about with the last of the light. A
dozen or more plain benches were
drawn up parallel with the platform
and close together There was an
antique swallow-nest pulpit hanging
high up on the wall, with a kind of
to the platform. 1t was a hollow,
musty place. and from the odor |
juC ged the bats must have recently
assembled in large and frequent CON
gregations here. 1t was spooky, too;
but 1t was a shelter, and any kind OF
shelter-a house at that! the
widest Kind of luxury In such place.
LAID my rifle on the platform and
prepared my bed, whistling tune fit
70 wake every old ghost about the
place. The back bench was out of the
Z draft of the broken window, and
spreading my rubber blanket on this
with my game-bag for pillow, lay
down to sleep.
The wind freshened in the trees anC
the pines broke out aloud in the.l
eternal dirge. The rain began to pat
ter in drops against the loose panes. 1
was pitch dark. What fit place to b,
dead in-the graveyard outside.
Soughing pines. moss-hung expresses
night and storm and everlasting soil
tude! Rather, how unit.
| fell asleep and dreamed | was on,
of large and hap y congregation
listening to a good ola father pleading
from the pulpit overhead Then til
scene changed: the congra cation van
ished, the morning sunlight and tn
good-faced preacher disappeared, an,
was alone, in the dark with Sata
making ready from the pulpit to swool
down upon me. woke with star
and shiver. For moment the dream
was SO real could still see the CLEAN
ing eyes of Satan staring down At me
The wind was high outside, the rail-
had ceased. the clouds were broker
and driving across the moon, and nov
and then a faint flood of yellow ligh
fell through the eurtainless windows
was wide awake now and still gain
up at the fiendish face in the pulpit. /
was no longer a dream. A heavy clou
covered the moon, and two burnin
balls of green glared down at me. Tn
cloud passed, and great cats hea
showed against the wall, 1t rose a iii
tie, then disappeared inside the pulpi
There could be no mistake about tn