Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1907-05-10

CHAPTER discontinued,
BY A BARRETT

'l1aEe you thought what S to become
OF ycr7 poor old grandfather If you turn
/ him out of house and home, you grasping
grinding, hard-hearted boyY" he asked,
beginning in q whine and ending in a
growl.
"Your father has got a cottage to him
self; why should you need one? Can you
live with him?y
Live with father. And who would
give me Goals and blankets then in the
winter. Oh, / wish one Of them scrip
scher readers would drop in on me now,
and soften your heart, you gallus Phil
istan taskmaster."
l turned TO the door; he sprang up
and came after me.
wait, sonny" he cried, do you really
mean to sell the place to old Fenwick"
II must, il you can't buy it."
Seeing that ! was determined not to be
moved either by whining or growing,
his manner changed completely there
was the %strangest mixture of dread and
cunning calculation in his blue eyes as he
drew the soft loose folds of his cheek
down betwixt his thumb and fingers.
II must 60 and see father" he said.
How much do you want?'
II can't go with less than u hundred
pounds"
you shall have it by tomorrow morn
ing" he said. / hesitated. "Fenwick,"
he added, wouldn't give you the money
down on the spot" This was possible.
Every WELL" said /. Tomorrow
morning at 10 o'clock / will come here,
and il the money is ready you shall have
the COTTAGE"
and you won't so to Fenwick in the
meanwhile"
mo; l promise you"
.'Tak your oath on 1t, sonny he
said, and I'll take my oath you shall
have the money. Take your oath, sonny
l repeated my promise and went away,
wondering why the old man chung so
strenuously to the possession OF the cot
tage. Clearly he himself had not the
money, or with the dread of my selling
it over his head he would not have de-
layed the payment uselessly till the next
day. His father certainly seemed to be
in poorer circumstances h he; and
knowing the contempt in which he held
my grandfather, 1t was a browning mys-
terry how the latter proposed, with such
assurances of success, to get the loan
of such a sum of money from him.
At Sandhaven / took a room for the
night at the Trusty Mariner Inn. While
/ was eating a chop in the little parlor
that looked upon the High street, / saw
my grandfather coming down the hill at
the settled pace of a man with a long
march before him. Opposite the inn he
paused and cast a wistful glance down
the sanded steps into the open bar. He
shook his head and made a few irreso-
lutte steps forward, then paused again.
gianeing up and down the street for pos
sible scripture readers, as he stroked his
flaccid cheeks and rolled his tongue round
his mouth. Finally, with a stamp that
seemed to say, Hang it all, I can't help
it," he turned back and stumped down
into the taproom. He was there when
l went out for a stretch in the afternoon.
and he was '.yarning' with some kindred
spirits he was there when l came back
In the evening, and he was singing a
sentimental old-fashioned song with a
cracked and quavering voice; he was
there when I went up to my room at 10
o'clock, %disputing stoutly. Shortly after
that . heard the landlady exhorting him
to go home like a good man, and his
friends encouraging him to come out in
the fresh air and pull himself together.
There was a scufling on the sanded
door Of the bar, as If he were trying to
CATEy VUt LuCSC SuS6CSliOAS0, l1CA lOIiOWcu
. heavy fall and q shrin cry of alarm
from the %landIady. I ran down stairs.
NV grandfather was looking %vacuously
about him in the arms of those who were
trying to lift him. He tried to stand up
right; his left leg gave under his weight
lit was broken-and with a scream of
pain he dropped down on the floor again.
Strengthened the leg that had doubled
under him.
"He's tainted, sir, open his collar"
said the landlady, bustling of to "a.
water.
I unbuttoned the collar Of his gray
shirt. Underneath ! found 6 leather
thong with a little bag attacked e II. He
opened his eyes and looked stupidity up
In my face for a moment: then he felt
my fingers On his throat, for the thong
seemed to press upon his windpipe, he
made a sudden grasp at the little bag
with a look of terror in his face wholly
inexplicab1e to me.
you've taken it out" he cried in a
fury, feeling the leather bag and rubbing
1t between his thumb and fingers to find
AZ the contents were there you've open
ed it-you've seen it'll"
.No," said I, II have not touched the
bag"
The fright had sobered him. He thrust
the bag back and buttoned his shirt over
II, glaring at me suspiciousiy the while;
and then he covered it with his two hands,,
clasping the treasure as il his life de-
,pended on it, forgetting the physical pain
that had made him lose consciousness in
the terrible dread of losing his secret.
CHAPTER III.
A mattress was brought down into the
9arlor and my grandfather was laid on
1t, while his late companions made as
straight as their legs permitted to Bon
port to fetch a famous bone setter who
lived there. Three hours elapsed before
NE made his appearance, and during that
time my grandfather lay on his back
suffering acute pain, never fer a moment
removing his hands from the little bag on
his chest. At one moment, after attempt
Ing to change his position, It seemed as
if the pain would deprive him again of
consciousness. He groaned, and the
sweat came out upon his face !: implcring
me- with his eyes TO come nearer, and,
pantins for breath, he whispered:
Sonny, if I should 80 OF In q swcund,
you won't take no mean advantage to
get this here little bag, win you'll"
promised him I would neither torch
the bag myself nor LET anyone else touch
81 whatever happened.