The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1909-03-25
CHAPTER Iv-Continued.

I've wanted to so for a long time
she went on radiantly. Wen go ov'
70 the old Heller cabin. There's all sor
OF stories flying around and I've wan
ed TO see it ali winter. It's Just IL
day. Come on"
Not afoot? You don't mean to wal
clear over there?"
Sure. l feel just like walking. Com
on"
But the roads are all mud-it's awf,
walking he had persisted.
An the more uu. I amt afraid
mud, are your Get on your CUR
shoes. Wen be there in no time.
There was no escape.
Don't run he pulled at length
Let's just saunter along. There's n
rush"
Wen have TO hurry to get there an
back before meeting-time. Come on,
ana she had fitted on before him, Will
he puffed and waddled and tried /,
keep up.
The day was perfect. The sun, low IL
the south, poured in a mellow food tina
was like the Indian summer. Their.
was no snow, but along the whole roaC
there was that which was enfolC
Worse-a river Of hat yellow. Centre
county mud that sticks closer than 6
brother. There is no shaking it off: in,
deed, 1t Ia difficult to separate 1t from
the shoes even with a stick.
Rose, picking her way lightly and
oainttly, now by the roadside, now on
the crushed stones, avoided 1t almost
completely, but Karl, ploughing along
heavily, kept ever In the middle of the
peck baskets. In vain he kicked and
scraped. His rubbers ann off and
ne ruined his shoes.
Don't hurry" he pleaded. hot and
painting. There's no hurry"
Call this hurrying?" she called back
nNrn 10 -rt1l,,I1~,. ? -,
crawling. We must walk faster than
this And he stumbled on after her
in desperation.
His collar became a wet rag. The
sweat soaked through the band of his
best hat, making a broad yellow stripe.
bis feet weighed q hundred pounds
apiece and were increasing every mo-
ment. 1t was like walking with a ball
and chain. The mud smeared his
trousers nearly to his knees, but he
puffcd on.
Come, come" she cried s%cornfully:
why, who's tired? We've only just
started. Why, I've walked twenty
miles lots of times. Come on: I'm go
ing. She started on briskly. He hes
ltated a moment, the painted after
her half on the dog trot.
When at last they had cut through
the scrub axe n stood In sight of
the old house, he was In a dry DalIor.
His mouth inc throat were like pieces
OF paper.
See! see. The old house," she cried.
he gasped out something like a
Thank GOD" and collapsed upon the
nearest stone.
Its a wild, lonesome place. isn't it ?"
she went on, almost excitedly. See
n a hangs over it. And look
The black ring. What do you suppose
1t? Can you see tt?"
Yes" he puffed.
1T seems almost like q perfect cir
Gle, doesn't it?'
Yes"
Its something that's growing; some
kind OF a moss or grass, don't you
mo, no. This is all the farther I'm
he said with decision.
I'm going down there alone"
NO, no, no." he gasped. "Remem-
Der what they say. You know it's
ring"
''Oh, CANNON As tr ho
u
It's safer to stay away
i want to look into the window,
rms is all the farther Tn going"
ae announced decisively. Besides. vo,,
1ouian't see anything if you tried
oon1t you see how there's a shutter
the window? 2,
But the ring?"
on, the Hellers put some kind of a
,fleinicai there, n a devils r of
ONE sort or other comes up on TT,
n winter?" ~
! don know. Probably they sowed
oule klha OF q plant that melts snow
ust the same as salt does Say. I'll
yet 1t Is salt"
But that would kill everything and
the ground bare and dead, and
It's a sort of black matted moss"
We'll. there's nothing chemical abou+
IN bet q dollar" For a time ff,ev
In silence at the old structure.
quare two stories in height. The
ives projected far out, giving it an un-
sual appearance. The creyices nod
cen caulked with some black material
,nich In places had begun to crumble
Ut. "A great chimney Of irregular
locks OF limestone arose at one end.
mere was no path leading to the house !
nc clearing save the black r,np
'h1ch surrounded 1t and upon which {
mere grew no trees or shrubs.
.Hark what that" They both 1
instantly. The u was
ear the top OF the western ridge. ali (
Tas deathly still save the growI ef 81
In the nearby run.
Didn't you hear something" Then !
ne faint voice of the church bell came {
them over the valley. {
MY! That's the first bell. We've
Just an hour Come, we must walk !
oW; we can't crawl the way we did {
omlnS up. Come on" |
She sprang lightly down the rocks
out upon h pike, and he followed ]
best he could. Through the puddles !
into the mud, thick and sticky as |
3dden glue. he ploughed, putting and 9
lowing n wallowing, while she trip
daintily ahead. J
They arrived at the church tust al I
le last bell was tolling. Darkness had 2
for which Kefchline was nro-
'undly grateful. It allowed him 70 =
himself through the church-po;nr y
lrong unrecognized, and to get SAFE :
TO Hartswick Hall. 4
He Was faint and fevertsh. h,s lao. 9
most refused to obey him: and he 9
reath came In gasps that ratified and !
In his throat. An hour later e
hen he appeared In a suit I
the squire's that was three sizes tnn
all for him, and sat down to the lons 3
aye supper. he found 1t Impossible /
eat. /
on, Pap" Rose burst In from meet Il
9, we had q glorious yak. Didn't I
2 ar. keichline? We went over 10 8
g Old cabin, and 1t was fine. Wen t
, again. won't we?" She took her &
ace at p table as fresh and unr,lf- p
~ as II n had spent the whole att c