Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1909-06-11
CHAPTER XIII.
THE Pow-wow AT ROARING RI

THE POW-WOW AT ROARING RUN.
The habitation OF Poppy Miller at the
mouth of the run had beer seen by
few OF the valley people-at least by
day. The children OF the region for
half a century and more had been
taught to avoid the uncanny place
and by no means to approach 1t save
under dire necessity. and then only I'm
the prescribed way: at dead Of night,
in dark OF the moon. in storm. If pos
sible. and never by the road. No one
in the region confessed to having made
the fearful trip. but a strange tale IL
might be were all Known.
The seat Of power in the old cabin
was Grammar Miller. a mysterious,
dreaded parsonage whom few had ever
| seen save those who had visited her
on midnight missions. OF her origin
n antecedents there were only tradi-
tons. She was not a native of the val
ley. She and Poppy Miller had sud-
denly appeared one summer, so long
ago that the date had been forgotten.
He was manifestly Dutch" but she
was OF a type utterly foreign TO the
region. and In half a century or more
she had not once been seen outside OF
the limits OF the Run farm. OF the
surmises and conjectures of the years.
that had now grown into a solid body
OF tradition by many accepted as veri-
table history, Ii Is needless to speak.
One thing, however. was certain:
Grammar Miller had power-not the
power hat removes disease, for all
must know that what brings disease
and disaster will not remove it-but
the power that touches the internal
agencies. For ordinary diseases, for
rheumatism, and warts, and liver
crowd children. and such like. there
were NANNY pow-wowers, but when Ii
came to dealings with the unknown
only Grammar Miller could avail. 1t
was firmly believed that she had In
her possession one OF the few copies
now extant of that fearful volume.
The Seventh Book of Moses the
book which In the motherland In the
old days had cost so many their lives,
and which a few, 1t Is well known, took
with them at the risk of body and
soul In their flight to the new world.
Thus the little valley M a wide cir
Gle beyond IL had ever their court of
last appeal. Would a nix-nux have the
spell removed. or a maiden win back
efE ataasySsasssfFiaS sgss4w 2E Z so aitns ava rs's Sat
Grammar Miller? And there were
dark whispers OF vengeance wreaked
on enemies, OF lightning called from
the skies, OF men and women suddenly
cut down by internal agencies-deeds
too horrible even TO think about. All
these things men averred had been
done on black nights In the Miller
| kitchen, and there are those even to-
day who. could 1t be known. carry on
their breasts CHASTITY scars of crosses
and cabalistic symbolry done at mid
night when the lightning was cleaning
on the rocks OF Roaring Run.
As to the origin OF this belief, sc
potent In the Seven Mountains and
beyond. one might say much. One
might trace the incanations and
witch lore to the German Palatinate
whence this race sprung; then he
| might study with certainty the wilc
fetch elements added by the African
and the still more awful lore borrowed
from the Indian. But this is not
| treatise.
The night Of the 9th of May was
dark and stormy. There was no moon
the rain came in spurts and swirls. the
fog had meared out every trace OF
light as with an inky thumb. From the
top OF Heller's Ridge and from the
| neighboring gap came down ever and
anon the whimpering OF the vino
among the snags, rising at times e
long whines. The trees along the piks
~shuddered and twisted, though they
were as Invisible as If In a cavern.
1t was almost midnight. The las
light In the valley farm houses hae
gone out hours before: the storm ant
the night dominated completely tn,
landscape. In all the region there wa.
not a soul astir saw at one single
point: at the mouth OF Roaring Run {
woman, mufded beyond recognition
was stealing through the wet shrub
berry.
She did not pause or hesitate. A,
she rounded q projection, guided ut
terly by the of touch. and b,
the mari Of the Run close On her left
= ray OF light flashed into her eyes
q single thin ray az from a dark Ian
tern. She Quickened her pace an,
and b outlines OF = window becam
Visible. The Hight was altering throu&l
= hols IN . blind but 4 gave no hin