Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1909-04-30


| mumbled. a faraway look in his eyes
''Somesing stranger n you sink"
you see, it's jest as l say went on
Lem. with added confidence. There's
hacking and pow-wowing at the bot
tom OF this. The devil is making his
headquarters in that old shanty since
Al Farthin' come here, and he's going
to I'VE and rare up and down these
valleys till we-uns is all at our wits
end. Yessuh! Amt that so, squire?"
Begins TO look that way" Things
were going In precisely the direction he
wished"
Say, you. now, darned II 1t don't
seem AS II I was In some Niger shack
down South The disgust in Amos
face and voice were really ludicrous.
II yum / can't, IL 1 die, believe
in. Now, there hain't nothing
more the matter with that old
shanty up there than there Is
with the squire's old smokehouse, that's
ha'nted with the ghosts OF 400 hogs
that's been hung In II. 1t makes me
mad clean through and through TO hear
grown white men. that ought TO be civ
ilized, talkin' like a pack of Niger
wenches. P~ow-wowin'! on, my Lord"
He got up and tool an angry turn
around the store.
Say, Amos, you talk big: how'd you
like to go up there some midnight
wunst and walk acrost that dead line?
Doin's one thing and talkin's another.
Now, | reckon you'll be satisfied in
takin' II out In talkin'." Ulie's voice
fairly shook with sarcasm.
THE squire hain't o back his Of
fer yetst, not's I've hearn tell Of"
spoke up Lem s~neeringiy. It's $40 still,
amt IL, squire, TO the man who puhts
his hand on the old cabin wunst after
dark ?"
"Ye-es,' said the squire hesitatingly.
He knew Amos, and he knew Ulie m
Lem and Dan. 1t would not do, how
ever. to back down on his offer.
I'm dare yeh and double are yeh to
go up to that house tonight" jeered
Ulie. Now, you've been talking big
for a long time already. You go UP
now or you shet up. That's fair
"Oh, he won't 60" sneered Lem in a
tone that sent the hot blood 10 Amos
face. Perhaps he'l take Dan along
to give him courage The squire was
keeping strangely silent. Things were
not going just right. He knew Amos.
II thought he'd weaken scoffed Ulie.
He hain't gut as much sand as Dan
has"
Now, look here, folks, there hain't
any reasonable call for me to go up
to that old house tonight In his mush
of snow, but you and nobody else amt
going to dare me. l amt afraid, and
We all know ii. I'm good n sick OF
this whole thing, and the sooner it's
settled the better. Here, Alb, get me a
larntern. I'd jest exactly as lives go
up there as TO go to the squire's barn.
/ want you To go with me, Dan, for q
witness"
"All right: I'll go" He arose in
stantly and buttoned up his Goa
Better strip good for racin', Dan,"
jeered Ulie.
'Al right, subj" Amos was getting
angry. Tn goin' up there, and what's
more I'm goln' inside, and I'm goin' to
fire the tarnal old shanty. I'm sick and
tired of IT. Amos had not a particle
of superstition in his make up. More
over. he was a man of courage, n
who seldom backed down when once he
had taken a position. Clearly some
thing was going TO happen.
Don't you do 1t, Amos" Old Poppy
Miller had shakily arisen to his feet
and was holding out a palsied hand.
Don't you dast to do il, Amos" His
voice was a tremulous falsetto.
I'm going to kill two birds with one
stone; I'm going to earn $40: and I'm
going to get red of the biggest nuisance
in this valley, that's jest what I'm goin'
TO do. Got that larntern most ready,
ABB"
NO, no, QudNeTeu the Ola man With
singular intensity. Fer Gods sake
don't do 1t, Amos. You don't know
what you're a-doin' Of" His excite
ment was increasing visibly.
"Huh!" Amos was coolly helping
himself from the store matches.
''If it's the last word I ever have to
say begged the old man, his voice
cracking in his excitement, don't yer
dast ter do 1t. / knows what rs Assay
In. It's death, Amos; death, death,
DEATH" He had taken a step forward,
and with his palsied hands was waving
a shaky circle toward the busting
man.
Come on, Dan. Ready? I en-"
They strobe out together. Watch for
a fire In just 60 minutes" he called
back confidently.
But there was to be no fire that
night.
"All right, ten; all right, t'en,"
mumbled the old man incoherently. He
was still making weird circles in the
air with his shaky hands. Ulie and
Lem Fisher stood behind him as far as
they could get In the narrow store and
watched his movements with CHASTITY
faces.
They knew what Ii meant.
Those about the store could hear the
dollar clock beating On the shelf over
the cloth counter. 1t fairly beloved
staring with vacant eyes out into tho
Then he began to wind the long scarf
about his neck.
(continued Next Week.l