The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1909-05-20

red. The smoke hung on he ridges
like a fog, and the air was run OF
flakes of charred caves. me ram nao
not ~quenched the fire: 1T was burning
| as fercely as ever. The dark came on
| carly. 1t was evident hat black clouds
had rolled up again. The win hoWieo
about the old structure, and roared on
| the ridges. Despite the a~fternoonss
| shower it was a dry, suitry wlnd, the
breath of a week of scorching weather.
The fire by the brook Was almost I'M
| bearably warm, but it was needed Tor
cheer and companionship. IL was an
excellent chaperon, too, and young jim
kept it going steadily He sat on an
| old pine block near it. and she perched
precariously on the slab-heap near the
door.
The conversation centered about the
| fire and their escape, then ID to
other fires and other escapes.
Did you ever hear" she asked SOL
| emnly, .of the time when the fire came
down in the night through Heller's Gap
and threatened the valley"
NO"
And you don't know what stopped
it?"
mo. I've never heard of it."
1T got as far as the black ring
around the old cabin and didn't cross
it,"
And the valley people Of course
thought it supernatural?'
some dld.
But it was all perfectly natural;
| don't YOU see it was? That short, green
stuff hat grows around the cabin don't
burn easily
What makes 1t grow there?" She
was looking over at him half reproV-
ingly. :
"Oh, it's some sort of wild grass. I
s'pose it was sowed there some time"
but why don the snow lie on it,"
L haven't seen but what it does. It's
possible that the sun comes In onto 1T
in a curious "a and melts it quicker.
It's on the south slope, you know, n
under the rocks"
But snow never lies there, even on
the north side, no matter how deep 1T
may be elsewhere"
oh, that's superstition, pure and
simple. The stories about that old
house are really laughable."4
But Amos isn't superstitious. He's
seen it; and you know about what he
heard the other night-he n Dan?"
"Pshaw! You don't seriously be-
lieve there's anything supernatural
about that old house; now, do your"
He looked over a her laughingly. II
didn't suppose that anybody nowadays
really believed in ghosts until I came
into the valley here. l never dreamed
of such a thing"
Amos don't believe in EN-"
No; but it makes all the difference
in the world who you're with. He and
all the rest of you have been thinking
about this thing so long that you're
nervous. and you actually imagine you
see and hear things"
But Amos isn't nervous"
We'll, l know this-that every re-
gion has got a haunted house, and peo-
pie you wouldn't hin of believing in
UGH things can be found by the dozen
to say they lave seen the ghost. Now,
do you know Tom and I watched there
Al...- 1T u 80; -f@@n &l-+ I~-k
scare and never saw or heard a thing
out of the way? It's all superstition,
you take my word for it,"
Perhaps so." she said doubtfully.
Then for some reason a silence fell be-
tween them. After a time he glanced
ing far toward the fire, her elbows In
her lap, her chin in her hands, gazing
demurely into the flames.
The picture thrilled him the dim
background of hemlock and r%hododen-
dron in which the shadows played fit
fully. the tottering old mill family out
lined. and the girl with the freight in
her hair. He gazed at her rapt and
breathless. 1t was the of mo-
ments for confession; the man and
maiden miles and miles from all other
human life, the steep encircling ridges
"a little world, and only they two. A
wild impulse seized him, but he crushed
it instantly. He would make no avow-
al now. She was with him wholly by
accident it had been against her will.
He had the advantage, but he would
not use 1t. Not n look or one word
of love to embarrass her now, IL he
could master himself, and he could. He
would seek her some other time when
she was free to do her whole will, and
he would pour out his heart as a man
should.
"Homesick?" he asked, with a suspi-
cion of fun in his voice.
Not a bit" she said, scornfully.
But think how they are worrying
down home. They won't sleep a wink.
will they"
Cant blame them If they don't,
but it's nothing we're to blame for
II think I'll go in, now" she said
solemnly.
Good night" he said, and she dis
appeared.
He threw on more wood and tool.
his place again on the log. For an
hour he gazed flxedly into the flames.
Another hour n he had not changed
his position except to pile on fuel
CONTINUED Nexs Weekl
The Harvesting Of the Nile.
From the New York Financier.
On the 9th OF February the khedive