The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1909-04-29

mumblAd. q faraway look in his eyes.
"~Somesing stranger N you sink"
You see, it's Jest as / 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 hat old shanty since
Al Farthin' come here, n he's going
to rave 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 IL It don't
seem as IL / was in some niger shack
down South" The disgust In Amos
face and voice were really ludicrous.
I'm listening to white folks talk
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 200 hogs
that's been hung In 1t. 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. Pow-wowin'l oh, my Lord"
He got up and took an angry turn
around the store. T.. .-
Say, Amos, you talk big; how'd you
like to go up there some midnight
wunst m walk acrost that dead line?
Doin's n thing and talkin's another.
Now, I reckon you'll be satisfied in
taktn' Il out In talkin'." Ulie's voice
fairly shook with
1.-The squire hain't took a. his Of
fer yetst, not's I've hearn tell Of"
spoke up Lem sneeringly. It's so still,
amt 1t, squire, to he man who puhts
his hand ON the old cabin wIinst after
dark?' e.,
, "Ye-es," said the squire hesitatingly.
He knew Amos, n he knew Ulie and
Lem and Dan. 1t would not do, how
ever, to back down on his offer.
TN dare yeh and double dare yeh to
go up to that house tonight" Jeered
Tile. Now, you've been talking big
for a long time already. You go up
now or o shet up. That's fair"
'tOh, he won't CO." sneered Lem in a
tone that sent the hot blood TO Amos
face. Perhaps he'll take Dan along
to give him courage" The squire was
keeping strangely silent. Things were
not going just right. He knew Amos.
IT thought he'd weaken" scoffed Ulie.
He hain't gut as much sand as Dan
has" H.
Now, look here, folks, there hain't
any reasonable call for me to go up
to that old house tonight in this mush
VI SAloWS u gOu oIlu IlOuOu1 Sl1C Jill L
going to dare me. / amt afraid, and
We all know 1t. I'm good and 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 a
witness" "
"All right; I'll 60" He arose in
stantly and buttoned up his coat
Better strip good for racin', Dam"
AN right, subj" Amos was getting
angry. nm goin' up there, and what's
more I'm goin' inside, and I'm goin' to
tired Of IT. Amos had not q particle
of superstition In his make UP. More
over, he was a man of courage, one
who seldom backed down when once he
had taken a position. Clearly some
thing was going to happen. lle
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 1t, Amos" His
voice was a tremulous falsetto.
I'm going to kill two birds with one
stone; I'm going to earn $40; and I'm
going to get red of the biggest nuisance
in this valley, that's Jest what I'm goin'
to do. Got that larntern most ready,
ABB" /
mo, no." quavered the old man with
singular intensity. Fer Gods sake
don't do 1t, Amos. You don't know
what you're a-doin' Of" His excite !
ment was increasing yisibly.
Huh" Amos was coolly helping
himself from the store matches. .
IF it's the last word 1 ever ave to
say" begged the old man, his voice
cracking in his excitement, don't yer
dast ter do It. I knows what rs assay
In. It's death, Amos; death, DEATH /
DEATH" He had taken a step forward,
m with his palsied hands was waving |
a shaky circle toward the busting
man. ....a Il
Come on, Dan. Ready? I en-
They strobe out together. Watch for
a fire in just so minutes" ne called
back confidently. +
But there was to be no fire that
night. /
"All right, ten; all right, ten" :
mumbled the old man incoherently. He
still making weird circles in the
air with his shaky hands. Ulie and
Lem Fisher stood behind him as far as /
they could get in the narrow store and
watched his movements with ghastly
faces.
They knew what 1t meant. Il
Those about h store could hear the
dollar clock beating on the shelf over
the cloth counter. 1t fairly beloved
through, the room. The old man was
staring with vacant eyes out into the
darkness and mumbling disjointedly. !
Then he began to wind the long scarf I
about his neck.
(contiaued Nexs Wesk.l
----S-@-$-- |
".' CtaNymn Afeaa |