Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1909-03-26
CHAPTER Iv-Continued.

udA. IOfle OH
Not afoot? You don't mean TO Walt
clear over there2"
Sure. feel just like walking. Come
on"
But the roads are all mud-it's awfu
walking" he had persisted.
"All the more fun. / amt afraid ol
mud, are you? Get on your gun
shoes. Wen be there In no time.
There was no escape.
Don't run" he pulled at length
Lets just saunter along. There's nc
rush"
Wen have to hurry TO get there and
back before meeting-time. Come on.
and she had fitted on before him, while
he pulled and waddled and tried u
keep up.
The day was perfect. The sun. low in
the south. poured In a mellow flood that
was like the Indian summer. There
was no snow, but along the whole road
there was that which was tenfold
worse-a river OF that yellow, Centre
County mud that sticks closer than a
brother. There is no shaking 1t off in
deed, it Is difficult TO separate II from
the shoes even with a stick.
Rose, picking her way lightly and
daintily, now by the roadside, now on
the crushed stones. avoided it almost
| completely, but Karl. ploughing along
heavily, kept ever in the middle OF the
road. His feet increased to the size OF
peck baskets. In vain he kicked and
scraped. His rubbers came off and
he ruined his shoes.
Don't hurry he pleaded, hot and
painting. There's no hurry
''Call his hurrying?" h called back
over her shoulder. why, We're only
| 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.
His feet weighed a hundred pounds
apiece and were increasing every mo-
ment. IT was like walking with a ball
and chain. The mud smeared his
trousers nearly to his knees, but he
puffcd on.
Come, GOMEZ she cried scornfully:
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
itated a moment, then painted after
her half on the dog trot.
When at last they had cut through
the scrub cakes and stood in sight Of
the old house, he was in a dry pallor.
His mouth and 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.
IT'S a wild. lonesome place. isn't il ?"
she went on, almost excitedly. "See
how the gap hangs over it. And look
the black ring, What do you suppose
makes it? Can you see it?"
Yes" ne puffed.
at seems almost like a perfect cir
Gle, doesn't it?"
EFyng -
ITS something that's growing; some
kind Of a moss or grass. don't you
think? I'm going down and see.
Come"
mo. no. This is all the farther I'm
going" he said with decision.
Then I'm going down there alone"
mo, no, no. he gasped. "Remem-
death for any Hartswick to go inside
that ring"
"Oh, CANNON! AS If 1 believed
that
Its safer to stay away"
Il want 10 look into the window"
"This is all the farther I'm going"
he announced d~ecisively. Besides, you
wouldn't see anything if you tried.
Don't you see how there's a shutter
over the Window
but the ring?"
"Oh, the Hellers put some kind of a
chemical there, and a devils crop Of
some sort or other comes up on it."
But why don't the snow lie there
in winter?"
II don't know. Probably they sowed
some kin of a plant that melts snow
just the same as salt does. Say, I'll
bet 1t is salt"
But that would kill everything and
make the ground bare and dead, and,
see, it's a sort of black matted moss"
well, there's nothing chemical about
II, I'll bet a dollar" Cor a time they
looked in silence at the old structure.
1t was a log house, some IL feet
square and two stories In height. The
caves projected far out, giving 1t an I'M
usual appearance. The crevices had
been caulked with some black material.
which In places had begun to crumble
out. A great chimney Of irregular
blocks of limestone arose at one end.
There was no path leading TO the house
n no clearing save the black ring,
which surrounded it and upon which
there grew no trees or shrubs.
"Hark, what's that" They both
Strengthened instantly. The sun was
nea the top of the western ridge: all
was deathly still save the growl of wa
ter in the nearby run.
Didn't you hear something Then
the faint voice Of the church bell came
to them over the valley.
MY! That's the first bell. We've
got just an hour. Come, we must walk
now, we can't crawl the way we did
coming up. Come on"
She sprang lightly down the rocks
m out upon the pike, and he followed
the best he could. Through the puddles
and into the mud, thick and sticky as
sodden glue, he ploughed. putting and
| blowing and wallowlng, while she trip
| ped d~aintily ahead.
They arrived at the church lust as
the last bell was tolling. Darkness had
fallen, for which Keichline was pro-
foundly grateful. 1t allowed him to
drag himself through the church-going
throng un~recogniZed, and to get safe
ly to Hartswick Hall.
He vas faint and feverish; his legs
almost refused to obey him; and his
breath came In gasps that ratified and
| gurgled In his throat. An hour later,
when he appeared In a complete suit
of the sauire's that was three sizes toe
small for him, Inc sat down to the long
delayed supper, he found it impossible
TO eat.
"Oh, Pap" Rose burst In from meet
Ing. W had a glorious walk. Didn't
we Mr.. Keichline? We went over &c
the old cabin. and 1t was fine. Wen
go again, won't we?" She took her
place at the table as fresh and unruf-
fled as IL she had spent the whole aft
ernoon In her oom One glance al
Karl In his tight fitting costume, ar
| fmperceptible fiutter for q m al