The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-04-29

mumblcd. a 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 that old shanty since
AL Farthin' come here, n he's goinS
to rave and rare up and down these
valleys till we-uns is all at our wits
end. Yessuh. Ain that so, squire?"
Begins to look that way" Things
were going in precisely the direction he
wished"
Say. you, now. darned IL 1t don't
seem as if l was in some niger shack
down South" The disgust in Amos
face and voice We're really ludicrous.
II yum can't, II die, believe
in. Now, there hain't nothing
more the matter with that old
shanty up there than there Is
with the squirrels old smokehouse, that's
ha'nted '. 18th the ghosts Of 400 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'! Oh, my Lord"
He got up and took 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, I reckon you'll be satisfied in
takin' 1t u in talkin'." Ulie's voice
fairly shook with
THE squire hain't took back his of
fer yetst, not's I've hearn tell Of"
spoke up Lem sneeringly. It's SO still.
amt 1t, 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 and
ever. to back down on his offer.
III dare yeh and double dare 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"
tone hat sent the hot blood to Amos
face. Perhaps he'll take Dan along
to give him courage" The squire was
keeping strangely silent. Things We're
not going just right. He knew Amos.
II thought he'd weaken" scoffed Tile.
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 aln't
going to dare me. l amt afraid, and
We al Know ~. III Bood ana SICK or
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 squirrels barn.
l want you to &c With me, Dan. for a
witness"
stantly and buttoned up his coat.
Better strip good for racin', Dan,''
jcered Ulie.
"All right, subj" Amos was getting
angry. I'm goin' up there, and what's
more I'm goin' inside, n 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. one
who seldom backed down when once he
had taken a position. Clearly some
thing was going to happen.
Don't you do it, Amos" Old Poppy
Miller had shabby arisen to his feet
and was holding u a palsied hand.
Don't you dast to do 1t, Amos" His
voice was a tremulous falsetto.
Tn 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,
Ab?"
NO. no." quavered the old mar with
singular intensity. Fer Gods sake
don't do it, Amos. You don't know
WnaI you re AEON OF. HIS excite
ment was increasing visibly.
"Huh!" Amos "a 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. I 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 so minutes he called
back. confidently.
But there was to be no fire that
night.
IAN right, ten; all right, ten
mumbled the old mar incoherently. Hit
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 it meant.
Those about the store could hear the
dollar clock beating on the shelf over
the cloth counter. 1t fairly beloved
through the o The old man was
staring with vacant eyes out into the
darkness and mumbling d~isjointedly.
Then he began to wind the long scarf
about his neck.
"~--
Clever Animals.
From the Philadelphia North American
The published statement that the
chimpanzee now performing at the
London Hippodrome draws a salry OF