Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1909-03-13
CHAPTER II-Continued.


| Cochin lays an aig."
Say, boys. ever think of one thing"
continued the squire placidly. you've
| been seem some strange sights up TO
the old cabin lately. hain't yeh? There's
| always been queer stories about that
! place, but you didn't hear of much go
! ing on there till Farthing moved onto
that farm. did yeh? Now stop to think
OF this latest cuttin' up; hain't every
bit OF 1t been since he moved into
town."
"Wal, you can't lay that onto AL"
Dan squared about argumentatively
There haint been no track into that
| cabin ell this winter yetst, and you-all
knows 1t still" He addressed his argu-
ments to the crowd. az II II were they
who were combating him. He told
me himself when 1 asked him that he
had other business nights than laying
awake watchin' for ghosts STILL and
cabin already. He said he slept nights
| and went at his sleepin' early"
'Wal-now-I-don The
squire again winked knowingly. Ever
notice what a sharp little black eye
he's got and how 1t looks right through
! that very often" The old man under
stood perfectly those to whom he was
| talking.
Var! Now you're gettin' at IT,"
burst in Lem Fisher. It's an eye that
can weave n branch round yeh. First
thing some OF you-uns II know you'll
be gettin' hacked; your kids'll be liver
and oppnehmer. You be care
ful, you-uns; that's my word to
| you already. He had lowered
his voice almost to a whisper. Ulie
took up the theme instantly.
That's Jest what I've been a-tellin'
4. l.. ,I,..Nf 81, TI,.N
| There's reason for the doin's up in
that old shanty, don't you forget that.
The devil don't have to walk when he
wants to get over snow and"--lower-
ing his voice mysteriously and half
closing one eye-"a hacker and pow
wower don't nuther. You-al! think OF
| that wunst."
"RecoIlect how strange old Poppy
Miller acted down to Dams butcherin? ?
Helgh?"
How'd you dast TO stan ag'in him
So squire, and say what you did right
! In front of him? Won't ne hack yeh?
Won't he send Rose into the oppneh-
mer? Amt ych 'fraid something II
happen to her."
Nav! Not a bit. carry words
ag'in him. He can't touch me or mine
| I've saw to that"
But he's a deep one" Lem FISH
er was on his own ground now. He's
jest the worst one we -uhs ever k1o" u
here"
Il don't believe IT," exploded Dan.
"Al amt no more OF a hacker than
| YOU be- Lem; not one bit, And | don't
believe that none of you have really
ever saw anything up to that cabin
wunst. Nosuh. You're Jest like my
old mare when she goes acrost the rail-
road track. You're so blamed scairt
| and you expect to see such an awful
thing that you don't know what you
do see, and you shy and kick and snort
for all the world as il there was some
thing there"
"Humph!" retorted Ulie scornfully.
"'Spose don't know still what l see
| with my own eyes? Humph!"
"Oh, amt questioning but what you
think you see It. My boy come in one
day and sayed that he seen a snake as
long as the hay ladder still. and l
hain't the slightest doubt but what he
thought 1t really was. Where's Amos?
He'd knock the whole thing higher
| n a kite"
Look here, Dan" the Squire spoke
I'D sudden and sharp. I'm give you ten
| dollars and pay 1t in money II you'll
20 up to that cabin right off now and
| touch 1t with your hand. Now, that's
business" The Squire knew his man.
"Yessuh now, that's business, and
! I'll dare yeh to do it, added Ulie i'm
portantly. You talk big still. but you
| don't dast to do It, Nosuh. We've got
you now, Dan. It's go up or shet up. -
where's Amos? I'll go II he'll go
with me wunst." The man was clearly
| in distress. He had half arisen, and
was wavering perceptibly.
| Amos don't count in this bargain.
| Amos amt here. Now you go up there
| or YOU quit your everlasting yammer-
ing about this here Farthing. I'm sick
of it."
"All right, sub" He spoke with a
| luiver of excitement in his voice. "lll
| GO" Loyalty to his friend was strug-
! Cling with innate superstition, and 10y
| atty was for the moment the stronger.
! He arose like the leader of a forlorn
hope and took n tottering step.
Now" said the Squire, brisklY. 81
want Ulie and Lem to follow behind
and see that he does It," The crafty
old man knew with whom he was deal
| ing. Fear is as contagious as disease.
! The two men hesitated a moment then
| arose doggedly and buttoned up their
! coats. 1t was always best to obey the
Squire even when he asked hard things.
"Come back and tell us how you
make out" shouted the old man as they
were plunging out into the night.
"All right. We won't be gone long.
III tell you that" called back Ulie, and
| then they were lost in the darkness.
There was a swirl Of rafting snow in
| the air. The wind came I'm puffs and
eddies, whirling the sharp grist into
| the faces of the men. A dismal roar.
sullen and steady, rolled from the dis
tant ridges, and from the near gaps
came a succession of snarls and
shrieks. The snow modified the dark
ness into a ghostly light in which moth
ing was distinct.
The three men struggled on in silence.
At length they reached the place where
the road turned off toward Heller's
Gap. and they struck into II without Il
word. The buildings of Allen Farthing
were in complete darkness: the family
had gone to bed. Then they turned into
the little lane that once had been
the main road to the Heller cabin. BY
day q clear view of the hut could be
had from this point, but the ghostly
light revealed nothing as they peered
through the bushes.
Suddenly a thin, waVering shrek
rang through the air. far off like the
| cry Of the Banshee. 1t stopped the
| three dead In their tracks. Lem Fish
er turned and took several hasty steps.
"Oh, come on, boys" spoke up Dan
stoutly, It's only the wind in the gap.
I've heard It blow that way before.
Come on" They paused a fearful mo-
ment, then crept trembling after him.
The outlines of the cabin were now
dim ahead, and few steps further left
1t clearly defined. At the sight of 1t
Lem and Ulie stopped as Il arrested by
an invisible hand.
Now go ahead, Dan, If you're goin ,
but advise you not to. l wouldn't go
another step for all the money the
Squire's got. This is all the farther
we're goin', I'll tell yeh that" The
three huddled together like chill
dren at night after ghost story.
Then Dan gripped hi' fists hard
and crep ahead as II stalking some
fearful wild beast. Ten steps and he
stopped short with sudden drawing in
of the breath.
"Ah!" Before him stood the cabin