Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1910-11-11

"You will stay-eh, Nat?" he cried,
bobbing his head. Yes, you will stay,
and you will give me back the pack
age for day or two" He retreated
to the trap and slid down it as quick
" as a rat. pleasant dreams to you,
Nat. and-O, wait minute." Cap
tain Plum could hear him pattering
quickly over the floor below In a
moment he was back, thrusting his
white grimacing face through the
trap and tossed something upon the
bed She left them last night, Nat.
Pleasant dreams, pleasant Dreams
and he was gone.
Nathaniel turned to the bed and
picked up faded bunch of Ilacs
Then he sat down, loaded his pipe,
and smoked until he could hardly see
the walls Of his little room. From the
moment of his landing on the island
he turned the events Of the day over
in his mind Yet when he arrived at
tho end Of them he was no less mys-
titled than when he began. Who was
Obadiah Price? Who was the girl
that fate had so mysteriously assO-
ctated with his movements thus far?
What was the plot in which he had
accidentally become involved? With
tireless tenacity he hung to these
questions for hours. That there was
q plot CT some kind he had no. the
least doubt. The councillors strange
actions, the oath, the package, and
above all the scene in the kings house
convinced him Of that. And he was
sure that Obadiah's night visitor-the
girl with the lilacs-was playing a
vital part in it.
He plucked at the withered flowers
which the old man had thrown him.
He could detect their sweet scent
above the pungent fumes Of tobacco
ard as Obadiah's triumphant chuckle
REQUIRED to him, the gloating joy in
his eyes, the passionate tremble of his
voice, q grim smile passed over his
face. The mystery was easy of sOlu-
! tiOn-if he was willing to reason along
certain lines. But he was not willing.
! He had formed his own picture Of
| Strangs wife and it pleased him to
! keep it. At moments he half con-
coded himself a fool, but that did not
trouble him. The longer he smoked
! the more his old confidence and his
old rccKlessness returned to him. He
had enjoyed his adventure. The next
day he would end it. He would go
| openly into St. James and have done
his business with Strang. Then he
would return to his ship. What had
he Captain Plum. to do with Strang's
wife?
But even after he had determined
on these things his brain refused to
rest He paced back and forth
across the narrow room, thinking Of
the man whom he was to meet to-
morrow-of Strang, the one-time
schoolmaster and temperance lecturer
who had made himself a king, who
for seven years had defied the state
and nation, and who had made of his
island stronghold hot-bed of polyg-
amy, of Righteousness, of dissOlute
power. His blood grew hot as he
thought again of the beautiful girl
had said that she was the kings wife.
Still
Thoughts flashed into his head
which for time made him forget his
mission on the island. In spite of his
resolution to keep to his own scheme
he found himself, after a little, think
ing only Of the Mormon king, and the
lovely face he had seen through the
castle window. He knew much about
the man with whom he was to deal
tomorrow He knew that he had been
a rival of Brigham Young and that
when the exodus of the Mormons to
the deserts of the west came he had
led his own followers into the north
and that each July. amid barbaric fes