Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1910-12-16

Marion s soul dying within her. Some
terrible secret is gnawing at her
heart, robbing her of the very life
which few weeks ago made her the
most beautiful thing on this island;
her every step, and as the day draws
near when she is to join the kings
harem 1 see in her eyes at times
look that frightens me. There is only
one salvation. Tomorrow I shall kill
Strang!"
And then?'
Neil shrugged his shoulders.
Il will shoot him through the alb
domen so that he will live to tell his
wives who did the deed. After that
I will try to make my escape to the
mainland"
"And Marion"
'Will not marry Strang! Isn't that
plain?"
"You have guessed nothing-no
cause for the prophets power over
your sister," asked Nathaniel.
absolutely. And yet that influence
1t freezes the blood in my veins. It
is so great that Strang did not hest
tate to throw me into Jail on the pre-
text that I had threatened his life
Marion implored him to spare me the
disgrace of public whipping and he
replied by reading to her the COM
mandments Of the kingdom. That was
last night-when you saw her through
the window. Strang is madly infatu-
ated with her beauty and yet he dares
to go any length without fear of losing
her. She has become his slave. She
is as completely in his power as
though bound in iron chains. And the
most terrible thing about 1t all Is that
she has constantly urged me to leave
the island-to go, and never return.
Great God, what does it all mean? |
love her more than anything else ON
earth, we have been inseparable since
the day she was able to toddle alone
and yet she would have me leave
her! No power On earth can reveal the
secret that is torturing her. No power
can make Strang divulge it,
"And Obadiah Price!" cried Ma
thaniel, sudden excitement flashing in
his eyes. Does he know?"
Il believe that he dOes!" replied
Neil, pacing back and forth in his agi-
tation. captain Plum, if there is
man on this island who loves Marion
with all of a fathers devotion it is
Drio ND hot
he knows nothing of the terrible in
fuence which has SO suddenly en-
shaved her to the prophet! He sug-
gests that it may be mesmerism, but
/" He interrupted himself with
harsh, mirthless laugh. "Mesmerism
be damned! It's not that"
Your Sister-is-a Mormon" ven
tured Nathaniel, remembering what
the prophet had said to him that
morning. Gould it be her faith?-a
message revealed through Strang
FROM
Neil stopped him almost fiercely.
Marion is not Mormon" he said.
"She hates Mormonism as she hates
Strang. l have tried to get her to
leave the island with me but she in
sists on staying because of the old
folk. They are very old, Captain
Plum, and they believe In the prophet
and his heaven as you and I believe
in that blue sky up there. The day
before I was arrested I begged my
sister to fee to the mainland with
me but she refused with the words
that she had said to me a hundred
times before-'Neil, l must marry the
prophet Don't you see there is moth
ing to debut to kill Strange"
Nathaniel thrust his hand into
pocket of the coat he had loaned Neil
and drew forth his pipe and tobacco
pouch. AS he loaded the pipe he
looked sQuarely into the others eyes
and smiled.
NEIL" he said softly. "Do you know
that you would have made an awful
fool of yourself if 1 hadn't hove in
sight just when I did,"
He lighted his pipe with exaspera-
ting GOODNESS, still smiling over it's
bowl.
"You are not going to kill Strang
tomorrow" he added, throwing away
the match and placing both hands on
Neil's shoulders. His eyes were
laughing with the joy that shone in
them. Neil, I am ashamed of you!
You have worried a devilish lot over
very simple matter. See here"
He h]ouy q cloud of cD,olxo ovor tho
others head. 1--we learned to demand
some sort of pay for my services since
I landed on this island. Will you
promise to be-a sort of brother-to
me-if I steal Marion and sail away
with her tonight"
CHAPTER vi.