Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-06-11

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You'd this tnS5ST~as no other sound
or sign OF life. For many minutes
Nathaniel stood IN the open, his eyes
on the path along which 10 know that
! strang's wife would oome.-if she
came ct al. Suddenly he began to
examine the ground where the girl,
HAD stood tho previous night The
dainty lmprints Of her feet were plain.
" discernib1e IA the soft earth. Then
he went to the path--and with laugh
80 loud that IL startled the birds into
silence he set OF with long strides in
| the direction OF ST. James. From the
footprints in that path it was quite
evident that Strang's wife was fire.
Quent visitor at Obadiah's.
At the edge Of the forest, from
where he could see the log house stu
ated across the opening, Nathaniel
paused. He had made up his mind
| that the girl whom he had seen
through the kings window was In
some way associated with it. Obadiah
| had limited as much and she had come
| from there on her way TO Strang's.
But as the prophets wives lived In his
| castle at st. James this surely could
not be her home. More than ever he
was puzzled AS he looked he saw a
figure suddenly appear from among
the mass Of lilac bushes that almost
| concealed the cabin. An involuntary
exclamation Of satisfaction escaped
him and he drew back deeper among
| the trees. 1t was the councillor who
had shown himself For few mo-
ments tho old man stood gazing In
| the direction of st. James as If watch
ing for the approach Of other persons.
Then he lodged cautiously along the
edge of the bushes, keeping half with
in their cover. and moved swiftly in
| the opposite direction toward tho CEN
/ ter of the island. Nathaniels blood
leaped with desire to follow. The
night before he had guessed that
Obadiah with his gold and his smol-
! dering passion was not man to iso-
late himself in the heart of the forest.
Here-across the open-was evidence
of another side Of his life. In that
great square-built domicile Of logs,
screened so perfectly by Towering
lilac, lived Obadiah's wives. Captain
Plum laughed aloud and beat the bowl
| Of his pipe on the tree beside him.
And the girl lived Thereon came
| from there to the woodland cabin so
frequently that her feet had beaten
| a well-worn path. Had the councillor
lied to him? Was the girl he had
seen through the kings window one
of the seven wives Of Stranger was
she the wife of Obadiah Price?
The thought was one that thrilled
him. II the girl was the councillors
wife what was the motive Of Oba-
| diah's falsehood? And If she was
Strangs wife why had her feet-anA
hers alone with tho exception OF the
old man's-worn this path from the
lilac smothered house to the cabin in
the woods? The captain Of the Typhoon
regretted now that he had given such
explicit ordera to Casey. Otherwise
he would have followed the figure that
was already disappearing into the for
est on the opposite side Of the clear
ing. But now he must see Strang.
There might be delay. necessary de-
lay, and II It so happened that his
own laundering curiosity kept him on
the island until sundown-wen. no
smiled as he thought Of what Casey
would do.
Rellling his pipe and leaving trail
Of smoke behind him he set out boldly
for st. James. When he came to the
three graves he stopped. remember
ing that Obadiah had said they were
his graves. A sort of grim horror be-
gan to stir at his soul az he gazed on
the grass.grown mounds-proofs that
the old councillor would inherit place
in the Mormon heaven, having obeyed
the injunctions of his prophet on
earth. Nathaniel now understood the
meaning of his words Of the night be-
fore. This was the family burying
ground of the old councillor.
He walked on, trying in vain to con-
centrate his mind solely upon the
business that was ahead Of him. A
few days before he would have count
ed this walk to st. James one of the
events of his life. Now 1t had lost it's
fascination. Despite his efforts to de-
stroy the vision of the beautiful face
| ClaG ha0 iOChSu lI ulLl luICuSi lhS
kings window its memory still haunt
ed him. The eyes, soft with appeal;
the red mouth, quivering, and with
| lips parted as if about to speak to
him; the bowed head with it's tum-
bled glory of hair-all had burned
themselves upon his soul IN picture
| too deep to be eradicated. If st.
James was interesting now it was be-
cause that face was part of it, be-
cause the secret of it's life, of the
misery that it had confessed to him,
was hidden somewhere down there
among it's scattered log homes.
| Slowly he made his way down the
slope in the direction Of Strangs cas-
| tie, the tower Of which, surmounted
by its great beacon, glistered in tic
morning sim He would find .Strang
| there. And there would be ore chance
| in a thousand OF seeing the girl-if
| Obadiah had spoken the truth. AS he
/ passed down he met men and boys
! coSning up the slope and others NOV
ing along at the bottom OF it. all go
/ ing toward the interior Of the island