Shiner gazette. [volume] (Shiner, Tex.) 1893-current, 1910-10-06
CHAPTER lI-contiuued.

OI1NF" ( n Il-OOnLlnuCQ.
NAT, you've got good red blood in
you" he cried whirling about "D'ye
suppose you can hate as we'll as lover"
Lord deliver us!" exclaimed the
astonished Captain Plum. Hate
iove-what the"
Yes, hate repeated the old man
with fierce emphasis, so close that his
breath struck Nathaniels face. You
can love a pretty face-.and you can
hate. know you can. If you couldn't
would send you back to your sloop
with the package tonight. But as 1t
is | am going to relieve you of your
oath. Yes, Nat, give you back your
oath-for time"
Nathaniel stepped a pace back and
put his hands on his pockets as If to
protect the gold there.
you mean that you want to call
on our bargain?" he asked.
The councillor rubbed his hands I'M
til the friction of them sent shiver
TIP Nathaniel's back. mot that, Nat
o, no, not that! The bargain is good,
The gold-is yours. You must deliver
the package. But you need not do 1t
Immediately. Understand? am
lonely back there in my shack /
want company. You must stay with
me a week. Eth? Lilacs and pretty
faces, Natl Ho, hol-You will stay
a week. won't you, Nat?"
Il Will show you many things of
interest. Nat" he said II will show
you Just one tonight. Then you will
make up your mind, Ell? You need
not tell me until then"
He took the lead again and this
time struck straight down for the
town. They passed a number of
houses built Of logs and Nathaniel
caught narrow CLEANS of light from
between close-drawn curtains. In
one of these houses he heard the
crying Of children, and with a return
of his grisly humor Obadiah Price
prodded him in the ribs and said:
Good old Israel Laeng lives there
two wives, one old, one young-11
children. The Kingdom of Heaven is
open to himi" And from a second he
heard the sound of an organ, and
from still third there came the
laughter and chatter of several femin-
inc voices, and again Obadiah
reached out and prodded Nathaniel in
the ribs. There was one great,
gloomy. long-built place which they
passed. without a ray of light to give
1t life. and the councillor said: Three
widows there, Nat-flght like cats and
dogs. Poor job killed himself" They
avoided the more thickly populated
part Of the settlement and encoun-
tered few people, which seemed to
please the councillor Once they over
took and passed group of women
clad In short skirts and loose waists
and with their hair hanging in braids
down their backs. For third time
obadiah nudged Captain Plum.
1T Is the kings pleasure that all
women wear skirts that come just be-
low the knees" he whispered Some
of them won't do it and he's wonder
ing how to punish them. Tomorrow
there's going to be two public whip
pings One of the victims is man
who said that If he was woman he'd
die before he put on knee skirts
After he's whipped he is going to be
made to wear EN-. BY Trim and
Thummin, isn't that choice. Nat?''
He shivered with quiet laughter and
dived into great block of darkness
where there seemed to be no houses.
keeping close beside Nathaniel. Soon
they came to the edge OF a grove and
deep among the trees Captain Plum
caught a glimpse of lighted window.
unusual caution. He approached the
light slowly, pausing every few steps
to peer guardedly about him, and
when they had come very near to the
window he pulled his companion be-
hind thick clump of shrubbery Ma
thaniel could hear the old mans sub
dued chuckie and he bent his head
to catch what he was about to whis-
per to him.
You must make no noise. Nat"
he warned. This is the castle of our
priest, king and prophet-James Jesse
Strang am going to show you what
you have never seen before and what