The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1910-09-30
THE STORY
OF ORSON
By SAMUEL MLLARD PORTER
copyrighted by Short Stories Co.,

copyrighted by Short Stories Co., Ltd.)
Artuff my kinsman, had come to the
fields where l worked, sowing, and
although | had no great love for him,
ne still seemed to stay with me more
than the others, but l knowing of his
.,ale-bearing with others OF my k1ns-
men always answered him as little as
[ dare, which seemed to anger him;
20 this day when he had questioned
ne and received the short
[ always gave him, a rage seemed to
come over him, and drawing his knife,
ae tainted me, and saying things no
nan had ever said to me. he rushed
upon and struck at me. NOW, al
though am not given to anger, yet
what he said wrought upon me SO
that l turned upon him after he had
thrust at me, and though l was wound
ed, l took from his hand the knife and
slew him. Then it was that l saw
what | had done in my anger, and
kneeling down beside him swore that
40 man should ever be slain by me
again. and taking him like a child in
my arms. l ran with him to the house
and called my brothers, who seeing
Artuff dead upon the ground looked
black at me, for no love had been lost
IN their part since my father IN MS
Did age had given me the house and
fields.
So saying little to me they bore,
Artuff on a litter between them to
he house of Artuff, his father, where,
litter mourning with his people, they
came back again, and though had
:old them how Artuff had first thrust
1t me, yet would they not believe 1t,
tut chose to show ill-will.
So it came that one day in harvest
line when we were all in the fields
.ong after this thing was, we heard
someone crying out as though in rage
Or pain, and we looked to the west
md beheld Orloff running. Now.
though Orlolf had not been friendly
with me since l slew in anger his
brother Artuff, yet also ran to hear
aim, and with a cry he aimed with
ais sword to STAY me. Now, though |
I'M as brave as any man, still did |
lot like to have any more Staying in
our kinship, so leaping over a mound
If earth l made ready to go to the
save if he should chance to pursue
ne.
And now it was that some sought
% stay him to hear what had caused
his anger, so that l could plainly hear
aim say from where l was waiting,
''Tis a VOW l have made to Artuff.
ny father, to Stay him who slew my
brother in his YOUTH" and he spake
80 bravely out before them because
le knew that anger was in the others
hearts in that l had the fields OF my
.ather and was the nearest to his
heart, SO breaking away from the
hands that did not detain him he ran
after me, for by this time the kins-
men or Orloff had come up; so over
The mounds OF earth l went, and he
followed me. When / reached the
lill 1 rested for a breath. and jumping
Town over the cliff seemed to his
y to have fallen through the earth.
But Michele, my wife, l know not
whether through deceit or otherwise,
cried out, He has gone to the cave"
which Orloff and the others hearing,
re descended by another way and
stood at the mouth haunting me.
Now, when l had been building the
ave, I had thought of the i~ll-feeling
If my kinsmen, and had taken from
me of the walls a stone, and often
when they had thought me in the
woods hunting l had worked at the
passage underground, but though l
could do so at times, still surely they
would see me If they were reaping in
he fields, SO l had worked from the
woods 20 steps away, and by dragging
ny sword idly across the field one
lay, mad made a straight line to the
ave so, slowly though l worked.
still by the time the harvest was
ready again, l had made the passage
way and no one but l knew of it.
So It was, though Orloff had thought
had hidden in the cave; still when
lc AoV HC11kOlOu AS "Ou4u oSS AS WY
~ which l could hide, for l had pulled
Up the stone after me, and by the
line I was out in the woods Orloff
vas searching the cave, and so gave
nc time to run with swiftness
through the dense, damp marsh OF the
woods near the field, and running with
great swiftness / anne near nightfall
20 the hut of Edmund, and looking
within to see If any were there, ! saw
he maiden Alicia, and knowing that
ler gentleness was my safety, | open
I'd the door and told her of my fight
and the deceit OF my kinsmen and
he ill-will of my wife.
Then with weeping eyes she bowed
Ter head for a time, and with whiten-
I'd face she told me that her two
orothers had gone that day with Or
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