Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1910-02-25
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CHAPTER VI.

1850 'S''' NsN ~
ference, and she efuse absolutely to
accept Aylmer as her son-in-law.
1T Is because that black woman dis
trusts me that you object" he said.
Il wonder that an educated person
should be dominated by hat uncivil-
lied creature.
Dido has nothing to do with my
REFUSAL" aid the widow, coldly; and
although I take her advice in some
things, I do not in this. I don't wish
Isabella to marry you, ana / request
you to leave my house"
"As a gentleman / must accept your
dismissal, but I declin. to give up Isa-
BELLA
And l." cried the girl, Swear to re-
main true to Maurice!"
You'll do nothing of the sort" said
her mother. violently. II forbid you
even to think of that young man. You
'haH marry whom 1 choose!"
DIR. Etwald. 1 suppose"
No! Mr.. Sarby."
David" calculated Maurice, In an
~Astonished tone you wish Isabella
TO marry him!'
Yes! He loves Isabella much more
than you do. and he asked permission
which o didn't-to pay his adj
dresses to her. I consented, and so,"
Mrs. Dallas raised her voice, "he shall
marry her."
I refuse to marry Mr.. Sarby," said
Isabella, vehemently. Il hate him!"
That is no matter!' replied her
mother. coldly. You must marry
him!"
"Must!" repeated Maurice. with
great indignation.
tVno Nv 49, RF, NF,~N
Must! If you want an explanation Of
that you can ask Major Jen!"
The Major! My guardian!" cried
Aylmer. quite thunderstruck. rs he
against me?"
Ask him! I want no further speech
es from you. Go to your room. Isa-
bella"
Resigning himself to the inevitable.
Maurice gave one glance at Isabella.
and vent outside with a heavy heart.
Dido was standing upon the veranda.
with her eyes glowing like two Goals.
Yet there was an m-concealed express
sion of triumph in her gaze which
Maurice. in his then disturbed and an
gered state of mind, could i'll brook.
He paused abruptly as he passed by
Ter, and asked a direct question::
Why do you hate me, Dido ?''
"Voodoo!" a she in a harsh voice.
Bah! o black parrot!" muttered
Maurice. sc%ornfully, and turned upon
his heel. As he vanished down the
walk Dido clapped her hands together
with great satisfaction, and began to
sing in low tones. Her song was bar
baric In words, and strange beyond all
Itching In the music 1t rose and fell.
and moaned and drawled in q curious
ny painful manner. In the drawing
room Mrs. Dallas had risen to her feet
at the first deep contralto note, and
now stood rocking herself to and fro
with an expression of alarm on her
face. Isabella was terrified in her
turn. She shrieked and an out of the
room. Then Dido. still singing, APP
peared at the window, and looked at
Mrs. Dallas with NJ expression of
triumph.
why do you sing the death song %
asked Mrs. Dallas. opening her eyes.
Because de master hab doomed dat
valler-h'ar!" said Dido, and continued
her song.
In the meantime. Maurice walked
slowly homeward. puzzling out his own
mind. az to what could be the meaning
Of these strange things. He could not
understand why Mrs. Dallas objected
to him as a son-in-law; nor could he
surmise the meaning of the mysterious
word "Voodoo." pronounced SO signif-
cantly by Dido. However, he saw
plainly h a the negress was the dis
turbing element in the Dallas house,
hold. and by q half-hypnotic control
over the weak will Of her mistress, she
could act as she pleased.
Maurice. simple and upright in con-
duct and character, was no match for
the interruptions Vaccinations O: Di-
do. She hated the young man, and
was determined that he should not
marry her nursling. But whether she
had, ! Mrs. Dallas, a preference for
David over DR.. Etwald, Maurice could
not determine. The more he thought
over affairs. the more incoherent and
complicated did they become: 40 Avl-
mer gave up the task In despair. Then
Il occurred to him that Mrs. Dallas mad
referred him to Major jon; so to his
guardian Maurice went the moment he
arrived at the big house.
Major o n out. sir" explained
Jaggard. to whom Maurice applied for
Information. He got a message from
Or. Etwald. and went to see him. Be
back to dinner. sir. I b'lieve."
Where II Mr.. Sarby?"
'-Gone over to Branch Hall, sir"
"Ho. ho!" thought Maurice. as he
turned away. 80 David had gone to
zee Mes. Now II he 10 in love with
Isabella, and Mrs. Dallas favors his
suit, I wonder why he acts in that
way"
The question he could not answer 80
Diminishing Il from his memory, he re-
tired to tho smoking room with a nov
el. When Jen and David returned he
Intended to question both, and, Is pos
Bible. get to h bottom of these sick
enins mysteries.
Hang It'll" soliloquixed Maurice over
his book: since yesterday everything
seems to have gone wrong. That ne
gress and DR.. Etwald are at the bot
tom Of affairs. But I can't see their
reasons for mixing up things So"
Then he laid aside his book to think.
and stared Idly at the opposite wall.
Il CHANGED Il be that upon which the
6arbaric weapons before alluded to
were arranged, and conspicuous among
them the golden handle of the devil
stick. Recalling the mention of Woo
doc. ana Etwald's reference to African
W~ltchcsaft, Maurice connected in his
eGn mind the Aevl-stick with those
eArbartema and On Che Impulse Of The
noment a. rose g examine the marie