Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1910-02-25
t. Folks shoot bear that are loadeA

that. Folks shoot bear that are loaded
for bear"
You look ahere. Amos Hardin,
wunst. What do you 'spose / seen this
morning? Heh?" Tho company gath
cred carer when / come over this
morning / went up clost, and, subj" his
voice breaking, there want no tarck
In the snow anywhere round it-noth-
ing but that black, dead mans ring
already. All round the house that aw-
full black ring, but there hadn't been
no track"
"Han't been no track I'm there aw
winter, yetst," spoke up a voice. They
all fell To work again II silence. There
was a look of horror on all faces.
Wonder If AL Farthing has saw
anything Lem Fisher was the first
to speak. wonder what he thinks Of
this devlishness?"
BET you won't never know. Ars
the most closest-mouthed man j ever
seen still. If he'd saw old Heller with
his own eyes already, he wouldn't say
a word about 1t. No, subj"
Say, did yeh eve think there might
be something strange abou it?' Lem
Fisher half closed his eyes and looked
knowingly at the group.
New, don't you go to hintin' about
Al. Don't you do 1t. He's square - a
die. Yessuh." Dan Tressler hustled in
stantly, as If the remark was a per-
sonal thrust. "Al's a square man, and
the best friend ew-uns have got In this
valley still. Yessuh. He sayes as how
he'n pay 5 cents a bushel more for our
corn than the squire will, and he's go
ing to have a big load of flour come
for SO cents a barrel less than what
we-uns are a-paying. Yessuh. He sayes
1t is q mean shame the way Ira Harris
wick's beer bleedin' us. He's been out
and saw things, AL has, n he knows
what prices is Already. Yessuh. I
invited him over to the b%utcherin' to-
day and he's coming until g."
"Youinwited him" They all straight
ened up and locke at the man.
"Yessuh, l did" ~doggedly. Its a
mean shame TO leave him out every
time jest because he amt relation and
the squire's kreiseled at him. l invited
him, and his boys too"
But you know Squire Hartswick-'
Il don't care a chincapin. No sir,
There was 81 note of bravadO in the
voice. 1t was the tone of the small boy
at MONDAY Dragging about ghosts. If
Squire Hartswick don't like Al Earth
ing, l N help it. AIS lone the fair
thing by me, and I'm going to do it by
him Wunst."
'Al may be all right, but it amt safte
in this valley to butt up against the
old squire. I'll tell yeh that. You'd
better go slow, Dan"
Where's going &c DC Il t~aTnatiou big
explosion in this here valley If Al
Farthing keeps on. Punt that down in
your awmnick already. There can't be
two kings in this Bottom still. You
mind waht I tell yeh."
a started to retort, thought better
of it, and relapsed into silence.
Allen Farthing had moved into the
valley the preceding April, coming from
no one knew just where. He had
bought the old Heller farm from a real
estate agency in whose hands it had
peer placed by Squire Hartswick, and
had started in with energy to bring up
the place from it's fOrlorn condition. He
had found the fences fiat, the buildings
In a ruinous state, and the Lar fast
running TO cookie weed and bushes. In
one season, however, he had got the
cid place into a fairly respectable way.
But the advent of the new family had
troubled the valley. Allen Farthing
was a s%ingularly silent man and his
boys were like him There was an ele-
ment of mystery In the affair that was
m~addening to the little community, &C"
customed as it was to know all the
%rainutest details OF neighbors' lives.
The Farthings, In spite Of many sub
terfuges, and of sly traps set to- learn
OF their past, disclosed nothing. and the
whispers rapidly grew into open gossip.
Who were these people? Why had they
moved to this secluded little nook?
Why had they bought, Of all places in
the world, the notorious Heller farm
that for years had kept a tenant only
for n few months at most? Why had
they not complained of the ghostly
revels in the deserted cabin not a
quarter of a mile away? There was
something mysterious and even un-
canny about these people.
(contisue6 Nexs Week.l