Gilpin observer., 1910-09-29
CHAPTER Ii-Continued.

Nat, you We got good req DlOOd IN
you" he cried. whirling about. Dye
suppose you can hate as well as love?"
Lord deliver u.s." exclaimed the
astonished Captain Plum. Hate
1ove-what the"
Yes. hate" repeated the old man
with fierce emphasis, SO close that his
breath struck Nathaniel's face. You
can love a pretty face-and you can
hate. | know you can. II you couldn't
I would send you back to your sloop
with the package tonight. But as it
is I am going to relieve you of your
oath. Yes, Nat, I give you back your
oath-for a time"
Nathaniel stepped 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 un-
til the friction Of them sent a shiver
up Nathaniel's back. Not that, Nat
o, no. not that! The bargain is good.
The gold is yours. You must deliver
the package. But you need not do it
Immediately. Understand? am
lonely back there in my shack. I
want company. You must stay with
me a week. Eth? Lilac7 and pretty
faces. Nat! Ho, hol-You will stay
q week. won't you. Nat?"
He spoke SO rapidly and his face
underwent so many changes. now be-
traying the keenest excitement, now
wrinkled In an ogreish. bantering
grin. now almost pleading in its earn
estness. that Nathaniel knew not what
to make of him. He looked into the
beady eyes. sparkling with passion.
and the cat-like glitter of them set his
blood tingling. What strange adven-
ture was this old man dragging him
into? What were the motives. the
reasoning. the plot that lay behind
this mysterious creatures apparent
faith in him? He tried to answer
these things in the passing Of a mo-
ment before he replied. The coun.
cilor saw his hesitancy and smiled.
81 will show you many things Of
interest, Nat" he said. 81 will show
you Just one tonight. Then you will
make up your mind. eh? You need
not tell me until then"
He took the lead again and this
time struck straight down for the
town. They passed 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:
III al Z
two wives. one old. one young-11
children. The Kingdom of Heaven is
open to him!" And from second he
heard the sound of an organ. and
from still n third there came the
laughter and chatter of several femin-
ine voices. and again Obadiah
reached out and prodded Nathaniel In
the ribs. There was one great,
gloomy. long-built place which they
passed, without ray Of light to give
Al life, and the councillor said: Three
widows there. Nat-fight 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 a group of women
clad in short shirts and loose waists
and with their aair hanging In braids
down their backs. For a third time
Obadiah nudged Captain Plum.
'It 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.
ang how to punish them. Tomorrow
there's going to be two public whip
pings One Of the victims is man
who said that II he was a woman he'd
die before he put on knee skirts.
After he's whipped he is going to be
made to wear 'em. BY Urim and
Thummln. isn't that choice. Nat?"