Gilpin observer., 1910-10-06
CHAPTER III.-continued.

You will stay-eh. Nat?" he cried,
bobbinE his head. Yes. you will stay.
and you viii give me back the pack
1se for \ dny or two" He retreated
IN the trap and slid down it as quick
b rs \ rat pleasant dreams to you.
MT. andHO. wait a minute!" Cap
t1tn Plum could hear him pattering
quickly over the floor below. In a
Aoment he was back. thrusting his
white Erimacing face through the
trap and tossed something upon the
bed She left them last night, Nat
P3easant dreams. pleasant Dreams"
ard ho was gone.
Nathaniel turned to the bed and
Them he eat down. loaded his pipe.
1nA smoked until he could hardly see
eAe walls of his little room From the
Dmment Of his landing on tho island
- tuHned tho events of the day over
IN hfs mind Yet when he arrived at
0Ae end of them he vas no less mys-
tfRcd than when he began Who was
OBADIAH Prlec9 Who was the girl
tk1t f1te had 80 mysteriously asso-
eiatcd with his movements thus far?
What Vas the plot in which he had
tfre4eSs tenzcity he hung tn these
QDeStjons fer hOurs- That there was
u plot Of some kind he had not tho
AHzt doubt The councillors strange
1efio1s- the oath. the package, and
aA0ve all the scene in the kings house
convinced him of that And he was
sno that Obadiah's night visitor-the
1tIl With the hlas-was playing a
vifzl part in It .t.
He rFucked at the withered flowers
which the Old man had thrown him
He could detect their sweet scent
ah0ve the pungent fumes of tobacco
md NJ Obndfah's triumphant chuckle
Ee-uTrd to him. the gtoating Joy in
kts eyes, the passionate tremble of his
voice. n grim smile passed over his
1Aec. The mystery was easy Of solu-
Tiff he Eas willing To reason along
eE1t1im lines But he was not willing.
He hAd formed his own picture OF
Stz1n.'s wife and II pleased him TO
kcep IT, At moments he half con-
erded himself n fool. but that did not
trouble kim Tho longer he smoked
Uhs More his old confidence and his
0aA rcckbessness returned To him. He
Ind enjoyed his adventure The next
d1y he would end H. He would go
0penfy into St James and have done
hsz bVrSiness with StraDg. Then he
would return To HIS ship What had
he- Captain Plum. to do with Strang's
wife.
BUT even after he had determined
~ these things his brain refused to
xeza- He paced back and forth
0uuss the narrow room, thinking Of
the man whom he was 10 meet to-
H.rrUw-0 Strang. the onetime
Uchcolmaster and Temperance lecturer
Who hzd made himself king. who
frr seven years had defied the state
and nation and who had made of his
Island stronghold n hot-bcd Of polyg-
my. OF licentiousness. Of dissoIute
power His blood grew hot as he
thought again OF tho beautiful girl
vho had appealed to him. Obadiah
lad kaid that she was tho kings wife.
81iIIE
Thoughts flashed into his head
which for n time made him forget his
1i1Sion on the island. In spite Of his
resolution to keep to his own scheme
hS found himself. after n little. think
ing only of the Mormon king. and the
lovely face he had seen through tho
cattle window. He knew much about
the man with whom he was to deal
1nmuTow. He knew that he had been
. rival Of Brigham Young and that
when the exodus Of the Mormons to
tho deserts Of tho west came he had
led his own followers into the north.
and that each July. amid barbaric fes-