The New era-leader. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1911-1912, 1911-04-07

and then beached his boat within Q
dozen rods of the path that came down
from Obadiah's.
1t was 10 o'clock Two more hours!
He had tried to suppress his excite
ment, his apprehension, his eagerness,
but now as he went back into the
darkness Of the forest they burst out
anew. What IL Marion should not
keep the tryst? He thought o. the
spies whom Neil had said guarded the
girls home-and of Obadiah. Could
he trust the old councillor? Should
he confide his plot to him and ask his
assistance? AS the minutes passed
and these thoughts required again
and again in his brain he could not
keep the nervousness from growing
within him. He a sure now that
he would have to fight his battle with
out Neil. He saw the necessity of
GOODNESS, of judgment, and he began
to demand these things of himself.
struggling sternly against those symp-
toms of weakness which had replaced
his confidence of a short time before.
Gradually he fought himself back into
his old faith. He would save Marion
without Neil, without Obadiah. II
Marion did not come to him by mid
night it would be because of the
guards against whom Neil had warned
him, and he would go to her. In
some way he would get her to the
boat, even If he had to fight his way
through Arbor Croche's men.
With this return of confidence Ma
thaniel's thoughts reverted to his
present greatest need, which was food.
Since early morning he had eaten
nothing and he began to feel the
physical want in a craving that was
becoming acutely uncomfortable. If
Obadiah had not returned to his home
he made up his mind hat he would
find entrance to the cabin and help
himself. A sudden turn in the path
which he vas following, however, re-
vealed n of the councillors windows
aglow with light, and as he pressed
quietly around the end of the build
ing the sound of a low voice came to
him through the open door. Cautiously
he approached and peered in. A large
oil lamp, the light of which he had
seen In the window, was burning on
a table in the big room but the voice
came from the little closet into which
Obadiah had taken him the preceding
night. For several minutes he
crouched and listened. He heard the
chuckling laugh of the old councillor
and then an incoherent raving that
set his blood tingling. There is a hor-
ror in the sound of madness, a horror
that creeps to the very pit of ones
soul, that sends ~shivering dread from
every nerve center, that causes one
who is alone with it to sweat with a
nameless fear. 1t was the voice of
madness that came from that little
room. Before 1t Nathaniel quailed as
II a clammy hand had reached out
from the darkness and gripped him
by the throat. He drew back shivering
in every limb, and the voice followed
him, s~hrieking now in a sudden burst
of insane mirth and dying away a
moment later in a hollow cackling
laugh that seemed to curdle the blood
In his veins. Mad! Obadiah Price was
mad! Step by step Nathaniel fell
back from the door. He felt himself
trembling from head to foot. His heart
beating of a hammer. For an instant
there was silence silence in which
strange dread held him GREATNESS
while he watched the glow in the door
and listened. And after that quiet
there came suddenly a cry that ended
in the exultant chattering Of a name.
At the sound of that name Ma
thaniel sprang forward again. It was
Marion's name and he strained his
ears to catch the words that might
follow 1t. As he listened, his head
thrust half in at the door, Obadiah's
voice became lower and lower, until
at last 1t ceased entirely. Not a step,
not a deep breath, not the movement
Of a hand disturbed the stiffness of
the little By inches Nathaniel
drew himself inside the door. His
heavy boot caught in a silver on the
step but the rending of wood brought
no response. It was the quiet of
death that pervaded the cabin, it was
a strange, growing fear of death that
entered Nathaniel as he now hurried
across the room and peered through
the narrow aperture. The old coun-
cilor was half stretched upon the tn
BILE, his arms reaching out, his long,
thin fingers gripping its edges, his
face buried under his shoulders. It
looked as If death had come suddenly
to him during some terrible convul-
sion, but after a moment Nathaniel
saw that he was breathing. He went
over and placed q hand on the old
mans twisted back.
Hello, Obadiah! Hello-hello!" he
called c~heerfully.
(TO BE CoNTINUED)
The Guarantee.