Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1911-08-25

which showed that the cellar was not
empty. The light, L judged, had been
placed on a stool or table on the OPP
posite side of the cellar. From the way
1t varied, now bright, now dim. I decid-
ed II was a candle, and that the mo-
tons OF the person working near 1t
caused the fame to flicker. These
motions would continue for a time with
considerable regularity; then they
would cease while the worker evidently
stopped to rest, and then begin again.
Who was tins person and what was
this work which must be done at such
an hour? In vain I sought an answer.
| pressed my ear to the ventilator, but
could hear nothing; nothing. at least,
beyond the faintest OF faint sounds,
which gave me no clue to what was
happening within. I peered through
the little oriice moment after mo-
ment, until the shadows grew confused
and blurred and my eyes ached under
the strain.
I rose to rest myself. Then It sud
denly occurred to me that the cellar
must have a window. Skirting the
house cautiously, / at las came to 1t.
But it was closed and curtained so ef-
fectually that only a faint glimmer
here and there betrayed the light with
in. l listened, but could hear no
sound.
Fairly nonplussed, I returned to the
hedge and sat down against 1t TO on
slider. The shadow had given me no
indication of whether the worker was
man or woman; yet to the first ques-
ton / had asked myself there could be
only n answer. 1t was n or both
Of the Kingdom women who were
working In the ~cellar-both, / finally
decided, since II was improbable that
n could spend the night there with
out the knowledge OF the other. But
what were they doing7
To this / could ind no answer. It
was not merely an errand, because the
light remained. Minute after minute I
sat there, until I heard a clock some
where strike two, and still the light
remained. / crept forward to the VEN
tilator and peered through again. The
shadows were moving backward and
forward, just as they had been an hour
before. There was something uncanny
about them, and I shivered as l
watched. 1t seemed to me that they
were made by some person alternately
rising and STOPPING, but why should
anyone do that for hours at a time?
Some subtle association OF ideas
brought before my eye h vision
which had confronted Jean Vatican on
that night when he had peered
through the grated window into the
convent Of Little ~Picqus-the dim
light, the vast hall, the motionless
figure on the floor before the cross.
Was some such explanation TO be
sought here7 Were these long-con-
tinued risings and stoopings a series
of g~enufexions before some shrine
a penance, perhaps, imposed for some
transgression? The thought seemed
absurd. But I could think of no other
explanation Of these singular mo-
tions.
At last, weary with long staring, I
went back to my seat beside the hedge
and waited. Half an hour passed,
then I saw the glimmer at the ventila-
tor suddenly disappear, n a moment
later, a light cleaned through the
kitchen window. l went on toward
the front of the house, and 1 saw the
shadow Of a woman's figure on the
blind as IT passed the window IN front
of me. Only one shadow-there was
only one woman In the house, or, at
least, only one awake and moving
about. There had been only n In the
cellar.
My resolution was taken. I went
straight forward to the door at the
side os tho house and knocked sharply.
At the same instant, the light van
ished. / waited a moment, then
knock ed again, more loudly.
who's there?" called a voice, so
harsh, so fierce, that 1t fairly startled
me.
open the door," I said. IT wish to
see Miss Lawrence"
This Is not Miss Lawrence's home"
cried the voice.
II know 1t; but she's there"
She's not here!' and the voice rose
to q scream BE off, or I'll fire through
the door!"
What sort of fury was this, l asked
myself, and l stepped to n side to be
Of range of a possible bullet.
BE oft" screamed the voice again.
'Ill fire, / swear IL! The law will
me-"
There could be no question OF that;
it would be worse than folly to attempt
TO force an entrance with this fury OPP
posing me, so / retreated again to the
hedge and sat down to see what would
happen. But nothing happened, and
deciding at last that Miss Kingdom. or
whoever 1t was had answered me, had
gone to bed, / turned my steps toward
the hotel just as the dawn was tingeing
the east with grey.
And one thing I determined on
purchase a revolver. Only a fool
ventures unarmed into the tigers den.
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