The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1911-03-31

' ~ % iai as III TN M 6alt
Isl aothin2 to III 1erss With hiiba I'M.
Il she ia sslrsa6y iskt III clbin IS
y.oul4 return quickly g Obad iah' u
his e4xernsss he began to run. Once
: sound stopped him--the distant bsat-
ing At 1aiiopine hoofs. ne heard ths
shout q 8 man, . reply farther away.
the quick. excited yelping of i dog.
His blood danced ID he thought Of
the gathering 81 the Mormon flghters.
the men and boys racing down the
black trails from the inland forests.
the excitement In st James. AZ he
ran - again he thought Of Arbor
Croche mastering tho painting. ven1e-
full defenders Of srang, his great
voice booming ENCOURAGEMENT and
promise, above the braxen thunder Of
the bell; he saw IN fancy the fright
ened huddling groups Of women and
children and beyond and above all the
coming Of the vengeance Of God" "a
hundred beats. thousand men-and
there went out from His soul II not
from his lips a great cry Of Joy. At
the edge Of the forest he stopped for
q moment. Over beyond the clearing
q light burned dimly through the II.
laos. The sweet odor Of the flowers
came to him gently. persuasively, and
nerved him into the open. He passed
across the open space swiftly and
plunged into a tangle Of bushes close
to the lighted window. -
He heard mans voice within, and
then a woman's. Was 1t Marion?
Cautiously Nathaniel crept close to
the log wall Of the cabin. He reached
out, and hesitated. Should he look
-as he had done at the kings win
dow? The mans voice came to him
again, harsh and angry, and this time
it was not woman's words that he
heard but woman's sobbing cry. He
parted the bushes and glare Of light
fell on his face. The lamp was on
table and beside the table there sat
woman, her white head turned from
him, her face buried in her hands. She
was an old woman and he knew that
it was Marion's mother He could not
see the man.
Where was Marion? He wormed
himself back out of the bushes and
walked quickly around the house.
There was no other light, no other
sign of life except in that one room.
With sudden resolutio.: he stepped to
the door and knocked loudly.
For full half minute there was
silence, and he knocked again. He
heard the approach of shutting step,
the thump. thump, thump of cane. and
the door swung back. 1t was the man
who opened it. tall giant of an old
man, doubled as If with rheumatism,
and close behind him was the fright
ened face Of the woman. An involun
tary shudder passed through Ma
thaniel as he looked at them. They
were dd-so old that the mans shriv.
eled hands. were like those of skel
eton; his giant frame seemed about
to totter into ruin, his eyes were
sunken until his face gave the horror
of a death mask. Was it possible that
these people were the father and
mother of Marion-and of Neil? AS
he stepped to the threshold they tim
idly drew back from him. In a sin.
gle glance Nathaniel swept the room
and what he saw thrilled him, for
were signs of Marion; in
the pictures on the walls. the snowy
curtains, the cushions in the window
seat-and the huge vase of lilacs on
the mantle.
II am a messenger of the king" he
said, advancing and closing the door
behind him. Il want to speak with
Marion"
(To BE coNTINUED)