The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1911-01-12


edge of the bushes, keeping half with
in their cover, and moved swiftly in
the opposite direction toward the cen.
ter of the island. Nathaniers blood
leaped with a desire to follow. The
night before he had guessed that
Obadiah with his gold and his smol
dering passion was not a man to iso-
late himself in the heart of the forest.
Here-across the open--was evidence
of another side Of his life. In that
great square-built 6omicile of logs,
screened so perfectly by towering
lilac, lived Obadiah's wives. Captain
Plum laughed aloud and beat the bowl
OF his pipe on the tree beside him.
And the girl lived Thereon came
from there to the woodland cabin so
frequently that her feet had beaten
a well-worn path. Had the councillor
lied to him? Was the girl he had
seen through the kings window one
of the seven wives of Stranger was
she the wife of Obadiah Price?
The thought was one that thrilled
him. If the girl was the councillors
wife what was the motive of Oba-
diah's falsehood2 And if she was
| Strang's wife why had her feet-and
hers alone with the exception of the
old mans-worn this path from the
lilac smothered house to the cabin in
the woods? The captain of the Typhoon
regretted now that he had given such
explicit orders to Casey. Otherwise
he would have followed the figure that
was already disappearing into the for
est on the opposite side of the clear
ing But now he must see Strang.
There might be delay, necessary de-
lay, and If it so happened that his
own laundering curiosity kept him on
the island until sundown-well, he
smiled as he thought Of what Casey
would do.
Ref1lling his pipe and leaving trail
of smoke behind him he set out boldly
for st. James. When he came to the
three graves he stopped, remember.
ing that Obadiah had said they were
his graves. A sort of grim horror be
gan to stir at his soul as he gaZed on
the grass-grown mounds-proofs that
the old councillor would inherit place
in the Mormon heaven, having obeyed
the injunctions of his prophet on
earth. Nathaniel now understood the
meaning of his words Of the night be-
fore. This was the family burying
ground of the old councillor.
He walked on, trying in vain to con-
centrate his mind solely upon the
business that was ahead of him. A
few days before he would have count
ed this walk to st. James one of the
events of his life. Now it had lost its
fascination. Despite his efforts to de-
stroy the vision of the beautiful face
that had looked at him through the
kings window its memory still haunt
ed him. The eyes, soft with appeal;
the red mouth, quivering, and with
lips parted as if about to speak to
him; the bowed head with its tum-
bled glory of hair-all had burned
themselves upon his soul in a picture
too deep to be eradicated. If St
James was interesting now it was be-
cause that face was a part of it, be-
cause the secret of its life, of the
misery that it had confessed to him,
was hidden somewhere down there
among it's scattered log homes.
Slowly he made his way down the
slope in the direction of Strang's cas-
tie, the tower of which, surmounted
by it's great beacon, glistened in the
morning sun. He would find Strang
there. And there would be one chance
in a thousand of seeing the girl-if
Obadiah had spoken the truth. AS he
passed down he met men and boys
coming up the slope and others moy-
ing along at the bottom of it, all go
ing toward the interior of the island. |
They had shovels or rakes or hoes
upon their shoulders and he guessed
that the Mormon fields were In that
direction; others bore axes; and now |
and then wagons, many of them drawn |
by oxen, left the town over the road
that ran near the shore of the lake. |
Those whom he met stared at him |
curiously, much interested evidently |
in the appearance of stranger. Ma |
thaniel paid but small heed to them. |
AS he entered the grove through |
which the councillor had guided him |
the night before his eagerness be-
came almost excitement He ap-
preached the great log house swiftly
but cautiously, keeping as much from
view as possible. AS he came under
the window through which he had
looked upon the king and his wives
his heart leaped with anticipation,
with hope that was strangely mingled
with fear. For only moment he
paused to listen, and notwithstanding
the seriousness of his position be
could not repress a smile as there
came to his ears, the crying of chill
dren and the high angry voice of q
woman. He passed around to the
front of the house. The door of
Strangs castle was wide open and I'm,
guarded. No one had seen his ap
proach; no one accosted him as he
mounted the low steps; there was no
one in the room into which he gazed
a moment later. It was the great hall
into which he had spied few hours
previous There was the long table
with the big book on 1t, the lamp
whose light had bathed the girls
head in halo of glory. the very chair
in which he had found her sitting!
He was conscious of throbbing In
his breast, longing to call outfit he
only knew her name. .
In the room there were four closed