The Charles Mix new era. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1???-1911, 1911-02-03
II-Continued.

"Nat. you've got good red blood in
you." he cried. whirling about. Dye
suppose you can hate as well as lover"
Lord deliver u.s." exclaimed the
astonished Captain Plum. Hate
love-what the"
Eyes, hate" repeated the old man
With fierce emphasis, SO close that his
breath struck Nathaniels face. You
can love a pretty face-and you a
hate. l know you can. II you couldn't
[ would send you back to your sloop
With the package tonight. But as it
u I I'm going to relieve you of your
oath. Yes. Nat. give you back your
oath-for a time"
Nathaniel stepped a pace back and
put his hands on his pockets as if to
protect the gold there.
you mean that you want to call
ID our bargain?" he asked.
The councillor rubbed his hands un-
III the friction of them sent a shiver
ap Nathanieps back. mot that, Nat
o. no. not that! The bargain is good
The gold Ii yours. You must deliver
the package. But you need not do it
Immediately. Understand? l am
lonely back there in my shack. I
want company. You must stay with
me . week. Eth? Lilacs and pretty
faces. Nat! Ho, ho!-You will stay
. week, won't you. Nat?"
He spoke so rapidly and his face
underwent so many changes, o be-
traying the keenest excitement. nov
wrfnkled In an ogreish. bantering
grin. now almost pleading in It's earn
estness. that Nathaniel knew lot what
to make of him. He looked into the
beady eyes. sparkling with passion,
and the cat-like glitter Of them set his
blood tingling. What strange adven-
ture was this old man dragging him
into? What were the motives. the
reasoning, the plot that lay behind
this mysterious creatures apparent
faith in him? He tried to answer
these things In the passing Of a mo-
ment before he replied. The coun-
cilor saw his h~esitancy and smiled.
II will show you many things Of
interest, Nat" he said. 81 will show
you Just one tonight. Then you will
make up your mind. Ell? You need
not tell me until then"
He took the lead again and this
time struck straight down for the
town.. They passed a number of
houses built Of logs and Nathaniel
caught narrow CLEANS of light from
between close-drawn curtains. In
one Of these houses he heard the
crying of children. and with a return
Of his grisly humor Obadiah Price
prodded him in the ribs and said:
"Good old Israel Laeng lives there
rwo wives. one old, n young-11
children. The Kingdom Of Heaven is
open to him!" And from a second he
heard the sound OF an organ. and
rom still a third there came the
laughter and chatter of several femin.
ne voices. and again Obadiah
reached out and prodded Nathaniel in
he ribs. There was one great
gloomy, long-built place which they
passed. without a ray Of light to give
Il life. and the councillor said: Three
Widows there. Nat-fght like cats and
logs. Poor Job killed himself" They
avoided the more thickly populated
bart of the settlement and encoun
tered few people. which seemed t.
please the councillor. Once they over
took and passed a group of womer
,lad In short skirts and loose waist.
ind with their hair hanging in braids
Town their backs. For a third tim,
Obadiah nudged Captain Plum.
IT. is the kings pleasure that al
women wear skirts that come Just be
low the knees" he whisper red s-Som,
Of them won't do 1t and he's wonder
ing how to punish them. Tomorrow
there's going to be two public whip
pings. One Of the victims is a mai
who said that II he was a woman he't
die before he put on knee skirts
After he's whipped he is going to b.
made 80 wear 'ems By Urim ant
ehum min. isn't that choice. Natf"