Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1911-01-05
lcopyr4ght 1908 by Bobbs- Merrill Coz
CHAPTER i.
The Two oaths.

The Two Oaths.
On an afternoon in the early sum-
mer OF 1856 Capt. Nathaniel Plum,
master and owner Of the sloop Ty.
phoon. was engaged in nothing more
important than the smoking of an
enormous pipe. Clouds Of strongly
odored smoke, tinted with the lights
OF the setting sun, had risen above his
head In unremitting volumes for the
tentment in his face, Notwithstanding
the fact that he had been meditating
ss= not altogether
pleasant But Captain Plum was, in
= way. q philosopher. though one
would not have guessed this fact from
his appearance. He was, in the first
place. young man, not more than
eight Or nine and twenty, and his
strong, rather thin face, tanned by ex-
posure to the sea. was just now lighted
mp by eyes that shone with an UNI
bounded good humor which any in
slant might take the form of laughter.
At the present time Captain Plum's
sVA5iOA W Do CSnluC0 " Ollc ullGCllOAt
which carried his gaze out over Lake
Michigan. Earlier in the day he had
been able to discern the hazy outline
Of the Michigan wilderness 20 miles
to tho eastward. Straight ahead,
shooting up rugged and sharp in the
red light of the days end, were two
islands. Between these. three miles
isway. the sioop Typhoon was strongly
sflhouetted in the fading glow. Be
yond the islands and the sloop there
were no other objects for Captain
Plum's eyes to rest upon. So far al,
80 could see there was no other sail
At his back he was shut in by dense
growth OF trees and creeping vines,
and unless small boat edged close in
around the end of Beaver island his
place OF concealment must remain un-
discovered. At least this seemed an
assured fact to Captain Plum.
I In the security of his position he be-
gan to whistle softly as he beat the
bowl OF his pipe on his boot heel to
empty 1t Of ashes Then he drew 8
long-barreled revolver from under
coat that he had thrown aside and
examined It carefully to see that the
powder and ball were in solid and that
none OF the caps was missing. From
the same place he brought forth a
belt, buckled 1t round his waist,
showed the revolver into its holster.
ard DIRE sss,., to iii1l fised
out letter from an inside pocket It
was dirty, much-worn letter. Per-
haps he had read it score OF times.
He reSd 1t again now, and then, refill
ing his pipe, settled back against the
rock that formed rest for his shout
ders and turned his eyes In the direc.
ton Of the sloop.
The last rim of the sun had fallen
below the Michigan wilderness and in
the rapidly increasing gloom the sloop
was becoming indistinguishable. Cap
tain Plum looked at his watch. He
must still wait a little longer before
setting out upon the adventure that
had brought him to this isolated spot.
He rested his head against the rock,
and thought. He had been thinking
4 for hours, Back In the thicket he
heard the proving OF some small ami
mai. There came the sleepy chIrp OF
\ Z bird and the rustling Of tired wings
settling Tor the night. A strange still
ness lowered about him, and with y
there came over him a loneliness thai
WIS chilling. loneliness that made
him homesick. 1t was a new and UNI
pleasant sensation to Captain Plum.
I He could not remember just when he
had experienced 1t before; that is, If
he dated the present from two weeks
ago tonight It was then that the let
ter had been handed to him IN Chi
cago, and 1t had been q weight upon
his soul and q prick to his conscience
1 ever since. Once or twice he had
made up hia mind to destroy It. but
each: time he had repented at the last
moment In g sudden revulsion at his
weakness he pulled himself together,
cfumpled the dirty inissive into q ball
6 and hung II out upon the white rim
u beach.
AZ this action there came quick
movement II the dense wall Of verdure
1ehind him oiselessly the tangle o.
vines separated aaial head thrust
itself 81, lime ~ see the bit o
ID apar III hort cs the waters edge
hsn keld shot back - swift!
ma . y serpent' PEI
IA - - llllls m 01IIS Ei0Ii
AN Nat followed the lnoye
w sssiiiI AZ IA ssra
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