The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-11-11
CHAGlN'S CURSE

pelous time 10 be abroad the teacherous bars
Of the Missouri. for besides thick fog the last of night
yet lay deep everywhere. Nevertheless. Chagn. heavily
laden with his shooting when he heard the omnous Of
far toward the Main Channel plunged rekesy down
the steep bank Of the river and strobe unhcangy the
sands For having hunted Ei.emans bar for than thirty
years. he knew there such things quicksands it,
and since shooting out at the Point already he
knew he must make haste.
On sudden however, his right foot sank deeply and he felt
gnpped down and down the mouth Of hord
ster Of the gloom With cry Of brute he struggled until
he gained firm ground. As he FELL exhausted there from
behind the soft cuckns Of the qucksands when they their
prey. Chagn sved from head foot the sound and them
prngng pecpous haste. chartered fooshy Never
boys this bari Never kin bel Never kin bel Never kin be!
1t must beenand his voice ended hoarse shout Of dread
He CROPPED the gray darkness for his spade and gun and
ea Of deoys. and having secured them fastened forward
and again pausing abruptly wheel and back the
gloom where death had nearly seized him. But again. just
before. his foot sank and again. just before,
he struggled out blind from his exertions yet weaker
from his fear And it a. if giant hand had caught
him by the throat and hurled him the ground He huddeng
like beast the thoes of dreadful DEATH The hand
frightened until he choked 1t the hand Of Fear
Of wild ebberish ratified from his lips the pauses which hi,
voice uttered feauly. IT'S come! Its comet
After time he struggled his feet and again making sure
Of his mpedmnta. rushed forward in kind of panic akin to
that Of beasts And he advanced desperate
struggles with the enguns pits he chartered again his wild glib
bersh in the pauses Of which his words fell feauy Its come!
Its GOMEZ
At last however, he reached narrow oval of sand on tbr.
side. Of which lay the puns darkness of the Main Channel
There he down. apparently forgetting dig shooting pit or
his decoys
When the February struggled up and sent its cherries
light down through the os he sitting there yet heedessv
his lay the hollow of his pit dug, the sheaf
Of profile decoy lay beneath the heels Of his rubber boots HI,
hukns body bent under heavy burden while his stod
'eay countenance fnsed with gray worked strangely like
foolish mask his lips from time opened and repeated
earfuly. 1T. come! It's comet!
Broad day at last but ankcd the ky with .ombc
clouds and heavy did the fog hang that always seemed night
about to fall Down from the north bitterly cold wind
oared and the dry sands everywhere blurred all the
prospects ndescbable desolation Overhead like lbs,
spirits. wandering waterfowl struggled the gloom ute;ne ,b;
roaed pntve cries And Chagn searched the verv bones
by the cod huddcd his hunting yet stared stupidity like
a mask and muttered Its come! It's comc!"
An hour passed and he yet sat and mutered Another and
yet another But now at times when the tension Of his fear
grew great he would suddenly wh to look behind him.
about that. CHANGING look up he saw lone
goose directly overhead II far out of range and he knew
Nevertheless obeyns unconquerabe impulse he raised his
and fred Then. whou. looking up note the effect of
the shot, without removing the exploded SHE'LL he put the
weapon back between his knees and gave vent to peal of foolish
laughter Then. frightened at his own unmeannp cacke
he whmed found and looked behind him.
There. not ten yards the dark of the rushing
Main Channel skif rocked under backing oar, that obeved
the powerful Of muderous looking onc-eyed man. He
ered cunnnsy for the awcruck Chasn and then
bending his back shot the craft round of sand and dis
appeared quickly in the fog down stream.
Chaen dug his fingers into the sand keep himself from
fans His face showed the fright of stumbling suddenly
upon awful brink His lips and throat worked STRANGELY and
his cracked and broken he mutered H. s,t f
hour thus gbbeng. and he dared not look around
again.
Then there the swish last of boat softly bumn;no
into the sand. but bare three yards behind him. then xo
and the whining of dog. There something 50 nexnh
Measuring these sounds that he laughed wldlv and
bis yet hdeousy conored face. sazed upon biz ka Loaded
HE WAS WISE HTS FEEr1Nne