The Winslow mail., 1913-06-07
CHAPTER VII.

There is the mound" advised Har-
riet Brooks on Wednesday morning
pointing to a rounded heap of earth
iust beyond the shade of a burroak
O half mile inland from Sylvan Lake
on Glen Isle.
J Mayor Bedight took off his coat rue
fully. Being prisoner to a prematurely
gray-haired young lady with clear,
rosy complexion and a sweet, win
some manner was not so bad-but
to be told to dig like a terrier in the
rough soil was a horse of another col.
or. But the mayor was game.
Grasping a spade, he set to work
diligently, 1t was warm morning
and the perspiration began to ooze
from his heated body.
"Corne and sit in the shade WHILE"
invited the girl, thoughtfully. 1--WE
have all day to ourselves-and the
skeletons will not run away"
Bedight obeyed gratefully, throwing
himself at the woman's feet in the
cool shadows Of the oak.
I'm awfully interested in ancient
|
smiling down at him over her book
"Once when 1 was in Iowa I met a
man who was engaged in collecting
curios-and he found a real mound
builder skeleton along the Cedar river
while I was there. What if this
should turn out to be something like
that?" hopefully
boldly, "but a nice girl like yourself
should not be SO interested in dead
nes-especially when the woods
are full of live ones.''
The girls face flushed, the red
against her white hair making her
very attractive in the eyes of the man
J on the sand.
''The dead Ones" she said slowly,
never stay out late nights, never
tyrannize, never take everything for
granted, never get a crouch, never"
The mayor interrupted her, his face
serious as he said:
There were Darby and JOAN"
But these are the days of divorce
courts" she answered, "and-gen~
iuseS-" colOring.
81 am old-fashioned," he parried.
"I like to dream of home with the
woman in it,"
II fear it is going to rain," evaded
Miss Brooks, looking anxiously at
the cloud-flled west do you mind
digging a bit, Mr.. Bedight?"
"As the wife said to her husband
when she wanted sealskin,'' he
taunted, returning to the mound.
She came and stood over him as
he worked.
His spade struck something
her excitement grew.
"Oh, do hope it's mound builder!"
( she cried excitedly
The mayor grinned and kept dig
ging. A clap of thunder pealed in
the distance. AS she turned appre-
hensively, the diggers spade pried
up a long. ropy object.
Here is your mound builder" he
said soberly, raising the object upon
his spade.
She gasped.
The man smiled.
oh" from the woman.
81 am afraid he breathed, softly,
"it is exactly what it looks like--the
tail of a cow!"
AS she stood frowning at him, great
drops of rain began to fall. He look.
ed about hurriedly for shelter under
tree,
Come on" he cried, starting for the
boat upon the beach. "Well have to
camp out"
She followed him blindly.
He pulled the dory high and dry and
tipped it keel up.
"Crawl UNDER" he said as the rain
began to fall in torrents.
Why, Mr., Bedight, can't do that
/"
The man took her gently by the
arm,
You have no other choice-and be-
sides, I'nl not cannibal!"
She stopped and sat down upon the
sand under the shelter. He followed,
sitting close to her, of necessity. The
fury of the storm broke. The day
became as dusk, lighted only by the