The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1920-03-25

carriers, newly arrived, n the crew
of his freight boat. The negroes were
squatting in a circle on guard, waiting
to make delivery to their master OF
various cases. Some Of them evident
knacks dear to the native heart, but
one, at least, brazenly proclaimed In
deeply burnt stenciling Its contents to
be gin. II was on this small square
box that MacCloster's eyes wes~ riv'
eted. He turned and spoke to Ar. res
in an oily tone that for some inexplica-
BILE reason froze her blood. II was az
though he had suddenly assumed 8
new and strange personality upon
which her twelve hours of brave inter
course with him had had II e occasion
to establish its grip. He became a
stranger within a stranger and hope
lessly inaccessible.
"Come with me, my dear" was all
he said.
She followed him slowly, an unac~
customed weakness In her knees. He
entered the monster Gaia and waited
1 III Ilt4s TUT SUIbC BfOJlthbo ~ bAoNhs
was impenetrable TO her eyes but as
| their pupils dilated she began TO dis
| cover shadows within the shadow until
| she was able to make out the entire
| scheme of interior arrangement. The
ground floor, with the exception of an
| open space around the trunk of the
| tree, was devoted 10 a series OF vast
sleeping rooms into which, she gath
| cred from a r1uttered phrase Of Mae
Closter's, were herded nightly all the
girls OF manageable age. accompa-
MED By a few of those old harridans
who in certain tribes act as govern
esses with the qualification that 1t ia
their duty to instill all the knowledge
viii. h the mentors of the young OF
civilized peoples are supposed to with
hold.
Around the trunk Of the tree, which,
was twelve feet or more in diameter,
a roLgh spiral stairway had been Con-
structed to give access to a platform
which was built on and around the
main intersection of wide-spreading
limbs. This platform was inclosed
and lighted by OH lamps. A glance
within told her that It was the abode
Of Manchester himself. the well-nigh
i~mpregnable center of the spiders web.
From every side of it extended the
sturdy limbs of the tree and up each
| Of them climbed a series of projecting
| cleats which served as ladders to reach
IA vast system of smaller platforms,
| built wherever the natural disposition
Of the branches afforded adequate sup
| port. These lesser rooms were used
as storehouses for merchandise. pro
| visions and ivory and a few of them
near the very top of the tree, were
| fitted out as guest chambers especially
adapted to the safe-&eeping of doubt,
| full strangers as also for the effective
| hiding of chattel, human and other.
Manchester desired to keep out Of
| sight.
Into one of the latter Andrea was
finally ushered, GREATNESS from her
| climb. On its floor was n fresh grass
mat, n clean blanket, q clay pot of
drinking water with a-dtpper made out
| OF a cOconut shell and q square box
flied with sand, evidently intended for
! the bed of a cooking-hre. The only
light came. from a cotton wick laid In
an open vessel filled with oil from the
castor bean.
There you are, s&sste," said Mac.
Cioster. in his new oily voice, "every-
thing You "a possibly need and when
ever yOu want to go ,est, all you have
to do is to climb down and go through
my room. You won't have to do your
esyn cooking for q dag or two I'll send.
your seof up"
Andrea's heart sank to depths thar
ii had never reached before; her lower.
lip trefnbled and drew down at the
corners.
.Now, don't look so glum,'' said Mac
Chester. ieering atf ner. lust remam-
Der that you couldn't be safer In h-i'
than you are hersr'
He turned and Left her with a laugh
at his own joke. The measured "Ha!
Hal Hal-Hai Hal Har" reverserat-
ed through the interminabie mazes of
the entombed tree. More than aver 1t
seemed the mssking laugh of thirty
voices. chanting in unison. She threw
herself full length, face-down. on thu
grass mat aud covered her ears with
her hands. Presently bodily exhaus-
ton came 30 her aid and she msrei-
fully slept.
Hours Inter she awoke To a feeling
that she had been definitely summoned
by her ssbconscious self TO face an inn
minent danger. Night had fallen and
It's peece had settled CA the craal In
general. but there was NO peace in the
great cola. Out of MacCioster's room
arose through the whispering stiffness
{ series of monstrous sounds, mon
stroasly notwithstanding. rumbling
~carses. mutteringS the occasional
crash of a shattered empty bottle.
Then came a silence more ominous
than the noises for II was alive, a
creering thing with tentacles that
seemed I be writhing cp the limbs Of
the tree.
cro BE CoNTINUED)