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Show Stirring a JK Boiling ji Pot V-7 i! i' By Effie Siedentopf Spicer When last we met, the unfolding un-folding of thetaleofNESTER was barely begun. Living in a western kingdom where the King of the Forest, the Kais -er of the Land and the Protectorate Pro-tectorate of the Air controlled control-led the mountains, plains, deserts, forests and atmosphere, atmo-sphere, (while assuring the tax-paying kingdom citizens citi-zens who supported them, that it was truly their own land), Nester remained unmoved un-moved by the threats, har-rassment har-rassment and empty promises prom-ises of the various Land Lords' regular proclamations, procla-mations, and went about his business of prospecting for raw minerals . . . Nester arose with the dawning morn and packed supplies upon the sturdy back of Gallna. She twitched herv tail, twitched her long ears and gave forth with a mighty "he-haw", as the companionable compan-ionable pair strode purpose -ly toward the desert in an easterly direction, marginally mar-ginally close to the borders of the Kaiser of the Land. Following a certain vein structure that gathered his Increasing interest, Nester chipped with his pick In several locations as they wound their way upward thru a canyon. As the afternoon lengthened length-ened the shadows, Nester made a discovery of ore that had need of blasting. Turning Turn-ing Galina to graze upon the sparse grasses, he made his preparations and became enthused en-thused upon the appearance of a spot of good color uncovered un-covered by his drilling. Realizing, after a time, that his burro had been braying . loudly to gain his attention, Nester straightened from his "A task and looked with curious -ness down the canyon. He squatted comfortably upon his haunches, watching the approach of two brown -shlrted figures goose-step- ping their way up the incline in-cline as the twilight descended. de-scended. Shouting from the distance they so awkwardly were covering, the taller of the two demanded, "You! Peasant"! Of what business do you find here in this territory?!!" ter-ritory?!!" Nester feigned notice of them as he rocked back upon his heels and dryly answered, "Surely, with the torches you wield to light the pathway of endangered bugs and insects, your vision should be clear. What is it you believe me to be conducting?" con-ducting?" Still breathing hard from their climb, the two advanced meanacingly. "You have trespassed within the borders bor-ders belonging to the Kaiser of the Land and your actions indicate you are prospecting without a parchment permit," per-mit," sneered the tall one. "You are practicing destruction des-truction of kingdom land and grazing an animal with no marks Inscribed upon it," continued the other one, waving wav-ing his torch in the direction of Galina. Spotting the burro's droppings, he shout -ed,"And you are responsible responsi-ble for littering!" Nester spat upon the ground and turned back to the completion of his drilling drill-ing preparations. The hole was loaded with powder and the fuse was placed according accord-ing to his desires. "You! Peasant!" barked the sneery one. "Are your ears filled with desert sand? You are trespassing upon kingdom property!!" Splitting the end of the fuse with his dagger, Nester quietly remarked, "Quell your anxieties, for I am a tax-paying kingdom citizen, like yourselves." Looking In the direction of the darkening skies, he questioned, ques-tioned, "Do you collect wages for overtime, or are you two just wasting time?" Glancing from the corner of his eye, Nester exclaimed ex-claimed under his breath, for two torches were trained in his direction. "You are under arrest, in the name of the Kaiser of the Land!" they screamed. Galina raised her head in alarm and came trotting, her sharp hooves striking the rocks as she rapidly approached the noisy scene. In a twinkling Nester seized a torch and in one smooth motion held it close to the waiting fuse . . . and watched the brown-shirted brown-shirted goons neglect their goose -stepping as they fled from the scene at high speed, raising excessive clouds of dust. Nester ground the torch dead under his heel and stood in the peaceful darkness under the star-studded heavens. Absently rubbing the ears of his burro, he chuckled, "The dust they raised upon their quick departure de-parture cannot compare to that which the Kaiser of the Land will surely raise upon their reporting" . . . To be Continued |