Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1891-01-29
4 TERRIBLE SECRET
The Curse Of the More
lands.
BY LEON LEWIS.
CHAPTER Ix-fContinuod.I
OR

"Quite sure, sir, or they would have
turned up during my stay at Cape
TOWN."
"That don't follow by any means, de-
clared Radd. "Any one Of the men in
the yacht, if saved, may have kept in
the background purposely, with the in
tention Of watching you in secret and
seeing what you would do"
The suggestion made Hillington so
uncomfortable that he could not help
moving uneasily in his chair.
"Did only your companions about the
yacht know that you were bound for
The Elms?" continued Radd.
"No, sit. No one save Colonel Ridley.
He of course had conversed with me
freely about everything here. He has
even spoken to me about you," and the
speaker ventured to smile little queer
ly. "As you have seen by the Colonel's
last letter, have long been his alter
egol"
"But are you sure, Mr.. Ellington
perfectly srre-that the Colonel is dead"
absolutely, my Enthusiastically
~Did you sec him thrown from the
yacht into the water?"
81 did. We were thrown overheard at
the same moment"
Radd started so violently that Killing
ton could not help looking inquiringly at
him.
"It's those rats again." he said, by way
of explaining his sudden excitement.
"But let US suppose that the Colonel was
no more dead on reaching the water than
you were! Let US suppose that he
reached the shore, as you did, Couldn't
he have taken that later PeninSular and
Oriental steamer, and been here last
Monday, or five days ahead of yOu?"
"Why, certainly" admitted Ellington,
instantly adding: "But 1 know he's
dead! There was no chance for him!"
The conviction of the bookkeeper was
of that absolute character which points
at least to a supposed certainty, and it
was evidently as agitating as deep, for
he again made use of his salts.
The curious gaze Radd had for several
minutes been turning upon the guest
: had now become in itself a curiosity, it
was so knowing, so accusative, so very
Significant
He had dovetailed the fingers of his
hands, and was uncOnsciOusly working
them in a way which showed that he
was very contented-veryl
"You told me not long SINCE" he re-
sumed, shat the Colonel fell just as you
were stricken down senseless at his
feet"
al did?" stammered Hillington,
with start. "Did 1 say thaJ?"
"And now you say you saw him thrown
, overboardl Here is a manifest discreP-
ingly, "yOu can explain it,"
II can. Ny insensibility was very
brief"
"I should say So" remarked Radd,
still more sneeringly, "for you to have
recovered your consciousness between
the moment when you were picked up
from the deck and that when you were
pitched overboard-Yery short, indeed.
The confidential book-keeper whitened
at these words to his very lips, and sat
as if stricken with dumbness, his eyes
staring as wildly as if he had seen the
accusing angel beside him.
al don't quite understand you, Mr..
:, Moreland," he calculated, at the end Of
a pause which lasted nearly minute.
"No? Then I shall have to speak still
more plainly, in order, as have suggest
ed, that you may tell your story in such
q way as to command the belief of my
sister-in-law and niece. Unless you can
talk to them better than you have talked
to me, they'll make you great deal of
trouble"
"Of what nature, may 1 ask?"
"Why, they may say that you are the
ColoneFs robber and assassin" blurted
Radd, with the same audacity with
which he had previously talked to Vance
WyeVllle. "You, the confidential book
keeper, who has long known that the
Colonel intended to sail to America with
a couple of millions, and who converted
his fortune into paper money that it
might be easily transported. You, who
told the Colonel that a score of the worst
villains in Calcutta had taken steerage
passage in the p. & o. steamer, with the
Intention of securing his millions at any
cost, even if they had to burn or scuttle
the ship. You, who have had every OPP
portunity of cOnspiring with your fellow
clerks or Others, and who may be the
e oil hp
spirates' there are in the case, and even
have in your hands at this moment the
victims millions"
These sentences, rapidly and sternly
uttered, had seemed like so many sledge-
hammer blows upon the head of AgnuS
HillingtOn.
He sat as if stunned.
Once or twice he put his hand implor-
ingly, as if to shut off the torrent of &C
cusations assailing him, but otherwise he
had remained mOtionless, so completely
was he taken aback by the logic and
daring of Radd.
"Yes, this is what the ladies might say
to yOu," added the crafty accuser, with
smiling triumph, as he remarked that
Hillington seemed barely alive, sand
what they certainly will say If I should
become their prOmpter."
The confidential bookkeeper from In.
dia made no attempt to resent or refute
the terrible accusations Radd had heaped
upon him.
He had broken down completely, as al
rascals do when some superior rascal
shows them the flaws and inherent weak
nesses of their situation.
But there was such q significant 1if1
in the closing words of Radd Moreland
that Agnus HillingtOn would have been
q poor fool indeed not to have caught al
It as drowning man catches at a life
preserver.
@You-you don't mean to ruin meIH he
faltered, as wild of eye as CHASTITY Of
mien.
Ruin you?" blurted Radd. HFol
whose benefit, I'd like to knowl For Mrs
Moreland's? I hate her as hate-as-
ILL amt rrfr L.