Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1895-05-16

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young girl whispered.
Have YOU searched under the third
lump Of wood?'
YES"
"And are you quite sure you have
found nothing?" Nicksey next asked,
and in accents Of suspicion.
Emmelne understood the meaning
which Lad been in the ruffian's words.
and trembled; and it was S,c:ewlat
falteringly that she said:
perhaps you are mistaken in the
place in which you have deposited
Nicksey allowed her to proceed no
further. but exclaimed savagely:
IF the swag amt now where said
it was. have been robbed, and if 1
have been robbed, you are the thief.
and so much the worse for you, young
'unw
He disappeared from the window;
and Emmeline. fast as her trembling
limbs would carry her. hurried back
to the shed to renew her search
She felt that now perhaps her very
life depended on her speedy discovery
of those bank-notes and letters.
I'll kill the yorng 'un.!' Nicksey
muttered to himself. us he was about
to descend the stairs to make his way
COWafQS Elnmellue.
This is a soberer. this is-pretcnding
not to find 'em won't do for me; this
is what man gets for being too hon
est. It's the first time 1 ever tried my
hand at that. game-never no more.
never no more!'
And he uttered terrible imprecation
OH his own folly, and the young
'un's" ingratitude.
All at once. and when about half
way down the stairs. he stopped short;
arrested by a thought which had shot
through his brain. from which the
mists Of drunkenness were now almost
entirely dispersed.
He hurried back to the room which
served him for ''parlor and kitchen
and all" and, standing in it's center.
scratched his ragged and partly bald
head. as he looked around him. and
seemingly in great perpleXity.
A few words will explain whercfor
the fellow was now so greatly
troubled.
Noel Darlington had been mistaken
in supposing that Mr.. Nicksey, after
his robbery at Mrs. Chcsterton's. had
not returned to his own house. for.
throwing himself into the first hackney
coach he had seen. he had flown
thither with all speed which the driver
melted thereto by a promise Of double
fare had been able to extort from his
not very Indifferent cattle.
Nicksey had made rather free with
Mrs. Chesterton's decanters' and the
robbery was Il circumstance which had
greatly increased his excitement; and
after he had been well shaken up in
the hackney coach. he entered his own
house in a state Of extreme mental con-
fusion
He hurried to the shed and buried
the bank notes and letters. precisely
as he had told Emmeline.
But what he had now remembered
was that having re-entered his house.
after having hidden them. it had sud
denly struck him that he had not. per-
haps, chosen a very secure spot for the
concealment Of his newly-acquired
treasure.
He hurried back to the shed; recover
eli bank notes and letters. had returned
with them into the house. and then
anew had hidden thcm-where?
That was the question Nicksey now
was asking himself, as, with a puzzled
look his eyes wandered round and
round his room.
He had been in a great hurry. he
remembered that; for the hackney
coach was waiting to take him away
again; and lie feared, lest too much at
tention should be called to his dwell
ing.
Mr.. Nicksey was not. generally
speaking. an ostentatious man.
After considering for several min
utes, and apparently with no very sat
isfactory result, Nicksey commenced
to ransack that piece of furniture
which had once been a chest of draw
ers His slender stock of clean linen
he scattered on the dirty floor; pulled
forth a miscellaneous stock Of articles
which the mouth Of marine store
keeper would have watered to behold
but found not his lost treasure
He tried the mantel-piece; and a
large hole on one side Of the chimney;
no satisfactory result
Presently, and suddenly, his face
lighted up.
II know he shouted aloud; and,
running into his sleeping corner, thrust
his hand, and up to his shoulder, into
the old. worn mattress on his truckle
bed.
And his eyes glistened, and he
chuckled and was happy once again;
for he had clu1caed and now drew
forth and eagerly counted his bank
notes.
They were all correct. not one miss
ing.
Then again thrustirg his hand into
the mattress. he next drew forth three
letters; yes. three; for Nicksey countc |
them also. and was evidently perfectly
satisfied in every particular.
he wiped his forehead. which had
been believed with cold perspiration
and said to himself that he was be.
ginning to feel Il good deal better.
And the next observation he made to
himself was that it was lucky he had
happened to remember. just as he was
going down stairs. about the notes
for otherwise before this he should
have killed the young 'un.
From which it will be understood
that Emmeline had had indeed very
narrow escape from very terrible
death.
II must go and ease the young 'un's
mind and AK his pardon" we know
tot NF