Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-02-28

wv ~ ~ AtcH~ Nh>A'
claimed Eugenia. No; you have en-
ployed for that task the vile mer-
cenary who had already so well served
you, and whom you have spared, no
doubt, only to make Of him your in
strument in the preparation Of fresh
crimes"
"Nicholar Shearman!" exclaimed the
y%iscount.
Yes. Nicholas S~hearman"
"That man is living?"
And then, her lip curling with con-
tempt. Mrs. ChestertOn told the Wis
count that she had been prepared for
his pretended establishment, and was
not at all deceived by it.
He knew. she asserted, that an hour
after his departure his worthy associ-
ate, Nicholas Shearman, had found
his way into her house, had broken
open her secretary, and had deprived
her Of all that she had possessed.
Viscount Dareleigh was perfectly
stupefied.
1T is impossible-impossible!" he
muttered.
And Their Mrs. Chesterton asked him
why, If ne had intended that she
should continue his dupe to the very
end-why he had permitted that the
man who had robbed her should him
self reveal by whom she had been
plundered?
And sneeringly demanded If, IN de-
claring himself, the ruftian had exceed
ed his masters orders?
DO you not understands" cried the
viscount, gasping with terror, that
If Nicholas Sherman be indeed living
and in London. we are lost? Have you
forgotten that he holds in his posses
sion our every secret?'
His terror now was all affected, Mrs.
CheSterton told the viscount-was still
another trap that he was spreading for
her.
Those letters had been stolen from
her to be restored to Norton SOwerby;
Mrs. Chesterton could not, she said, be
brought to believe other than that.
But she was brought to believe 9th
erwise; for SO earnest were h WIS.,
counts protestations-so white his face
SO terrible the oath he swore-that
Mrs. Chesterton was at last COM
PEELED to believe.
Better" the viscount cried. despair
ingly-"a thousand times better those
fatal letters in your hand than In those
Of Nicholas Sherman. from whom l
had long believed l had nothing more
to dread"
And Mrs. Chesterton recognized that,
il Norton had now really spoken truth
fully. then were they, both Of them,
lost indeed.
And how trace out Nicholas Shear
man? the viscount asked himself. They
could not call to their aid officers or
justice, for. their former accomplice ar
rested. he would denounee his associ-
ates, and drag them with him into the
abyss.
And the viscount and Mrs. Chester
ton acknowledged to themselves, and
to each other, that Nicholas Sherman
was a more dangerous object now
than he had been twenty years before,
for then he had known neither their
names nor their features-and now he
knew all.
But the viscount was mistaken ms
concerned himself; Nicholas did not
vet know either the name or features
of the man by whom he had been
hired to slay a poor helpless, innocent
child, while sleeping, all unconscious,
in his destroyer's arms.
And Nicholas Sherman had been
one Of the three masks that had so
terrified her: Of that Mrs. Chesterton
was low very certain.
But VINO were the two others?
The ~viscount thought of Emmeline
and harrington; IL Nicholas Sherman
had been able to obtain admission to
Mrs. Chesterton's house. how much
easier. on such a night, that the others
should have been there also.
Then suddenly II flashed across his
mind. was not the man who had been
seen in Barrington's company, and
whose name and address the viscount
had written In his tablets in reality
the Nicholas Sherman so long believed
to be no more?
Viscount Dareleigh received from
Mrs. Chesterton a description, not very
perfectly given, of the man who had
robbed her.
In the evening the agent before spo-
ken of was again with his employer;
and the v~iscount had soon no doubt
that Nicksey and Nicholas Sherman
were one and the same person.
And the viscount's conviction OF that
fact was strengthened when he had
been told by his agent that Nicksey ap-
peared to have become suddenly pos
sessed Of considerable funds, since he
had beer riding about all day In a
hackney coach and scattering money In
every direction.
Mrs. Chesterton had returned to her
own house and thither Viscount Dare
leigh hurried.
"Eugenia," he cried. as he darted into
her presence, IF Nicholas Sherman
should continue silent until tomorrow
If by to-morrow's dawn he has not
already betrayed us, we are safer
Eugenia's heart leaped wildly.
This night, and alone" pursued ID
y~iscount, Il will seek that man. and
even with my life. il 1t should be nee
essary, will regain from him our Sc
cret!'
Mrs. Chesterton had confidence now
I'm her former lover: knew right well
that he was thoroughly in earnest.
Before proceeding in search of the
man who now held them both within
his mower. the viscount said:
"Eugenia. danger has again arisen,
and so let danger make us again allies;
and this time fortune for US both. or
both of us for the scaffold!'
A. Chacfarfap unvn her hand