St. Paul daily globe., 1896-04-19

! him, to justice myself by the hair of
! the headw
L paused with a sudden start, for
| Johnson's dark eyes were fixed on me
| with a strange, glittering expression,
which did not understand.
| "How much did Bafnes lose?" he
| asked, little indifferently.
Il don't know" replied; Baines was
not we'll off, but all the money he had
was in Nichols building society, and
| now, being old, and almost friendless,
he will probably have to go to the
& EWorkhouse, poor fellow!s
Poor fellow" Johnson echoed.
| How long we sat discussing the de-
! faulting Nichols, the building society
| director, who had perpetrated most fla
| grant swindles, and who had escaped
with, 1t was supposed. enormous Sums
| of money, 1 do not know, but I was
suddenly startled by Johnson,s strange
| behavior, which followed the banging
| OF a door and the sound of a woman's
| voice in the passage below. - -
What was that? he cried, sharply.
| Then suddenly, with the stealth of
| cat, he made his way softly toward
/ the door, and opened it.
| We listened for moment All was
| still again. The sound had been mere
| ly the voice of a girl-speaking to
| someone down stairs
| heard Johnson draw a deep breath.
| and then, with a strange laugh. that
| sounded almost defiant, he came back
and TOOK his seat again, watching me
| with growing impatience and restless
| neSs-watching me as If eagerly await
| ing my departure.
| The Following night I went down
again to see Baines, scarcely expect
| ing to IND him there, for his mind had
| peen so overwrought by the late Mich
| oils failure that I could see no hope for
| him.
| When / reached his house a strange
surprise awaited me. Instead of find
ing him as I had left hin1-or removed
to an asylum, as 1 had half expected
found him up and rejoicing over the
mysterious return of, the entire sum
he had deposited in the. Nichols build
| ing society. oz
| For moment the room swirIed
round me, the floor seemed to sway ND
and down under my feet, and there was
blind mist before my eyes. as I ~aal
lzed that the handwriting in the anon
ymous letter was Johnson's-disguised
evidently, written with az bad pen and
thick ink, but Johnson's unmistaka-
| bly,. '1
What had Johnson to do with Mich
oiis "here was Nicholls, and why had
the money been returned TO Baines?
| Ihe newspapers 1 remembered. had
reported him as beings in various parts
OF the country. He had e1uded the DO
lice who were after him. Later on it
was announced that he had arrived in
Brazil, and short time afterward this
news was contradicted. What if the
newspapers and the police were off the
track altogether?
| What if Johnson and Nichols were
one and the same?
| The thought chilled me for a mo-
| ment. Then, with a sudden resolution
at my heart, I pushed open the little
| IRON gate at Johnson's house and went
| in.
| stood, holding my breath, and then.
with an abrupt movement that took me
oy surprise, man, leaping suddenly
| out gave me a blow which sent me
headlong to the ground, and ran like a
hare along the gravel path to the
| street.
He had gone almost before I realized
| what had happened, but noticed that
ne wore slouch hat and a cloak.
and that he was, to all appearances.
a foreigner
When L reached Johnson's room
was surprised to find that he was not
tnere' and that in his place was
! girl who started on seeing me-start-
eo SO that all the color ran from her
cheehs, and she rose -fnem her seat
white and trembling.
I thought then thatCth7 girls voice