Brookings weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1898-1903, 1900-11-22
By Edward Hughes.

his design TO take me to England. u.
Il want you to go to a university
Jack" he said, 'and I have a frient
who VIII give you a little extra polish
and then You ought to hold your owl
fairly, WELL" and though, l. was some.
what upset at the prospect OF giving
up a compahionship that had become
so, dear to- me, ! saw the wisdom OF
the step be contemplated ,,,a,
When we reached London our move.
mepts were. 10 me at least very curt.
Gus. My father took house Bays.
water way, and partly furnished it--
that Is TO say. he made one room down
stairs very comfortable, ana that we
used for a sitting room, and anpther
up STAIRS was converted into a double
bedde6 sleeping apartment. The rest
Of the house--arii II was a fairly large
one---was left empty, We. took all OF
our meals out, of the place. sometimes
at one restaurant, sometimes at anotli-
era and we e'ncverientered the house we
euphemistically called @home"a until
after. dark. 4.
He left me for several hours during
the day. to do the sights of London by
himself, and II never entered my mind
to question him as to his movements,
An old dame came to do the necessary
houseworix, but we rarely saw her. for
she nearly always put in an appear
ance after we had gone out, ana left
before we returned. a.aA -
One evening--it was April, and the
nights were very chilly--as we sat by
the fire. my father began to unfold his
plans. but. suddenly remembering that
he had some important letters to write.
he put OF telling me what he was
about to say, and Il was SO late when
he finished his correspondence that
went to bed. I had passed through the
fairyland OF dreams and was well into
my first sleep, when was aroused by
tn etouch OF a hand. Ny father was
standing beside me. ST
Jack" he whispered. wake up!'
stretched myself and stared at him,
and as my faculties returned It was
clear to me that he was greatly agi-
tated. had seen him on the deck Of
a laundering boat apparently as un-
moved as though he was treading the
street; and ]. had seen him. when we
were captured in italy. throwing dice
with a brigand chief. stalking his life
ana a sum of money against my re-
lease, and winning as composediy as
though he had been playing for mar
bles; had seen him take to the wa
ter In q boiling, raging surf, when no
other man dare follow, and bring n
child TO shore; and, remembering these
Incidents, Il came as a shock to me to
recognize q tremor I'm his whisper that.
had I not known him so well, might
have made me suppose that he was in
terror Of some great danger.
Are you awake? Can you under
stand mc?" Ii aSi
brushed away the last lingering cob,
webs OF slumber.. Eyes, I'm wide
awake" &s y
"Get some clothes on, then, and come
with me. Don't make a sound. There's
something wrong going on down stairs.
Take that heavy stick yonder. I've
got my revolver. Carry the light. and
shade It with your hand, and show It
when give the signal"
AS we reached the head Of the stairs
there came to me through the stiffness
of the empty house a faint noise as of
someone slipping along the wall. and
this slight sound. added to our eau
tious method OF procedure, so foreign
to the boldness of my fathers nature,
set my heart beating and my hand
shaking.
Slowly we descended, and when we
reached the door of our living room
my father gave the signal, and, as he
gently pushed his way in. I showed the
light. Everything was as We had left
II. The curtains were drawn, the bolt
of the farther door was shot, the arm
chairs were on either side of the fire.
place, and his pipe lay on the table.
Motioning to me to follow him, he
went back along the passage, and
paused before the door of an empty
room. could see him making ready
with the revolver, and as he signed to
me to show the light, he turned the
handle quickly with his left hand. and,
fiinging back the door, rushed in.
was close at his heels. There was
not single article of furniture in the
room, from which one looked out
through a French window on TO a
lawn terminated by a wall that separ-
ated 1t from the street. There was
nothing to prevent us seeing the man
who was propped up in the further
corner, and who had evidently slipped
down into a sitting posture, his head
bent forward and his arms hanging
Imply beside him. with his hands
trailing on the floor. The window was
open. and the first thing my father did
was to close II and fasten the catch
Then he turned to the man and lifted
his head, and 1t was plain, even to m,
inexperienced eyes, that we were 'ccsss
ing upon the face of one who had don'
with the things of this world. TINT
man was middle-aged and in evenini
dress. u
Suddenly iay father let the head raj
forward again. and. changing the re
volyer 10 ms left hand, he suatehe'
something from the floor; but, quic'
as his movement was. I saw what n
picked up. 1t was. a small carq sue
,, as children play with. and the race. IN
stead OF being white, was jet BLACK
with the exception OF a red pip IN TN
| center.
-Four other cards he found lyin
close beside the mans right hand, an
/ OF these noticed two--nameiy an
| other black faced one wit the ace {
I diamonds afid the eixAts Of elnbs on