Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1900-11-22

JdSh, IO Silu, Ctiu Il hdNS II Cit
who will give you a little extra polish
and then o ought to hold your own
fairly WELL" and though / was some
what upset at the prospect of giving
UP a companionship hat had become
so dear to me / saw the wisdom OF
the step he contemplated.
When we reached London our move
ments were, to me at least very curl
Gus. My father took a house Bays
water way, and partly furnished it
that is to say, he made one room down
stairs very comfortable, and that we
used for a sitting room, and another,
up stairs, was converted into a double
bedded sleeping apartment. The rest
of the house-and 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 anoth-
er, and we entered the house we
euphemistically called "home" until
after dark.
He left me for several hours during
the day to do the sights of London By
himself, and it never entered my mind
to question hin as to his movements.
An old dame came to do the necessary
homework, but we rarely saw her, for
she nearly always put in an appear
ance after we had gone out, and left
before we returned.
One evening-it was April, and the
nights were very chllly-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 off telling me what he was
about to say, and II was so late when
he finished his correspondence that /
went to bed. I had passed through the
fairyland Of dreams and was we'll into
my first sleep. when I was aroused by
tn etouch of a hand. My father was
standing beside me.
Jack" he whispered, wake up!"
I stretched myself and stared at him,
and as my faculties returned 1t was
clear TO me thai he was greatly agi-
tated. I 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
and a sum of money against my re-
lease, and winning as composedly as
though he had been playing for mar
bles: I had seen him take to the wa
ter in a boiling, raging surf, when no
other man dare follow, and bring a
child to shore; and, remembering these
Incidents. Il came as a shock to me to
recognize a tremor in his whisper that,
had / not known him so we'll, might
have made me suppose that he was in
terror of some great danger.
Are you awake? Can you under
stand mc?"
Yes, pater," I said, and his
brushed away the last lingering cob
webs of slumber. Yes, I'm wide
awake"
"Get some clothes on, then, and come
with me. Don't make a sound. There's
something wrong going on down stairs.
Fake that heavy stick yonder. I've
got my revolver. Carry the light, and
shade 1t with your hand, and show it
when I 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 holiness 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
1t. 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. I 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.
I was close at his heels. There was
not a 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 it from the street. There was
nothing to prevent us seeing the mar
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 tc close IL and fasten the catch
Then he turned to the man and lifted
his head, and It was plain. even to my
inexperienced eyes. that we were look
ing upon the ACE of one who had done
with the things of this world. The
/ man was micdie-aged and in evening
dress.
Suddenly my father let the head fall
forward again, and. changing the re-
volver to his left hand, he snatched
something from the floor; but. quick
as his movement was, I saw what he
picked up. 1t was a small card. such
as children play with. and the face. in.
stead of being white. was jet black
with the exception of a red pip In the
center.
Four other cards he found lying
close beside the mans right hand. and
of these / noticed two-namely, an.
other black-faced one wit the ace Of
! diamonds and the eight OF clubs on
red field. but what the other two were
I had no opportunity OF seeing. fol
they were so small that he had no diff,
fculty In concealing them. Once more