Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1901-12-26
CHAPTER vn.-tContinued.,

Mr.. Reeks over his folded arms. SO
You see, knowing only part of the story.
you thought yoE would trade on your
knowledge of the man; perhaps you
thought you'd frignten something III
of mech Now-do / ook like a man
to be frightened casily?"
"No: l should say not" said Mr..
Reeks, meekly.
And / should say not" retorted the
other. Now, / don't mind telling you
that, in spite of this lamentahle break
cowa on your part, and in spite of my
being able TO see wat a poor creature
you are, / hin there is money in this
for you after all-perhaps more than
there would have been ii you had mere
ly succeeded in securing the reward
Only. 1 warn you: If you are of use to
me. I'll serve you well. But / must have
the whole truth out OF you"
Mr.. Reeks began TO protest, almost
with violence, how very sincere he vas
by nature. and how greatly he regretted
that ne should ever have lapsed, even
for a moment, from the strict path of
rectitrde; bur Nugent Leathwood cut
him. short.
'Tkere-enough Of that. In the first
place I wan to know under exactly
what circumstances this Iodger of
yours came to you who saw him-who
knew ~him-whom he met. Now, then,
begin at the beginning"
He came to me first OF the recon-
mendation Of mis- sery ant. who knew ms
sliRhtly-What's the matter?"
Nugens Leathwood had turned alb
rupty. and was staring at the little
man with wide eyes. His what?"
His servant" repeated Mr.. Reeks.
They came together, and took the
rooms together; CT the night that you
tell me he was killed in the street, Mr..
Rickerby went out with his servant
and neither of them ever came back
again.
Good heavensl' TIL man who had
been sitting on the table got down and
stood perfectly still in the middle of the
floor for a few moments, staring before
him and muttering to himself. II new
er thought of that; I Lever dreamed
that Gilbert Riekerby. coming here III
secret, landing in England almost un-
known to anyone, should nave anyone
with him. What the dickens does 1t
mean? Gilbert Rickerby dead: Gilbert
Rickerby advertised for, far and wide;
yet this confidential servant, who actu-
ally went out with him, on the night he
came here, says nothing, does nothing,
makes no stir in any way. What have
i done2 This man. whose existence !
never suspected-this SER ant, may be
watching and waiting; laying traps for
me-" lie turned swiftly to Reeks, who
was staring in a bewildered fashion at
him. "Youw say you have seen moth
ing OF the servant SINGER BE careful
what you say"
From the mn they left the
house together. Dr. hat night when
they were coming to you"
How do you know they were coming
to me?" asked the other, quickly.
Mr.. Reeks discovered that it wanted
more courage than he was AT that mo-
ment possessed OF. But. after a sleep
less night, and the discovery that The
morning brought nothing better than
two irate tradesmen, who told him pref
ty roundly what they thought of him,
he determined, in desperation, to see
what could be done; in the event of
failure to ~personate Gilbert Rickerby
he felt that there might be some PROS
pect of trading uIon his knowledge Of
the diary n the papers, and screwina
some money out of someone. Waiting
until nighfall, he made himself as re-
spectacle as a limited wardrobe would
permit and set off for st. Johns Wood
Now. there are many ways OF getting
from Camden Town to st. Johns Wood.
If one has leisure, and the weather be
fine. it is possible TO walk. and to note
as one walks, of the change of each
n~eighborhood as Ii merges itself into
the next: or there are omnibuses which
strike a path into the heart of the mys.
ferrous region, and seem to lose them.
selves and their passengers In II. Oh
there are cabs, which may be had fol
the hailing, at street corners, and which
Will deliver one. as 1t We're, within ar
:nch of the spot one desires to each
Mr.. Reeks. knowing well the depth OF
his pocket, and having private reasons
of his own, decided to walk.
But. as has been said, Mr.. Reeks wa:
not a courageous being; and, moreover
he had before him a difficult task
Therefore, with a laudable desire tt
keep up the small measure of courage
nc possessed. he stepped into the frs
public house he saw and partook of Ger.
tail strong liquors. Indeed, after tina
he may be said to have punctuated his
erratic path with such pauses: so that
by the time he had arrived at the gate
OF Rickerby's Folly, he was preparer.
to swear positively, not only that HI
was the real Gilbert Rickerby. but tina
he was anyone else who might be sug.
gested to him at the mt
Cornelius admitted him; Corneliu:
saw him go swaying unsteadiiy up TIT
garden towards the house; Corneliu,
ushered him into the room wherein M,
gent Leathwood sat with the simpi;
announcement that here was a gentle,
man to see him.
Leathwood, starting up from hi.
chair. confronted this strange-lookinl
little creature. with a hat cooked jaunt
iyl over one watery eya, and de.pandet
10 know what he wanted.
zone 'unnerd pounds 'wardi" ex'
claimed the apparition, sleepily. I'm
Mr.. Gilbert Rickerby!'