Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1901-12-05
CHAPTER ".
Little Miss Iunneeut.

shAf tEN w.
Little Miss Innocent.
Nugent Lcathwood was haunted in a
double For the moment he
knew that he was safe; he had public
ly claimed a man as Gilbert Rickerhy,
and had buried him under that name;
beyond that, the real Gilbert Rickerby
was hidden away in a cupboard, in that
ghostly house into which no one ever
went. So far, so good; but then the
haunting began.
In the first place, it was absolutely
impossible for him to know what raw
ings the man Probyn, who had died in
the hospital, had been guilty of before
his death; what words he might have
let slip which would give the whole
clue to the murder. If only he could
know what had been said-who had
been with the man when he died-what
they had found upon him. With the
cowardice of the man whose hands are
~bloocstained he felt that even these
surgeons and NURSES were capable of
lying to him, II entrap him, If possible.
Again. at any time, some man might
spring upon him from nowhere, to de-
illt1lu WIld Hdu DCCOIut VI Miles LIoN
byn. Oh, 1t had been a great and splen-
did scheme, to seize upon that n frail
chance of a delirious man dying with
that name upon his lips-to declare that
that man was the one he had muir
dered! hat was a stroke of genius;
the world was at liberty to look upon
the tombstone Of Gilbert Rickerby,
without knowing what CHASTITY fraud
L.. 800 a z-I.x NHsl1- D~Nkr,n
was of little enough Importance not to
be sought after, Nugent Leathwood
was safe.
But. on the other hand, that horrible
thing shut UP in the cupboard Of he
empty house haunted him. At night,
when he went out into the old garden
and glanced UP at the dark windows,
he could rave sworn he saw a horrible,
distorted face passing to and fro be-
hind the glass: over and over again at
night he woke UP, with a cry on his
lips. from a dream he had had of strug-
Cling over the floor with someone and
choking the life out of him. A dozen
times he made UP his mind to flee the
place and have done with It; as many
times he knew hat he dared not. be-
cause Of the thing that was hidden
there.
Moreover, there was another reason
why he should remain at Rickerby's
Folly; and the reaso was, perhaps,
pretty well explained in a conversation
he had with old Cornelius. on the after
noon of the day on which Gilbert Rick
erby so mysteriously took up his resi-
dence in the deserted house. Nugent
sat alone in a room adjoining that In
which he had been on that first night
when the messenger came to him; he
sat alone before the fire, staring mood.
lily into 1t and chewing the stump of d
burnt-out cigar. At the very moment
when he was least prepared for any In
corruption old Cornelius stood beside
him and laid a hand upon his shoulder.
Nugent sprang to his feet and struck at
him blindly. overturning the chair on
which he had been sitting; saw who ii
was, and tried to laugh.
You doddering idiot! Why do you
creep about like a ghost In that FASH
lon, soaring people out of their wits?
Shout, or dance. or sing. when you en-
ter a room; the place Is quite enough
like a vault without any of your grave
yard antics. What do you want?"
Cornelius-not In the least disturbed
by the others onslaught-smiled GRIM
ly, and jerked his head In the direction
o. the second house. "You 'aven't got
no fear it'll walk, ave your he asked.
"Hushi" cried the other, glancing
over his shoulder. Haven't / told you
I'll have no more said about 1t? Isn't
it enough that the thing should be with
me. night and day, without your drag
ging 1t out? Now, come. Cornelius, we
have got to face this thing-to fight Ii
out as best we can. The man Is dead
doubly dead. That idiot, Probyn, stuck
himself in h way and got what he de-
served: he's buried, under a more re-
spectacle name than he ever LoIS Ia ms
life. The real mar we've got to dispose
Of"
Yes, that's the next thing to be
done" said Cornelius, scratching his
chin and glancing out OF one eye at his
master. You see, you can't go a-leav-
in dead folk stuck about the 'ouse: you
v know what may 'appen. Then,
there's the gel"
YES" replied Nugent, slowly, Sim
thinking OF the girl. The girl is every
thing-the reason for this mans death
the reason for whatever danger there
may be in 1t for US. Now, let us look
at the thing fairly and calmly. In the
first place, who is to suspect us?"
That's the second time" said Cor
nelius. with much gravity, that you've
spoke OF u.s. i don't like It. Try a
change"
Nugent Leathwood twisted round In
his chair and looked at the old man
strangely.
well, what's the game now. Corne-
usY' he asked. D you back down
on me? Cone-out with It.: I'm not
the nan to stand any shutting"