Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1901-12-05
CHAPTER ".
Little Miss Innocent.


CHAPTER Nv.
Little Miss Innocent.
Nugent Leathwood was haunted in q
double sense. 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 cupboard in that
ghcstly 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 Prohyn, 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-
mand what had become of Miles Pro-
byn. Oh, it had been great and splen-
did scheme, to seize upon that one 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. That was a stroke of genius;
the world was at liberty to look upon
the tombstone Of Gilbert Rickerby,
without knowing what CHASTITY fraud
lay beneath it. If only Miles Probyn
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 the
empty house haunted him. At night,
when he went out into the old garden
and glanced up at the dark windows,
he could have sworn he saw 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 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 that 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 reason was, perhaps,
pretty we'll 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 i'll 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 it and chewing the stump of a
burnt-out cigar AT the very moment
when he was least prepared for any in
terruption old Cornelius stood beside
him and laid hand upon his shoulder.
Nugent sprang to his feet and struck at
him biindly. overturning the chair on
which he had been sitting; saw who it
was, and tried to laugh.
You doddering idiot! Why do you
creep about like a ghost in that fash
ion, soaring people out of their wits?
Shout, or dance, or sing, when you en-
ter room; the place is quite enough
like 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 you?" he asked.
Hush!' cried the other, glancing
over his shoulder. Haven't told you
III have no more said about it? Isn't
1t enough that the thing should be with
me, night and day, without your drag
ging it out? Now, come, Cornelius, we
have got to face this thing-to fight it
out as best we can. The man is dead
doubly dead. That idiot, Probyn, stuck
himself in the way and got what he de-
served; he's buried, under a more re-
spectacle name than he ever bore in his
life. The real man 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
never know what may 'appen. Then,
there's the GEL"
Yes replied Nugent. slowly, I'm
thinking of the girl. The girl is every
thing-the reason for this mans death
the reason for whatever danger there
may be in it 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 us 1 don't like it. Try a
change"
Nugent Leathwood twisted round In
his chair and looked at the old man
strangely.
We'll what's the game now, Corne-
lius?" he asked do you back down
on me? Come-out with it, I'm not
the man to stand any shuffilng."