Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1901-11-21
CHAPTER Il.
A Footstep ON the stairs.

~ tCA5 NGA0 pAo"h oO"At 1AAU Nh~A
women buffe ted at street corners and
flung against each other and hurled
bolsterously into unexpected doorways.
A wild night, with heavy clouds driving
fierceIy across the moon, and a bitter,
singing rain whipping and cutting into
the faces OF passers-by. A 'whirling.
s~hrieking, mad night. to make peaceful
folk shiyer in their beds, and bless GOD
that they had a roof over them.
On this night. with their backs set
steadily to the driving wind, two men
were blown along. side by side, in the
direction of a certain house, buried
away In the heart OF st. Johns Wood.
One of them, at least, must have known
the way to IT.; for the pair kept straight
on. without turning to the right or left,
and without making inquiry of my one
of the few people they met. Only once
or twice, the taller nan of h two
would stop at a street corner. as though
in doubt, and look about Sim ~perplex-
eddy; then, while his companion stood
still, he would take "A step or two in one
direction-shake his head and come
back again, try another, and, with a
nod Of satisfaction, lead the way
afresh. And thus, feeling their way, as
it were. and beating it out in steady,
persistent fashion, like men tracking
their path through some wild place to
which they were unaccugtomed. they
came to the house.
Al gloomy AMI weird sort of place 1t
was-reiic Of some earlier period before
the era of villas and semi-detached res
licences: a great mouse for'that paftAof
London, set in a neglected wilderness of
a garden, with a high wall all around
1t. A curious house, n w parts-one OF
which had lights in 1t, while the other
was dark and cold. like the face of a
man with one blind eye and the other
sparkling with life. So much, at least,
they could see of 1t, as they stood back
ON the ether side of the roa n
caught a glimpse of its upper windows,
over the top OF the wall.
"Ohi poor old house; poor, old, for
Torn place / once called homei" ex-
\ claimed the taller man. as he stared at
it's dark roofs outlined against the
stormy sky. How NAM years since /
turned my back upon you, how many
years, during which i lave seen you, as
\ clearly as / see you now, in strange cit
les and in wild places of the earth,
where no real house ever o And
now--to come back to you like this!"
The other man was silent; he merely
\ glanced curiously at the house, while he
N held his nat on and strove to stand
4 steadily against the wind.
"Now you understand what you have
20 do, Holden?" went on the tall man,
latter a pause. you AVE the card: you
have the money. This is merely a whim
of mine: / want to prepare the way, as
it were-to play the mysterious man,
who does a good thing and hides him
sci while it is being done. I've earned
1.-THE right to have that satisfaction, at
%least, cut of the business. Their visitor
Wis expected at midnight; 1T must be
lcicse on that now, and you"
But I don't quite see. SIR" broke in
the other man. how I'm to manage the
abusiness. You ave written 70 say that
Gilbert RicKerby will be here"-point-
ing to the house-"at midnight"
AT MISUNDERSTANDING"
but Gilbert NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. me for
taking such q liberty with the name,
sir-won't be there at all. because r.
~ Because you'll go in his place. You
can explain that Gilbert Rickerby is a
Aqueer sort of fellow-the queerer the
#better for this business, Holden!-and
will come later. Don't you see that.
apart from the satisfaction Of standing
mysteriously outside the business. I
.swant to know what sort of reception
my emissary meets with? Hark!there
goes the hour at Observation-Disclosures a
wild night for a wild business-at least,
seine would think it so. Now, then, off
with yout'
Ff Holden crossed the road and stopped
before a wooden gate In the high wall
and rang the bell; the next moment the
Sound OF the bell itself clanked out,
even above TIL noise of the wind. The
tall man on the opposite side of the
road drew himself back into the shelter
pf a doorway. and prepared to make
himself as comfortable as possible un-
.tii the Others return.
After what seemed quite a long time
= black space opened up in the gray
Sergth of the wall; swallowed the other
man up, and became gray like the rest.
Meanwhile. in the house itself, the
visitor was expectei-expected with
v some t~repidation, too, to judge from APP
tpearances. and yet with the hurry Of
covered preparation. 1t was a ghostly
Did house. altogether. at the. best of
Zines; yet, surely. never more ghostly
" thar. tonight. For there were mysteri-
BUS creakings and creepings on the
stairs: a whispering of voices behind
Closed doors; once a lantern. flinging
but long shafts of light from three
hides, was swung aloft in the hand Of
bone person moving about the dreary
bid garden; passed to the gate and
VA aused there, as though the person who
fttheld II stood listening: went jerkily
back into the house again.
At last. whatever preparations were
tlfoot seemed TO be completed, and
4 |hree men drifted together silently into
3ne room. OF the first floor of that light
I'd part of the house. They came with
But speaking; and as though, for some
strange purpose, they came together
FOR company, to wait out the time, I'M
3Ail something had to be done. Spirits
we're on a table In this room; but only
NWne man d~rank-and that man hurried
aKy and furtiveiy. an though he were
Deriving himself. Of set purpose, and not
US though he greatly enjoyed the
4 rinking.
<N This man who drank was
|"It -