Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1901-11-21

niS tdhA SiO"At uOWh lis Aa0C ni4d
| glanced at his master; the third man
glanced behind him.
Now, mark this. A man has but one
| chance of life, so far as / reckon 1t, on
this earth: that chance Is mine now.
This girl is nothing else than a mere
schoolgirl; this. property is more than
either of you suspect. Between that
girl and that property and myself
stands an unknown And that
unknown man enters this room in five
minutes"
The younger man of the two listen
ers, seeing his face at that moment,
half cried out and started to his feet.
Nugent Leathwood stepped forward
and caught him by the shoulders and
forced him down again.
sit down; what have you to be
frightened of? This man is nothing to
anyone; If the old man hadn't acted
like fool the son would have been a
wanderer now, and a %penniless wan
derer at that. I have never seen him,
but ! know his fondness for mystery
and for hiding and skulking about the
world. This visit Of his tonight will
be a mere flying one; he chooses his
HOuT anu ne comes dlOUe. NO one
knows he Is in England. He tells me in
this letter that he has no wish to see
anyone but myself; that the associa-
tons of the old place are too painful:
that he desires some private talk with
me, and then to go away again"
1t was curious that not one of the
trio spoke definitely as to the business
in hard; 1t was merely tactily under
stood among them. There was a long
and awkward pause; and then Nugent
Leathwood said his final word.
Understanding business is mine;
I've set my hand to 1T, and / don't turn
back now. I am obliged to nave you
here, the pair Of you; there must be no
noise, and l may not be able to do what
/ want alone. There is nothing to fear
nothing to worry about. BAH! why
do men make such a fuss about mat
ters of this kind? The only mistake is
in being found out. If Gilbert Rickerby
mad come back openly, and in the light
of day, all would have been well; he
chooses to sneak back at night like a
thief; and he must tax the conse-
quences. Now. Cornelius, be ready for
the gate-the hcur has struck. Remem-
Der, Cornelius, you bring him up stairs
and lead the "a into the room. There's
the bell"
Without a word Cornelius got up
slowly from his chair and shufied
across the floor, opened the door, and
disappeared into the darkness of the
staircase. They heard his slow feet go
ing down even while the bell was shak-
ing its last notes on the silence. Nu-
gent Leathwood had slipped across to
the window and was peering out into
the darkness. ....
There they come" he whispered. ST
can see his lantern lodging about
among the trees" His voice shook a
little, despite his endeavor to keep 1t
steady.
But you-you say you d~on't--don't
know the man, master?" whispered
Probyn, where he stood, near the table,
gripping it.
what the dickens does that natter"
exclaimed the other. impatiently. "Do
you imagine that two men would come
to Rickerby's Folly at midnight, calling
themselves Gilbert Rickerby? Now,
then-here they comet"
The two men waiting above heard the
lower door closed with a bang; heard
the grumbling voice of old Cornelius
cursing the wind. Then, as the men
stood up, trembling, near the table, the
other got over against the wall, and lit
orally behind the door which gave on to
the staircase. In the horrible, deathly
silence that reigned in the room they
could distinctly hear the shutting feet
of the old man coming up; but no ether
sound. Then, in a moment. the old
man came into the room, holding be-
tween a finger and thumb a little white
piece Of pasteboard. Nugent Leath-
wood darted forward at him.
Where is he? What have you
done?'
Comm up" answered the old man.
II said I'd so up an see If you was at
'ome. 'Ere's is card-all right an
square, you see"
Nugent Leathwood merely glanced at
1t, and set his teeth. Good. Call him
up
Cornelius went to the door and thrust
out his head into the darkness; called
out. in the blandest. sheeriest fashion
"Come up, sir-come up. Mind the
stairs, sir"
So the three waited while brisk steps
were heard on the stairs, steps thai
kept time to the heart-beats of two of
them, al least. Then III man crossed
the threshold quietly. looking straight
in front of him. The first face he saw
was that of Miles Probyn-looking, not
at him, but at something or some one
over his shoulder: and the face was so
CHASTITY n so terror-stricken, that the
man swung round instinctively to look
behind him. And then, in a moment,
he was battling frantically for his life.
The shock of 1t had taken him abso-
lutely by surprise. To be caught in a
grip like that-a grip that was slowly
but surely choking the life out of him;
and to see as he swayed about, with ey-
erything distorted and red-streaked in
his agonized vision, only two faces be-
sides that of his murderer, looking
calmly on, and making no attempt
either to assist him or his assailant,
broke down whatever Of energy he
might have had in sheer wonder. But,
as the grip frightened the fierce instinct
IT." battle for his life came more fully
upon him; he strove to loosen the cruel
hands from hts thrnat-ctroun m small