Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1901-11-28
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40D666666 & 3 6767666N59
$E Rickerby's Folly Sc
z = By TOM GALLON x 4
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''G1lbcrt ACKNOWLEDGEMENT lSlCkeFpy-
Gilbert Rickerby! No-no-for Gods
sake!-not that-not that! Gilbert
Rickerby-Gilbert Rickerby-keep him
back!-Murder!"
The word rang out in an ear-piercing
Shrek. and the man started up in bed,
struggling fiercely with some unseen
thing. The startled nurses came rum
ming to the bed, where the tall man had
his arms about the sufferer and was
striving to lay him down. The horri-
BILE thing he had seen, whatever:it was,
had some from him: he lay breathing
heavily and quite passive. The man
who held him got away from the bed,
and stood nervously wiping his face,
out of which all the color seemed to
have tled.' He made hurried excuse,
and got out of the place and into the
cold night air. The rain had ceased
and the wind had dropped little; some
stirring life, in the shape of carts and
wagons was in the streets
He walked lons way in one set di-
rection. and mechanically. as a man
might walk in a dream; stopped sud-
denly, as if under the influence of new
resolutions; turned about in his tracks
and went in an opposite direction.
"No-not :here-not where any man
knows you, and can clap n hand upon
you and cry, That man is Gilbert Rick
erby!" Hide yourself-slink and creep
and crawl in dark ways, as you have
done so long. Tonight Gilbert Kicker
by comes back to the world; yet to-
night, broken, unknown thing they
call Gilbert Rickerby lies dying in a
strange place, and shrieks 'Murder!' in
my face! God of mercy-keep me sane
till see this thing in its true light, and
know who I am and what I am and
where I ami" .e'"'
He was in no mood for sleep, or even
rest; he buttoned his coat about him
anil went striding away, not caring
whittier, with his thoughts hurrying on
in maddening confusion. AS the dawn
was breaking he found himself coming
nearer to st. Johns Wood again; and
so turned into Regents Park and sat
down on a. seat there to think. 1t was
very peaceful there, and the only things
that were stirring were the birds, flut-
tering about the trees and the grass.
Gradually some of the peacefulness of
the scene stole over him, and he became
calmer and better prepared for sober
thought.
Nov, let me think, let me piece this
thing together, and see what it spells.
I. Gilbert Rickerby, unfortunate wand
ering son of old Jo1 as Rickerby, after
years OF lodging about the earth, come
back to the place where I was born.
am expected; I have a purpose to full
Ell, and, hard though that purpose is,
I have made up my mind to fulfil It,
and to do what is right-to undo some
of the wrong of old, unhappy years,
and to do one clean, sweet thing at
least. At the last moment determine
to play a trick, to gain some knowledge
of the man I've never seen before
really see him. send my trusted ser
want and friend, James Holden, into
the house wherin I was born and at the
hour a. which I was expected. So far,
good; now what follows?" =.
lie stared straight before him for
minute or two with a puzzled face,
then Went on again, speaking to him
SELF always in the same low tone:
"This follows: That James Holden
enters the house, armed with my card;
10 prove lis bona fdes. Within a few
minutes a man rushes out, pursued by
with an accident in the street, and now
he lies dying in the hospital, crying
my name, calling out warnings to me
in his Geliriun, and shrie;lng Muir
der.' What foul, black business is at
the bottom of all this-and where is
Jemes IIolden?"
All that day Gilbert Rickerby wan
dered about-forming a dozen schemes
in his head, ana as rapidly abandoning
each one in turn. Now he would go to
the house in St. Johns Wood, make
himself known, and boldly ask for mis-
servant; but the plan had to be cast
ASIDE, because he told himself that he
had yet to understand TIE mystery of
tine man who had carried the card and
coupled the name of Gilbert Isickerby
with murder Again, he determined to
go to the hospital Iut gave up that
idea, also, because he feared TO- be
Observation-Disclosures even to be associ-
ated with the man who cried his name
so persistently. Besct with doubts ana
fears he went, WHEN night was coming
or, not to the lodging which he had
occupied before but to quiet little ho-
tel in 2. street off the Strand, registered
urder the first name that occurred to
MIN, anu sent 4 nOte ny q messenger,
addressed to James Holden. at the
rooms they had occupied in Camden
Town-rooms they had taken in pursu-
;trce Of Gilbert Rirkerby's plan of hid
ing until the schemes he Lad on hand
were worked out.
The messenger returned with his note
anG with n line in pencil, scrawled on
the back by the landlord, to the effect
that Holden had not been home all
night, and that nothing had been seen
OF him.
The matter was growing exciting;
Gilbert Rickerhy determined to set
about, in his own peculiar fashion. to
solve the mystery But that mystery
thiokered considerably when next day
there appeared in all the morning ma.
pers the following advertisement:
e100 REWARD-A gentleman named
Gilbert 1eickerby has mysteriously dis
appeared. He failed to keep an an
pointment made by himself tive DAVIS
ago. He is imploled by the advertiser
to communicate at once with his
friends. Any one Supnlviny irfor