Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1902-02-06

"Did what for the best?" cried George
Reeks. starting to his feet. Where -
this young girl?"
"a gentleman came here last night
o after you had gone to bed. He to!a
me that YOU had taken away this young
girl out OF his charge-a sort of abduc-
ton, George. Ha said that he was her
natural and proper guardian; that ne
did not want scandal or fuss. And ne
took her away with him"
Mr.. Reeks. in hopeless bewilderment,
stood staring for a few moments at his
wife, finally dropped the knife he held
at his feet, and clusched both sides or
his scanty hair With his hands.
George; don't COX like thatl What
have 1 done? If you had only aold me
what you intended at first
Dent talk, my dear, don't talk" i'm
plored the unhappy Mr.. Reeks. 1
don't know quite what you've done. or
what you haven't done. But you've got
me into a horrible muddle, and l don't
quite see what / am to 10 TO get out or
ii. Now, lets be calm; for Heavens
sake, let's be calml'
He looked anything but calm himself
as he walked up and down the room,
clutching his hair and muttering 20
himself; but, after a few moments, ne
STOPPED in front of his wife and put a
question. rs
Tell me-this man who came in the
middle of the night and took away the
girl-what was he Hke?" A-
IA very dark man, with a swarthy
anpi, onA haanL nxrou Snnka I'm "a soft
Voice"
Mr.. Reeks gasped. "Leathwood-by
all that's wickedi" he exclaimed. MY
love" he went on. with desperate calm
ness, sin one moment you have undone
what / and others have plotted TO do,
to save a young and innocent girl from
a villain: in one moment you have Civ
en- that young and innocent girl back
into the hands of a man for whom no
name is too bad. I suppose I ought to
have told you; but Go I look, my dear,
the sort of a man who would abduct a
young girl and bring her into your
house in the dead of night n leave
her on the sitting room sofa? Do I look
Ii, my dear?"
Mrs. Reeks burst into tears. and ad-
mftted, through her sobs, that he GER
tainly did not.
There, II is no use crying. my dear;
we've got TO do tnc business all over
again. The girl is in danger, and must
be got out of the place to which Iseath>
wood will have taken her. She can't be
brought here again, because Leathwood
knows this house, and would only come
here again for her. But / must go
there at once-that's certain. Did he
7g5 #Hn 20 = any,
thing at all to your"
He said that he expected you to
bring the Papers you had promised
within I'VE days. replied Mrs. Reeks.
.s"oh, i~ndeed-did hep said Mr.. Reeks,
sarcastically. Anything else%
THAT If you brought them within
that time you should have the reward;
If not, he would force you to give them
up. and you would get nothing"
The little man buttoned his coat res
oluteiy, and shook his head, with an air
of defiance. I'VE shall see" he said,
grimly. Now, understand, my love,
that under no circumstances do you
give up those papers. i may be away
for some time; ! can't tell at all what
/ may have to do. But you shall hear
from me. This man, Leathwood, may
come here in the hope of getting the
papers: don't let him have them"
IF he gets them out of me he'll be
CLEVER responded Mrs. Reeks. But,
George, you're not going TO run n
risks or get into any dangers. are you?
Think of me, George; think of mel"
MY love-" replied the little man
duty calls me, and / must not hold
back. But whatever danger / may
rush into (for / am naturally a bold
man, Lily. as you are alvarez, ! shall
think, even to the last, of you" Then,
reyertirg TO his more natural manner,
he said: II heartily wish I'd never
mixed myself up in this business; but
1 can't bear 20 think of that young girl
in danger. Don't forget about the pa
pers. Good-bye-good- bye"
He rushed out into the little hall, fol-
lowed by Mrs. Reeks, who assisted him
to struggle into his ~overcoat. Ram
ming his hat firmly on his head, he
started forth at a pace that must have
astonished any of the neighbors who
had been in the L.abit of seeing him
saunter out on ordinary occasions.
He never stopped or slackened his
pace until he came into the neighbcr-
hood OF Rickerby's Folly. 1t was still
comparatively early in the afternoon;
and the little man knew that, to carry
out his purpose with any chance of sue
cess, III must not be seen by anyone in
the house. So he cooled his heels and
his irnpatience at the same time in the
adjoining streets; and when h kindly
darkness had fallen Upon st. Johns
Wood, crept round to the back en-
trance IN the alley, out of which Gilbert
Rickerby had thrust him OF the night
of the strange burial In the garden.
Even here he dared not knock OF make
sny sign; he could only wait in pa
thence, on the chance of something for
tUnate happening 20 assist him.
He had to wait a very considerable
time, and had just began TO make ny
his mind to an attempt to scale the
high wall, when he heard the sound OF
feet among the dead leaves inside. Not
knowing what else to do, the little man
raped sharply with his knuckles on the
wooden door; end then drew back fiat
against the wall beside it, hoping to es-
cape notice If the person who answered
tI. sEAn.,Il ~1k r.~Axra 70 hn