Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1902-01-30
CHAPTER MIL.
Mrs. Recks Sits Up Late.

1Oi III VI GhCllGlueuI plcllS lISNuGul.S
perhaps it served to relieve the monot-
ony of q somewhat drab existence.
Whatever dreams Mrs. Reeks might
once have cherished in regard to Mr..
Reeks, or to life in general, had long
since been dissipated, and now only re-
turned, in sort of washed-out FORM
on the occasion of hot supper, when
luck happened to come in the way of
Mr.. Reeks, or when, from the pit of a
cheap theater, she saw the Might
renewed her youth. She was a good
woman, and kindly one; but fate had
not treated her we'll, and she had
learned to expect little except buffets
and Knockout blows. But she pinned
her faith to Mr.. Reeks, and was moder-
ste1y happy.
Now. when things looked BLACKLIST.
above her, there had come CLEAN of
hope. This husband, in whom she mad
never ceased to believe, was. by the
sheer power of his intellect and his per-
scnality. to secure at least e1Q0. Nay.
tIOiS-Hdo IL i1Ol pOSSlplG tlloL liS lliiSil
permanently take the place OF this man
who had Disappeared; that he might
rise to something even more lucrative
than either of them imagined? In the
full flush of glorious expectation, Mrs
Eeeks sent the small servant out for
something hot. and prepared to make
herself comfortable. pending the tri-
ulnphant return of Mr.. Reeks. Then
some dim touch of the old romance
CINE back to the poor, commonplace
woman, and she dreamed a dream.
She thought that the days of suualii
struggling in Camden town We're over;
that newer and a brighter world had
opened for them both, and that they
sailed out to it over sunlit sea. She
had no notion where they were going,
except that she was confident in the
strength and power of some promise
which had been made to her. She
knew with absolute certainty that
t, Cuhulous times were ever and done
With. She was floating out on a broad,
open sea- on the way to a new life, un-
der happy conditions. Then the vessel
on which she sailed began to rock and
plunge, and Mrs Reeks, starting awake,
found herself nodding in her chair-the
fire cut-and the clock pointing towards
8 IN the morning.
Mrs. Reeks started to her feet and
looked about her. It became evident in
moment that Mr.. Reeks had not come
home, his slippers-like melancholy
ghost of the end of hin-stood inside
the fender; mis- pipe lay on the table,
ready to his hand, to be smoked before
retiring to rest. In a word, Mr.. Reeks
was. above all things, a model husband;
and this was the first occasion on which
his wife had ever sat at their humble
freside, at such an hour, alone.
Thoroughly awakened from her
dream. Mrs. Reeks shook herself, got
I'D and went to the window, pulled the
b,ind aside and looked out. 1t was
dark enough night, and it happened
that. just un Ter the lamp outside the
window, policeman had halted on his
cherries beat to look about him. Mrs.
Reeks instantly dropped the blind, with
a gasp. and retired to her chair.
IT don't like it at ALL" she muttered
to herself. wish I'd never urged him
to so in for it. It's been hard life,
ey: bat if this Gilbert Rickerby is dead
teto 1iS W GIL ll'dS pc w NC ddScl llSeO 1Ol
like this) don't care for the thought
that George Reeks is stepping into his
Shoes. Nearly 3 o'clock! If anything
has happened to MIN Til never forgive
myself. It's false Dretenses-goodness
knows what it is or what it isn't!''
She started up again and went to the
window, looked out. and saw, to her re-
lief, that the policeman was gone. I
thought. perhaps. he was watching the
house, she lnurrnured 10 herself.
"Poor George -he'. got the healt of a
lion; but you could crush him in Il mo-
ment with unkindness. 1 hope, if they
find hffn out, they won't be rough With
hin1." ~
At. Last. after wandering about the
room restlessly for a long time, she
caught up the light, with an air Of de-
termination, and went up to the bed
room, tied on her bonnet with some
ferceness and threw cloak about her.
Then she came down stairs, extin-
guished the light and went out into the
streetsx taking the key of the house
with her.
She set off rapidly in the direction Of
ST. Johns Wood, taking the broader
thorcughfares, and only stopping to ask
the way once or twice, with something
of fear.. Of grim-looking constable at
street corner. So she came to the
house, and had her unsatisfactory in
terview with Cornelius, and went away
again. buoyel up with the hope that
George Reeks had taken another road,
and had reached home in her absence.
But she found. on arrival. that there
was no. Sign of him; with a sinking
heart she let herself in to the little
house. and sat down again to wait.
Meanwhile, Mr.. Rceks himself had
been RAISING through exciting expert
enccs. sAfter that struggle in the gar
den, he Sound himself. as he stood help.
1essly looking on, grasped by the arm
and huired along at top speed into the
darknesss Looking up, timidly, he saw
that Gilhert Rickerby was his guide.
/ "ComS3along. Mr.. Reeks," cried Gil
bert; Ne haven't a moment to lose.
The garHe is up. I'm afraid; but L
don't Waht to get you mixed up in any
of our disasters There is a way out
here; ydp must leave me to look after
myself. Remember, however"-they had
got to the little gate leading into the