Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1902-02-20
CHAPTER WI. (Continued)


He took the somewhat reluctant Cor
nelius by the arm and led him out OF
the bar and up the dark stairs which
led to the upper looms. AS Mr.. rag
gett always talked at the top OF MS
voice, and he was in the present IN
stance, very anxious to be jovial and
friendly with this most unwelcome Wis
itor, their progress was not silent or
secret one; and the noise Mr.. Taggett
made attracted the attention OF
watcher in a certain dark passage be-
meath them.
That watcher was Mr.. Nugent Leath-
wood. For something more than an
hour he had fretted and fumed about
the yard at the rear of the premises,
waiting, as arranged, for signal from
Cornelius; but that gentleman had, as
has been mentioned, fallen half-asleep
and forgotten all about it. Gradually.
Nugenr had ventured into the house,
cursing the darkness and Cornelius,
and everything and everyone that had
anything to do with mis- discomfort. At
last, just when he had made up his
mind to walk in boldly aud ask for Mr..
Viewers, he heard the voce of that gen.
tleman and the louder tones OF An
ebony Taggett.
Suspicious of everyone with whom he
had to deal, 1t flashed upon him that
this old man had sold him-had gone
over to the other side, probably to save
himself. He tried to dismiss the sus-
picion the next moment; bu. it chung to
him. and he determined to play the spy
and to hear, if possible. what was said.
Very silently, he crept up the dark
watched them enter a loom together,
the door of which was carefully closed
bitter them.
Nugent Leathwood went past that
door, fumbled along the wall until he
touched another handle, evidently at
tached to the docs of an adjoining
room. Opening this very cautiously, he
found himself in complete darkness,
save for little streak of light coming
through the crack Of a door at the side
hf the room. Creeping up to this, he
found that it was one of Q pair Of fold
ing doors, giving on to the room into
which Cornelius had gone with Anthony
raggett. Nugent softly struck light,
and founl that he was in very small
room, Uttered with old packing cases
Rnd decrepit furniture, and evidently
used me1e ely as a lumber room.
mo one will come here" he whis-
pered to himself "Now, Cornelius, if
you are playing me false, Heaven have
mercy on you!"
Meanwhile, in the lighted loom An
thony Taggett had set out bottle and
slasses, and was urging his newly-found
friend to drink, whether with the object
Of reducing him again to that condition
e., ;o1, IN I,o,l ~,
tie bar down stairs or not, it is impossi-
bic TO say. Perhaps he had faint
hope that, If Cornelius had really come
there in search of Olive, he might be in
duced tc forget his purpose, if ne were
made drunk enough.
The better to beguile the time. Mr..
Gaggett plunged into an account Of
some of fis adventures. ON the boards
and off, and further enlivened the time
ty discoursing about that wonderful
drama, which was ever in mind, and
which was probaole destined never to
be finished.
Now, the brain of Mr.. Taggett was
fertile one, and the mere presence of
Cornelius had brought hack to his mind
the remembrance Of that CHASTITY buri-
al in the garden of Rickeby's Folly, at
what time Mr.. Tasgett himself had
been wrapped in a sheet. Of course, he
dared not refer to that, for obvious rea-
sons; But it set his mind at work, and
plunged him at once into new ideas for
his wonderful drama.
st cannot, of course, truthfully say
that this drama exists on paper" he
said, after a long preamble concerning
It. mo; but it is absolutely formed in
my mind. Already, in fact, tread the
stage and utter the words which were
given to the chief character to speak;
already I slide down precipices or
plunge across foaming torrents. My
last idea, if I remember rightly, in re-
gard to the first act was that the hero
should come in on patechnicon with
real horses. but am inclined to change
that. intend to begin with a mysteri
GUS murder"
Cornelius had been fast dropping into
slumber again: but Mr.. Taggett uttered
the last word with such startling effect
that he jumped up and sat upright
very wide-twake indeed.
"Yes-with a mysterious murder" re-
peated Anthony Taggett. "It has been
done, I admit; but not as l should do
It. I should, 1 think, use something
out Of the common-such, for instance,
GS a mummy-case."
"a what?'' asked Cornelius, staring at
him.
Il repeat-a mummycase: in that the
body would be hidden" said Mr.. Tag
gett. speaking with great earnestness
ooh, you would hide the body. would
you?" said Cornelius. He picked up
his glass and gulped down some of its
contents. staring, wide-eyed, at Tag
gett all the while. "Ha. ha!-please go
on. This is really very interesting"
Eyes. thought you would find it So"
responded Mr.. Taegett, much gratified.
and warming to his subject. I'm fact,
now I come to consider the matter more
carefully, why should / use such an out
of-the-way thing as a mummy-cas
"Ah, why, indeed?" exclaimed Mr..
Viewers. TRY something else"
IT will" cried Taggett, shaking
hands with him win great fervor.
'Mummy-cases arc not found among
the domestic arrurtenances of every
household. Why not use a cupboard?'
hiS