Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1902-03-27

1
then little line of flame leapcd along
and ran swiftly from one point to anoth-
er. Leathwood chuckled softly to HIM
self, ran around the room, dropped a
| light here and there, and then retreated
to the door. Quite respectable blaze
had started by the time he closed the
| door and began to make his way into
the second house.
! Now, he had given very careful in
structions to Mr.. Cornelius Viewers
that that gentleman and the girl Olive
| were to be in waiting for him at the
door, ready to depart instantly. There
| fore, when he slipped through the pas
sage which led from one house to the
| other, calling softly as he went, he was
| naturally very much astonished at re-
| living no reply. He ran up on the
| stairs and thrust open the door of OIL
ives room, never dreaming for a mo-
ment that the girl and Mrs. Reeks were
| crouched within. with the dead Corne-
Illus at their feet. Hearing no sound.
he ran on. higher still, impatiently call
| ing to the old man. and still receiving
| no reply. At the top of the stairs he
stopped, bewildered and little fright
ened.
81 wonder if that old rascal has sold
me?' he muttered to himself. Hes
| Just the sort to turn tail at the last and
make bolt for it; he never liked being
mixed up in that first affair, and it's
| quite possible he may funk this second
one. But what on earth has he done
with the girl?"
| His one desire was to get away from
the place, and leave the fire he had
| started to Go it.; own work. but he did
not mean to go wi'hout the girl. He
| mad striven hard enough to gain her,
and the way was now absolutely clear;
he had put his hand to the business,
and did not mean to be defeated at the
| last moment. He started down the
house again, calling the girl sharply by
name.
| But it seemed to be a house of the
cead-not a whisper in it anywhere. A
strange feeling of dread crept over him;
at the foot of the stairs he hesitated
moment, Matchmaking up his mind to go
away from the place alone, without
| troubling about Olive. but the thought
came to him only for moment; the
next he set his teeth and swore that he
would find her, whatever happened.
Coming to the very bottom of the
house, and finding nothing, a sudden
| thought came to him-a thought which
| appeared to give direct solution of the
matter. He laughed aloud as it struck
| him.
II never thought of that" he whis-
pered. THE little fool has gone to find
| her lover. She has been in the habit of
going into that house; missing him
| here, she'd so, naturally enough, to
| look for him there. Well, my mad
beauty, I'll have you out of that"
| He pulled open the door of the pas
sage which led from one house to the
| other and darted along it. AS he burst
| into the room into which it opened, he
| saw, at the farther side, the figure of
woman just opening the door which led
| to the staircase communicating with
| the upper rooms of the house. She car
ried light in one hand; turning, and
| seeing him, she dropped it, and was in
| stantly in darkness; he heard that far
Their door close behind her-heard hur-
ried steps upon the stairs. He ran for
ward, crying to her, frantically: col
i've! Olive! For heavens sake, come
back. Olive!"
He stumbled across the room and
| was some little time in finding the door.
But he found it at last and pulled It
open, and went laundering up the
stairs, still crying her name. Reaching
the first floor, he glanced down the
other staircase, which led to the room
in which he had kindled the fire. The
smoke foated up to him chokingly, and
h., could hear the fierce cracking of
the burning wood. With his excite
ment and anxiety at fever heat, he
dashed up the stairs, past the room in
| ;oI, 1,o Iol Lee ,%;1J
the name of the girl. And, above him,
he could hear the feet going on.
"She's mad, indeed" he muttered, as
her out kefore we're overtaken by the
/ Curse this darkness! How the smoke
comes rolling up!"
! He stopped at last, bewildered, and
struck a light; glancing up as he did
so, he saw the filter of a woman's
dress just above him. Still crying that
name, he started in pursuit once more
begging the flying figure before him,
with every word of endearment that
occurred to him, to stop and listen to
him.
| He had reached the top of the house;
funlbling blindly in the darkness, and
hearing with terror the roar of the
flames below. he plunged through an
open doorway and found himself in a
room; struck a light again. and saw
the figure he sought at the farther end
of it. Holding the tiny flame above his
head, he advanced toward the figure,
with one hand stretched out to touch it,
and spoke, in voice Of entreaty
"Olivc, my sweet girl, don't run away
from me like this! We are in danger.
have come to find you-to save you.
You have nothing to fear; only come
with me at ONE. Olive, do you hear
me?"
| The woman before him came slowly
forward. keeping close against the wall.
BY the tlickering ligth Of the match he
saw her coming along, shrinking from
him, and with her face bent down, SO
that he could not see it. Then, as she
got near him, she dartcd past and
gained the door, slammed it quickly
and set her back against It, Nugent,
going nearer, with that tiny taper in
his fingers looked at the face of the
woman-turned 20 him for the first