The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1902-03-15
CHAPTER x

CHAPTER XXI.
Cornelius Meets His Match.
When Mr.. George Reeks hurried away
from his house in Little Pond Street,
| Camden Town, on that eventful night,
he left Mrs. Reeks In a state Of the
greatest possible futter anG alarm. In
| the first place, the good lady was as
heartily tired of the difficulties which
had beer her lot during the whole time
Of her association with Mr.. Reeks as
was thai gentleman himself-and the
$500 was a tempting amount 1t
| spelled good fare and good clothes; ev-
cry coin of it rang a knell to brokers
and duns forever. But, on the other
hand, Mrs. Reeks continued to be as
sailed by those pricks Of conscience
which had stirred into life on the pre-
vious day.
She bitterly regretted that that
strange lodger had ever entered the
house; she would have given much 10
have got back to the days when little
| George Reeks, struggled on to earn Two
| shjllings here, or half a crown there, as
| commission for mysterious sales anu
other things when they were desperate
ly poor, indeed, but when their hanos
were clean and mystery had never
| spread cloudy wings over their mousse
More than all, (the wifely feelings OF
Mrs. Reeks were reused at the u
of danger to her husband; in her ment-
| al vision she saw him pursued by a gl-
eantic policeman; she even had a VS.
| ion of hin, with the $500 in his hands,
| trinped up by footpads, or brutaliy as
saulted. by. highway robbers. In an ag-
ony of dread ard contrition she paced
the house from top to bottom, counting
the. slow minutes until her
should appear.
The time wore on: and grew into the
small hours of h morning; and sui
the little street failed to echo to the
| brisk footsteps of Nj. George Feeeks. AT
last Mrs. Keeks, wound up to a pitch OF
| absolute desperation by her terrors,
| could stand it no longer; she hurriedly
! put on a cloak and DIN and sallleo
| out to find him, and, If possible, to give
him SAT-. conduct home.
81 always said I ought to have been
the man." muttered Mrs. Reeks to her
self, as she sped along through the ST.
lent streets. I'D like tossee them get
ANYTHING out of me in O hurry: But,
there-George always was that weak,
Z anyone could twist him round their fin
gers" ~
Whether Mrs. Reeks meant to suggest
/ that she had carried u that twisting
process successfully on her own account,
she did not say. She set her face
straight for Rickerby's Folly and made
for it at a great rate. AS she went
along, memories of that other occasion
on which she had gone to h same
place in search Of her husband swept
over her. an unworthy suspicion as
| sailed her-that the little man might
have been detained on another Of those
Qu:xotic affairs connected with a young
| and forlorn female; the thought of 1t
| frightened the lips of Mrs. Reeks and in
| creased her speed. \
Coming in the dead of that strange
| night to the outside Of Rickerby's Folly,
| Mrs. Eseeks suddenly grew cautious.
| She remembered that on tie last occa-
sion she had failed to find her husband
| simply because she had gone, in q
| straightforward manner, to the house
| AMI asked for him; on this occasion she
deter mined to make whatever search
was necessary on her own account. G
There was a wild thought in her mind
that she might be able to scale the wall,
If no one came along to catch her In the
| act. Perhaps there was a spice OF ro-
nance hidden away somewhere in the
breast Of Mrs. Reeks; perhaps she
ought. as she had said, to have been OF
that stronger sex to which nature had
- >-1- - TY~~vnr,AN hn{nO
| after all, a practical woman OF the nine
tenth century, she thought 1t possible
that q way in might be found by the
gate, although, as h had heard It un-
locked on the previous occasion, that hal
seemed scarcely likely.
Bu++, fortunately or unfortunately.for
Mrs. Reeks, It had happened that the
opening of the gate that night had been
left to Jrmima. end that wise old wo-
man, being uncertain as to what would
happen. or how necessary It might be
70. someone to make rapid exit from,
the place, had omitted to turn the key.
So that Mrs. Reeks, after fumbling FOR
p moment or two at the latch, felt the
gate, yield under her touch, and slipped
quickly throughinto the garden.
At this point Mrs. Reeks. found her
self ia q strange land; she knew no!
whether to turn to right or to. left--Twaa
aequally uncertain an 70 whether or not
hs- husbands mission had failedsSo
succeeded and what her reception
might be II she walked boldly up totths
house. But once again that romantic
streak In her character saved her; she
the ugh. OF all3the heroines OF whom sshe
had read who crept about In DARK