The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1902-03-22
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- BY TOM GALLON * 4
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By TOM GALLON


CHAPTER xx1-tContinued.)

CHAPTER XXI-(COntlnued.)
She opened her eyes and looked wild
ly about, saw something lying, huddled
up, at her feet, and slapped her hands
over her mouth to ave herself from
screaming. The something at her feet
was Cornelius-and an instinct, truer
than anything II had ever had, told
her that Cornelius was dead.
Even while she knelt there in a sort
of stupor. she heard outside the noise
of running feet, and the voice Of a man
crying, Cornelius! Cornelius! Where
are you?"
Mrs. Reeks was on her feet in a mo-
ment-hae stumbled to the table and
blown out the light. Feeling a hand
touch hers in the darkness, she raised
the hand and felt about until she
touched the face of h girl, put her
own hand over the girls mouth, and
erouched against the wall with hel,
scarcely able to breathe. The footsteps
came on; the door was opened; the
yoice OF Leathwood spok. in the room
"Cornelius!" Then, after a moments
pause: "Where the dickens has the
man gone? And where is the girl:
I've called all over tine house; he must
have gone high r. up. I suppose"
The footsteps retreated from the door
and hogan to ascend the stairs, Laath
wood crying the nome of the dead man
all the way. Mrs. Reeks, still with
her hand on the youth of the girl, ana
with the girl clinginE to her, crept out
of the room-making a wide circuit or
the body-and got out OH the stairs.
The voice Of LeathwOod had grown
fainter as he went up; Mrs. Reeks
went down in the darkness-stumbled,
by good luck, upon the way she had en-
tered, and found herself in the open
air. There, while she was still hurry
ing or towards where she thought the
gate must be, Olive Mallory stopped.
drew back, and refused uo go any far
tEer.
Il can't leave Gilbert won't!' she
whispered, thrusting Mrs. Reeks away
from her. you don't know what hap
py hours we have had in our World OF
Dreams; he waits for me there now.
I must go to him; l dare not leave him
lonely any longer"
Before Mrs. Reeks could say a word
or could do anything to stop her, the
girl had turned and fed away into the
darkness Of the garden. Mrs. Reeks
took a few h~esitating steps after her;
she was afraid to call out or make any
sound. She blundered in the darkness
against the trunk Of a tree; the girl
was nowhere within reach CT sight or
her,
Mrs. Reeks stood shaking, with a
deadly fear. She knew tkat-accident-
ally or not-she had killed q man,; that
she had left mis- body lying in the room
of a London house. . Her n thought
naturally enough-was s~elf-preserv-
alton; she wanted to get away from
this dreadful place; she longed, pas
0ionately, to meet her husband, even
while she was wondering what he
would say or how he would receive her,
when he knew what h had done. The
girl had Disappeared; Mrs. Reeks was
risking her own safety in staying there
q moment longer. Utterly ~bewildered
and terrified, she ran forward, reckless
ly, stumbling against trees, until she
touched the outer wall, ran around it
fortunately in the right direction-unt1l
she touched the gate; pulled the gate
open, and dashed out, breathlessly, In
to the street. It is probable that she
did not stop running until she got
home.
There, as she put ha- key into the
icck, the door was pulled Open, and
George Reeks stood before her, radi-
ant.
my love-" he cried, where have you
beeno I got home a long time ago
came home by cab. Special occasion,
my pet; I've got the S50o!"
Mrs. Reeks stumbled forward blindly,
fell into his arms almost crushing the
poor little man as she did so) and went
into violent Mysteries.
But never during the whole of the re-
mainder of their married life did she
tell Mr.. Reeks what had happened that
night.