Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1902-01-30

lEA e II. III MI
that fellow: he'd as soon bury 1t as TO
hurry a dead cat. Well, that can wait;
the first thing Is to frighten this Mr..
George Reeks.
The mention Of that name started MIN
off uI on another train OF thought. While
he walked quickly toward Camaen
Town; another disturbing thing whicn
might. or might not, be helping 20 peat
out a path TO he gallows for him..
George Reeks. Yes: h a was the
fellow who went to the funeral with
him; I wonder who he was? There vs.
a net drawing about me somewhere
and yet / can't put my hand upon a
single tangible strand OF 1t to break IL
down. i am surrounded by unknown
terrors; every where voices seem TO
whisper warnings and threats. And the
worst threat of all Is that the servant
IS still u~naccounted for. The master
I've got-dead as twenty door-nails;
the servant is lying in wait for me
somewhere, / know And yet-how
should he suspect me?"
He began to be comforted by that
thought. TO take heart from the fact
that, after all, the only two witnesses
OF the murd ar were safe-Cornelius
yeeyers because, for his own sake, he
could be relied upon absolutely; Miles
Probyn. for the simple reason that he
was dead. And so, telling himself that
his fears were but idle f~ancies, after
all, he came, in the small hours of the
morning, to No. 2. Little Pond Street,
Camden Town.
That night Mrs. Reeks had resorted
to stratagem; that is to say, n had
waited, with what patience she pos
sessed, until the hour grew so late that
It was evident Mr.. Reeks was about TO
repeat his performance of the previous
right: then the lady, carefully extin-
gushing the lights. went to bed.
But not to sleep: she knew better
than that. Instead. she muftied herself
up in bed clothes and sat up in the bed
In darkness, listening intently to every
sound in the street. After some two
hours OF waiting she heard the sound
of wheels, and a vehicle stopped at the
door. Mrs. Reeks got out of bed and
tiptoed to the window, softly drew
aside the blind and peered down into
the darkness.
What she saw was sufficient, 1t u
be admitted, TO startle her. In the first
place, OUT Oh Ifle Cdp Sot VII oCoA6 N
Reeks; following him came the muf-
fed figure OF a female. Mrs. Reeks
gasred and caught at the window frame
for support. She "a her husband. at
ter a momentary glance upwards at the
dark windows, pass in at the little gar
den gate, followed by his companion;
then she heard the cautious turning or
the key in the lock- and the opening OF
the front door. Moring as softly as her
somewhat heavy weight would permit
across the room above, Mrs. Reeks
passed out on the landing and peered
over into the hall. There h saw Mr..
ReeBs, with a c~autionary finger on his
lips, drawing the female toward the
sitting room. Crae ping Gown a stair or
two, Mrs. Reeks found she could hear
exactly what was said.
This way, my chilli" whispered the
little man, drawing Olive into the room.
Don't be frightened: I'll have a light
for you In a moment: and see there's
stir a morsel of fire."
Mrs. Reeks had thoughts Of pinchinG
herself TO see If she were really awake,
and to determine whthr Oh not this was
som hideols nightmare, and whether
It really was the voice of that hitherto
devoted husbaa.i of hers she heard be-
low. The voice was replied to 10y the
quiet tones of the young girl-Mrs.
Reeks went down two steps more in
order not to miss anything: You are
very kind to me. / will wait here un-
TIL he sends for me-"
ST don't think you wilt" muttered
Mrs. Reeks, shaking her head in the
darkness. "I may have a word or two
to say about that"
After a few moments Mr.. Reeks pre-
pared to come up; assured himself, by
an anxious question, that his guest was
comfortable: and emerged into the
hall-shutting the o behind him.
Mrs. Reeks scuttled back to bed, drew
the bedclothes about her, and resolutey
closed her eyes.
The guilty little man came in and
stood for a momen or two beside the
bed, looking anxi )usly and intently in
to the face of the apparently sleeping
oma Mrs. Reeks essayed a gentle
snore, as naturally as she could under
the trying circumstances. Mr.. Reeks
heaved a sigh of relief and began to
prepare for bed. In less than ten min
utes he was sound asleep, utterly worn
out with all hat he had passed
through. Mrs. Reeks, having assured
herself hat he was not easily awak-
ened, slipped out of bed, hastily threw
on some garments, and started to go
down stairs.
Halfway down she stopped, listening,
as she had heard the it'll iron gate at
the front Of the garden creak on its
hinges. More than hat, there was a
cautious footstep coming Up the path.
She went down the remainder of the
stairs al onse, utterly ignoring the door
OF the sitting room, passed on to the
door in front Of the house, and stood
there, trembling and listening.
There was Mt the least doubt that
someone was outside; she could hear
the shutting of feet on the top step.
and, in the, silence. heavy breathing.
On a sudden impulse. although h
could scarcely have defined what the
impulse was, she opened the door
quickly. and faced the man who stood
just outside.
Then. to her establishment, the man
stepped in, coolly. thrust her aside and
closed the door. Standing there in the
darkness with him she felt his breath