Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1902-03-13
Y


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 and 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 that gentleman himself-and the
E500 was a tempting amount. Ii
| spelled good fare and good clothes; ev-
| cry coin of ii 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 IA stirred into life on the pre-
vious day.
She bitterly regretted that that
strange ledger had ever entered the
house; she would AVE given much 10
have got back to the days when little
George Reeks, struggled on to earn Two
shillings here, or half a crown there, as
commission for mysterious sales ana
other things when they were desperate
Iy POOR. indeed. but when their hands
were clean and mystery had never
spread cloudy wings over their house
More than all, (the wifely feelings or
Mrs. Reeks were reused at the u
OF dal,ger to her husband; in her ment-
al vision she saw him pursued by a gl-
gantic policeman; she even had a VS.
ion of him with the $500 in his hands,
| tripped up by ~footpads, or brutaliy as
saulted by highway robbers. In an ag-
ouy of dread ard contritiop she paced
the house from top to bottom, counting
the SLOW. minutes until her husband
should appear.
The time wore on. and grew into the
small hours of the morning; and still
the little street failed to C to the
brisk footsteps of Mr.. George Reeks. At
last Mrs Keeks. wound up to a pitch of
absolute desperation by her terrors,
could stand Ii no longer: she hurriedly
put on a cloak aud bonn~t and sailed
out TO find him. and, IL possible, % give
him SAT-. conduct home.
IT always said I ought to a been
the man." muttered Mrs. Reeks to her
self, as she sped along through the ST.
lent streets. I'D like TO see them get
anything out of me In a hurry: But,
there-George always was that weak,
anyone could twist him round their fin
gers"
Whether Mrs. ReeKs meant TO suggest
that she nae carried out that twisting
process successfully on her own account,
she did not say. She set her face
straight for Rickerby's Folly and made
for IL at a great rate. AS h went
along, memories OF that other occasion
on which she had one to the 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
Qusxotic 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 hat strange
night to the outside of Rickerby's Folly,
Mrs. Reeks suddenly grew cautious.
She remembered that on tie last occa-
sion she had failed to find her husband
simply because she had gone I'm a
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.
There was a wild thought in her mind
hat h might be able to scale the wall,
IL nc one came along to catch ner 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
denied her admission. However. being,
after all. a practical woman Of the nine
teenth century. she thought it possible
that a way in might be found by the
gate. although. as she had heard it un-
locked on the previous occasion, that
seemed scarcely likely.
Blu, fortunately or unfortunately, for
Mrs. Reeks, IL had happened that the
opening of the gate that night had been
left to Jemima, snd that wise old wo-
man.. being uncertain as to what would
happen or how necessary 1t might be
70. someone to make a rapid exit from
the place, had omitted to turn the key.
So that Mrs. Reeks, after fumbling for
a m or two at the latch, felt the
gate yield under her touch, and slipped
quickly through into the garden.
At this point Mrs. Reeks found her
self In a strange land; she knew nos
whether to turn to right or to left-was
equally uncertain as 10 whether or not
h.- husbands mission had failed or
succeeded. and what her reception
might be IL she walked boldly up to the
house. But once again that romantic
streak I'm her character saved her; she
though. of all the heroines OF whom she
had read who crept about In dark
places Casually In gorgeous evening raj
ment) and stabbed or Missed their way
successfully through countless hangers.
With her heart beating somewhat tu-
multuc usIs Mrs. Reeks crept towards
the dark outline OF the house without