Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1902-03-13
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9 0D06666 BN
$S Rickerby's Folly 81
9 y By TOM GALLON <
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By TOM GALLON
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
CHAPTER u-fcontinuea,

lGrb:, and with MS breath laoOrlnS Us
though he had been running.
Il sent that servant into this house; !
Saw him enter the gate myself. That
WAS not sent to persCnate me but mere
ny as my ambassa 1or-to tell you that
e~as coming. 1 wanted to hear what
your reception OF the news of what !
|meant to Go would be. The man en-
eered the house, as have said: he new
er came out again. Jemima Viewers,
kell this man what you saw on the night
flames Holden came to the house with
my message and my money"
Nugent Leathwood started then, and
turned swiftly towards tn, old woman;
Whatever else he might have been dim
~ prepared for. he certainly was not
prepared for this There was. too. a
certain curious alertness about the old
woman-a gleam in her dull eyes that
he had never seen there before.
IT &C bin in the 'abit of wanderin'
about the 'ouse-toth 'cuses. in fact
might an day. for long time" began
khe CID woman. Il think got into the
Way Of it first Wen nv poor mistress
WAS alive. I used to creep abaut then
an watch the oll man. so as to tell 'er
sHot e looked like. an' 10 assure 'er that
se was WE'LL she was always cravin to
Know that. I'd card Cornelius an is
master talkin'. that lay. at out my dear
boy comm ONE: 1 card EN- whisperin'
about what they meant to debut
couldn't quite catch what they said
You Jezebel.' said Nugent. through
his teeth. Il told yo'l. Cornelius. mis-
chief would come of that woman Turk
ing about the house. You said she had
no wits-didn't ycu?"
II 'ad wits enough to be able to get
the best Of YOU retorted to old wo-
man. An I wanted to see my dear
boy thow her face changed and soft
ened as she said it and as she glanced
at G;ibert0. an I waited about on the
stairs and in dark corners, on the
chance OF catching first sight of i'm.
Then. when the ring came at the bell,
and the man was brought in. I saw at
once that it wasn't Master Gilbert at
all. but a stranger. I was jest rurnin
away Wen I card a frightful noise III
the room and ran back to the door: I
peeped in. an there I saw Mr. Leath-
wood an the strange man fghtin' like
demons all over the floor an Cornelius
an the man they call Probyn lookin'
on
4 dad silence was in the room as the
old woman paused for moment: Nu-
gent took out his handkerchief and hur-
riedly wiped his forehead and the palms
of his hands. Mr.. Reeks had backed
against the wall Zip in a corner. and
stood there with his mouth wide open
and his tufts of hair bristling with
eright
cit Crews interesting, doesn't it, Cous-
In Leathwood?" asked Gilbert. quietly.
piled Leathwood. with snarl. But the
story is not finished yet: pray proceed"
I 81 was TOO much frightened went on
1emjma. Ito know what to do-too
t1.uch afraid even to cry out. But I
watched the whole timej. while they
htrsr gled i'm: was 'idin' on the stairs.
In the dark, Wen they carried the body
pul-Mr. Leathwood and Cornelius
Its a lie" cried Cornelius, fiercely.
~You shan't drag me into the business"
'Oh. but they shall. though" said Nu-
gent. quickly. We're both in this my
old friend: you won't leave me in the
1urch: I'll take good care of that.
They've got to prove all they say; but,
under the circumstances. we stand or
tall together; don't forget that
Il don't know what they did with the
ma, they killed; I was TOO frightened
TO wait any longer" addel Jemima.
IT think I'll take up the story again."
said Gilbert. That body was carried
snto the deserted house next to this:
was thrust. in the hurry and terror of
fhe moment. into q cupboard. For a
little time foltune favored those who
had committed the crime: a man whom
Z have since learned bore the name of
Miles Probyn. probably frightened at
what he had seen. rushed-half-mad
with terror-ol.t of the house. I saw
1ir,-followed him. He it was who was
Killed in the streets. and dying with the
name of the nan he thought had been
murdered on his lips was buried under
that name. Oh. il was a clever scheme.
Nugent Leathwood and if YOU had
really killed Gilbert Rickerby il IS
probable that the fraud would never
have been discovered
| Nugent LeatFwood. even in this hour.
took the matter coolly enough. or ap-
Koeared to do so. I'm obliged to adj
init he said. that you've got the
whole thing pretty rat-whether you've
Invented it or guessed at it. or what
you've done. There's one thing that
puzzles ne: where have YOU been hid
ing all this time?"
yards Of you replied Gilbert: lin the
deserted house. where I lived as boy
and where my mother died. This
faithful old woman''-he indicated Je-
NINA Vecvers-"has waited upon me In
secret, during the few days I have been
there You have been outwitted, Cous-
In Leathwood, at every turn"
I'm afraid you take too much for
granted. Cousin Rickerby." retorted NJ
gent. TT is not. perhaps. worth men
tioning-a mere detail: but you have
spoken of the body of man slowed
away in a cupboard. The story of the
murder is probably some mad fancy OF
khis poor old woman's: but the business
lot the cupboard is little too thin.
Doubtless, you can find the body. and
confirm your statement
'''Oh, yes-I can find the body" replied
Gilbert: but not in the place in which
Eou put It."
What do you mean?"
II mean that buried the body Of my
servant in the garden Of this house. on