Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1902-08-14
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4 E1GuN = - -
tuwa ,aar IN his eyes. The corridor wax
deserted as ne passed the place Were
tbe Rembrandt hung. He paused pc
core the picture in o h~esitating. fascin-
atad way. HIS feet seemed TO pun up
before II invoiuntarily.
ssyvbat does IL mean?" he muttered'
"yyhat in the name of fate has nap
raned? Is II possible that Merritt
could have played me a trick like that;
he would have dared. Besides
he has too much to gain by following
nv instructions. / fancy
uanson slipped up to the picture as
a sudden Idea came to aim. II the PIC
.,ra has not been removed at all the
stays would still be intact. And II
,hay wore intact. Merritt was likely to
have a bad quarter of an hour later on'
II would be proof that
But the stays were not intact. me
heads had been shaved or WIN ON
cutting instrument; and half OF the
stays cleaned like silver In the morn.
ing light. And yet. the Rembrandt
was there. The more Henson owrts
mon II the more he vas puzzled. he
began to wonder whether some oeep
trap was being laid for him..
4 Rnt. no. ne Ddu SCch hO
Tn some way or another Bell had TN
aged to ~ingratiate himself with Lltu-
mer again, but not necessarily Tor long.
Henson told himself, with a vicious
vrin Nor was Littimer the kind or
man who ever troubled himself 10 re-
strain his feelings. If he had got TO
the bottom OF the whole business ne
wou Id have had Henson kicked out OF
the house without delay.
But Llttimer suspected nothing. His
greeting just now showed that BEL,
suspected nothing, because he a
shaken hands in n heartiest manner
possible. And as for Miss Lee. n
vas no more than a smart YANKEE
girl, and absolutely IN outsider.
Still, it was dreadfully puZzing. ANA
II was not nice to be puzzled at a time
when the arch-conspirator ought 10
know every move of the game. There
fore, it became necessary to go INTO
Moreton Wells and see Merritt without
delay. AS Henson crossed the hail the
cheerful voice of Littimer hailed him.
Reginald" he said, II want your
assistance and advice"
With a muttered curse, Henson en-
tered the library, Littimer was seat
ed at a table with a cigarette in his
mouth. his brows drawn over a mass
Of papers.
"Sft down and have a cigar" he said.
'The fact is, I am setting my afTairs In
order-I am going to make a fresh viii.
If you hadn't come down tonight L
should probably have sent for you.
Now, take my bank book n check
those figures"
shall we be long," Henson asked,
~anxiously.
Littimer tartly hoped that that Hen
son could spare him an hour. 1t was
not usual, he said, for a testator TO be
refused assistance from the chief ben
efactor under his will. Henson apollo
gized with a sickly smile. He had i'm
porrant business of u philanthropic
kind In Moreton Wells. but he had no
doubt that IT could wait for an hour.
And then, for the best part OF the
morning he sat, fuming politely, while
Littimer Chartered In the most amiable
fashion. Henson had rarely seen him
I'm a better mood. 1t was quite obvious
that he suspected nothing. Meanwhile
Chris and Bell were bowling along to-
wards Moreton Wells. They sat well
back in the roomy wagonette, so that
the servants could not hear them.
Chris regarded Bell with a brilliant
smile on her face.
"Confess," she said, confess that
you are consumed with curiosity"
eft would be just as well to ac
knowledge II at once" Bell admitted.
an the happy old days, ~ sister
Enid always said that you were the
clever and audacious one of the family.
She said you would do or dare any
thing"
az used to imagine So" Chris said.
more quietly. "But the life of the last
few years tried ones nerves terribly.
Still. the change has done me a deal of
good-ths change and the knowledge
that Reginald Henson regards me as
dead. But you want to know how I
am going to get the Rembrandt"
That is what is consuming me at
present." Bell said.
well, we are going to see the man
who has It." Chris explained, coolly. II
have his address in Moreton Wells at
the present moment, and for the rest
he is called the Rev. James Merritt.
Between ourselves, he is no more a
reverend than you are"
fHha ~ ~ SCtahAGihhu n 9hy -
refuses to see us?"
Then he will be arrested on a
charge OF theft"
my dear young lady, before you can
get a warrant for that kind of thing
you have to prove the theft. you have
to swear an information to the effect
that you believe the property is in the
possession % the thief. and that is not
easy"
There r. nothing easier. I am pre-
pared TO swear that cheerfuily."
'That you actually know that the
property is in the possession of the
thief"
Certainly I do. I saw him put It In
his pocket"
Bell looked at the speaker with
blank surprise. II such was the fact,
then Chris's present statement was
exactly opposed to all that she had
said before. She sat opposite to Bell.
with a little CLEAN OF mischief In her
lovely eyes.
You saw that nan steal the Rem
brandt?" Bell gasped.
Certainly not. But I did see him
steal my big diamond star and put IL