Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1902-07-17
By Fred m. Uhite
CHAPTER XIII. tcontinued1

was concerned. 1t was well for Henson
rhat the latter could not see the strained
anxiety Of his face. The man was alert
and quivering with excitement in every
limb. Still, he chuckled again, as II
the whole thing merely amused him.
1.-THE Crimsor Blind il Van Sneck's
weak spot he aid 1T Is King
Charles head to him. BY good or bad
luck-it is in your hands to say which
you know all about the way in which
&c became necessary to get Hatherly
He'll on our side. All the same, the
Rembrandt - the other one-is de-
stroyed."
Wan Sneck has seen the picture"
Littimer said. doggedly.
"Oh, play the farce u to the end"
Henson laughed, od-humoredly.
Where did he see it?"
"He says he saw 1t at No. 2ts Bruins
wick Square"
Henson's knees suddenly came up TO
his nose, then he lay quite fiat again for
a long time. His face had grown white
once more, his lips bloodless. Fear was
written all over him. A more astutc
man than Littimer would have seen
the beads standing out on his fore
thh u W dS VII I'M bNADhS an
dared trust himself TO sreak again.
II knew the house you mean. st IS
next door to the Temporary residence
of my esteemed friend, Gilead Gates.
AT the present moment the place is
void"
And has been yer since your bogus
Home broke up. Years ago. before
you used your power to rob and OPP
PRESS MS as you do now, you had a
Home there. You collected subscrip-
tions right and left in the Reverend
Felix Crosbie, and you put the money
in your pocket. A certain weekly jour
nal exposed you. and you had to leave
suddenly or you would have found
yourself In the hands Of the police.
You skipped so suddenly that you had
no time even to think of your personal
effects, which you understood were sold
to defray expenses. But they were not
sold. as nobody cared TO throw good
money after bad. Van Sneck got IN
with the agent under %pretence of View
ing the house, and he saw the picture
there"
why didn't he take 1t with him.
Henson asked, with amused seorn, He
was master of himself again and had
his nerves well under control.
We'll. that was hardly like Van
Sneck. Our friend is nothing II not
diplomatic, But when he did manage
TO get into the house again the picture
was gone"
Excellent" Henson cried. How
drematic! There is only one thing re-
quired to complete the story. The pic
ture was taken way by Hatherly Bell.
II you don't bring that In as the denoue-
ment I shall be utterly disappointed"
''You neadn't be-" Littimer said cool
". THAT Is exactly what did happen"
Henson chuckled again. quite a paro-
dy or a chuckle this time. He could
detect the quiet suggestion Of triumph
In Littimer's voice.
Ibid Ear Sneck tell you all this?"
he asked.
"Not the latter part OF it, Litti-
mer replied. seeing that he was
in the hospital when IL happened. But
/ know II liz true because I saw Bell
and David Steele. the novelist. come
away from the house, and Bell had tie
picture under his arm. And that's why
Van Sneck's agent couldn't find 1t the
second time he went. Check to you, my
friend. at any rate. Bell will go to my
father with Rembrandt number two
end ccmpare II with number one. And
then the fat Will be in the fire."
Henson yawned affectedly. All the
same he was terribly disturbed and
shaken. All he wanted now was to be
alone and to think. SO far as he conld
tell. nobody besides Littimer knew
anything IF the matter. And no
starved, cowed, broken-heaTted puppy
was ever closer under the heel Of his
master than Littimer. He still held
all the cards; he still controlled the
fortunes of two ii~l-starred houses.
"You can leave me now" he said.
'I'm tired. / have had a trying day,
and I need sleep; and the ooner you
are out OF the house the better. For
your own sake. and for the sake OF
those about you. you need not a one
word of this to Enid Henson.
Lttimer promised meekly enough.
with those eyes blazing upon him he
would have promised anything. We
shall see presently what a stupendous
terror Henson had over the younger
man. and In what way all the sweet
ness and SAVIOUR of life was being
crushed out OF Kim.
He closed the door behind him and
Immediately Henson sat up In bed. He
reached for his handkerchief and
wiped the big beads from his forehead.
$50 the danger has come at last" he
muttered. st am face to face with IL,
end I knew I should be. Hatherly
Bell is not the man to quietly lie down
under a cloud like that. The man has
brains, and patience. and indomitable
courage. Now, does he suspect that
hav any hand In the business?
Yrust see him when my nerves are
stronger and try and get at the truth.
If ne goes to Lord Littimer with that
picture he shakes my power and my
position perileusly. What a fool ] was
tat to get it away. But, then. I only
escatI- srom The Brighton police in
those days by the skin OF my teeth.
And they had followed ME from Hud-
dersfield like those cursed bloodhounds
here. I WONDER
He paused as the brilliant outline of
some cunning scheme occurred to him.
A thin. cruel smile crept over his lips.
Never had he been ia a tight place yet
without discovering a loophole of es-
cape almost before he had seen the
trap.
A ft Of noiseless laughter shook MIN.
Splendid he whispered. Worthy