The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1902-07-17
By Fred M. Uhae
CHAPTER XIII. Contained,

was concerned. II was well for Henson
that the latter could not see the strained
anxiety of his face. The man was aler'
and quiyering with excitement in every
limb. Still. he chuckled again, as II
the whole thing merely amused him.
the Crimson Blind is Van Sneck's
weak spot" he said. 1T IL Kins
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
IL became necessary TO get Hatherly
Bell on our side. All the same. the
Rembrandt = the other one--is de-
stroyed"
ivan Sneck has seen the picture"
Littimer said. doggedly.
'Oh, play the farce out TO the end"
Henson laughed, good-humoredly.
Where did he see it?"
HE says he saw il at No. 21s Bruns-
wick Square"
Henson's knees suddenly came up 10
his nose, then he lay quite fiat again for
long time. His face had grown white
once more. his lips bloodless. Fear was
written all over him. A more astute
man than Littimcr would have seen
the beads standing out on his fore
head. II was some little time before he
dared trust himself to speak again.
Il know the house you mean. 1T Is
next door to The temporary residence
of my esteemed friend, Gilead Gates.
AT the present moment the place is
void"
And has been ever since your bogus
Home broke up. Years ago. before
you used your power to rob and OPP
rress us as you do now. you had a
Home there. You collected subscrip-
lions 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
10 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
ihg the house. and he saw the picture
there"
why didn't he take II with him."
Henson asked. with amused scorn. He
was master of himself again and had
MS nerves wen unuer cOntTOi.
We'll, that was hardly like Van
Sneck. Our friend Is nothing II not
diplomatic. But when he did manage
20 get into the house again the picture
was gone"
Excellent" Henson cried. How
drematicl There Is only one thing re-
duired to complete the story. The pic
ture was taken away by Hatherly Bell.
IF you don't bring that in as the denoue-
ment ! shall be utterly disappointed"
you needn't be-" I.itsimer said cool
iy. THAT is exactly what did happen"
Henson chuckled again, quite a paro-
dy OF chuckle this time. He could
detect the quiet suggestion OF triumph
in Littimer's voice.
Ibid Van sneck tell you all this?"
ne asked.
mot the latter part OF IT," Litti-
mer replied. seeing that he was
In the hospital when il happened. But
I know II is true because I saw Bell
and David Steele. the novelist, come
away from the house, and Bell had the
picture under his arm. And that's why
Van Snsck's agent couldn't find II the
second time he went. Check TO you, my
friend. at any rate. Bell will go TO my
father with Rembrandt number two
md compare IL with number one. And
then the fat will be in the fire."
Henson yawned affectedly All the
same he was terribly disturbed and
ghaken All he wanted now was to be
alone and TO think So far as he conld
tell nobody besides Littimer knew
anything ~ the matter. And no
starved, cowed, broken-hearted 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 ill-starred houses.
"You can leave me now" he said. ,
I'm tireo. I have had a trying day, |
and need sleep; and the sooner you
are out OF the house the better. For
your own sake, and for the sake OF
hose about you. you need not say one
word of this 10 Enid Henson.
Littimer promised meeltly enough. |
with those eyes blazing upon him he
would have promised anything. We
shall see presently what 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 him.
He closed the door behind him and |
Henson sat up in bed. He |
reached for his handkerchief and |
wiped the big beads from his forehead. |
so the danger has come at last" he |
muttered. II am face 20 face with II, |
end 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 iudomitable |
Now, does he suspect that I |
hsv any hand In the businessT 1 |
rcust see him when my ner' es are |
and try and get at H.. truth. |
II he goes 20 Lord Littimer with that |
picture he shakes my power and my i
position perilously. What a fool was
rpt to get II away. but, then. only |
esGaps- from the Brighton police in /
those days by the skin OF my teeth. |
And they had followed me from Hud- |
dersAeld like those cursed bloodhounds
here. / wonder
He paused as the brilliant outline OF |
some cunning scheme occurred to him. 1
A thin. cruel smile crept over his lips. |
Never had he been in a tight place vet |
without discovering q loophoie of es- |
cape almost before he had seen the |
trap.
nc or noiseiess laughter shook him. |
spiendid," he whispered. worthy
o. Machiaveili himselfl Provided al