The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1902-02-22
CHAPTER XVI. (Continued.)

NeliuS by the arm ana leu MIN oul VI
che bar and up the dark stairs which
ted to the upper Iooms. AS MI. rag
Gett always talked at the top OF mis-
voice, and he vas in h present IN
stance, very anxious to be joVial anu
friendly with -his most unwelcome Wis
dtor, their progress was not a silent OF
secret one; n the noise Mr.. Taggett
made attracted the attention or q
watcher in q certain dark passage be-
aeath them.
That watcher was Mr.. NugentdL eath-
wood. For something more h a an
hour he had fretted and fumed about
che yard at the rear of the premises,
waiting, as arranged, for a signal from
Cornelius; but that gentleman had, as
has been mentioned, fallen half-asleep
and forgotten all about it. Gradually.
Nugent had ventured into the house,
.cursing The darkness n Cornelius,
and everything and everyone that had
anything to do with his discomfort. At
last, Just when he had made up his
smind to walk in boldly and ask for Mr..
Viewers, he heard the voce of that gem
tleman and the loude of An
<hony Taggett.
Suspicious of everyone with whom he
Udu " uSdl, IL idSlCO upOAh AAuA sA"~
this old man had sold him-had gone
over to the other side. probably to save
himself. He tried to dismiss the sus-
.oicion the lex moment; bu: 1t chung to
him, and lie determined to play the spy
and to hear, if possible, what was said.
Very silently, he crept up h dark
stairs in the wake of lhe two men. and
watched them enter. a loom together,
the door of which was carefully closed
~sfter them.
Nugent Leathwood went past that
door, fumbled along the wall until he
touched another handle, evidently at
tached to the dou- Of an adjoining
.foom. Opening this very cautiously, he
found himself in complete darkness,
save for a little streak Of light coming
through the crack of a o at the side
vi the room. Creeping up to this, he
found that it was one Of 9 pair of fold
ting doors, giving On to the room into
which Cornelius had gone with Anthony
Caggett. Nugent softly struck a light,
and found that he was in q very sinai
COON, Uttered with old packing cases
and decrepit furniture, and evidently
used merely as a lumber room.
mo one will come here" he whis-
+pered to himself. Now, Cornelius, If
you are playing me false, Heaven nave
mercy on you!"
Meanwhile, in the lighted loom An
ethony Taggett had set out a bottle and
glasses, and was urging his newly-found
friend to drink, whether with the object
Of reducing him again to that condition
In which he had found him in the lit
Ale bar down stairs OR not, it Is impossi-
bic to say. Perhaps he a a faint
hope that, If Cornelius had really come
there in search of Olive, he might be in
.Auced to forget his purpose, II he were
made drunk enough.
The better to beguile the time, Mr..
Taggett plunged into an account of
some of his adventures. on the boards
and off, and further enlivened the time
by discoursing about that wonderful
drama, which was ever in mind, and
which was probable destined never to
be finished.
Now, the brain Of Mr.. Taggett was a
fertile one, and the mere presence OF
Cornelius had brought hack to his mind
the remembrance of that CHASTITY buri-
al in the garden of Rickeby's Folly, at
what time Mr.. Tasgett himself had
"been wrapped in a sheet. OF course, he
cared not refer to that, for obvious rea-
sons; tut It set his mind at work, and
plunged him at once into new ideas for
his wonderful drama.
st cannot, Of course, truthfully say
that this drama exists on paper" he
said, after a long preamble concerning
It. mo; but it is absolutely formed In
my mind. Already, in fact, I tread the
stage and utter the words which were
given to the chief character to speak;
already I slide down precipices or
plunge across foaming torrents. MY
last idea, IL I remember rightly, in re-
gard to the first act was that the hero
should come in on a ~patechnicon, with
real horses, but I ana inclined to change
that. I intend to begin with a mystert-
vus murder
Cornelius had been fast dropping into
Slumber again; but Mr.. Taggett uttered
the last word with such startling effect
tkat. he jumped up and a upright
very w~ide-twake indeed.
.Yes-with a mysterious murder" re-
peated Anthony Taggett. ut has been
done, I admit; but not as I should do
It. I should, Il think, use something
out Of the common-such, for instance,
Is a mummy-case."
ga what?" asked Cornelius, staring at
aim.
ST repeat-a mummy-case: in that the
body would be hidden" said Mr.. Tag
sgett, speaking with great earnestness.
'.Oh, you would hide the body, would
.you?" said Cornelius. He picked up
his glass and sulped down some Of its
contents, staring. wide-eyed,5 at Tag
Agett all the while. TIA. ha!-please go
on. This is really very interesting"
Eyes, I thought you would find 1t So"
responded Mr.. Tasgett. much gratified,
and warming to his subject. I'm fact
now I come to consider the matter more
carefully, why should I use such IN. OUT
pf-the-way thing as a mummy-case?',
..Ah. why, indeed?" exclaimed Mr..
Viewers. TRY something else"
81 wilt" cried Taggett, shaking
hands with him with great fervor;.
.Mummy-cases are not found among
the domestic arrurteIances Of every
household. Why n use q ~cupboard?"
MI. Viewers rose slowly from his
chair and tegan, almost innperceptibly.
TO edge away around the table. Mt.
;-Taggett. taking his fright to be caused
by the mere horror Of the euggestion.
went on with greater gusto than ever
"sAf, / see that startles you.1eh?
>Think of the effect, NY dear Mr.. Wee
gers; think Of the eject on the audi-
ay E4EsyI .GfGff.&EEaFAf