The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1908-12-03

MIN q very Heeulul preliminary, dh'
he was very gratifed to find that II
had excited no remark or question
The longer II went without contradic
ton the stronger would be the pre-
sumption in the eyes of everybody that
the report was true.
He argued to himself that in claim
ing his brothers estate he would have
TO assume that his niece was dead
and that 1t would be her business to
prove that she was alive; failing to
do that, the property would become
his by default.
Mr.. Evans strongly objected to this
preliminary proceeding, and in a care
fully worded letter told him so. Lord
Richard resented the letter, and yet
he feared the man. He knew that Ev'
ans was playing entirely for his W
hand, and that he would sacrifice ev'
cry friend he had in the world to gain
his own ends.
Lord Richards chief anxiety now
was to get the silver box with its con,
tents into his own hands. He would
never feel quite safe until the evil
dence of his niece's identity had been
destroyed. II the Nebraska had
| f%oundered in deep water, he would not
have worried himself five minutes over
the matter, but the Beetles were so
a1N.a t4 thn vhnpn that INV 61u the
coveted article might be cast up by
the waves.
He heard from Evans at least once
a week, and every fortnight he sent
him a five pound note, according to
agreement. He begrudged those notes
exceedingly. He sometimes feared
that Evans did not care how long he
remained at st. Chloe so long as he
got his wages regularly. Every now
and then he got new of this article
and that being washed ashore, and oc-
casionally Evans sent him a cutting
from the local press confirming the
news he had SEN by letter; but the
coveted cowhide trunk still remained
in the embrace of the great sea.
He hoped that Evans was playing
his cards cautiously. From what ne
could gather by his letters, Marion
West was taking no interest in her
submerged property, and, to all APP
pearances, had given it up as hope
lessly lost. She had never been seen
in st. Chloe since she went away, and
nobody seemed to know what had be-
come of her. That being so, Evans
task would be comparatively easy in
case the coveted trunk should by any
chance drift ashore. That Evans
| himself knew where Marion West was
Lord Richardson had little doubt. He
assumed-though incorrectly in the
present case-that Evans was too as,
tute a mar to let her go for long out
Of his sight.
So the weeks slipped away and
grew into months, and then came the
newspaper paragraph which filled Lord
Richard with the keenest anxiety
There was little doubt left in his mind
that Evans was the guilty party, but
the reporters hastily written lines in
dicated no motive for the deed.
Why should Evans stab the curate
out on a lonely moor four or five miles
away from st. Chloe? What were they
doing there? What possible ground
of quarrel could exist between the two
men?
Lord Richard stared hard at the fire
and furrowed his forehead into end
less wrinkles in trying to find an an
swer to these p%erplexing questions
That there was a reason for every
thing he knew. Also he was quite
sure that transforming and con
s~cienceless as he was-would not &c
to the length of stabbing a mar un
less he was driven into a very tight
corner.
What had happened to them?
Lord Richard got out of his easy
chair and proceeded to the cloak room
where he donned his overcoat and hat
and made his way by the shortest cuts
to his home.
Evans might turn up at any mo
ment. He might even o be at his
house waiting for him. Lord Richard
walked much faster than was custom
airy with him, and arrived hot anC
painting, to discover that no one hat
called during his absence.
The rest Of the day he spent main
" in scanning the columns of the vari
Gus editions of the evening papers,, bu'
nothing of importance was added Il
what had already appeared. Thu
problem remained ~unsolved, and Lore
Richard spent an anxious and a rest
less night in b~rain-racking but fruit
less speculaticns.
The next mornings papers, how
ever. threw a considerable amount o
light on the matter, though Lore
Richards mental tension remained
unrelieved. The local reporters hat
evidently pursued their Investigation
with great diligence. They had inter
viewed Mrs. Dyer and Mrs. Tamblyn
the respective landladies of Nevin'
and Grayton. They had made IN ex
haustive search OF Penny Forth, anc
gave minute descriptions of the arti
cles found in and around the rife,
trunk. They retailed the story of Ma
rion West, or such of 1t as was publ,
property, and enlarged on the myster.
of the silver box. They described tn,
scene on Penny Downs when Nevins
with the stolen treasure in his posses
sion, was faced by the resoluto au,