Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1911-09-29

out. IT o turn the latch. you are,
legally. just as guilty as IL o picked
the lock-"
We'll, I'm going to take the risk
and he stopped over and slipped off his
shoes. Suppose you stay here and
give the alarm IL any one comes"
THAT would make me an accessory
just as much as going along" l OBJ
jected.
He laughed.
well, come along. then" he said, and
started toward the house; then stopped
and turned toward me. Have you got
a revolver"
mo; thought of buying one last
night, but this morning it seemed
ridiculous"
Il think it anything but Ridiculous
said Godfrey quietly. But perhaps it's
Just as well. A revolver is q danger
Gus thing for any man who isn't used
10 ii TO carry in his pocket. Now,
move as silently as you can, n no
talking-not even a whisper"
| nave never quite understood the
uncomfortable impulse which urged me
forward. 1t was. l think, a feverish de-
sire to know the truth, to solve this
mystery nee and for all; but over
that, and stronger than that, was the
longing to ~exonerate Miss Lawrence
to prove Godfrey in the wrong. / did
LLpl sup lIIGl 10 IGdSOu 0DouL II lily
brain was in a whirl, but ! somehow
got my shoes off, and caught up with
Godfrey just as he cautiously tried the
door. 1t was unlocked; we slipped in
side and closed it softly.
/ fancy that I felt at that moment
much as a thief feels who, having en-
tered a house, pauses to find if he has
been detected, and TO determine the
direction OF his prey. But Godfrey
seemed quite self-possessed. He drew
from his pocket q small electric torch
and sent a slender beam Of light quiv-
ering about the room. We were in q
sort of entry between kitchen and
dining-room; the kitchen door stood
ajar; we opened it and passed through.
Again / caught a faint CLEAN Of light;
Godfrey crossed the room softly, en-
tered what 1 saw afterwards to be a
pantry, and opened another door.
In an instant, a broad stream Of yell
low light poured through. 1t was the
door to the cellar.
Godfrey lay down cautiously upon
the floor, and slowly dropped his head
through the opening. l was close be-
hind him, and / caught a sound which
sent a sudden chill through me-a
sound Of shovelling. There was no
mistaking it-Godfrey had guessed
right. 1 could hear the shovel scrape
against the dirt; 1 could hear the dirt
. into q hOle-
Godfrey rose to his feet, motioned
me to follow, and crept softly down the
stair. Not until l was halfway down,
did I perceive that the noise came not
from the main cellar, but from a sort Of
recess concealed from us by an angle
Of the wall. I could see a head bob
bling up and down, with the regular
rhythm of tho shovel, = head which 1
recognized as belonging to the elder
Miss Kingdom.
we crept forward and gained the
shelter of the other wall, when there
came a sudden sound of footsteps over
head. In an instant the light was eX-
tinguished, and l heard the woman
cross the cellar and so softly up the
stairs. Then a door opened n shut
heavily, a voice called her name, and
the steps went on into the front part
OF the house.
My face was damp with persipiration,
as Godfrey seized my hand and pulled
me forward, shooting a ray of light be-
fore us, round the wall into the recess
where Miss Kingdom had been labour-
ing-only TO pause, shudderingly, at
the brink of a-graye?
1t was impossible to tell. Certainly it
was a hole which roughly resembled a
grave, though it's outlines were Jagged
ond irregular, 1t was filled with loose
earth to within about a foot or the
level of the cellar floor. A pile OF dirt
was banked in one corner, and upon
it lay a pick and shovel
Here whispered Godfrey, and
thrust the torch into my hands. Keep
your finger on this button. I'm going
to find out what's buried here"
My hand was shaking so that l could
scarcely hold the torch. | saw him
seize the shovel and step down into the
hole. Then with q little shake of has
head, he laid it carefully down again,
and, stopping, began scooping the loose
dirt from one end of the hole with his
hands. l scarcely brcathed as l watch
ed him. What was buried here? What
dreadful thing was about TO be re-
vealed?
STEADY. Lester." whispered Godfrey,
and bent again to his task.
pnt It was foolish to sHpnoS this a
gravel! II might have been dug for
any Of a dozen purposes-perhaps the
cellar needed neutrality-suspicious. the
pipes were out of order-perhaps-but
if it had been dug for an innocent
. why had Miss kingdom
chosen the middle of the night for the
work?
Godfrey stopped with a sudden ex-
clamation, and dropped upoC his
knees. He labored for a moment vita
feverish energy.
Now, Lester, here!" he said.
/ bent down and shot a ray OF light
into the little hole which he had made,
Then. in sheer terror. | nearly dropped
the torch, for, half hidden by the
clinging earth, lay a shoe--a shoe that
was not empty!
CONTINUED Next Week,