The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1911-09-21


out III you turn the latch. you are,
legally. just as guilty as IL you picked
tho 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" I 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"
NO; l thought OF buying one last
night. but this morning 1t seemed
ridiculous"
Il think 1t anything but ridiculous"
said Godfrey quietly. But perhaps it's
| just az well A revolver is a danger
Gus thing for any man who isn't used
to 1t to carry in his pocket. Now,
move as silently as you can, and no
| talking--not even a whisper"
| ] have never quite understood the
uncomfortable impulse which urged me
| forward. II was. l think "a feverish de-
sire to know the truth. to solve this
mystery once and for all; but over
that. and stronger thah that. was the
longing to exonerate Miss Lawrence
prove Godfrey in the wrong. / did
not stop then to reason about It; my
| brain WAS in whirl: but / somehow
| got my shoes off. and caught up with
Godfrey just as he cautiously .ried the
door. II was unlocked: we slipped in
| side and closed il softly.
! fancy that l felt ct that moment
much AS a thief feels who having en-
tered 4 house. pauses to find II he has
| been detected, and To determine the
| direction Of his prey. But Godfrey
| seemed quite self possessed. He drew
| from his pocket a small electric torch,
, and sent slender beam OF light quiv-
ering about Tie room We were In
sort OF entry between kitchen and
| dining room. the Kitchen door stood
! ajar: We opened Il and passed through.
! Again ! caught faint CLEAN OF light;
! Godfrey crossed the room softly, en-
! tered what I saw afterwards to be q
pantry, and opened another door.
In an instant. Il 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. | was close be-
hind him. and l caught a sound which
sent sudden chill through me--a
sound OF shovclling There was no
mistaking it-Godfrcy had guessed
right. | could hear tn" shovel scrape
against the dirt: 1 could hear the dirt
dropped into q hole
me to follow, ana crcpt softly down the
stair. Not I'm il 1 Was halfway down,
did ] perceive tfat the noise came not
from the main collar bat from sort OF
recess concealed from us by an angle
az the wall | could see head bob
bling UP and down with the regular
rhythm al he showed. 4 head which
r, cugniz 4 as b,,orging 10 the elder
Miss Kingdom.
We Crept forward and gained the
shelter II 81" Other wall. wAen there
came a sudden sound Of footsteps over
'ta1. In an instant the light was ex- :
4ingu!Sned, and | heard the woman
nrGss the Cc'iur ana go softly up the
iiniTS Thrn II door opened and shut
l avily. u vnicr called her name. and
hc Stops went on mao the 'front.' part
Of he inusr.
M "acr wac Ganip with nersipiration,
as Godfrry seized my hand and pulled
me- forward shooting q ray of light be-
fore us round tn" wall into the recess
wh%rc Miss EinGdUn had been labour-
ing only "a pause. shudderingly, at
the brink Of a--graTc?
II was Impossible to tell. Certainly II
was n hole which roughly resembled
grave. though It's outlines were jagged
ond irregular II was filled with loose
earth 10 within about a foot OF the
level OF the cellar floor. 4 pile OF dirt
was hank al IN one corner. and upon
lt lay y pick ana SntNti.
Here" whispered Godfrey, and
thrust he torch into nay hands. Keep
your finger on this button. I'm going
10 find out what's buried here"
My hand was shaking so that could
scarcely bold thu torch. l saw him
seize the SHOVEL and step down into the
hole. Then with little shake of his
head, he laid it carefully down again.
and. stopping. began scooping the loose
dirt from one end of the hole with his
hands. j scarce ely breathed as l watch
ed him What was buried here? What
dreadful thing was about to be re-
vealed?
STEADY, Lestcr!" whispered Godfrey.
and bent again to his task.
But it was foolish to suppose this
grave! 1t might have been dug for
any Of a dozen purposes--perhaps the
cellar needed neutrality-suspicious. the
pipes were out of order-perhaps-bu
lie it had been dug for an innocent
purpose, why had Miss Kingdom
chosen the middle Of the night for the
work? p
Godfrey stopped with q sudden ex
clamation, and dropped upon his
knees. He labored for q moment with
feverish energy.
Now, Lester, here!" he said.
I bent down and shot q ray OF light
into the little hole which he had made.
Then, in sheer terror, / nearly dropped
the torch for, half hidden by the
.c.inging earth. lay shoe-a shoe that
was not empty!
y tContinued Next Weekly