The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-11-30
Soon after this Dora, being considerably

trothal TO the young man in the parlor. He
claims had been wholly ignored, Her cousil
was likely not only TO rob her of her inheri
lance, but OF hei husband also.
The young girl retired to bed with feein.
of desoation al the heart which may be easil,
imagined, and fell asleep weeping bitterly 70
her old, happy Indian lie, when she was tn
idol of her father, and darling OF her ayah.
She woie--or, rather, She struggled back 4
consciousness--with these words runnin!
Through her mind-'thc result being a mystc
rouS death, which no one could account for
1t was disagrceabe remark 10 occur To on
in the middle OF the night and it reused her Il
a preternatural waketulneSs.
She began to ponder over the events of thu
past evening, when suddenly something STRUCK
liner ear which sent all the blood tingling to he
heart.
1t was like the trailing of a long muslin rob'
over the carpet which covered the floor, and ;
cautious rustlng OF paper, the one sound fol
lowing the other with slow and regular mo
no,ony OF a machine.
The night was at its darkest and the bed wa,
IN an alcove, so that "A view of the room coulc
not be had but Dora OWNED, with choking
IOfthe breath, the meaning otthc strange sounds
Penelope ArlngiOld was in the room
Before she retired, Dora read chapter from
lNTEc DlDlc WHICH lay vi ici tdpIO'
She perfectly recollccted placing il on the
end of the sofa near the window when she had
finished reading it,
She felt that her rival was on her knees be
fore the book imprcgnatinG its leaves with the
volatile poison" which Walter Cary had spok-
en- Of and that as she finished each leaf, and
turned them slowly over, her long muslin
sleeve swept the edge of the book, making the
! stealthy sounds which had aroused her intend
| ed victim.
Dora lay bound hand and foot by u feeling
which almost stopped the beating OF her heart.
| Remember she had grown up amid scenes OF
passion and violence, she had been among the
! helpless ones at Cawnpore, when the Sepoys
massacrcd their victims IN cold blood; and
death was not so strangca weapon in the hands
of IA young girl to her as it would be to Us
nay, 1t seemed the weapon by which Penelope
Arlington would be likely strike for love and
wealth.
Motloness, her eyes ulstendcd, the cold ago
ny dripping from every limb the orphan girl
lay and listened to this evidence of treachery.
All AT once IA board at the side Of the bed
creakcd, l,s though IL weary foot was passing
over it, and the long swish Of the garments fol
lowed.
Then the door softly burst open as if with
out hand, flow OF arirom the passage rush
ed across the girls rigid face, and she heard
amid the ,uilocating throbbngs IN her ears,
the first crow Of some ne4hbOrlng chantlceer
Her terror ended in II swuon.
When she came To herself II was broad day
light The golden sunshine was lying across
her pillow, and the perfumes of the red honey
suckle CAME IN through the open window and
filled the pretty chamber
All seemed innocence and peace around her
but the soul OF the orphan girl was filled with
establishment.
She could scarcely arrange her thoughts at
first SO terrible was the ordeal through which
she had passed but at length she saw that she
must leave The house Immediately; that she
must relinquisl both her aitianccd and her for
tune if she would feel her life safe,
"Oh, papa my panap' wept poor Dora,
"you have made "A terrible mistakc"
When she joineG The family, in answer to
the breakfast bell She was in her travelling
dress, and her trunks were all repacked.
"Why, Cousin Dora, what is the matter?
Are you ill., dearYn exclaimed Penelope, in IA
soft cooling voice, which seemed habitual to
her.
Dora turned her back on her midnight visi-
tor, and striving to speak calmly, sand 10 Mr..
Arlington:
Il wish TO go to London to-day, sir. Please
allow some one to drive me to the station
There was Il pause OF Reconsideration, then they
all with one accord began to plead with her
10 change her mind, and none OF the three were
50 urgent and tender about it rs Penelope.
Just try Us, dear couslnl" she eulreated
"Of course, you will be lonely at rst--cvery-
thing Is SO diilcreni-but who will make you
happier than we can? Has any one offended
you, dear DOra?N
No" answered Dora shuddoring, but
shall prefer to 1--we alone ~
You are so young, so innocent of the ways
Of Our towns" said quiet Mrs. Arlngford, here
Ginning in, anXiouSly, ut is a mad thing for
you tot think OF, child
Il must go" responded the orphan, avcrtng
her pullid face that the dark misery of tmight
not be seen.
so when the pcrsuasOns Othimselfand the
plcadings and the tears of his women Waled
not, Mr.. Arlingiord got offended and cried:
Let her please herself Pensic. Ring and
order Sam to bring the carriage around"
Dora swallowed a cup of tea and choked
down morSel Of bread, and then she went
back to her room to put on her hat.
Locking her trunk took hut few minutes
She flung herself upon u chair and wcpt 81
lently, feeling herself to he the most dcsolate
and tiiendleas being on the face Of the earth.
wv hat should she do in London :'
Go to her fathers lawyer and tell him she
did not wish to marry Walter Cary then live
alone in such lodgings rs the remnant Of her
fortune could afford her.
All! it was indeed terrible mistake, that
clause in the will
But into the midst OF her musings stole
sound which thrilled her once more with awe.
The swish of garment the rustic of II pap.
cr, just rs it aroused her last night
Dora gazed about her like one bcreft Of rea-
son
The large old Bible lay quiet enough and
closed exactly where she had placed it-no
living thing was in the room but herself
And then she saw the whole mystery
The window was partly opened and slight
puff OF wind had blown on the crisp white
curtains in the room; then receding, had suck
eel them outward through the aperture, while
the imprisoned air, running up the blind, had
caused The tissue paper hanging at the top to
rustic
There came another putl,-thc trail of the
curtain over the carpet, the rustic Of the paper
4.