The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1879-01-09


and imprsgntaed its leaves with
sort of volatil poison, which she OF
course inhaled the first time she made
record in the book. the result being
my sterious death which no one could
account for
The eyes of Penelope Arlinsford
were fixed upon the narrator with a
pulsating eagerness which arrested the
attention of the orphan.
What could it have been? she al
most whispered.
Don't believe it, remarked Mr.. Ar
lingford, sententiously.
The lovers were gazing at each 9TH
er. and there was half smile on the
features of each.
Soon after this, Dora, being considera-
bly, weary by her railway journey. was
conducted to her bed chamber by her
cousin. who, again embracing her in a
mute ,clinging fashion. hoped she would
rest well, and left her.
Not one word had been said about
her betrothal to the young man in the
parlor. Her claims had wholly been
ignored. Her cousin was likely not
only to rob her of her inheritance, but
of her husband also.
The young girl retired to bed with a
feeling of desolation at the heart which
may be easily imagined, and fell asleep
weeping bitterly for her old, happy
Indian life, when she was the idol
of her father, and darling Of her
ayab. :,
She swoke-or, rather, she struggled
back to consciousness-with these words
running through her mind-"the result
beeing a mysterious death. which no
one could account for
1t was a disagreesble remark to oc
chr to one in the middle of the night,
and it reused her to pretornatural
wakefulness.
She began to ponder over the events
of the past evening, when suddenly
something struck her ear which sent
all the blood tiugling to the heart.
1t was like the trailing OF long
muslin robe over the thick carpet
which covered the floor, and cautious
rustling of paper. the one sound fol-
lowing the other with the slow and reg
lar monotomy of machine.
The night WAS ut its darkest and the
bed WAS in an alcove, so that view
of the room could not be had; but
Dora OWNED, with a chokeirg of the
breath. the meaning of the strange
J sounds.
Penelope Arlingford was in the room.
Before she had retired, Dora had read
!, q chapter from the large Bible which
, lay on her table.
She perfectly recollected placing it
on the end Of the sofa near the window
when she had finished reading it.
, She felt that her rival was on her
, knees before the book, impregnating
/ its leaves with the "volaul poison"
I which Walter Cary had spoken OF. and
} that as she finished each leaf, and turn
| ed it slowly over, her long muslin
sleeve swept the edge of the book max
ing the stealthy sound when had arous-
: ed her intended victim.
, Dora lay bound hand and foot by a
feeling which almost stopped the beat
ing Of her heart.
Remember, she had grown up amid
scenes of passion and violence, she had
been among the helpless ones ut Gavin
pore, when the Sepoys massacred their
victims in cold blood, and death was
!. not SO strange weapon in the hands
: of a young girl, to her, as it would be
to us: nav 1t seemed the weapon by
which Penelope Arlingford would
most likely strike for love and
wealth.
Motionless, her eyes distended. the
cold agony dripping from every limb,
the orphan girl lay and listened to this
evidence of treachery.
All at once board at the side of the
bed creaked, as though weary foot
was passing over it, and the long swish
of the garments followed.
Then the door soi.ly burst open as If
without hand, a flow OF air from the
passage rushed across the girls rigid
face. and she heard amid t suffocat-
ing throbbings in her ear, the first crow
of some neighboring chanticleer.
Her terror ended in swoon. When
she came to herself it was broad day
light. The golden sunshine was lying
across her pillow, and the perfumes of
the red houeysuckle came in through
the open window and filed the pretty
chamb Der.
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 or
deal through which she had passed;
but at length she saw that she must
leave the house Immediately; that she
must relinquish both her affisnced and
H. aha ,yn,il foal hor lita