The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1880-09-09
A SISTERS VENGEANCE.

December afternoon. l was the sole
occupant of the smoking-room of Il
Literary and Artistic Club, which
faces the Thames. I flung fresh coal
on the gloomy embers, and stirred
them till they sent up q blaze of light
that drove the ghosts out of the shad-
owy corners, and then picked up a pa
per haphazard from the table, to
dawdle over it till the waiter lighted
the gas or some human being wander
ed in to keep me company It was an
American paper. Some visitor to the
club had left it behind him, accidental
ly. turned the pages istlessly, until
suddenly my attention was arrested by
paragraph headed Extraordinary
Crime.'' 1t was the story of the rob-
berry of body of a lady from its grave.
The whole affair was shrouded in mys-
terry. On the 18th of the month there
died in an American city the beautiful
wife of an Englishman travelling for
pleasure. In the same paper which
contained this paragraph I found I'M
der the heading Of "Cradle, Altar,
Tomb" the following: "On the 18th
inst, in this city, Drusilla, the beloved
wife Of Blissett Emerton, of London,
England; aged twenty-four." In due
course the poor lady was buried, and
during the night the church-yard was
entered and the coffin carried away.
No motive is suggested in this Ameri-
can paper for the crime. The husband
is interviewed at his hotel. He is in
consolable for the loss Of his beautiful
young wife-mad with mingled rage
and horror at the desecration of her
remains. He tells his story to the re-
porter. He had only been married a
few months. They were travelling for
pleasure in America. His poor wife
caught cold fortnight since, return
ing from the theater. He had medical
advice, but the cold increased and in
fammation of the lungs set in, and
soon all was over. He buries his head
in his hands and weeps, and
the reporter leaves him alone
with his sacred SORROW. The
account in the paper [ was reading by
the freight concludes thus: "Up to
the present no clue to this mysterious
affair has been obtained" Iglanced at
the date of the paper, and flung it down
in disgust. 1t was two years old. I
had grown interested in the affair, and
here it was two years old already, and
probably forgotten. Where should
[ find out how it ended? The shad-
ows had grown darker and dark
er; the fitful flare of the fire
had died down into a dull red glow,
and the riverside lamps were being lit.
flung myself back into the easy chair
thrust my hands in my pockets, and
halfclosed my eyes. Suddenly I was
aware that was not alone in the room.
From the darkest corner there rose a
long black figure. 1t glided slowly to-
wards me. I had placed the paper
where had found it, on the table, by
my side. 1t passed it's hands over the
tables and peered down among the pa
pers. Presently it came to the table at
my elbow. In the g loom, as Isat in the
deep armchair, I believe I was almost
invisible. The figure came right up to
me, and reaching out it's hand: passed
it over my table. Presently it seized
some thing, and glided away with it to
the window, on which the lamps with
out flung flicker of light. Then I saw
it was a man and in his hand he held
the American paper in which I had
just read the account Of a mysterious
crime. He glanced at it and muttered
something that sounded like, GLOW
careless of me" then folded the paper,
thrust it into his breast pocket, and
walked out of the room. Hardly had
the door closed behind him when the
attendant came in with lights, "Who is
that gentleman who has just gone out?''
I said.
"Don't know his name sir. Amt
seen him here often"
remembered that at this club every
member had to sign his name in a
daily book kept in the hall for that pur-