The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1883-06-01
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ES6Inss ahaTas Snds you cai1 sae q my sWifH
6s fas Shall Re bring you some

= ii Soi ha Shan hs bring yoa some
II w please" said Ada. aFirst Tx
take oflmy hat, and if you will allow me
I'll go to my patient at once"
80 Nonsense!" said Mr.. Mertoun; t'you
must sleep after ajourney."
"Bgt tits my du'y to see her first, if
Ada followed the man-servant upstairs
to little bed room where he left her,
saying he would bring her some supper.
She washed her hands and co,nbed out
her hair. When he came back she said:
"Shall 1 find Mr.. Mertoun down stairs?"
''He is gone to his own room," said
the groom, ''and he says missus is
asleep, and not to be disturbed"
(Which is her rooln?" asked Ada.
II must know, because have come
down to nurse her."
"I'll show you the door," said the
man. He led little way along a CORR
dor, and pointed up short staircase.
"The door on the left," he said, and
Immediately hurried off, carrying his
light with him.
"This is queer house," thought Ada.
However, she found her way back to
her own room by the glimmer of light
from its doorway. Then, taking her
candle, she went straight to the door of
the room the man had shown her. She
knocked gently; there was no answer.
So she quietly turned the handle and
looked in. A solitary candle lit large
room; she could but dimly perceive that
on the bed lay woman who, seeing
her, started up as if in terror, and then
fell desperately back again. Evidently
!, this was the sick room. Ada shut the
door, put down her candle, and ap-
preached the bed.
"Don't be frightened" she said; IT
am nurse your sister sent me down to
take care OF you"
II thought you were a spirit" said
Agatha Mertoun; ~ have had strange
visions to-day" Then she relapsed in
to silence, and seemed to forget Ada's
presence. After awhile she 81 oke again.
II am dying" she said.
her eyes. They were very strange.
seized with a violent sickness. Ada,
with her quick wits, noticed some things
which made her wonder. When her pa
tent, weary and exhausted, lay back
again on her pillow. she began to make
tour Of the room. There were great
many bottles in different places. She
took out all the corks and smelt at the
contents. Suddenly, while thus en-
gagged, she happened to look toward the
bed, and met Agatha's eyes fixed upon
her with a gaze of some extraordinary
meaning or intelligence. It almost
frightened even the brave Ada. She put
down the bottle quickly and went to the
bedside. But Agatha had closed her
eyes, as if too weary to keep them open.
Looking earnestly at her Nurse Har-
court realized how wonderfully beauti
full she was, in spite of the deadly pallor
which lay on her face. Suddenly the
sickness came again; and then violent
spasm:
This is queer sort of an@mia," said
Ada to herself; and after long look at
her patient, began to smell at the ply
sic bottles. Just then she heard faint
sound at the door. Hastily approaching
1t and opening it she saw Mr.. Mertoun
disappearing through the opposite door.
He wanted to watch me" she thought
what can this mean?' She locked the
door inside and continued her investi.
cations. Suddenly she came upon 8
bottle inside of cupboard, nearly emp.
ty, the smell from which almost made
patient and refrained. She merely pu
the bottle in her pocket. and then, with.
out hunting any more, went back t.
watch poor Agatha. The color of bel
face grew steadily worse, and her weak
ness was rapidly increasing.
what on earth am to do?" exclaim
| ed Nurse Harcourt at last Sin this out. of
the-way place? Ican'tsee her die befor,
my eyes. If I could only get the doc
tori"
She had spoken out loud. thinking
Agatha quite unconscious. But she wa!
not. She opened her eyes and appeared
to express something by their earnes
gaze. 1t seemed as if she understood
Ada's words,
"It's the only thing to be done,
believe" said Ada to herself; ''and II
do it." She took out her watch anC
looked at it-half-past three. Going t.
tho window, she drew the curtain s
little aside. There was faint grey haze
all over the world; but the light would
| be enough to find ones way by, anG
every moment brought the dawn nearer
"If1 did but know the way" she thought
well: l must wake up some one and
| ask it."
Having made up her mind. she ne
longer hesitated, She took final sur
vey of her patient and then left the
room. She locked the door on the out.
side, and took the key with her. Quick
| ly entering her own room she caught
up her gray cloak and travelling hat, anc
IF only knew where the servants
of rousing Mr.. Mertoun. I'll wake ur
| soma pottaOa ran,,1o ~
Will! some considerable difficulty she
opened the front door, and then drew il
close behind her without absolutely
shutting it. To her delight she found i
would stay'so without moving; this would
enable her to enter the house a.a.n
quietly. AS quickly as swift feet would
carry her, she buried out Of the grounds
| She saw no cottages; u~iie went Oh alul.
the widest road, hoping to reach some
habit tion in time. To her delight she
saw at las. a hedger and ditcher trudg.
ing away to his work. She ran after
him, and, alr ost breathless with he1
| quick movement and excitement, caught
bim by the arm while she asked him
her question.
1.-The doctor?" he replied. "Right on
till the cross roads, then to the right
not MORN mile"
| Not more than mile! Nurse Har-
court started off on her way gleefully.
That soon would be accomplished, she
thought. Had she but known how
sG tr4 liz is the Cornish mind on the sub;
to ask further information. But, in.
stead, she hurried away, leaving the
] working man to stare after her in COM
plete and bewildered amazement. The
cross. roads were reached before long
and then she turned to the right and
hurried quickly along the lonely road.
At last Ada began to reflect that she
must have walked q great deal more