The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1885-11-13

.Ao WVhcu ouTpTISoU, Uut HIS SUI.
prise was nothing to the amazcmcnt
that OvercaMe him when ho got out
side, and rotated what had happen.
cd.
"Strange!' he remarked. "Why
didn't you let me search the cottage
before we leftp'
cit would have been useless, Joyce.
Whoever the niscrcant is, it is not
likely he would risk detection by stop
ping there longer than he could help.
We must hunt for him nearer home"
As spoke. we arrived at bend in
the road. and noticed light in the
window of Coles house.
Look" said l; 1.-The farricr is up
late tonight"
He had heard us. and pre- sently ap.
peared at the door. His face showed
deep marks of care, and the lines
about his mouth were very noticeable.
Perhaps he was suffering from over.
fatigue, or had other mai ers to worry
him of which we knew nothing. He
listened quietly TO to my account Of
the murder. and made no remark till
had finished. Then lie eyed me
closely. and came step nearer.
els there any one whom you sus.
poct?" he said.
mo"
.'Sad-very sad. Let us hope,
Mr.. Elder, that you may be fortu-
nate enough to discover tho crimi-
nal.
| We thanked him, and walked on.
sat up all night to write out
my report Of tho case, and fell
asleep 1T last with the sunlight of
the new morning pouring into the
room.
The inquest was held tn rec days Ia
ter at II neighbor.ng inn. known as
the Spotted Dog, and was the first
witness examined. On the whole, |
would rather not state my opinion of
the proceedings, and if you ask mo
the question as y dismal conundrum
and give it up III despair. There were
the usual Villagers in greasy smock-
frocks; there was the usual old lady,
who always appears in her Sunday
clothes on such occasions; there were
the whcclwright, the blacksmith, aud
the parish clerk, proud alike in the
consciousness that they were public
officials and not above the homer OF
doing their duty in q noble and disin-
tere>tcd manner before the eyes of
their grateful countrymen. The Cor
oner was u fat, pOmpous man, who
loved the sound of his own vOce and
worried everybody to distraction ut
every stage of the inquiry. My inter-
est was, however, languidly stirred
when Cole stepped forward in his
turn. Being sworn. the farrier de-
clared that he had first heard from me
of the old mans death and that lie
knew absolutely nothing but what
had told him. The upsllot of it all was
that the jury returned verdict of
''Willful murder against some person
or persons unknown" and SO the mat
ter ended.
Nothing occurred for some weeks
afterward. The future was unknown,
tho present was monotony; SO pass.
cd the weary hours. The events
Of life are not evenly distributed
over the whole of its course, but
come unexpectedly US the advent Of IL
ghost.
The course of Time had not flowed
peacefully for Cole. either; he was
changed in more ways than one. The
strangest thing about it was, that tho
change was hard to describe; it show
cd itseltin u hundred little signs which.
II stranger would scarcely notice, but
which could not, on my part, mis-
interpret. At one period the curious
look i'll his eyes was more marked
than ever. and he would stalk about,
moodily silent, with his hands crossed
behind him; ut another he would be-
come liercely irritable and grumblc
in his room for hours together.
This alienation between gloomy
dependency aud wild excitement was
certainly remarkable. and taken in
connection with what l had lately Oh
served of him. it suggested to mo one
plain explanation of the mystery--an
explanation which secuted at first,
but ended by accepting conclusion
which it was impossible to resist.
The farrier was mad.
dare not say word to my com.
radc, for it mi ht have been danger
Gus to trust him. Joycc never knew
why l persisted in keeping the house.
door locked, or why. contrary to my
usual habits, / carried II loaded pistol
in my pocket. and would not trust
myself near Cole when the night was
closing in.
Another matter which occupied my
thoughts now and again, was tho
murder IF Branwell.
AS regards my conduct in that mel
ancholy business, my conscience was
clear. had done all man could,
within the narrow limits assigned to
me, to discover the miscrcant who had
been in the cottage on that mcmora-
bic occasion. and had then SO sudden
ly disappeared. II | accepted the
common rumor of the village. he was
a convict from London, long since lost
in the byways of villainy from which
he had emerged; but l preferred to be-
lieve that he was some person who
knew his victim and had deliberately
hunted him down. The murderer was
a rObber as we'll.
"SOoner or later we shall meet
again." Thought, land then
| ! had gone out ono fine evening,
and, tempted by the beauty of the
prospect, had walked some distance
into the country before the gathering
darkness warned me it was getting
late. Be;t { in no hurry to return, !
continued 10 stroll lcisurcly on when
l suddenly discovered that was in q
strange ncighborllood of which
knew nothing, and whore there was
no person of whom ! could ask my
way.
More vexcd with my own carless
ness than was. perhaps. altogether
reasonable, l stopped, and looked
around for some familiar landmark.
There was u heavy mist prevailing
which made vt difficult to sec fur, hui
it presently cleared around me. and
the moon shonc out brightly through
halo of fleccy clouds. Having turned
TO the right. on the chance of reach.
ing the line, from which had stray,
ed, l found myself in q lane which
sloped away in the distance. After
following it for about n mile, climb.
ed over q gate, and landed on the
side of hill.
started in astonishment. ! wal
back in my old quarters. and Ecfore
me was the cottage of the dead man.