The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1888-11-10
Lenors had not told Gertana what

| LenOfa WAS put III HeT btu ny HeI
| kind, careful nurse, and by evening
she was feeling much better. Gertana
remained by her side for some time
and would not leave the room until the
little sufferer had fallen asleep, when
she silently left the darkened chamber
and went to her own room, where she
could think and not be disturbed.
She then slipped the letter from her
pocket and opened it. The writing
was strange and in an unknown hand,
vet few of the letters were strangely
familiar.
AS we know the feelings of the owner
of the name signed to this letter, it
may seem strange that such letter as
the following should be sent to Lenora:
JoNEsBoRoUGH. ILL.,. Nov. 20. 1875.
LIMA: If this letter should reach you at
| the address you gave me, we'll and good |.
| not. and if you ever come back to this place
/ that was once your homo. | can let you
! know what think of such as you, and Just
| what ] will and will not do. If you prefer
| to live up there in that city with that man
that you so slyly slipped off with. why
! that's all well and good for you and me both.
have cared for you father for years.
| and my house has been your home, but it
| can be no more. There is already enough
| shame and disgrace heaped upon us, and
| now | forbid you to ever enter this house
| again. CHRISTOPHER RICE
Gertana folded up the letter and re-
placed it in the envelope; she noticed
| the postmark was not JonesborouGh,
but could not tell positively just what
it was, for it was too dimly stamped.
Ny, how can this be? This letter
is headed at Lenora's old home, but l
do not think it was mailed there Can
it be possible that there is double deal
;ng here also? / should not doubt il,
ii now | think Sylvester capable of
; anything. Just to make sure that my
surmises are correct, L will go down to
the library and compare this letter with
some of Sylvester's wr1tingw
After searching for some time she
succeeded in finding a half finished,
lately written letter, and was closely
comparing the two when suddenly she
sprang from the chair in which she sat,
with strange, wild look on her face.
"As true as heaven is above my head
this is a forged letter.
Gould any one possessing a heart,
and the least spark of conscience, be
! guilty of such villainy?
! No. Positively no. 1t would not
have been half so wicked had he stolen
ten thousand dollars of some man; but
to have stolen the last spark of happi
ness that that poor, innocent, unsus-
pecting child possessed-it is infamous
it is cowardly.
you dead this morning, when l had
such a splendid chance"
After this terrible outburst of her
angry passion, she sank weak and ex-
hausted in a chair, where she remain
ed for some time, thinking and laying
plans for the future.
Finally she seemed to awaken from
this gloomy stupor into which she had
fallen. The room was dark, the
ground was white with snow, and more
was rapidly falling. The wind
whistled tiercely round the corners of
the house, and tossed about the
boughs of the trees on the lawn.
How sad was this poor woman's
heart US she drew the curtain and re-
viewed the past, the long years she
had spent since she last saw her beau
tifal happy home in Italy.
"How gloomy and lonely it seems;
so dark without and as dark within,
tonight. There is no one to love me,
not one in all this wide world cares
whether l live or die. All / have for
gotten. There is one-Lenora-who
trusts and loves me, but even her love
cannot fill this vacancy in my aching
heart. But | must not sit here when
there is work to be done. j must go
to Lenora, and if she is awake | will
explain all to her and tell her who she
really is, and if anything should hap
pen, my conscience will be clear"
She then went to Lenora's room,
but found the little patient sleeping
sOundly, and would not allow the
nurse to waken her
She desided not to say anything I'M
til the next morning, and then, per-
haps, Lenora would be stronger
Gertana was compelled to eat her
dinner alone that evening, as she had
so often done in the past. The cottage
presented a great contrast from what it
did the night before.
At ten o'clock all was still and dark,
and the whole house was lost in sweet
dreams.
The town clock at Springfield had
Just struck one, and it then was the
first of December, the day that had
been set for the robbery of the bank.
Two masked men had been hidden i'll
an old building that stood back of tho
one i'll which the banking rooms were,
and, few moments before the clock
struck, they emerged from their hiding
lace and went to II back window of the
ank. There were iron bars across this
window, but they had been sawed in
two some time before this, and now all
that was necessary to be done was
simply to push these bars aside, do a
little cutting of glass, and they could
easily get into the bank.
The work was quickly done, and they
were both on the inside. Noll noise
lessly and quickly glided to the inner
room, where the safe was. In few
moments Jim the Desperate" who
| knew the combinations of many safes,
was quickly sliding the bolts in this
one, while the unknown was on the
watch.
In less time than would be supposed
was necessary to open the safe, the
door was swung open, and Noll, as he
thought was now in possession of a
few thousand more which would buy
the comforts of life.
Just as these thoughts were passing
through his mind he heard a deep,
stern voice behind him:
Surrender, jim, for you are my
/ prisonerp And startled from his dream
of fancy, he looked up to see in front
of him two large, muscular policemen,
each pointing a cooked pistol at his
! head
Noll's face was as pale as death, for