The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1888-04-19

coward tears into my eyes. You
should be careful OF yourself" she
added, land avoid all excitement"
] felt as if my heart was leaping up
into my throat to strange me. I
looked at her beautiful face, and be-
fore l knew what / was about | was
kneeling at her feet, holding one OF her
hands in both OF mine pouring forth
the story OF my mad love, pleading
for hers in return.
She sat still and listened patiently,
the tears shining in her beautiful eyes,
until the story of my mad love was
told. Then she laid her hand gently
upon my head and stroked my hair,
| much in the same manner that | had
| seen her stroke Carlos and her voice
was wonderfully sweet and low as she
skoke to me.
MY poor Philip, l am so sorry"
she said. II have promised to be.
come Allan Ashton's wife, but even
without that promise l could never
have been anything nor to you than
/ am now-yo,r loving friend. Now
| want you to promise me never to
speak to me again like you have
Just done. Will you promise me,
Philip"
How we'll l remember my promise
and the wild pleasure it gave me to
give it then. l knew it was the death
doom to my love and happiness, but
I granted it.. Had she asked my life
how gladly l would have given it.
This was my feeling when / was in
her presence and under her influence.
When / was out of her sight, howe :er,
another and a very different feeling
took possession of me. l loathed my
self, and hated her and her lover, ]
planned and plotted night and day
how to destroy the happiness OF them
both-I even thought OF taking their
lives. This idea alter a while took
complete possession OF NE and it was
with a sort OF eager Joy that l watch
ed and waited for O. good opportunity
to carry it into execution.
1t was two months or more before
the chance came. In the meantime
I mingled with the household as OF
old-like one of them. even became
on friendly terms with Allan Ashton,
and spent hours with him in his Office
at the depot.
AS l have already said, the oppor.
tunitv came at last. Ashton was
both agent and telegraph operator at
Marlborough station, but during all
my hours with him in his office Inever
told him that l understood and could
read off every click OF his "ticker."
had no definite purpose in view in with.
holding this knowledge from him, only
that l was always on my guard I'd
hide and veil my real feelings towards
him, and in doing this l took the gen
eral ]precaution to give as little infor.
nation about myself as possible.
But one day when I was sitting in
the Office all alone, and l heard a cal
for Marlborough. l went to the in
strument and answered it. The next
moment the order came.
"Side track 229, due half-past clever
at Marlborough, till express 40 pass
es."
wrote down the order and flashed
back 20. H." then looked at the
clock and saw it was a half al hour
before the train was due. The min
utes slipped away, still Ashton did not
make his appearance. Presently, how
ever, / heard his voice outside, and al
the same time came the shrill whistle
of the locomotive not far away.
was just about to step out on the
platform to give the order to him
when I heard him say to some one
"You are just in time. There comes
the train"
Hooked around and saw that il
vas Anne Gray. She was going tc
the city on the train that was
Just coming rushing up, tn
train that was ordered side tracked
till the express passed.
My opportunity had come. l in
stantly went back into the Office anc
crumbled the order up in my hand
I ielt like shouting for Joy.
The train came up stopped a few
moments, then I heard the conductor
shout: "All aboard"
looked out through the window O
the Office. l saw Anne, happy an(
smiling, wave her hand through tn
car window at her lover, and rs tn
train passed the Office and she saw
me, she smiled and waved her HAND
at me also.
A minute or so afterwards Ashton
entered the Office looking glad ant
happy. He came close up to M
where 1 was standing, and laying hi
hand upon my shoulder, said: II an
the happiest man alive, Philip. Ann
has just set the day for wedding
a month from to-day"
"Fool." I cried, 'she will not, can
not keep it,"
"What do you mean?"
Look" ! shouted as I straightenet
out the paper I held crumpled in m!
hand and held it before his eyes
"Look! this order came while 20,
were making love. answered it ant
now"
had no chance to finish the sen
tence, tor Ashton clutched ME by tn
throat and pushed me v~iolentl.
against the wall as if he meant to xii
me there and then. TO save mysel
from falling, / caught at a shelf upo1
the wall. My fingers clutched some
thing hard and cold. In a moment
knew what it was; l had seen it ther
but q few minutes before. 1t was Ash
toms pistol.
There was q flash and q report, an
my hated rival lay weltering in hi
blood, dead, upon the floor with
bullet through his heart.
There WAS a terrible railroad acc
dent that day a few miles from Wair
borough. They brought Anne HON
dead, but never looked at her face
IN. ~ E- - N -. =