The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1889-08-30
CHAPTER XVII.

gaze full of horror: his jaw fell livid pallol
| spread over his fatures: he echoed in q
honrse Whisper The Proserl,inc!' aud turn
ed his scared eyes upon Wyiie, who was him
sell leaning against the wull, his stuiWar1
frame beginning to tremble
The sick girl, murmured Wylie, and q
| cold sweht gathered on his brow.
General lsolleston looked from one to an
other with strahse misgivings, which soon
.ieel'enedintoa n sense OF some terrible calamity;
Tor now n strong convulsion swellel Arthur
Wnrtlluws heart; his face worked fcarfallv.
and, with II sharp and sudden cry, lie fell for.
wnid on the table. and his father . arm alone
prevented linn from sinking like "a dead man
on the floor. Yet, thongli crushed and helm
less. he was not inscnsible; that blessing was
denied him.
General i;ocston imploring an EXPLAIN.
tiOn.
Wye, with ,lowncast and avertc,l face. h.
gan To stummer IL few disconnected and un-
intcli.il,c words; hut old Wardliw silencr.l
him ana said, with much feeling, Let none
but futh"r tell him. My POOR. poor friend
The Proserpine! How cnn say it?"
Lost at sea. sronned Wylic.
At these fntul words the old Warrior's
conntcnanre grew rigid; his large, bony hands
gripped the back OF the clair on which he
lrnned, and were white with their own con.
v,lsivc force and lie bowed his head undcr
the blow, without one word.
His was an agony too great and mute to
lr spoken to; and there was silence in the
room broken only by the hysterical moans
of the miserable plottcr, who had drawn this
calamity on his own head. lie was in no
state 10 b. lrlt alone; and even the bereayetl
father found pity in his tlesolato heart for one
who loved his lost child so well: und the two
old men took him home lrtwnrn them, in q
helpless and pitiable condition.
CHAPTER XVIII.
But this utter prost ration of his cou!etlar-
ntc besnn to alarm Wyle, and rouse hirA O
what llo had done. nnd would have undone
it and forfeited his s:s. 900 in moment il he
could hut, ns he could not undo the crime.
he WAS all the more determined to reap the
reward. Why. that s3 OUO for aught 10
knew, wasthe price OF his soul and liz was
not tn" man to let his soul go 10 gratis
He finished the rest Of tho brandy, and
went after Ills men, to keep them true to
him by promises: but I'll. next day he cume
to the oti,e in F"nrhurh Street, and asked
nnNiously for Wnr,lIuw. WnrlIuw had not
| arrived. lilo waited; hut the merchant never.
ramr; and Michael told HIM, with consider
able anxiety, that this was he first time his
! young master had missed cOnlipg this Ave
years
In course OF the day, several underwriters
r;ilnr m. with long faces. to verify the report
which had now reached Lloyd's, that the
l'fOSeTpflG h;lu inuNuefeu ut sea.
1t is too true, said Michael; land poor
Mr.. Wylie here has barely escaped with hia
life: lie was mate of the ship gentlemen"
Upon this each visitcr lucstionel Wylie,
ani Wylie returned the same smooth an.
s"crs to all inquiries: one heavy gale after
another had so tried the ship that her seams
had opehcd. and let in more water than all
the excrtion OF he crew and passengers could
discharge: at last they had taken TO the
boats the long boat had bcen picked up; the
cutter had never been heard orsince.
They nearly all asked after the ships log.
IL have got it safe ut home" said lie. Ii
wasin his pocket nll the time
were. lie told them i've had shipped ON
hoard the Maria, and three were with him at
Poplar, one disabled by tho harIships they
had all endured
One or two complained angrily Of Mr..
MarIl:tw's absence at such IL time.
tell W. Mr.. War.i!na's sweetheart was
hearted. lie vailed her more than all the
gold. that YOU may take your oath on
This stroke, coming from a; rough fellowin
Al pea.jarket. who looked as simple US he was
cunning siIenccd remonstrnnce, and went
far to disarm suspicion; and so pleased
Michael Penfold. TINT he said, "Mr. Wylie.
yon are Interested in this business. would
you mind going to Mr. Wartllaw's
house, and asking him what we nra
TO do next: Ill give you his address, and a
line Begging him to make an effort
and see YOU. Business il the heart's best
ointment. Eli. dear Mr.. WyIie. haveknovn
grief too: and think should have gone
mad when they sent my poor son away, but
for business especially the summing up Of
long columns. &c.
Wylir called Mt the house in Russell Square,
and asked to see Mr.. Wardlaw.
The servant shook his head. "Yoa can't
see him: he il very ill.,
Very ill:' said Wylic. I'm sorry for
that. Well. but shan't make him any
worse; and Mr. penfold says must see him.
1t is very particular, tell you. lie won't
thank you for refusing me, when he comes to
hear of it,"
He snid this very seriously; and the serv-
ant. after short hesitation. begged him to
SIT down in the passngc moment. He then
went into the dining room. and shortly
reappeared, holding the 1oor open. Oat
came, not Wardlaw Junior. but Wardfav
senior.
fro BE coNTINUERl