The Bottineau pioneer., 1893-09-30


during her grandfather's lifetime.
size entered d part OF the building
where the. floor was yet intact, and
where a fragment of the roof remained
10 shield her from the dew. II
Here u second doorlesS space opened
upon the water, which was some ten
feet below. the. sill beams There were
no steps to the water, but q jutting
timber served Nellie for q scat.
And there she reposed herself to keep
her midnight vigil-and to wonder why
she had been rash and foolish enough
to undertake anything SO supremely alb
surd and ridiculous!
Il suppose it was just one of Beasie's
usual freaks" she meditated, which
caused her to challenge me. But I'm
sure 1 can't tell why I was stupid
enough to crafty her." l-
She sat for a while watching the dull
metallic sheen of the pond, and listen
ing to the doleful ''tu-hoo" of the soli-
tary owl; and then all at once an in
spiriting idea occurred to her, .
II shall never have a better chance
to satisfy my curiosity about poor
grandpapa's@ @dilapidated old desk. And
shall have plenty Of time---it will be
nearly two hours before Beasie and her
friends appear to make themselves
sure 1 have done as l promised" she
said to herself. .r@
This desk was cheap affair, con-
structed in the beginning only as a
temporary convenience; and it occupied
a corner. only few PAGES away from
where Nellie sat. ,.. .
This section of the building was in
closed by a fiimsy partition, and had
been used during her grandfather's life
time as an office for his farm matters;
for the mill even then was partly
ruin, and had done no grinding for
years. When the Office was transferred
to different quarters after her grand
fathers DEATH the clumsy old desk had
not been considered worth removing.
Nellie had often felt desire to cx-
plore It. But as the building belonged
to her aHnts property, she had not
yentured to indulge her curiosity re-
garding it.
Tonight, fancying Bcasie might have
planned 4 jest OF some sort, she had
provided herself with. matches and a
couple of wax candles. And now with
her light she proceeded to examine the
long -despised and discarded desk.
Almost the first thing to attract her
notice was the gleam of paper in Il
narrow compartment which had once
been cleyerly concealed, but which was
now disclosed between the warped and
h,llging woodwork.
What she drew forth through the
creyice was folded document, yellow
with age and blotched mold. A glance
OF her keen young eyes showed her,
it's import.
''My haunting curiosity over this old
desk must have been prophetic in
stinct, But it seems too wonderful
TO be tple," she murmured. "a
What she had discovered was her
grandfather's will, dictated shortly be-
fore his sudden death, and deYising
the bulk OF his property to her father,
his only son.
Al her father had died since, then she
was, herself, the sole and 1ightful heir
ess to the fortune her naughty Aunt
Gilmore had enjoyed SO long. q.
It was indeed too wonderful to be
true!
There was quantity of gold and sill
YER coin also in the compartment; but
it could not be removed without en-
larging the ereYice..
securing her prize inside her bodice,
she went back to her seat beside the
empty doorway.
She was trembling in every nerve
with excitement; and she looked down
at the duly glistening water with un-
seeing eyes which glowed like two
stars, while her ears were deaf to the
weird noises of the night
Rut presently she was aroused from
her abstraction by a queer and unnatur-
III cry. sort of gibbering hiss; and she
lifted her head to behold a spectral
shape all In ghostly white, bending to-
ward her out of the gloom.
THE wages of sin are death, Your
sinful love for another Wonlan's prom
ised consort will be yours rsdestruction.
If you would save yourself, then shun
temptation-f1ee from the evil influence
even though you hide youself from
even though you hide yourself from
the apparition begun.
But Nelie's searching eyes and un-
fearing compOsure seemed to slightly
at,lllt the, midnight phantom, for it
ceased and coilea uneasily.
st.'sgss la;sts de sou mean, Beasie, by such
enssag gil3b.risll ( expected jest, but
nothing So iilsl.a aIlt If such bad taste
al this" Nesfe said g. gttYaas she reach
ed sag tt.ae canaies wi.s%is sae had extin-
!, .sasie ssariss lerp ar.ss suddenly as
il She guessed what HE young girl
meant to do, and as IL size would snatch
at random for the candle. ~, !
She had never imagined that her dis
guise would be penetrated. And vain
herself and shallow, believing no collr-
age nor superior qualities il anybody,
she had supposed that Nellie would be
sufficiently terrified and oyerawed to
accede to any demand, hlQweYer h'alsl, harsh
or preposterOus. ~ sss5 ~. =
Foiled, furious with insane jealousy,
she sprqng toward the young creature
she had always hated; and only heaven
and herself knew what desperate de
sign beset{ her feyered brain as she
, stroye to reach the light she feared.
She snatdhed the candle and flung it
! vicie,isly id the flQqr. .l u
! Theh Nehe uttered q cry of startled
TheSneKt instant the girl reeled and
fell downward into the dark, deep wa
] But there had been a witness to the
Il tragic scene.
| Erie IkeyestaH had oilanced to see
/ Miss Hhnore as she started stealthily
. toward the old Black Mill. He had
heard dbout tho fOolhardy undertaking
into which she had goaded the young
i teacher and suspicion of something
1 wrong inpelled him to follow her.
.sWFeteAed woman, what have you
done r. he exclaimed as he pushed her
lIncerenltlnio ously out of his path.
4 oh, Erie, didn't mean to do 1t. 4
! was sn1ad- mad because she had turned
you against me, : said the miserable
Beasie Who Msas sobbing now with