The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1893-11-25

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murder me-or whatY
Don't be q fool, DIR. S.; no harm
is intended you. II you do come to
harm, it will be your Own fault, not
ours"
1t was The lady who spoke. She
spoke calmly; I thought there was
q strain of contempt in her voice.
1T is some yillainous plot" I ex-
claimed, excitedly, into which an hon.
orable gentleman Of my profession has
no right to be dragged"
You will asked to do nothing be-
yond exercising your professional skill,
for which you will be handsomely
paid" replied the lady
why should you drag me SO far
why should you pick me out as your
instrument? Could you not engage one
home?"
THAT is our affair; we chose you"
But how did you know mellow
get my manner"
1--WE read the letters in the public
prints to which your name was at
tached, and we have formed a high
opinion Of your skill"
I called myself an idiot for having
written to the newspapers. II this
was the sort Of notoriety I was to get
by making my name widely known,
better have continued obscure forever.
Just then the conveyance stopped a
second time. l heard the door open,
and the two men descended. I was
startled by q heavy breathing close to
my ear; then the lady whispered-this
time, 1 thought, with less acridness:
"Dr. S., I beg of you not to make
any disturbance. So long as you are
quiet and do as requested you have
nothing to fear-not a hair Of your
head shall be injured. Refuse, and I
dare not answer for the consequences.
You are in desperate hands, who will
brook no delay or opposition. I again
beg of you to ask no questions; do as
you are requested, and you will never
repent. Remember!"
All this was said rapidly. The lady's
mouth vas close to my ear; I could
feel her hot breath as she spoke. The
concluding caution came sharp and
clear, and it seemed to me almost ten
derly. Then she left the conveyance,
and I heard the command:
Get up, doctor; give me your
hand"
I rose and stretched out my bound
hands, which were grasped by the
hand Of some person. I was led along
a gravelly path; my nose informed me,
by the peculiar musty smell pervading
the atmosphere, that there were BUSH
es and trees near.
Presently I was told land though the
voice OF the speaker was not the voice
Of the lady I had seen, yet I felt con
WINGED it was the voice Of a woman)-
l was told to be careful, as there were
steps to mount up. Up we went, until
I counted twenty, then. I noticed a
glimmer Of light through the handker-
chief fastened over my eyes, / heard
a door cautiously closed, and I knew
l was a prisoner in some house, or
fgaolers. I was now led over a stone
floor, and ushered into a carpeted
room; again 1 heard a door close be-
hind me, and a click of a key turned in
the lock. Then the hand that had
guided me left my own, and 1 was
standing alone.
I was not long left to myself. The
bandage was gently loosed from my
eyes, my hands were set at liberty.
At first I realized only that 1 was in q
large, magniicenty furnished bedroom,
dim1y lighted; nor was I left to take in
more than a rapid glance. Then the
| yelled lady was once more at my side,
and whispered: Look around!" At
that moment lights were turned up.
I looked round. My heart almost
ceased beating at what I saw. Fully
twenty masked figures in mems habili-
ments stood not ten PAGES from me,
in a half circle, with their right arms
stretched ont, and grasping in their
hands pistols, ready cooked, pointed at
my head! Twenty pistols ready to fire
at me should l prove refractory.
The lights were suddenly lowered,
and only n lamp burned brightly on
a round, inlaid table that stood beside
a bed.
you see what you may expect"
whispered the yelled lady, III you re-
| fuse to do what, you are brought here
for. On that bed lies a girl. She has
had the misfortune to receive q bullet
IL her breast. It will be your duty to
extract the bullet with as much skill
and care as possible. Afterward you
will write out full instructions how to
proceed with the wound, answer any
questions you may be asked, and, your
work being done and your fee paid,
you will be conducted back to your
home I need not caution you to keep
o1ACAL Nn w t&A&o AA4RAko WYNN
Should you Eve reveal what you have
done, or put the police on u track,
We have the e of vengeance, and
your life will be the forfeit! Comet"
She led me to the bed. In all my ex-
perience up to now. I had never beheld
80 beautiful a creature as the one be-
fore me. She lay on her back, with
her arms thrown owe her head, her
wealth of golden hair lying on the pill
low. I cannot describe her features;
it would be folly to attempt it. They
were perfect as human features can
be. Her skin was soft as velvet. Her
face was pale; indeed, but for the
short, quick breathing, In the soft light
thrown from the lamp, she might have
been taken for some divine piece of
statuary chiselled by a master hand.
She bore the operation quietly, pa
tiently, with scarcely a moan. / verify
believe ! was the greater sufferer OF
the two. ! had to probe deeply before
I discovered the bullet: I felt her love-
ly form CULVER; a slight moan left her
lips, nothing more. When I had per-
formed the task, examined the wound,
and done what I could, she rewarded
me with the sweetest smile that ever
illumined the face Of fair woman
Pens, Ink and paper were brought
me by the yelled lady, and I wrote full
Observation-Disclosures by this time I had
become deeply interested In my lovely
patient-how to treat the wound, what
was to be her diet, etc. At the foot Of
the sheet I put these words: IT any.
f aspgef SEX SSHR R'a! ya sPe ase saf e Wiz aat
me now and ever.-J:,S s., M. b" VIZ
"Yon have done your work wen, doc
tor, for which I thank you-nay, I
could. almost fall On voalr neck and kisa