The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1894-08-31
BY CONAN DOYLE

N DOYLE
YES, 1t will not be long before he
comes; the sooner the better, for we
do not know whit their next move.
may be-" sss,s,sF y
It was, indeed, high time that some
one capable of giving advice and help
should come to the aid Of the sturdy
old farmer and his adopted daughter.
In the whole history Of the settlement
there had never been such a case Of
rank disobctllcnc. to the authority Of
the elders. II minor errors were pun
isfed SO sternly, what would be the
fate of this arcll rebel? Ferrier knew
that his wealth and position would he
Of no avail to him. Others as well
known and tvs rich rs himself had been
spirited away before now, and their
goods given over to the church. He
was brave man, but he tremblcd Mt
the vague sliadawy terr0rs which hung
over him. Any known danger he could
face: with firm lip, but this suspense
was unnerving. He concealed his fears
from his daughter. however. aud If
fected to make light of the whole mat
ter, though size, with the keen eye Of
love. saw plainly that he was III ut
ease.
He expected that he would receive
some message or remembrance from
Young as to his conduct, and he was
not mistaken, though 1t came In an
unloOketl-f0r manner. Upon rising next
morning he found, to his surprise, q
small square Of paper pinned ON to
the coverlet Of his bed, just over his
chest. On 1t was printed, in bold,
struggling letters:
"Twenty-nine days arc given you for
amendment, and then"
The dash was far more fear-inspiring
than any threat could have been. How
this warning came into his room puz.
zlcd John Ferrier sorely, for his serv-
ants slept In an Clubhouse. and the
doors and windows had all been Sc
cured. He crumpled the paper up, and
said nothing to his daughter, but the
incident struck chill to his heart. The
twenty mine days were evidently the
balance Of the month which Young had
promised. What strength or courage
could avail against IN enemy armed
with such mysterious powers? The
hand which fastened that pin might
have struck him to the heart, aud lie
could never have known who had slain
him.
Still more shaken was he next morn
ing. They had sat down to their break
fast, when Lucy, with cry of sur
prise, pointed upward. In the center
OF tho ceiling was scrawled, with a
burned stick, apparently, the number
%. 70 his daughter it was unintelligt-
bic. and he did not enlighten her. That
night he sat up with his gun and kept
watch and ward. He saw and heard
nothing. and yet in the morning
great 81 had been painted upon the out
side Of tho door.
Thus day followed day, and so sure
rs II DINING came he found that his I'M
seen enemies. had kept their register,
and had marked up in some conspicu-
Gus position how many days were still
left to him out Of the month Of grace.
sometimes the fatal numbers appeared
upon the walls. sometimes upon the
floors, occasionally they were upon
srall placards stuck upon the garden
gate OF the ratings. With all his Wig.
lance John Ferrier could not discover
whence these daily warnings proceed
ed. A horror. which was almost SUPER
stitious came upon him at the sight Of
them. He became haggard and restless
and his eyes had the troubled look Of
some haunted creature. He had but
one hope in life now, and that was for
the arrival Of the young hunter from
Ne, ada.
Twenty had changed to fifteen and
fifteen to ten. but there was no news
OF the absentee. One by one the num-
bers dwindled down, and still there
IT. "a
horsemnn clAttered down the road, FOR
driver shouted to his TENN, the old
farmer hurried to the gate, thinking
that help had arrived at last. At last,
when lie saw five give way to four, and
ab0l dOned all hope Of escape.
Single-handed and with his limited
knowledge Of the mountains which sur
rounded the settlement, he knew that
he was powerless. The more frequent
ed roads were strictly watched and
guarded, and none could pass along
them without an order from the coun-
Gil. Turn which way he would there
appeared to be no avoiding the blow
which hung ever him. Yet the old man
never wavered in his resolution to part
with life itself before he consented to
what he regarded rs his daughters
dishoror.
He was sitting alone one evening pom
dering deeply over his troubles and
searching vainly for some way out of
them. That morning had shown the
figure 2 upon the wall Of his house.
and the next day would be the last Of
the allotted time. What was to hap
pen then? All manner of vague and
terrible fanctes filled his Imagination.
And his daughter-what was to become
Of her when he was gone? Was there
no escape from the inevitable network
which was drawn all around them? He
sank his head upon the table and
sobbed at the thought of his own inn
pOtence.
What was that? In the silence he
heard gentle scratching sound-low,
but very distinct. In the quiet Of the
night. 1t came from the door Of the
house. Fcrrier crept INTO the hall and
listened intently. There was a pause
for few ncments and tien the low,
ins:diOus sound was repeated. Some
one was evidently tapping very gently
upon one Of the panels Of the door.
Was 1t some midnight assassin who
had come to carry out the orders OF the
secret tribunal? Or was 1t some agent
who was marking up that the last day
Of grace had arrived? John Ferrier felt
that instant death would be better
than the suspense which shook his
nerves and chilled his heart. Spring
ing forward he drew the bolt and
threw the door open.
Outside all was calm and quiet. The
night was fine, and the stars were
twinkling brightly overhead. The lit
tie front garden lay before the farmers
eyes, bounded by the fence and gate,
but neither there nor on the road was
any human being to be Eeen. With q
sigh of relief, Ferrier looked to right
and to left, until, happening to glance
straight down at his own feet, he saw
to his establishment a man lying fiat
upon his face upon the ground, with
arms and legs all a-sprawl.
So unnerved was he at the sight,
that lie leaned up against the wall,
with his hand to his throat to stifle his
inclination 10 call out. His first thought
was that the PROSTATE figure was that
of some wounded or dying man, but
as he watched 1t he saw It writhe along
the ground AMI into the hall with the
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