The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1895-01-04

OF the Letter.
would be at least a glimmer Of Nxht
from without, and she would be able
to distinguish the bureau, and that
discovered the rest would be easy.
Closing the outer door behind her,
she was In complete darkness; but
made bold by the dask before her.
she groped her way to the stairs, az.
cended them, and soon knew that she
had reached the drawing room, for
going to one Of it's windows, she was
looking on to the street.
There was, as she had expected, q
feeble glimmer Of light in the room,
and presently she was able to distin.
guish the bureau In which was her
coveted treasure.
She made her way to It; the key was
within the lock, and her fingers were
on that key, about to turn It, when
suddenly her heart stood still, her
limbs trembled beneath her.
She heard the grating Of u key in the
outer door, which continued for some
time, as though some one were vainly
striving to gain an entrance.
But at length the attempt had sue.
ceeded, for she heard the movement
Of the opening door, and next q heavy
step upon the stairs, and then, feeling
her way, she staggered from the draw.
ing room into an adjoining chamber.
Pressing against the door, while she
held It little ajar, Emmeline strove
to look and listen through the crevice.
Presently there was ample light in
the drawing-room.
Emmeline saw, standing In the cen.
ter Of that apartment a tall man, and
whose face, pale then a. was her own,
was entirely strange to her.
He had opened dark lantern which
was in his hand, and whose light he had
directed around the apartment, until IL
had rested on the bureau.
Then, hastily advancing to It, ne
placed his lantern on the top. and. Ia
q moment, had unlocked and opened
that bureau.
Emmelhe's first thought was, that
this man was some rObber. who had
come there In search Of plumber; but
heap Ut guineas receiving not the
slightest notice from him, she would
not have known what to imagine, but
that he quickly opened the left-hand
drawer, and took from 1t the red mo.
rocco book which she herself had come
to seek.
With an exclamation Of Joy he took
from It q letter, which he read atteu.
lively.
And then, ''Imprudent woman! he
muttered, a. holding the letter to the
light iq hi4 lantern, 1t was, in q mo.
ment, all ablaze.
On beholding that Emmeline stroye
to scream, and to dart towards that
man; but her voice failed her, and
abe could not move . step
That man let fall the burning letter,
and placed his foot upon It; and EN-
incline, beholdinH that, lost conscious.
ness, and fell heavily to the floor.
The noise she made In falling drove
the man hurriedly from the house
And without his lantern, which still
remained burning on the bureau.
1t was long, very long, before EN-.
incline revived from her death-like
swoon; but when, at last, she was again
conscious, and looked into the drawing.
room. the man was NO longer there
that was all she knew: how or when
he had departed che could not ray.
Her strength, In part returning, she
approached the bureau, and saw, lying
at its foot, the empty pocket-book, and
the letter almost entirely consumed.
she raised the fragment Of the letter,
and saw that there. still remained a
few detached words which the flames
had not devoure4.
And then, with the lantern to guide
her steps, she quilted the touse, and
made her way name on foot, fast -