The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1901-06-07

opposite wall of the apartment.
Northmour produced some cold meat,
to which eagerly set myself, and a
bottle of good Burgundy, by which,
wet as was, did not scruple to profit.
have always been an extreme tenn
perance man on principle; but it is
useless to push principle to excess,
and on this occasion l believe that /
finished three-quarters of the bottle.
AS ate, still continued to admire
the preparations for defense.
eve could stand a SIEGE" I said at
length.
sYe-es," drawled Northmour; "a
very little one. perhaps. It is not
so much the strength of the pavilion
I misdoubt; it is the double danger
that kills me. If we get to shooting,
wild as the country is, some one is
sure to hear it. and then-why, then,
it's the same thing, only different, as
they say, Gagged by law, or killed by
Carbonari There's the choice. It is
devilish bad thing to have the law
against you in this world, and so tell
the old gentleman up stairs. He is
quite of my way Of thinking"
Speaking of that" said I. what
kind of person is he?"
ooh, be?" cried the other; "he's a
rancid fellow as far as he goes I
should like to have his neck wrung to-
morrow by all the devils in Italy. I
am not in this affair for him. You
take me? made a bargain for Missy S
hand and 1 mean to have it, too"
THAT by the way" said I, II I'M
derstand. But how will Mr.. Huddle-
stone take my intrusion?"
Leave that to Clara" returned
Northmour
I could have struck him in the face
for this coarse familiarity; but re-
spected the truce, as, I am bound to
say, did Northmour, and so long as
the danger continued not a cloud arose
in our relation. / bear him this testi-
mony with the most unfeigned salts
faction; nor am I without pride when
look back upon my own behavior.
For surely no two men were ever left
In position so invidious and irritat-
ing.
AS soon as I had done eating we
proceeded to inspect the lower floor.
Window by window We tried the diff
ferent supports, now and then making
an inconsiderable change; and the
strokes of the hammer sounded with
startling loudness through the house.
I proposed, remember, to make loop
holes; but he told me they were al
ready made in the windows Of the up
per story. Y
| It was an anxious business, this in
spcction, and left me down hearted.
There were two doors and five win
+ dows to protect and counting Clara,
| only four of us to defend them against
an unknown number OF foes. I com
municated my doubts to Northmour,
who assured me with un1noyed COM
,rosure that he entirely shared them.
Before morning said he. we shall
| all be bUtchered and buried in Graden
| F'loe. For me that is written
I could not help shuddering at the
mention of the quicksand. but remind
ed Northmour that our enemies had
spared me in the wood.
''Do not flatter yourself said he
'"Then you were not in the same boat
with the old gentleman; now you are
It's the foe for all of us, mark my
words
l trembled for Clara, and just then
her dear voice was heard calling lis
to come upstairs. Northmour showed
me the way, and, when he had reached
the landing, knocked at the door Of
what used to be called "My Uncle's
Bedroom" as the founder of the pa.
vilion had designed it especially fol
himself
Come in, Northmour; come in, dea,
Mr.. Cassilis," said voice from with
in.
! Pushing open the door, Northmoul
admitted me before him into the apart
ment. AS came in could see thu
daughter slipping out by the side doc
into the study, which had been pre-
pared as her bedroom. In the bed
which was drawn back against thu
wall, instead of standing, as I hat
last seen it, boldly across the window
sat Bernard Huddlestone, the default
ing banker. Little as I had seen o
him by the shifting light of the lanter,
on the links, had no difficulty in rec
ognizmg him for the same.
He had long and sallow counte
nance. surrounded by long beard ant
side whiskers. His broken nose an,
high cheek bones gave him somewha
the air of a Kalmuck, and his ligh
eyes shone with the excitement Of [
high fever. He wore a skull-cap Q
black silk; huge Bible lay open be
fore him on the bed, with pair o
gold spectacles in the place, and a pill
of other books lay on the stand by hi
side. The green curtains lent a ca
daverous shade to his cheek, and, a
| he sat propped on pillows, his grea
stature was painfully hunched, and hi
head protruded till it overhung hi
knees. believe If he had not die
otherwise. he must have fallen vic
tim to consumption in the course OF blu
a =, 80