The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1908-10-30
|TheHonorof
Nurse Joyce
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CHAPTER xxxI.-lcontinued.)


ne-yes, there will always be that. 1t
good deal, Norman"
Eyes" he said, gently, ''it is a good
Zeal" And he pressed to his side the
arm that lay within his own. "It is
the chief thing" he went on; but
am human, and l want you, Christa-
bell"
* know, Norman. Do you think I
don't know?" she cried
Then there was silence between
diem, in which their hearts sought
each the other and touched.
III the evening Christabel pleaded
fatigue and retired early to the guar
te.s Of the women. Norman paced
the deck long after she had gone to
rest
It was not till morning that Christa-
Del thought OF Mary Sisterson's jewel
case and opened it. She knew where
within it was the packet containing
Er Johns papers, but before she
reached it she came upon letter adj
dressed to herself in Marys writing.
9rcte Mary cat first katia, who is al
together different from what 1 used
to think her, said you were down with
malarial fever of the most malignant
kind, and that you could see no one,
and believed her But now do not
know. Both katia and her brother
act in way that l do not understand,
but it may only be because there is
trouble among the men at the works
and the whole country is in a dis
turbed state.
Many days, however, have passed
since | last saw you, dear, and surely
you might be we'll enough to see me,
If only for a minute or two. l said
this to katia, and she looked much
put out. She said that you had nearly
died, that you had been delirious for
a long time, and were recovering very,
very slowly. But when l inisted that
must see you. she said it was i'm
possible; that was the doctors order
She told me that you were greatly
changed, and that I should not be
able to stand the shock the sight of
you would cause me.
Il am very far from we'll myself,
and could not force my way to YOU
miss you dreadfully. A PRESENT.
ment. from which l cannot free my
self, hangs over me that l shall die
soon ard suddenly. I know that
Shall not survive another attack
Therefore | am writing this letter to-
youth case Of my death. have long
faced death, and have no fear of it,
Eut I must keep my promise to my
father, and you know what it is
"Ycu know where the packet is
which he gave to me, and you know
what his instructions were, dear. If
I am gone. will you carry them out?
The three months are nearly over.
If live long enough you will never
read this letter, but if sic l ssk you
to open the packet at the proper
titre and do whatever my father di-
fected to be done-to do it as if you
we're myself"
The letter was dated, Christabel
saw. q week back. Sitting with it in
her hand. she thought first of all of
the writer. SO Katia Anatovitch had
explained her disappearance BY pre-
tending that she had fallen ill, and
Mary had been deceived and then had
e!;cC me suspicious as time went on.
ChristaJel knew how much this must
have afflicted poor Mary and aggra-
rated her malady. The Anatovitches
had helped on her death by their
fa.aeiools and double dealing; what
wrctci,es theT were, she thought.
foor Mary! So weak and yet so
strong! Who had long faced death"
and had no fear of it," Ghristabel's
eyes were suffused with tears as she
read that sentence over again in
Mary's letter.
*'The NEST I can do for her now"
said Christabel to herself, lis to carry
oat her wishes. She writes, If l die
I ask you to open the packet at the
proper time, and do whatever my
fathe: directed to be DONE How
Tong is it, l wonder, since Sir John
7ied?"
She fell to thinking of the day of
Sir Johns death, to computing the
time that had Since elapsed Mary
had said that the three months which
we're to pass before the opening of
the packet were nearly over. The
three months were over now-was
that the case? Christabel thought
again and again. If she were right
in her calculations the three months
lad already gone-yes, the period had
been reached on the preceding day
the day Ct Mary's death. 1t was time
that the packet should be opened.
And then Christabel, having satisfied
herself on this point, reflected that it
would be well that the packet should
be opened in the presence of wit.
ness. and naturally she thought of
Norman.
After breakfast she told him of
lary's letter, and took off the outside
wrapper of the packet as he looked
On. Then came an envelope directed
in Sir Johns handwriting to 1.-THE
heirs of Thomas Forde, formerly OF