Year: 1869

what 1 have to say: Tonight at
twelve O'Clock precisely do you two visit
the old building. l viii be there. Ask
for the young woman who applied at
nightfall to them for shelther. Let
your object be, apparently, to arrest
ms. aI'' '2iaa 5e


"But I DO not understand p


"But you will lam going there at
dusk, disguised as a beggsrgirl By
the time you come my information will
have been collected She rose to her
feet as she spoke, and now indeed she
wore the appearance of the Nemesis /
had hkened her to st first. Beautiful,
but rigid as fate, looked that set, de-
ltermined face. The beautiful eyes had
lost their sOftened lustre, and shone
Witbsa passionate light almost cruel.
The lips were pale, but rigid as iron,
and the beautiful nostril dilated with
an expression of heart-eonsuming ven
geance. 81 will read the guilty secret, +"
she said, 'if the criminal is there, how
ever deep in his heart he may bury it. "
q. Strange as it may appear, made no
attempt to dissuade her from her pur-
pose. I could not. 1 felt as if the
beautiful creature exercised over me a
magnetic control And with this un-
derstanding we took our leave to pre-
pare for the night visit to the old house
and its dangerous inhabitants.


Those acquainted with the city at
that period can form some idea of the
danger of the plot We had formed. To
US it was a matter of daily occurrence.
But for the young girl, inexperienced
and tenderly nurtured, to thrust herself
into the very house of the unscupulous
and despersted wretches who were sus-
pected Of this crime, was simply ap-
palling. 1t would not do, however, to
go to the place before the hour sp-
pointed for our coming, for that would
defeat the object in view. It was, there
fore, with many a misgiving, and an
|uneasinesS but poorly concealed, we
bided our time. But we determined
to be there the very moment, and the
clock was on the stroke of midnight
when We knocked at the door. The
outside Of the house gave no signs of
within. The shutters were securely
fastened, and no ray of light penetrated
the darkness; but the muffled sounds of
voices reached our ears until our knock
hushed them to whisper. There was
a momentsry hesitation as if of counsel
ing together. and then the door was
opened wide.


Z It was long, low room, dusty and
brOWnfrom age. About a dozen per-
sons were seated around, but every eye
was turned TO the door. Two men had
risen to their feet and stood in an atti-
tuds which might mean defiance, before
the fireplace; but the object that at
tracted our attention most was young
girl sitting in the centre of the apart
ment. Her face was dark as a gipsy's,
and the long hair hung loose on her
shoulders. Her dress was poor material,
ragged and unclesn. Patches and rents
bad almost changed its hue and dis
guised its texture. She seemed too
.thinly clad for that cold night, and her
slender frame shivered, as if from cold
as the chill air from the open door
swept in.


''What do you wautl" was the stern
question addressed to US by one of the
men at the FIRE.


Before I bad time to reply, the girl
sprang TO her feet and spoke instead :;
aArrest these men" Her voice was
low, but the face, flashing in the light
Of the fire, was that Of the Nemesis 1
had seen that day.


There was a shof', fierce struggle,
and the men were in our power. The
girl then walked to a place in the floor,
and touching sconcealed spring, raised
q trap-door. She bade Mr.. /. lift the
BOX that lay in the hiding-place. The
lid was wrenched of, and in were the
old merchants money, papers and
poeket-book. With the money was
found the bill, and the word ''Canal"
written across It


1t WAS not long befOrd the men con-
fessed their crime. The old man had
been murdered and his body thrown
in the river


The daughter accomplished her mis-
sion. She had carried out her design,
and traced to their hiding-pla the
proofs of the murderer's crime. IT is
useless to relate what followed. Long
years have fed since then, and the
young Nemesis is yet among the living.
Beautiful still, there are many hearts
glad at her smile, and share with her
the joys of the home she charms. But
this strange incident in her life will
never be efsced from her mind, or
fade from the memory of those who saw
her then.