Year: 1864

young lady veil. she doubtless could see
me through it l nodded slightly to her.
and fumbiing in the folds of nv cloak
! half exposed the barrel of my revolv-
( er.


The answer was scarcely perceptible
shake of the head
For the twentieth time we were push
ing and battering at a snowdrift this time
it must be deep one, for We are came to
a dead stop.


Il guess l must get some wood from
that darned conductor, or we shall friz,
said one of the men, the shorter and least
evil-looking of the two


Do said l ..for it is awfully cold,
even for us who are strong; what must it
be to your invalid CHARGE


s.Oh he won't hurt replied the man.


.'You shut up, and fetch the wood.-
said the other.


He returned soon, and said the engi-
neer would not let him have stick: de
claring it was not his business to supply
the cars-and that he had barely enough
to keep up his own fire.


On going out to see the state of affairs
for myself, found the drift in which we
were fast, was of most formidable size;
and saw at once that, without digging,
lue ehSiHe Coulu uol poSolbiS ioiSc ilS
way through.


/ went to the engineer, whom 1 knew
and asked if he would spare us a log or
two; but even whilst asking l saw how
useless the request was-Ae had no more
arood.


Nine o'clock at night-still showing
no fire, and no fuel.


Fast buried in a snowdrift, on sim
Of is
house


l must spend the night with a dead
man and his two murderers!


But the poor girl. How can she bear
the cold.
All the men set to clear the line, whilst
there was yet fire enough and steam
enough to carry us through.


We were not many miles from our des-
tination.


Dig, yes-but who can dig without a
spade?


Small progress was made; it soon be
came apparent to all that we were fast,
until two o'clock, when the night mail
followed us.


Five mortal hours in that piercing
The conductor, half frozen as he was,
walked quarter of a mile down the
track and eXtemporized a danger signal,
as best he could; / and the other passen-
gers getting into the cars and wrapping
ourselves up, grimly to bear the five
hours of misery. As / enter, l see
only the shorter of the two men; on
asking him for his friend, he says:


''Oh! he's crouching down by the fire
box of the engine to get warm


I mentally added-''And will go to
sleep, and when the fire goes out will be
frozen to DEATH


now saw the young lady watching
her companion closely, seeing him be-
come sleepy from copious drafts of rum
and water.


A loud snoring soon proclaimed him
asleep.


The poor girl then with half frozen fin
gers lifted her veil, and whispered with
trembling voice:


are YOU not? / think that 1 can trust
you"


'.Sit perfectly still for an instant" I
answered.


A happy thought had struck me-


l had for some time past suffered much
from face and tooth ache. and was in the
Haoit VI S'iie ing d SloppSiSu poltic W
chloroform.


1 took out my bottle, and signing to
the young lady to be silent, poured the
whole upon my handkerchief, aud held
it over the face of the sleeping murder
er


In five minutes I knew he was safely
disposed of for some hours to come


l called loudly in his ear and shook
him r0uphly but he did not Stir.


I shall never forget the earnest jov
with which the poor girl clasped my hand
and thanked me.


1 don't know whose heart beat faster
then-hers, or mine: 1 know that for
got all about the dreadful cold. and only
felt an intense longing to take her into
my arms and kiss her.


Taking the sleeping mans great buffa-
10 robe and wrapping it around her I
bade her sit down, and asking her the
cause of her fathers murder, and WHY he
seemed to be prisoner


As spoke l could not help an invol-
untary shudder at the appearance of the
corpse.


In administering the chloroforn to the
man, 1 had accidentally displaced the
rug which the murderers had carefully
arranged so as to hide the face of the
supposed paralytic-


The eyes were closed and blue, the
nose pinched. the mouth partly open.
with curled and strained lips. the teeth
set, and grinning horribly in the half light
reflected from the snow in which we
were imbedded.


1t had now ceased showing.


In answer to my question, she said:


Il am alone in the world; can trust
yori-I will tell You all. The-the BODY
there she turned paler than even she
was before-''the body is not that of nv
no. could not have borne
it 1t is my uncle. am a virpinian:
my father and my mother both died when
/ was very young, leaving me. rich
orphan in the care of nv uncle


All know was that was we'll edu-
Gated, and had what money 1 wanted: but
when left school. my uncle was strange
iy altered: my presence seemed to irritate
him"


Here / thouOhf sud6oply s.Whaf ~ he