Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1855-11-10

disordered hair, and his swollen eyes.
'Oh, Hester, Hester ! he exclaimed, coming
forward, and taking both my hands, this is
dreadful
cannot remember all that passed. believe
I asked 10 see her, asked particularly about
her death, and cried with him The inquest
was to be held On the following day, but il was
already known, beyond doubt, that the cause of
her death was poison. She had dined al one
clock, and bad lain down on her bed siler il
10 sleep as was usual since her illness some
toast. and-waler stood a, her bedside and when
she awoke thirsty, and asked for drink the muse
gave her this She drank 1t, complained Of its
bitter taste, fell into convulsive palms, and, soon
after. died.
Gould anything have been pot into the toast
and-wateri' exclaimed.
so it would appear he answered 'butiiis is
a great mystery.
Then, Matthew Goring,' rejoined, peering
steadily a, him, .wHo can have put il in y
Il know not he answered, earnestly AS
the Lord Iiveth and lookelh down upon me, Hes
ter, am as Ignorant and innocent OF this bust
ness as you are
Where was Miss Howard at the time y
Hester, he eravely said, you are prejndiced
against Miss Howard. but for the love OF justice
do not carry it 50 far as to cast this suspicion
upon her. A genilewoman of character, Of re-
fined feeling, and you would point to her as be-
ing guilty of crime black as night
1t is you who are bliodly prejudiced IN her
favor,' replied to him. i do think IL she
were proved guilty of this, you would not be-
( lieye H.
! i should moi, was Matthew'S avowal. Not
for any reason you hint At, but becaue feel
her to be utterly incapable Of even thinking o.
such crime, much less committing il. Bu
pray do not continue TO suspect me OF any undue
preference for her, Hester. II, as you once hint
ed, she caused uneasiness to my dear wife,
wish TO my soul she had never come inside thu
house
'Ah, that's always the case--repeniance wheI
il is TOO late. Many man would be more care
fnl not 10 give his wife cause for anxiety, if h'
thought he vas soon 10 lose her. | could no
, help saying, it was in my thoughts, SO out
came.
, The sick-nurse, Mrs Gill, gave me the mos
explicit account of this awful business, and
will repeat il in her own words. She had nurse
! my sister in all her llness, and was good ol
, soul, but very unsuspcious.
1 My poor missis had dned sumPtuously, ma
= am, for her appetite was coming back 10 hel
The wing and breast of fowl, and bit ofb;
con, and parsley and butter, and some porte
n DIR Curing ran up when he had done carvin
/, for them in the parlor, with decan,er Of po
!. wine in his hand Some glasses, Mrs. Gill
d hssaid, and broughi'em to him, and he pou
u ed out the wine. My missis drank one glas
e and he drank two; he wanted her to have
u nail,er- and said it wouldn't hurt her; but 81
e left the deean,er on the mantlepiece, and to
At me TO be sure and give her glass about sevt
= for her afiernoon's sleep, and he leaned over b
and gave her kiss--for if he did-ahem =
he did admire other faces, he was a most afTe
y tionaie man TO his wife-and went down stair
| followed him, to go 10 my dinner, only sio
D. ping to pour out glass Of toast-and-waier al
! put it by my missis, as did in the afternoo
y Sometimes she would not drink any, and som
times she'd drink il all but she liked it to
5 there. Well, ma am, ] went down, shui,ir
At the bedroom door after me, To keep out the nois
T. didn't hurry over my dinner, and that's Il
blessed truth, for thought my missis would
asleep and wouldn't wan, me, and know
n must have been getting on for three when
n got back up stairs.
10 The bedroom door vas not closed then, on
y pushed 10, so knew somebody had been in d
room in my own mind ! suppose il was Mi
il Mary. stole in, and looked al my missi.
W she was sleeping sweeily, and went and sto
r IL. 4 n -
J. carriage coming ra,lling down the street, wit
p her and Miss in it. II stopped at our door, al
h their great loaf Of footboy got down, and ga
u such peal upon the knocker as shook the nous
4 My missis started up in fright. What's Il
RI mise, nurse ! she called out amy ofthe chill
l. ren huu = Bless you, no, ma am says !, i
IT that drafted knocker. wish folks wouldn
come a noisne and calling here when people
e asleep as wants 10 Sleep And for nothing,
weren't but to leave card, for the carriag
a and Mrs. and Miss. druv Off again. Try al
q doze bit more, ma am said. 4 don't kno,
d said my missis 4 think ! am thoroughly
X reused. Give me some toast-and-waier, nurs
e ] am thirsty That's the bacon, ma'am.
,r said, and handed her the glass of toast-and-w
4 ter, which stood ready on the little table by Il
= bedside, where had put il. She drank il nea
ly all. Its as bitter as gall, Mrs. Gill, 81
k exclaimed what have you dons to it = Bitter
y | said, why ! made it with my own two sinf
z hands this morning, and I'm sure The brei
j weren't burnt. II was not bitter before dinner
a With that turned to the jug, which stood att
y Of the drawers, and poured drop out into o.
le Of the wine glasses, after rinsng the drain
at port wine ont, and tasted il. And felt tn
Ie that missss mouth must be out of taste, for
if was not bitter at ALL but sweet, fresh toast-an
ID water. did not say so, for it amt my plae
n ma'am, 10 contradic, my ladies' faneies, a
le they weak and i'll, but was going to wash O
y the two wine-glasses, when saw missis gas
N ing on Ihe he'd rang the bell furious, de
n longer and iercer than that laundering foo,b
N had pealed upon the knocker, and DR.. CORN
who was a smoking in the harbOr---'
/; Smoking wherei' asked.
Is In the harbor, ma a'am-she sammer-hou
!; in the garden. lie heard the ringing, and can
h, flying up. Susan came, at the same time, a
Is Miss Mary came. Oh, Fam, can hard