The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1872-03-26

never very TODuSU.
She said, in answer to my questions,
that she had no physician except her
husband. He had thought himself bet
ter acquainted with her case, and there
fore better qualified to treat it. He new
er left medicine with her 10 take; he al.
ways brought it himself fresh from his
office and administered it personally.
A charge Of such a nature, of course,
| could no. make against DR.. Spencer,
without the amplest proof. If I had
limited suspicion every one would at
once set it down as professional preju-
dice; and # | should not substantiate my
statement, the doctor could make me
pay dearly for such SANDER uttered
against him.
The only dependence seemed to be in
Mrs. Hurd. To her / unbosomed my
self freely. l told her without reserve
that l believed DR.. Spencer was killing
his wife by slow poison, and bcsought
her to be constantly on the watch to
save the victim, and to discover some
proof by which we could fasten his guilt
upon him.
She smiled grimly and promised obe-
dience. l gave her a powerful antidote
for the poison l suspected, and went
home strangely perturbed and anxious
in mind.
And now l must tell the story as it
was told to me-
DR.. Spencer returned home in the
morning after my visit to the Clifton
House. He looked wretchedly, the old
nurse said, and appeared unusually
gloomy and depressed. Miss Me.rose
came with him, and was decorously sad
over the death Of her sister
DR.. Spencer came at once to his wife's
chamber. He thought she looked ill,
and prescribed cordial at once, say
ing he would 90 and fetch it.
You are always ordering cordisls
for her," said Mrs Hurd, musingly.-
"Why not take something yourself2-
You 10 ok like ghost"
He eyed her keenly, but replied com.
posedly.
81 think / will take some Of the cor
dials myself, for | do not feel quite
well. Alicia, dear, shall bring it here
and drink your health ?"
Mrs. Spencer smiled sadly in assent
she never disputed her husband-and he
went out. Presently he returned with
two glasses. Both contained liquid,
colorless and inodorous.
He lifted the glass on the right of the
tray and gave it to his wife.
Mrs. Spencer accepted it, and was
putting it to her lips, when Mrs Hurd
interposed:
"If you will bring tumbler of wa.
ter, docter, Mrs. Spencer complains that
the cordials leaves bad taste in her
mouth. And my old bones are so full
of rheumatism that it kills me to go
down stairs.
The doctor turned and bent ON her q
look as ifhe would read her through and
through But she kept her face impass-
i've. If he had any suspicious, her
manner queted them, and putting down
the glass, he left the room.
Then Mrs. Hurd changed the position
of the glasses.
When he came back he lifted the
glass-this time it was the one he in.
tended for himself-and placed it to the
lips of his wife. She drank the con-
tents, swallowed little of the water he
had brought Der, and thanked him in
her sad, sweet way.
"Now for my own cordial" said he,
and as he spoke he tossed off the mix
ture.
cit made me stone cold to my fingers
ends to see him do it, said Mrs. Hurd,
in relating the circumstances to me,
"but Heaven is my witness, l fe.t not a
single twing of conscience. l argued
like this: If it was simple cordial, as
he had said, it would Go him no harm.
If it was poison, his blood would be
on his own head
He went to bed half hour after COM
planning of fatigue In the morning
they found him dead l was called to
the post mortem examination, and we
discovered in the stomach of the de-
ceased, a sufficient quantity of one Of
the deadliest poisons known to modern
science to kill 8 half dozen men.
My brother physicians agreed that the
man was insane, and had probably ta-
ken the drug in one Of his unsettled fits
of mind; there was no public exposure.
Mrs, Hurd and l agreed that it would
profit no one to make the wretcbed affair
public, and we kept our own counsel.
Miss Melrose, in spite of my convic,
ton that she had been an active party
to the conspiracy against Mrs Spencer's
life, l could not help plying. She was
a harmless maniac, whose delight was
in gathering flowers and decorating the
doctors grave with them. She is living
still, aud she still gathers flowers and
lays them on that grave, singing to her.
self, meanwhile, sort of low incanta-
ton, which no one ever pretends to un-
derstand
Not until Mrs. Spcnces had been
many years my wife, and faithful Mrs.
Hurd slept under the violets, did Alicia
ever know of the perlidy of her hus-
band And when | told her, after the
first shock was over, she crept into my
arms, and whispered:
but if it had not been for James
crime, l should not have found you,
Ernest. SO geod does sometimes come
out of evil"
Are You Happy.