Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-07-14

nav AO0AO AiOAO ANNOA III NAAS " "
of white-haired gentleman who is
half the time in Paris and half the
time in G. than has ever en-
tered the mind Of her mistress to
imagine.
For a number Of months the
widow had suffered from an Unac-
countable arrangement in her
health. She lost all appetite; be-
came ghastly pale, and every morn
ing appeared with water swellings
above and below the eyes that
quite effaced her beauty. She con-
suited her physician, who after
close examination Of her symptoms
announced his conviction Of the
nature of her malady. She repu-
dated his idea with energy, for
where had she an enemy-sho did
not say in the world-in Paris who
could desire her death?o Neverthe-
less, so firm was the belief Of the
doctor that arsenic had been intro
duced into her system that she
consented to use all the remedies
used in cases Of poisoning.
Yet still the symptoms continued,
sometimes so aggravated in their
character that there could no longer
remain any doubt Of their origin.
One morning lying in bed the
widow noticed the glass of pure
water which her maid always put
upon the table beside the bed upon
retiring to her own room. She saw
upon the surface OF the water a
slight sprinkling of white dust.
No one had entered her chamber
since her maid left; of this she was
sure, for the door was locked on
the inside. She kept the glass oI
water, and showed it to her doctor,
who unhesitatingly pronounced the
| dust to be arsenic.
+. Madame was thunderstruck. She
could not complain when the doc
tor brought two other physicians
and summoned the servants to ap
pear before them. Suspicion haC
begun to rest upon the maid; ye
the two domestics answered al
questions with such seeming frank
ness and manifested SO much sym
pathy for their mistress that thu
physicians in their turn was stag
I gered. 1t was a mystery to whicl
they could not find the clew.
A glass filled with pure waite
was the next night placed in tn
t same spot. The next morning th
; arsenic powder was thicker than be
fore, although the widow had file,
, the glass herself, and had watche
! all night beside it with lighted can
| dies. This added mystery confuse
t them all they did not know wha
0 to do. The next night the expert
j ment was repeated. But itchance
2 that at midnight came unexpecte
!. the white-haired gentleman fror
e outre mer. He came--oh, he cam
directly to Madame WIS room
/. whom he found fast asleep amid
blaze of lighted candles. He scente
t a peculiar odor in the room; h
i saw a peculiar condition of the al
n moSphere. Hearing the whole stor
s Of the poisoning, be made certai
g investigations, and the result wa
+ the discovery that the arsenic cam
! from the combustion of the candle
4 which la belle Americana was burr
|. ing with such profusion. She ha
e always been in the habit of sleepin
with candles lighted by her bedsid
+ the beautiful star candles whic
: look so much like clear-cut shat
: of alabaster. This beautiful az
I pearance is produced by the use i
n their composition of the arseni
! which had so nearly put an end t
i the romantic history Of la bel.
$ Americaine,
o Madame is better now. Thol
h are no watery swellings under h,
q eyes, and her complexion is as pul
p rs the famous one of Gabrielle
n Estrees. Her abode is like the hon
q Of q princess, her beauty is superl
her health is perfect, and the lilic
3. of the field are not attired soroyall
!: rs she. And yet this fair dame
}; not happy. There is u crumplt
n rose-leaf under the high-piled couC
sr of the princess. Nay, there are tw
E InquiSitiye people will ask how Il
IS arsenic was discovered in her chan
" ber, and--she is growing jealous
" her pretty maid.
!. Men aud Women.