Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-12-19

quiet one, but marked by an incident
which caused some talk When those
solemn words, we therefore commit
| his body to the ground, were spoken,
Mrs Kirkman, who had been stand.
ing by the head of the grave, knelt
down, took handful of earth, pressed
it to her lips, and let it fall slowly on
the coffin.
| Returning from the church yard.
Mrs. Markby took DR.. Fletcher aside,
and what passed between them re-
suited in his returning TO the Honor,
and going with her into the now va
cant den.
| IF I'm over-bold, Doctor, she be.
gan, 'in my questioning, please re-
member that, girl and woman, I've
served this family for three and thirty
years.
Yes, yes, yes; | understand he
said, afraid, like all his craft, OF long
introductions. Go on. What's the
matter now p
You remember my first mistress
here, Doctor?'
| vi course.
what did she die of?'
Impossible to say, exactly. She
was worn out with suffering, poor
lady! Perhaps there was some inter-
nal injury that escaped us, and which
may have led to the immediate cause
of her DEATH
'But the Colonel died of heart dis
ease-you're sure of that?'
Now, Mrs. Markby, come to the
motive of this questioning. There is
one beyond curiosity, l can see that
in your face said the doctor, getting
in earnest.
There is indeed, Sir; l was the
one who put the rooms to rights after
both deaths, and if you will believe
me, the same glass in which Mrs. Lock
wood had her last drink of lemonade
was the one the Colonel used for his
gin-and-water just before he died.
How can you possibly know that p
'The rim was Clipped where it fell
against the Jug
sPshaw! I'll engage that there are
a dozen Clipped tumblers in the
house,
maybe, but not of that pattern.
We've had nothing like that pattern
since my first lady's time. 1t is an
American sort of glass that she fam
cied--goblet shape, like big wine
glass Why, that's nearly fifteen
years ago, Doctor, and there is not
one other left. Set upon set have been
broken up since then. How came
this one left? And how did it get in.
to the Colonel's room?'
IF that's all, l don't think 1t worth
while to inquire. Odd things do sur.
vive. They get put away out of use.'
They do said the housekeeper.
somewhat relieved, that's true. If
you were only sure what my first lady
died OFF
There is something more in your
mind, Mrs. Markby,' replied the doc.
i taS s @Esf II Is sand insist upon know
Sir, there was app found on the
table near that glass, where the lem
onade had been spilled out OF il
Wonderful! sneered Fletcher. "A
lemon-pip in lemonade! You don't
say SOP
1t was Mary Jane Masters (Smith
was her maiden nancy who was un.
der me them the housekeeper contin-
ued, unmindful of the sarcasm, and
she made that lemonade. NV mis-.
tress was very particular not to have
any pips in it-tbey made it bitter,
she said, and / scolded Mary Jane for
her carelessness in not straining it, She
swore she had strained it, and DR..
Fletcher, l believe she told the truth.
never caught her out in lie before,
or AFTER
1T you mean anything at all by this,
you mean to intimate that the first
Mrs. Lockwood was poisoned the
doctor blurted out, getting red and
| uneasy.
'The Lord forgive me it I'm
wicked woman, but ! do Mrs Markby
replied.
BY whom?'
Sir, when l came back from the
room after giving Mary Jane my
mind, / couldn't find that glass.
didn't want it so much as the pip for
proof against the girl. / got that,
and thought no more about the tum-
bier till found it again on the Colo.
nel's table. How did he get it? Now,
Doctor, many times since Miss Stella
has been plaguing him he said he
| richaI ha xyac Joad fhot he l:fo xros
not worth having, and such like. Sup.
pose he had disease of the heart, but
didn't die Of it? Suppose he pois-
oned himself?'
THAT wouldn't show that he had
poisoned another
1T would show that he had poison,
though. Where did he keep it? If
he ever used it in that tumbler, he
would most likely have put them
away together
By-Markby. you ought to have
been detective exclaimed the doc
tor. WAS there anything in the tum-
bier when you found it last?'
about tablespoonful of gin-and
water
sYou didn't throw it away, hope !?
No, Sir, l locked it up just as it
was, in that drawer
As she spoke, she opened the
drawer, and handed Fletcher the
cracked tumbler, with about two
inches Of clear liquid in it. At his re
quest she then got vial, into which,
after having washed it out carefully,
he poured the gin-and-water which
the Colonel had left.
Il will take this home with me- he
said, 'and let you know tomorrow il
there is anything wrong about it. In
the meantime, noia word to any one.'
i Tomorrow came, but no DR..
Fletcher. Three days passed, and yet
he had not kept his word. On the
morning of the fourth be drove up in
his gig, with portmanteau and rugs,
as though bound for journey, and
sent for Mrs Markby to come out to
him, as he had not moment to spare.
! 'I'm puzzled about that he whis-
pered, and am gong to London to
4 <C ,h1 10 IRE