The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-08-14


Glanclng accidentally to his place
that moment | was vaguely conscious
that he was not really sleeping, but ly-
ing witt, his eyes held half open, gaz.
ing at me cautiously and furtively
through his closed eyelids.
Then the horrible truth flashed sud.
denly across me. Lemarcbant was try
ing to poison me.
Yes, he had always hated me, and
now that he knew that / was Doras
discarded lover he hated me worse than
ever He had got up and taken a bot
tie from the medicine chest, / felt Ger.
tain, and put something else instead of
quinine inside my paper.
l knew his eyes were fixed upon me
then, and for the moment l dissembled.
| turned round and pretended to
swallow the contents of the packet,
and then lay down upon my rug, as if
nothing unusual had happened. The
fever was burning me fiercely, but |
lay awake, kept up by the excitement,
till / saw that he was really asleep, aud
then once more / undid the paper.
saw at once what Lemarchant had
done. He had enptied out the qui-
nine and replaced it by some other
white powder, probably arsenic. But
a little of the quinine still adhered to
the folds in the paper, because he had
been obliged to substitute it hurriedly,
and that at once proved that it was no
mistake of my own, but that Lemar-
chant had really made the deliberate
attempt to poison me.
This is confession, and a confes.
sion only, SO shall make no effort in
any way to exculpate myself for the
horrid crime committed the next mo-
ment. True, l was wild with fever
and delirium was maddened with
the thought that this wretch would
marry::Dora. l was Mortified at the
idea of sleeping in the same room with
him any longer. But still, l acknow-
ledge it now, face to face with lonely
death upon this frozen island, it was
murder, willful murder. l meant to
poison him, and I did it.
'He has set this powder for me, the
william" said to him, sand now l
shall make him take it without know
ing it. How do know that it's ar
senic or anything else to do him any
harm l? His blood be upon his own
head. for aught I know about it.
What l put there was simple quinine
If anybody has changed it, he has
changed it himself. The pit that he
dug for another, he himself shall fall
therein
wouldn't even test it, for fear
should find it was arsenic, and be una
BILE to give it to him innocently and
harmlessly.
rose up and went over to Lemar-
chants side. Horrors of horrors! he
was sleeping soundly! Yes, the man
had tried to poison me. and when he
thought he had seen me swallow his
poisonous powder, so callous and har-
dened was his nature, that he didn't
even lie awake to watch the effect OF
it. He had dropped off soundly, as il
nothing had happened, and was sleep
ing now, to all appearance, the sleep
of innocence. Being convalescent, in
fact, and therefore in need of rest, he
slept with unusual soundness.
laid the altered powder quietly by
his pillow, took away his that l hat
laid out in readiness for him, and crept
back to my own place noiselessly.
There lay awake, hot and feverish
wondering to myself hour after hou
when he would ever wake and take it
He sat up,took the spoonful of treacle
and poured the powder as usual int
the very middle of it. watched him
drink it off at single gulp withou
perceiving the difference, and then
sank back exhausted upon my roll o
sealskins.
| All that day was very i'll an,
Lemarchant lying tossing beside me
groaned and moaned in a terrible fash
ion. AT last the truth seemed to dawl
upon him gradually. and he cried alou,
to me; "Doctor, Doctor, quick, fo
Heaye ems sake! You must get IN
out an antidote. The powders mus
have got mixed somehow, and you'v
given me arsenic instead of quinine
, I'm certain"
"Not bit of it, Lemarchant," sale
with some devilish malice "Ive give
; you one of my own packets, that wa
lying here beside my pillow"
, He turned as white as a sheet tn
moment he heard that, and gasped GU
horribly, "That-that-why, that wa
arsenic!' But he never explained in
single word how he knew it, or wher
: it came from. / knew, l needed n
explanation, and l wanted no lies, s
, l didn't question him,
l treated him as we'll as | could fC
! arsenic poisoning, without saying
9 word to the captain and the 9th,
3 men about it for if he died, l said,
, would be by his own act, and if m
a skill could still avail, he should ha,
the benefit of it, but the poison ha
, had full time TO work before / ga,
t him the antidote, and he died by
J. o'clock that night in fearful agonies.
, Then l knew l was really murdere
My fingers are beginning to G,
numb, and I'm afraid l shan't be alb
| to write much longer. ] must |
: quick about it if / want to finish tn
| confession
@
After that came my retribution.
d have been punished for it, and punis
t ed terribly,
I As soon as they all heard LENA
Il chant was dead-a severe relapse, | call
it-they set to work to carry him O.
Q and lay him somewhere. Then for II
$ first time the idea flashed across n
l. mind that they couldn't possibly bun
him. The ice was too deep ever
@ where, and underneath it lay the sol