St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-07-16

| Mrs. Spencer received me in lei
bed chamber. Ii was on the second
floor, aud was furnished with exquisite
elegance.
| Everything in the room bespoke the
deiicacy and taste of the occupant
| The warm air was fragrant with thu
faint odor of heliOtrope; and CHANGING
around ] saw the purple blossoms ant
green leaves in an alabaster case on
the edge of the south window.
/ She was a woman who, when once
seen, could never he forgotten. have
met in my life many a beautiful woman
but never one SO lovely.
She was tall and straight. with
purely oval face, liquid brown eyes
and dash of hectic in her check
which is never seen in perfect health
She received me, as ! know she die
everyone, gracefully, and though there
was "A slight embarrassment IN hel
manner when / spoke of her illness
she answered my professional inquiries
without hesitation.
| As for myself, | laid aside all false
delicacy and questioned her plainly IA
to her symptoms. Mrs. Hurd, hel
nurse, remained in the room, aud add
ed many important little items of in
/ formation.
When she spoke of her husband, il
was with "a sort of hopeless sadness
which distressed me greatly
Not breath Of suspicion against
him i'll her answers to my questions,
and | felt sure that at present SHE
knew nothing of what Mrs. Hurd had
such serious approximations. was
glad it was so, for with her finely
strung organization, it might have pro-
duced serious results. made my eX-
animation of the patient as closely as
/ could, and drew my own conclusions.
| could have sworn that Mrs. Spencer
daily swallowed arsenic in small guam
titles, aud the deadly drug was telling
fearfully on her constitution.
She said, answering my questions,
that she had no physician except hen
husband. He thought himself better
acquainted with her case, and there
fore better qualified to treat her. He
never left medicine with her to take ;
he always brought it fresh from his of
flee, and administered it promptly.
There was little enough | could do
in such case. Anxious to do every
thing, the very circumstance of the at
fair left me nearly powerless.
A charge of such nature OF course |
could not make out against DIR. Spen
Ger, without the amplest proof. II
limited suspicion, everyone would set
it down to my professional prejudice ;
and if / could not substantiate my
statement, the doctor could make me
pay dearly for such IA Islander utter ed
against him.
The only dependence seemed to be
in Mrs. Hurd. To her | unbosOmed
my self freely. / told her without re-
serve that | thought DR.. Spencer was
killing his wife by slow poison, and |
besought her to constantly watch to
save the victim, and discover some
proof by which we could tasten the
guilt upon him.
She smiled grimly and promised ODE
dience, and gave her powerful anti
dOte for the poison | suspected, and
went home perturbed and anxious in
mind. | did not sleep that night and
all the next day | was in a high fever
of excitement. A ring at the bell
made me tremble-a step on the grav-
el outside my office stopped my breath,
and hardly knew what expected to
hear. ! felt sure before | slept | should
hear something.
Aud now | must tell the story us it
was told me.
DIR. Spencer returned home the morn
ing after my visit to the Clifton house.
He looked wretchedly, the nurse said +;
appeared gloomy and depressed. Miss
MelrOse came with him and looked
decOrOusly sad over the death of her
sister. Women of her stamp always
do mourn to perfection. They neither
OverdO nor undcrdo the thing, as
women of feeling are likely to do.
DR.. Spencer came at once to his
wite's chamber. He thought she look
ed i'll, and prescribed acordial at once,
saving he would go and fetch it.
''YOu are always ordering cordials
for her" said Mrs. Hurd, musingly.
"Why not take something yourself :
You look like Il ghost"
He eyed her keenly, but replied COM
pOsedly:
II think | will take some of the cor
dial myself, for | do not feel quite
well. Alice, 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
liquor cOlOrless and OdOrless. Mrs.
Hurd was watching him with her heart
in her throat, for she told me that she
felt the decisive moment had come.
There was something in the gray pal
lor of the doctors rigid face that told
her of desperate purpose in the mans
soul.
He lifted the glass to the right of the
tray and gave it to his wife.
Drink it, dear" he said. "It's II
panacea for all evils. am also going
to take a glass of it," and he pointed
to the glass still on the tray.
Mrs. Spencer accepted 1t and was
putting it to her lips, when Mrs. Hnrd
interrupted.
''If you will bring her "A tumbler of
that the cordial leaves bad taste in
her mouth, and my old bones are so
full of rheumatism that it nearly kills
me to go down stairs"
The doctor turned and bent on her n
look as though he meant to read her
through. But she kept her face passive.
II he had any suspicious her manner
quieted them, and putting down the
glass he left the room. Then Mrs.
Hurd changed the position of the
glasses.
When he came back-aud he was
gone but "A mOment-the nurse stood
exactly where he had left her, and
Mrs. Spencer was lying back in her
chair with her eyes closed.
Again he lifted the glass, this time it
was the one intended for himself, aud
placed it at the lips of his wife. She
swallowed the contents, drank little
of the water he brought her, aud
him in her sad, sweet way.