The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-04-18

iStry. From him had nothing to fear
 and him therefore called ina compI' naent which gratifed him immeasurablv. He came to see my wife sexaral times and saw nething. gave Lilian a little medicine, and l threw in her way one or two books on climate. Thegam to drop hints that perhaps she had q tendency to consumption, likely to be developed ran. idly in one of the harsh winters of Nev York. Her mother, who had married again, was living at Nice, and suggested that there vas no better climate for con. sumptives than Nice. As luck would have it. the next letter from Llans mother came from Mentone, and it ex. pressed wish that Lillian would come over and spend the winter with them at Nice. Then ! arranged to meet the young doctor, accidentally, and iinoculated him with the idea that my wife was consums- tive, and needed a season in the south of France, where she could have complete change and rest. I knew Lillian could hardly bear to part from me, so called in the young doctor, and the suggestion came from him. My wite indignantly re- jected it, but combated it so feebly that the young doctor persevered. For week or ten days after his visit nothing more was said about her joining her mother: then the discussion was suddenly revived. The young doctor was called in again: his forcible arguments converted me re- luctansly. and told her she ought to 20 if she wished to save her life.
 She yielded at last, when promised to rejoin her in the spring. engaged her state-room on the Deutschland, to sail Saturday, November 6, and on Sunday. the first day of November, gave her the last dose of arsenic. In two or three days the effects of the cessation from the poi son began to be apparent, but it was then too late to draw back. When Saturday came, and took her on board the boat and led her to her state-room, and was about to say good-by, she aroused her self from the dull lethargy into which she had sunk few hours before. She clunp to me and asked if could not give up my work and go with her. And as she asked that she knew it was impossible. Then she begged me not to ask her to leave me. If she had consumption she was not afraid of death, she said, and was ready to die here by my side in New York. told her that it was too late then to draw back. She cast her large mourn ful eyes on me with a most pitiful look and said, If l am to die, would rather die here" Then she reused herself, and stood up and said that if she must die she would rather die by my hand.
 l comforted her as best l could, and just as the bell rang for the departure of the boat administered scpori6c. which soon soothed her into slumber. Then I left the vessel and stood on the dock, and saw it glide away from my sight, as Lil- ian had glided out of my heart, fading away gradually until could no longer distinguish it in the dim distance. 1 knew that the end vas at hand. knew that Lillian would die eleven or twelve days after had ceased to give the arsenic; and knew that her death would be as- cribed to sea-sickness, while her body would be consigned to the waves. And so 1t came to pass. In a month all was over the news came of the safe arrival out of the Deutschland, one passenger, the wife of an eminent American scientist, having died on the voyage from the effects of sea-sickness. In few weeks the proof of her death had been given to the life insurance company, and l had received the $50 900 needed for my search after the Elixir of Death.
 It is impossible to describe the buoy ant joy felt the first time 1 entered my laboratory after had received the money, and knew that could thereafter de- vote my time wholly to the cause of sci- ence without any vulgar thought of money-making. had the fierce delight the Arctic explorer might feel could he stand in sight of the open polar sea. For l too was in sight of my goal, although the locked ice of poverty had kept me rom going forward. had combined the ingredients of the Elixir of Death, and all that remained to do was to devise the means of administration, at any time, at any distance, and in spite of any precau- tions against it. When compared with what had accomplished, what remained to be achieved was the veriest trife. came to my work fresh and with a new burst of enthusiasm, and after a month of hard labor discovered the principle, and within another month had perfected the application oft. Like all really great discoveries it had the merit of extraordi- nary simplicity. Taking hint from the Indian who sends hurting through the air, straight to the heart of the victim, the poisoned arrow, the point of which he has steeped in the venom of the serpent's sting, bent my utmost endeavors to the utilization of natural forces, and in time taught them to do my bidding. Within three months after I had seen my wife sail away from my sight to meet watery grave, l stood alone in my laboratory at midnight with tiny vial in my hand con- taining the Elixir of Death. l had dis covered the poison which would cause the death of any one, at any time, at any distance, despite any and all precautions. The Elixir of Death was mine at last, and the whole world was in my powerl
 With the accomplishment of my desire lost my objection in life. l had attained to the utmost of my wish. There was nothing further for me to do. To use the power l possessed was not part of my plan. It was the possession of the power which had sought, and not its use. The