The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-02-07

the seekers after the Elixir of Life were in search
of--and they hated it and they held themselves
accursed that they had it. What Ahasuerus and
Vanderdecken would have given their souls to
possess was the Elixir of Death
That should be debarred from this precious
discovery by barren considerations of money or
time was intoerabe. Perhaps, if had had a
friend to whom could pour forth my projects,
and to whom could explain my disappointments,
and who could strengthen me with inspiring con-
ISOLATION and encouragement, I might have
thrown off the feeling of impatient and feverish
Irritation and recklessness which came upon me-
But had no friend in the world To my wife
could say nothing; shrouded in her grief, she
gllded silently about our four rooms until
came to shrink from looking at her lest should
reproach her as the cause of my loss. If only she
had not liked her gaze upon me when was
about to testify in court. her brother would not
have lived to bring ruin on US both. But conse-
quences are pitiless.
While / was in this unhealthy and morbid
state of mind, and while we were living thus in
suferably, happened to take down from an m
per shelf the note books / had used during my
wedding trip to Europe. Loosely in the leaves
of one of them found two folded papers; they
were the insurance policies on my life and on my
wlfes each for 500 000 and each for the others
benent which we had taken out, at the suggestion
OF Wilfred Morgan few days before we were
married. He had made the payments ON them
as they became due. With the papers in nv
hand 1 made a hasty calculation, and found
tt.iG ~ was almost Tune TO make another pay
ment, lest the policy should lapse by default.
Moved by an inexplicable impulse. picked out
a hundred rare volumes from my overcrowded
shelves, and took them to bookseller who had
recently told me that a customer of his was col
Letting genealogical library and the money
ne gave me for these suticed to keep alive the
policy on my wifes life. If she should die
would receive the insurance on her life with $50,
600 would plete the Elixir of Death beyond
ali question or dispute. And l knew that my
ia W. Of 70 ofo1 hot ho e.,
the rest of the grave. And the sight of her pale
face wore on me more and more, day by day.
Perhaps was mad; do not know great
physician has said that all men are mad Itmay
he that he was right and that / was only little
more mad than my fellow man. 1t may be that
l. am mad now | know little about madness;
yet know more than most for | know l know
nothing. despise the poor creatures who spend
themselves prying into the hooks and recesses of
the brain, when there is so much work waiting
TO be done In the world at large.
The notebook in which had found the policies
lay on my desk for a few days. When l took it
up, saw that it was the one in which had re-
corded my notes in the Tyrol. | read them
again in silence and sort of stupor fell upon
me. sat still and stolid for an hour or more,
then l arose and locked the note book in the
secret drawer of my desk, and | went out for a
walk. 1t was nearly midnight in the middle of
winter, and chill rain froze as fast as it fell.
When returned home, just before dawn, was
clothed In cerement of ice, but / had not felt
the cold. | went at once into the little room
which served me as a laboratory.
The next day my wife complained of burning
pains gave her medicine to relieve her, and
although 1t did no immediate good, the pains
gradually wore away, and had wholly gone at
the end of the week. A few weeks later they
returned, only to disappear again few days
later. had increased the daily dose of arsenic
that gave my wife every morning IN her coffee
After that | increased it every three weeks,
and once every three weeks my wife had these
burning pains | always prescribed for her in
vain effort to relieve the inevitable pain / gave
time to this, which had to take from my labors
on the Elixir of Death-that time / could i'll
spare If | was ever to accomplish anything l
was glad to know that in spite of these pains
Lillian was in excellent health, and came in
time to have strong scientific interest in her
case l noted every symptom and watched eyery
change l think she mistook the meaning of nv
attention, and for little while at least She was
happy in the thought that | loved her again
Her love gave her strength to bear the pancs
which came upon her so mysteriouSly.
In this manner nearly year had sped, with its
burdens of anxiety, and / determined to test the
success OF my superintendent to end it finally
however, as the time for that had not yet come
One day did not administer the usual dose of
arsenic, nor did the next, or the next In less
than a week Lillian began to fall away; she was
was too feeble to walk; she could not eat; she
was burnt up by the gnawing and growing pain
within; in word, she had every symptom Of ar
senical poisoning. There could be no doubt as
to the success Of the experiment. If did not at
once give her the portion of arsenic to which she
had become accustomed she would die. On the
eighth day after the cessation gave her poison
again, IN her coffee, at breakfast. 1t was but q
trihing dose, but it's effect was instantaneous
She revived and began to improve. In ten DAYS
l had returned to the full dose; had even in
creased it slightly; and Lillian had recovered her
strength. Yet she was taking every day four
grains of arsenic, quantity sufficient to kill two
able bodied men.
l now began to prepare for the end, and I
longed for the end to come that l might get on
with my work For several months so severe
was the tension my nerves that I had been
unable to go on with my search for the Elixir of
Death Beyond a few barren experiments me-
chanlcally conducted to an unsatisfactory con-
cluslon, had done nothing. and was possessed
by passionate longing to get to work again as
soon as might be. Every days delay maddened
me- Anxious as was, and eager as was, to
gain possession of the money, which needed in
my great work was not wanting in caution
mad no wish to see the man who was on the
brink OF the discovery of the Elixir of Death
hauled to prison for vulgar murder. l
TOOK counsel of my cunning. Hitherto I
had ministered to all my wifes ailments, and
she never dreamed of consulting another
physician. l knew a conceited. good-natured,
foolish young fellow who had Just been gradu-
ated from the medical school, where he had been
favorlte pupil of the poor. doddering old pro-
fessor of analytical chemistry From him
had nothlng to fear, and him, therefore, | called
ina compliment which gratfed him immeas-
urably. He came to my wife several times,
and saw nothing. l gave Lillian little medi-
cine, and threw in her way one or two books
on climate. began to drop hints that perhaps
she had tendency to consumption, likely to be
developed rapidly by one of the harsh winters of
New York. Her mother, who had married
again, was living at Nice, and 1 suggested that
there was no better climate for consumptves than
Nice. AS luck would have it, the next letter,
from Lilian's mother came from Mentone,
and it expressed wish that Lillian would come
over and spend the winter with them at Nice
Then arranged to meet the young DOCTOR acct
dentally, and | noculated him with the idea that
my wife was consumptive, and needed season
in the south of France, where she could have
complete change and rest. knew Lillian could
hardly bear to part from me- so 1 called in the
young doctor, and the suggestion came from
him. My wife Indignantly rejected it, but
combatted il so feebiy that the young doctor per-
severed. Fer week or ten days after his visit
mt NOR ayuac oh bou -. H..