Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-04-18

OF iron consultation, and he Is over sixty
years old. IL seemed TO me that his nery-
Gus system had been the FIRST to 20, and
while feared that dementia which SO
often carries of the old, yet could not
reconcile the sound state OF my patients
vital organs with the wretched state OF
prostratlon from which he so constantly
suffered"
"And so," said, somewhat solemniy,
after significant pause, "you suspected
poisonlng2"
Ralph made an impatient gesture
"Good graciJus" he exclaimed. sthow
you take. man upg" And then he added
slowly; i'If | should get worse news
about poor mothers health off there in
Topeka, and be forced to 20 on, n
don't believe l ought TO place MIR. wey-
mouth Ia your charge. You are too un-
scientific, too imaginative in your way OF
jumping at things. I've told him that
might be forced away suddenly, and that
II should be yon were lust the man to
call In during my absence"
Every kind OF you really said, with
mild satire.
mo one has been deducing what YOU
assume," continued Ralph, gently i'm.
pervious to my slight random shaft 81
have merely thought that the peculiar
symptoms Of Mr.. Weymouth's Illness
might point that way. Nothing more.n
Here followed quite long pause ON
Ralph's part. "Sudden cold sweatsn he
presently went on, with no real decrease
of pulse, and every organ in apparently
healthy enough condition TO make radical
disease out of the question, would sug-
gest something like an extraneous reason
for such seizures as MIR. Weymouth's.
But still, you know how battling all these
questions are. The true cause may be all
IN nutshell, and yet fellow may not be
able to find the particular nutshell and
crack 1t "
Ralph's exceedingly somber manner, as
he thus spoke, affected me in marked
way. knew him so well that knew he
would never have suspected poison unless
there had been some cogent reason for
1 his doing so.
"You've told me,n said, 'that Mr..
Weymouth has two children, son aud a
| daughter"
"Yes--by different mothers. Wilke
Weymouth is son by his first marriage.
! He is fifteen years older, If day, than
his sister, Miss Elena"
"And you said, l believe, Ralph, that
/ w Inc W CNlDOulu lihNi utOl
Il spendthritt ?n
"Yes; have heard so. His father has
spoken OF him during confidential talks
Of ouIs with geeat distress and contempt,
Mr.. Weymouth has called HIM. in so many
words, an inyeterate gambler"
"Ah ! see. He ish'ta drunkard them"
"a drunkard?" echoed Ralph, with a
grim laugh. "lf you looked at him once
cold, lean, with q pair Of black eyes
that can shine at you like basillsk's s.
whatev,ra basillsk really is, by the way
you wouldn't think Wilke Weymouth
mad ever been warmed by a real stimulIn
in his life.h
"Aud is his father going to leave hin
any Of his large fortune?"
II believe 1t is willed equally to hi:
sister Elena and hiuself"
"But does Mr.. Weymouth pay any o
Wilkes gambling debts1"
'Not dime of them. He has refused
long ago
"You say that you and the old gentle
man have had confidential chats together
Does he ever speak of altering his WIZ
eyes; he has repeatedly spoken of 1t
| II he were less debllitated than he Is,
believe he would do 80 TO morrow, ant
leave Wilkes share Of the money so 6d
ministered that only Its income-or
portion Of its incnme-could be touched
nv the smooth rascal during his lifetime
+ BY this proposed arrangement everything
: would go to Elena on Wilkes death, ant
r If the sister died before the brother,
4 cousin Of Mr.. Weymouth's would inherl
I alln
5 / made no immediate response. wa
"a
Ralph's book on polsons.
"Tell me-" presently said, "has MI
g Weymouth himself any feelings, intut
tions, convictions-cal them what 20
| please-that there is evil work OF any SOL
2 against himself within his own house
) hold2"
. Ralph started little as / put this ques
! ton and then he sobered characters
u tically before answering 1t.
l "Mr. Weymouth" he answered, INA
but one weird, as the old phrase goes
r He believes that the looking-glass In hi
t bedroom Is haunted by shadow"
s "a shadow" repeated.
$ "That Is what he calls 1t. He Is ofte
J. wakcful during the night, and am AYERS
= TO his taking strong narcotlcs. lie ma
u repeatedly assured me that In the loUk
"a luE-1lhSB OppUslLc lis DSu hS hnS $500 =
! night the shadow OF draped figure.
y consider this merely the fancy OF u sic
d man and nothing more. He cannot slee
!, at all unless the light in his apartment
d turned very dim. II this we're not so,
II should insist upon its benefGing his peac
OF mind by letting it all remain III
It enough TO shed its rays clearly.S
$50 he is himself mystitied by IN
u ghostly shadow, ehi"
d "0n, yes-quite.'
"Does he ascribe to 1t supernatur'
1t origln?"
n "Not precisely. But it troubles MIN
l good deal. / could teach him better
|, he were rid Of the Authorization"
}. "Have you mentioned 1t to his daus
it ter or his sOn?"
W "No; he has begged me not to do $
4 But have thought Of asking Miss Eler
Is 10 keep watch there some night, u
d known TO her father My only reast
y for not taking this course is sense
obligation honor, in fact-toward VI
m old gentleman himself"
If Again, for several minutes, salu not
sc ing. But presently found myself temp
ed TO ask another question. :,
- apo YOU leave any medicine at M
-. ~ .-a....k,, h.daiha Ralnh. for him