The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1886-06-04

great many questions, and then begged
to speak with me alone. When she left
the room he turned to me and said,
MRS. Willis, has Miss Una enc.
miesp'
"Well, marin, the question took ma
by surprise. SO told him all about Mrs
Ainsley and Alex Linwood.
.'!Well,' said he, slowly, Il don't want
to arouse suspicion against Mrs Aims
ley, but think Miss Una is being slow
ly poisoned
"Yea oan not imagine my terror; he
gave me some directions, told ME to
cook every thing myself for Una, and to
watch Mrs. Ainsley. You may be sure
kept sharp lookout, but never dis
covered any thing. My darling was no
better, so I told Alex he had better
marry her at once and take her away.
Alex was nearly crazed at seeing Una SO
sickly, and was only too glad TO marry
her. So the wedding day was set. The
day before the wedding. Una was taken
suddenly very bad, so / sent in q great
hurry for Doctor Grey; when he came
Mrs. Ainsley was in the room. Doctor
Grey felt Una's pulse, and then fixing
his eyes on madanl's face, said:
MADAME, this girl is poisoned. I
shall call my friend, Prof. Hauge, and
we will hold consultation
"Mrs. Ainsley turned pale, but, COM
posing herself, answered.:
Certainly, doctor, if you think il
necessary. Mrs. Willis always attends
Una, and if she is poisoned, dare say
she knows it.
"Of course, Twas very angry at that,
so said:
." ITO be sure attend Una; but as for
poison, guess if Una were gone sonie-
| body might get Alex Linwood.'
"She turned white as a sheet; the doc
tor thought there would be scene, so
he begged Mrs. Ainsley to leave the
room and not mind me. When she was
gone he left some directions, and went
away promising to go for Alex. Alex
came ia half an hour, and the way he
went on was awful; he took her in his
arms, and cried over her like baby;
he would not go away, but stayed up all
night watching her with me.
| "About one o'clock Alex insisted
upon my lying down, so I went into
the adjoining room and sat down be-
hind the curtain. There is another
room opening into this one where the
medicine is kept. / sat facing this
room, and could see it through slit in
the curtain. All at once 1 heard a
noise; looking up, ] saw panel in the
medicine-room slide away, and Mrs.
Ainsley came out with a lantern in her
hand. She went to the closet and be-
gan rummaging among the bottles.
slipped out of the win
dow, and went into Una's
room; the windows open on the balcony,
you know. Alex was standing near the
bed. pulled him away, whispering:
wait minute and you will see some
thing pushed him behind the bed
curtain and got under the bed myself,
and not bit too soon, for just then
Mrs. Ainsley came in with phial in her
hand; pouring something on cloth,
she was about to put it on Una's face,
when Alex caught her hand; she
screamed and tainted. Alex took both
phial and cloth and laid them away.
swell, there is not much more to tell.
You know how Mrs. Ainsley got crazy,
| jumped out of the window and was
killed; but, before that, she confessed
that she tried to kill Una, thinking if
Una were dead Alex would marry her.
She used to make Una inhale the poison,
always going into the room when Una
| slept. Una was long time getting
we'll; but six months after Mrs. Aims
ley's death they were married, and a
happier couple never lived. So that "a
the story of the Hall just as it happAaed.
-1Sd-Bsts.