The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1888-09-22
A LITTLE BISMUTH.
Story of Artist Lif. in Munich.

suspension of business for the day. T6waft
dusk an elderly appaaring woman, black
eioaked and yelled, enters a drug shop in Z
street little removed from the business Dor
ton of the town
The clerks Of the establishment are al10np
the thousands viewing the pageant then PASS
ing few streets away When the heels 81
the woInan's boots rattle upon the marble
flooring the proprietor Of the shop comes for,
ward from the back of the long room, *heft
he has been brooding under the single gas jet
lighted in the place. He is a yonng man,
white of face, and wild Of eye, looking as
though he we're undergoing severe mental
strain.
"What is your wish9" he asks III q voice
that hos an English ring III It;
The woman Was fuimbling at her pocket as
Though in search Of her purse:
Il should like small quantity ofbismuth,"
she answered, when he had addressed her a
second time.
The druggist picked aB a horn spatula,
went to The back Of the shop, returned with
the spatula filed with white powder, put
some oft in the silver scale upon the polished
counter, wrapped 1t in a BIZ Of fhe paper
and handed i 70 his fastof6ee1r.
SIZE did not Immediately take 1t from his
hand which caused him to look at her and
note her apparel; thus he was able to de-
scribe her appearance to the police a little
later on. He Also noted that the eyes back of
tie veil were fixed upon him. This, in his then
frame of mind, irritated him.
Here is your bismuth," he said almost
harshly.
Then she caught Up the little package; toss
ed down = piece Of mohey and walked rapidly
to the door: The knob in her hand, she paused.
us there anything else?" he asked.
4, She opened the door and was gone. A
band in the procession was playing the i've
hest of tunes; wisps of the melody entered the
shop. The druggist groaned,, and picking
up the spatula went to put IL lii the dfawer
from which he had taken, the powder left over
from the quantity BE had weighed Out for the
woman, When he came to the place, he
started back with an exclamation. He had
neglected the shop for several days
had taken the bismuth from the
drawer where it had always been kept and
for it newly discovered drug.
one of the deadliest and most subtle poisons
in the pharmacop9ia. He had properly
marked the drawer with the name of the
poison, but the druggist had automatically
gone to the usual reteptical of the bismuth
and had not noticed the change. He had
given the Unknown woman enough Of the
poison to kill her.
He flew to the door. The woman was no.
where to be seen. He ran to the corner and
looked up and down in the gathering gloom,
but no one was in sight. He retraced his
steps to the shop and found on the threshold
the label marked 'Bismtith;' which he had
placed upon the woInah's purchase and which
she mist have torn off as she agitatedly put
the package in her pocket. This label
bore his name. His first sensation was al
most of relief The mistake might not now
be traced to him if the poor creature swal-
owed the drug he had given her.
Where was the happiness of life? Here
was an elderly bowed woman whose mourn.
ng weeds bespoke sadness and loss. Might
he not have placed within her reach relief
rom care and memory Then he revolted
rom this morbid reasoning and the enormi-
y of his responsibility flashed across min.
He went to the parlor back of the shop, Here
he found his mother reading>-a stern, cold
Woman, in whose eye was power of will I'M |
possessed by her son.
"Let me tell you what have DONE" he |
laid in English.
She slowly closed her book.
what do you mean?" she asked leisurely. |
Is though she expected some extravaganza |
tory of an escapade. He told her what had |
Her brow contracted.
BLAINE your own weak SELF she said.
"No, blame you" he retorted.
GLOW me?" she demanded rising to her |
eet. Explain yourself"
Have you not made me as | ann" he |
aid, unfit for business, unfit for anything |
81 have not" she answered, "but the act
Dg woman has,"
With stride he was beside her, his hand
pom her arm.
"Do not touch me," she said, shaking him
if land listen to me-"
"Well?"
"You have not for days allowed me to
peak. shall speak now"
"Well?"
His insoience of manner cast a glow in her
ace and made her harsher than she meant
o be.
81 say that you should blame Lilli, the
ctress, if aught of harm comes from your
nprehensible carelessness, !" she said. 81 have
old you that she maddened you-you knew
hat no good could come Of your intimacy
18th her."
II know that love her."
"A woman barely knowing her name, a
Toman acting upon the stage. You are of
descent; your dead father was
gentleman, your mother is a lady. Could l
rock an alliance which should bring into
ur family player whose face has turned the
eads of half the youth in Munich = Let her
harry one of her own fraternity, one who
Jews her trade from therart standpoint.
larriage with youL~was simply impossible.
i'd you take warning? You but allowed
ourself to be all the more carried away by
our infatuation, and were on the point of
eclaring yourself to her when came to the
scue"
Sand how did you come to the rescue?"
e asked. TEL me that"
"By appealing to the woman herself" she
answered, "as you well know"
Yes, by going to the back door of a thea
II, asking for an actress and laying before
,r your puritanical ideas, to such q degree
lowing her your distaste for her that she
eeds must see in me the weakest of men be-
luse of your presumption, and so she gives
e up. And this is the woman you say is
ot fit to enter our poor family that sendsits
ms to foreign countries trying to exc out an
,istence on beggarly income which at
on and in the "set" we call our own. In 60
g to Lill as yon did you showed that she
as equal to the highest womanhood; a
oman less than lady would never have re-
nted your visit as she has done-would
.ver have given up the man who loved her."
She was putting on her bonnet.
'You are scarcely accountable for what
,u are saying" she said II did that for
~ for which you will yet thank nee. Lilli-"
sis as true woman as you are.
She raised her chin. Gas though l should
I've gone to her had she not been" she said:
rs though Clark would harbor a feeling
admiration for q woman who is not as If
proachable in every respect as the ladies OF
s own family. She is good woman, but
are there many good women of unfortun-
e parentage, and with miserable ways of
rning q living. ballet dancer, q waitress !
a cafe may possess oil that the Fraulein !
Iii has ascribed to her: but would you mar
the dansuese or the waitress2 1t is all
'er, and happily over; tomorrow night is
II last in Munich. In Berlin she will renew
r early triumphs, while you will have
own calm enough to recognize the force of
Y easOning-especially when the fraulein
aries q title" She had not mean ito say
at.
what is that?" he cried quickly.
Your violence has prevented my telling
~ all. Your love, as you persist in
rming your insane infatuation, has made
g somewhat fearful of the consequences were |
to tell you all that the fraulein told me; but
,ur mistake in the selling of poison proves
at nothing you might know could make
III more reckless. Lill informed me when l |
st saw her, two days ago, that she had
en- asked in marriage by the Baron Vol !!
til.
''And her answer to him?"
''She had not given him IN answer vet /"