The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-10-02
THE POISONED POTION.
London Society.1


sack. dear. who is Sir Robert Ballan-
tyne?"
"Ballantyne? Oh, he's a great analyst
and writer ON chemistry, but better known
as the highest authority on the treatment Of
affe,tions of the BRAIN"
"And what have you been writing to him
about?"
"How do you know have?"
II happened to look at the letters you left
on the hall table this morning"
"Well?"
81 only asked. wasn't aware that you
knew him."
'Oh, yes, Ballantyne and are very old
friends"
"But never heard you mention his name
before"
"Indeedv'
This dialogue had been conducted with an
evident anxiety on the one side. and reserve
on the other. by no means characteristic Of
the speakers.
Jack Rivers had always been frankness
itself, and Dolly the most light hearted and
unsuspicious of wives.
Their married life, indeed, had been one of
unalloyed happiness, though undertaken
against the advice of all their friends and re-
lations
Dolly's father had been furious at her en-
gagement to "beggarly bankers clerk, and
had refused to attend her wedding, or to give
any assistance toward the young peoples
housekeeping expenses.
Jacks relatives, too, after his neglect of
their solemn warnings against marrying a
penniless girl, when Miss Argent. with her
100000. might have been had for the asking,
had washed their hands," as they put it, "of
the whole concern"
In spite, however, of poverty and isolation,
the young wife had never regretted her mar
riage, nor considered herself other than the
happiest of women, till within the last few
weeks preceding the above conversation.
The last few weeks!
When and how Dolly's misgivings were
first aroused, she scarcely knew. but at the
time when she put the question to her hus-
band about his letter to the specialist, they
had already assumed definite form.
She felt convinced that Jack had some
thing on his mind, and she, moreover, sus-
pected the cause Of his trouble. 1t was not
only that his habits and manner had gradual
ly changed; that he omitted the customary
little attentions to his wife; that he sat at
meals drumming with his fingers on the table,
and starting or staring vacantly when sud-
denly addressed; not only that he displayed
q strange irritability; that he locked himself
up in his study after dinner, or went out late,
with the unsatisfactory explanation that he
wanted to read at the club. 1t was not alone
hn IN had ut nlnwl
toss and tumble through the weary watches.
All this was nothing to the revelation made
one awful night, when Dolly, listening
breathlesSy at his side, overheard his NUT
tered words. She knew he was awake, and
not dreaming. Why, then, should he talk of
murder and poison, and seem to be balancing
In his mind the comparative merits of alter
native modes of death? What could 1t mean?
Could the terrible explanation which had
previously crossed her mind be true, and
were this irritablity this abstraction and
this sleeplessness the symptoms of a weaken
ing mind, of approaching insanity
Such being the suspicion already enter
tanned, the result of Dolly's discovery that
her husband was in correspondence with a
brain doctor may be imagined. Evidently,
she thought, Jack knew his danger and was
asking for assistance, and what was the duty
of wife in the circumstances Surely to
ascertain the nature of the advice given in
reply, and to carry 1t out with all the dis
erection and devotion possible.
There was no difficulty In the first pant of
the programme. A letter, obviously from Sir
Robert Ballantyne, was delivered during
Jacks absence from home, and the nature of
its contents could be easily discovered with
out exciting suspicion. Now, however, that
the desired information was within her reach,
Dolly hesitated.
Suppose" she thought, I" her suspicious
were unfounded, and her husbands letter
had no connection with the alteration in his
manner! Suppose him, instead. the reposi-
tory of some guilty secret, or to be himself
involved in some criminal enterprise!" Such
hesitation, however. was only momentary.
The notion of Jack engaged in any evil
project was too preposter0us to be enter
tanned, and with conviction Of the correct
ness of her original suspicious, Dolly opened
her letter. 1t ran thus:
"Dear Jack: Though delighted to heat
from you again, l must admit that / am very
sorry for the reason which occasioned your
would have any effect / should recommend
you most strongly to abandon your Intentions
altogether. l. however promise TO keep your
secret and to give you my best advice on the
professional point you put
II should recommend arsenic. AS your
object is to divert suspicion, and to give the
impression of accidental death, you should
employ a drug which Is used both in
medicines and vermin killers. Arsenic,
moreover. has a special advantage from the
the complexion. | should suggest its
administration in small doses. at considerable
intervals. Too sudden death might lead
to investigation, which would be avoided If
the symptoms were those OF a gradual and
progressive illness. This is Important, be.
cause if your beautiful heiress' becomes
acquainted with the suspicious circumstances
attending the death of No. /, she might natul-
ally object to becoming No. 2. But once
more, | advise you to give up your project
altogether. tits very heavy risk, especially
to one in your position.
ROBERT BALLANTYNE"
The room where Dolly was sitting was
light enough. The handwriting of the letter
was legible enough but had 1t been traced in
unknown characters or studied in dan kened
room its meaning could not have been less
ineligible. What was Jacks secret, and
what the heavy risk he ran? What this
myste ious digestion regarding the employ.
ment of arsenic? And who was the intended
victim whose death must be guarded from
the attendance of suspicion circumstances
"No II No p! "Y0ur beautiful heiress!'
Then suddenly the whole TRUTH stood dis
closed in revelation SURPRISING in horror
the widest of D0lly's previous apprehen-
sions. She saw 1t all at last, and realized
herself TO be the object of the detected con-
spiracy! No wonder now at the alteration In
her husbands manner No wonder at his
restless nights and his moodiness and irrita-
bility.
Your beautiful heiressw How dare her
husband allow the use of such terms! And
about woman, too, whose claims to good
looks he had always denied.
your beautiful heiress, indeed" Strange
that at such a time these words should riyet
the attention of their reader almost to the
exclusion of every other consideration; that
at the moment of the discovery of a deliber-
ate plot against her own life, Dolly's mind
should dwell less on the awful nature of the
contemplated crime than on the motive for
Its commissoni
Inc Idea that Jack should plan her death
with the object of marrying her former rival
seemed by far the darkest feature In the
terrible revelation. For the meaning of the
alluslon was easily apprehended. "Your
beautiful heiress" could have reference univ
to the girl whose Partially for the aitractjve
Jack Rivers had been notorious.
Kate Argent, Indeed, with her handsome
face and fortune, had been seriously die.
turbing element during Dolly's engagement
and her eXistance had not been foTgoiten
And thus in the first transports of piont
and jealousy the real horror of the Situation
was overlooked, and the discovery accepted
rather with indignation than alarm. Blu
not for long.
TO its envelope and replaced 1t among he
husbands other correspondence, she full.
realized the danger of her position. Ant
what should she do? She had no friends Il
London whom she could confde in. Sh
had only few shillings in her possession
and. In any case, she shrank from the ide