The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-08-10
CHAPTER VI.

For some days Hugh Cbandos had a hard fight
to wage against that deadly and insidous poison.
But lie knew what lie had 10 fight now, and he
got all The necessary drugs direct from Whit
bury so as TO be sure OF their purity aud perfect
genuineness. On tie sixth day Lefty began 10
mend yisiby; the seventh size distinctly
better; and on The eighth she was out OF all
danger.
tioD who had administered the deadly dlgiIaline,
and why had be done so.
The local police, OF course, had their own
theory. II was that Saubergue had got some
drug aduiteraIed by accident with dgtaline, and
that with this lie had unwittngy poisoned half
the population OF tile village for The last forty
years. For lOo6 al the apparent aimleSsness Of
The act. Why earth should anybody want
TO 90 and poison such lot of innocent people.
Young and old, rich and poor, gentle and simple?
Resentm emit ayarice, Jealousy, vndetYeness-
all were impossible 10 cover all the cases. Take
il how you would, the thing was inexpllcable.
Meanwhile, as they knew not whom to sus-
pecj, The local police strongly enjoned the most
nvolable secrecy. So Hugh said nothing OF his
discovery OF digitalne III Letty's medicine to
any one anywhere, and bore in silence DR.. Wal
ters frequent smiles when that older practitioner
greeted him daily with the CHEEKY Inquiry,
"Nell, and what do you call IL now Chahdos,
but The old and well known Arlington CASTER
Itis?"
A fortnight passed away. and Lefty grew every
day grew stronger and stronger. Hugh's prac-
lice went Cd as usual and at the end OF the Tort
night there was another DEATH this time with no
suspicious circumstances, among the poor lodg
iug-hUuses down in Buifell's Close A messen-
ger cane up TO tell Hugh that old Tom Winston
was dead al last, and Hugh turned in as he went
his rounds TO see the body and certify for the
registrar. I lie door of the late sick-r0om was
locked, and they told him Old Margaret was even
then within at her horrd Office. Some strange
curiosity IN his search for clew prompted Hugh
10 kneel down and look through the key-h0le.
Trembling and ashamed he glanced around him
suspclOuSly, and then did so. The sight he saw
shock Ell and astonlsied him. Old Margaret was
standing with her back turned to him, SO that he
could not exactly see what she was doing, but in
front OF her lay the corpse, Its head propped up
high the pillows and its gaping mouth wide
open, while Old Margaret seemed 10 be working
away al The face with the same strange surgical
instrument that he had seen in her hands already
at the groceT's In the High street.
What CHASTITY trick could she be playing upon
the BODY OF the dead? What horrible mutlla.
tioD could she be practicing, and for what pur-
poser
Hugh Chandos could not even form guess at
her intention, but OF one thing lie felt quite
sure, and that was that the mysterious-looHlng
surgical instrument had something to do with
the extraordinary frequency OF digitaline poison
lug which lie had reason TO suspect had been
declmatlng Arlington for years unnoiiced.
ton burst all at once upon his bewildeIed brain.
lie saw IL all-he saw il all. He knew now what
Old Margaret was doing. He would burst open
the door forthwith, and catch the hateful old
witch In The very act OF desecratlng corpses.
With all his force be flung himself against the
door. 1t yielded at once, the rotten woodwork
scarcely giving any foothola for the crazy fas-
Jennings. aud Hugh Chandos stood once more
face TO face with old Margaret
But to his immense surprise the skinny old
body washer took absolutely no notice OF his
sudden and forcible lrruDtion. Quietly and
stolidly, in her usual Impassye manner, she
thrust the surgical instrument and small pill
box back into her pocket and then proceeded.
mechanically as ever, to Tie up the chin OF the
corpse once more, with white pocket bandKer-
chief in her boDy fingers. SO far as any quick
ening of her movements was concerned, she
dent seem even 10 observe that any stranger
had entered the room.
Hugh Chandos walked up to the naked corpse
and examined 1t closely. Not a mark Of any
sort upon The mouth OF face Then he united
the handkerchief With an air OF authority, and