Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1891-03-18

"And that no one else has been in the
room ?"
"No one, ma'am."
I looked at her intently, [ trusted
her, but the best of us are but mortal.
"Can you assure me that you have not
been asleep during the timer"
"Look at this letter have been writ
ing" she returned cit is eight pages
long, and it was not begun when you left
us at 10 o'clock
| shook my head and fell into deep
revery. How was that matter to be
calculated, and how was my patient to
be saved? Another draught of this
deadly poison, and no power on earth
could resuscitate her. What should |
do, and with what weapons should |
combat a danger at once SO subtle and
so deadly? Reflection brought no deci-
sion, and | left the room at last, deter
mined upon but one point, and that was
the immediate removed of my patient.
But before | had left the house | changed
my mind even on this point. Removal
Of the patient meant safety to her, per-
haps, but not the explanation of her
mysterious poisoning. | would change
the position of her bed, and | would
even set a watch over her and the nurse,
but [ would not take her out of the
hOuse-nOt yet.
And what had produced this change
in my plans? The look of woman
whom | met on the stairs. [ did not
know her; but when | encountered her
glance l felt that there was some con-
nection between us, and l was not at all
surprised to hear her ask:
"And how is Miss Wilsox to-day ?'
"Miss Wilcox is very low" 1 re-
turned. ''The least neglect, the
least shock to her nerves, would be
sufficient to make all my efforts useless.
erWise-'
"She will get well? ?"
| nodded. Ihad exaggerated the con-
dition of the sufferer, but some secret
instinct had compelled me to do SO.
The look which passed over the woman's
face satisfied me that | had done well;
and though [ left the house it was with
the intention of speedily returning and
making inquiries into the woman's
character and position in the house
hold.
[ learned little or nothing That she
occupied good room and paid for it
regularly seemed to be sufficient to sat-
isfy Mrs. Dayton. Her name, which
proved to be LerouX, showed her to be
French, and her promptly paid $40 a
week showed her to be respectable
what more could any Woodworking
landlady require -? But / was distrust-
full. Her face, though handsome, pos
sessed an eager, ferocious look which [
could not forget, and the slight gesture
with which she had passed me at the
close of the short conversation / have
given above had suggestion of triumph
in it which seemed to contain whole
volumes of secret and mysterious hate.
l went into Miss Wilcox's room very
thoughtfully.
81 am going"
But here the nurse held out her hand.
"Hark," she whispered; she had Just
set the clock, and was listening to it's
striking.
l did bark, but not to the clock.
"Whose step is that?' | asked, after
she had left the clock and sat down.
ooh, someone in the next room. The
walls here are very thin--only boards
in places"
l die not complete what had begun
to say. If [ could hear steps through
the partition, then could our neighbors
hear us talk, and what had determined
upon must be kept secret from all out
siders. [ drew sheet of paper toward
me and then wrote:
Il shall stay here tonight. Some
thing tells me that in doing this / shall
solve this mystery. But | must appear
to go. Take my instructions as usual
and bid me good night. Lock the door
after me, but with turn of the KEY in
stantly unlock it again. [ shall 90 down
stairs, see that my carrirge drives away,
and quietly return. On my re-entrance
[ shall expect to find Miss Wilcox on
the couch with the screen drawn up
around it, you in your big chair, and
the light lowered. What [ do thereaft-
er need not concern you. Pretend to
go to sleep"
The nurse nodded, and 1 Immediately
entered upon the programme L had
planned. l prepared the medicine as
usual, placed it in it's usual glass, and
laid that glass where it had always been
set, on small table at the further side
of the bed. Then | said "Good-night'
to her, and passed hurriedly out.
| was fortunate enough to meet no
one, going or coming. / regained the
room, pushed open the door, and, find
ing everything in order, proceeded at
once to the bed, upon which, after tax
ing off my hat'and cloak and very care
fully conceallng them, [ lay down and
deity covered myself up.
My idea was this, that by some mes
meric influence of which she was ignor-
ant the nurse had been forced to either
poison the glass herself or open the
door for another to do it. If this were
so, she or the other person would be
obliged to pass around the foot of the
bed in order to reach the glass, and |
should be sure to see it, for [ did not
pretend to sleep. By the low light
enough could be discerned for safe
movement about the room and not
enough to make apparent the change
which had been made in the occupant
of the bed l waited with indescrib-
able anxiety, and more than once
tancied | heard steps, if not a feverish
breathing close to my bed head; but no
one appeared, and the nurse in her big
chair did not stir.
At last | grew weary and, fearful of
losing control of my eyelids, l fixed my
gaze upon the glass, as if in SO doing /
should find a talisman to keep me
awake, when, great God what was it
that [ saw A hand, a sweeping hand
coming from nowhere and joined to
nothing, closing about that glass and
drawing it slowly away till it disappear
ed entirely from before my eyes