The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-02-22

WlnooWS, man dash across the street,
right through the mud, and plunge madly
into the drug store
When saw this I felt satisfied that it
was all explained quite as well as if l was
TO return and ask questions.
Some person in the neighborhood is GER
tainly sick, and this man is after medicine
or after doctor"
With snch a thought l tried to throw
aside the incident. Such occurrences are
so frequent in the city that one comes to
give them very little more than passing
notice.
l therefore continued on to my house,
and betook myself at once to my room, yet
somehow an irresistible force seemed to be
holding me- / moved slowly and with an
apparent spirit of irresolution.
| threw off my wet coat, and then realiz-
ing considerable distress in my stomach
concluded to take some medicine forth
with.
Turning little water into glass and
taking out of my pocket the small vial 1
had received from the drug clerk counted
out just an even five drops
l remember this distinctly, for some
thing prompted me to caution, and count
ed the drops three times from bottle to
glass.
And yet, notwithstanding this careful
ness and that never before in my life DO
believe myself TO have been guilty of
taking dose of medicine without first,
and thoughtfully, looking at the label,
still on this occasion | clearly have it in
mind that did not take this precaution.
Well, | stood beside my table slowly
stirring the acid mixture with lead pencil
preparatory TO taking it down." when l
heard rapid footballs approaching the
street door, and a second later the bell was
violently and continuously rung.
My first impulse was to quietly swallow
the draught and then go down to the door,
but the same unseen hand that had re-
strained me since the affrighted cries in the
street still held its power, and the glass
was not raised to my lips.
Ding-lng ling ling g-ling-ling. echoed the
bell without interruption, and when |
opened the door wild eyed, mud bespat-
tered, and generally disheyeled man gasped
out:
"Eave-have you taken it? For
God Observation-Disclosures hat-have-you-done
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES"
1t then flashed upon my mind who the
person was, though l at first took him TO
be an escaped lunatic.
''ls that you, Charlie? What's the mat
ter?" l asked, still not quite understanding
what he meant-for did not think Of the
medicine.
Tell me, quick, " he answered, clutch
ing me by the arm and looking wildly into
my eyes. ou-taken-that-med
ve-you-when-you -you-were-a at
-the-stOreW
No" said I, now comprehending fully
81 was just going to take 1t when you
pulled my bell.'
Thank God!" he said, and then collapsed
in heap at my feet.
picked the poorfello up and was about
to call for some of the people in the house
when he recovered himself, and with my
assistance he crawled slowly up to my
warm and comfortable room.
After a rest from the terrible strain he
had undergone he gave me his experience
something like this:
You had not left the store very long be-
fore ] commenced to feel agitated and ner
vous over something. For some little pc
riod | could not think what it was that so
annoyed ne, until finally my thoughts
drifted toward you and the medicine | had
put up at your request. The more ponder
ed this over in my mind just that much
more did feel convinced that / had made
a mistake. 1 then remembered of hearing
you say that few drops of the acid helped
you more than anything else, and it at
once came upon me that you had called for
hydrOchlotic acid instead of hydrocyanic
acid-the medicine gave you.
Il knew that hydrocyanic acid was
deadly poison in the dose you spoke OF tax
ing, and / almost lost my senses when tn
full reality of my error became evident. ]
cannot begin to tell you how ! felt or how
l have felt all through the matter until
now
Il knew that the moment you took that
medicine you were beyond all help, for it
acts almost instantly and very certainly.
Yet how was | to prevent its
Il first rang up the firm, but could get
no response. ! wanted to learn of your
residence, so that | could go there at once.
II then rang at the next drug store,
thinking you might have stopped there
Every moment was getting wilder, a.
a realization grew upon me that my mis-
take certainly meant your death, unless
measures were very quickly interposed to
prevent
Running back TO the store / immedi
your name, and quickly detailed the events
TO him.
81 soon had word over the line that your
former residence was found, but that you
had moved lately, and it seemed that no
one knew exactly where.
After ringing about all the phones in
. l. -. - . -
ly ascertained that you lived on Williams
street, though tie exact number was still
unknown.
I'VE rang up all the drug stores on or
near Williams street, but they did not
know your number and had not seen you.
1T seems that a fearful long time was
consumed in trying to obtain some inkling 4
of your place Of residence, and in the mean. 1
time the agony / was suffering was some I
thing terrible Every few minutes / would I
ring up the chief Of police, until guess be 4
thought | certainly was crazy. But your 4
life depended upon everything and l could /
not be calm.
Finally word was sent NE that q squad 4
of police had been sent TO Williams street I
TO intercept any cab. and at the same time
TO make diligent search for your quarters. 4
It naShed upon me at tnat moment thst
you might yet be in some drug store on
this SIDE of the city / sent this theory TO
the chief. and he at once telephoned 70
every store he could reach.
In few minutes-I was hanging trenn-
bling onto the 'phoue-I was called and
notified that responses had come in from
several places saying that yon had been
there, but mad left short time before.
This Intelligence gave me some ease. for
by it knew that you were still alive, and