The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-06-05

OF. Inreo pound Stefllng nOJeS, th
property of the firm. were missing fror
my desk. Ii was, of course, YER
serious thing for me, and | had to d
all | could to clear myself from suS
picion. | suspected no one, least o
all Seth. but when closely questions
by the principal as to what | knew o
the habits of my fellow-clerk, [ wa
compelled to tell the truth, and men
toned what knew about Taylor bet
ting on horse-raceS and his having los
money lately. He was questioned
and the result was that d police office
was called in, and on search beinl
made the stolen notes were discovers
in Seth Taylor's cigar-case. and he wa
tried for the robbery and sent to prison
for eighteen months | was very nea
getting discharged for not making tn
firm aware that Seth was engaged il
gambling, but, fortunately, the lette
in which I had begged him to breal
off the dangerous habit was found, ant
that, of course, was in my favor
Seth, of course, declared he was limo
cent. and went so far as to declare tina
somebody who had a private spit
against him had placed the notes wher,
they were discovered. and Garry Speed
who volunteered as a witness, related
in court what TRANSFERRED at the private
interview | had with her, and how
had threatened. that if she made know
to Seth what / had told her. worst
would happen to him. But the Judge
said it was mOnstrouS to endeavOr II
put false complexion on a perfectly
innocent remark made by an intimate
friend of the prisoner, and one who, as
shown by the letter already mentioned
had proved himself to be a good ad,
wiser. But it didn't matter much
about Taylor'S sentence being such g
severe one. He fretted himself to
death in prison, and only lived five
months after his conviction.
Il had not seen Carry Speed once
during the whole of that five months
/ had no luminosity against her, but
did not care to meet her again after the
base inSinuatiOn she had made against
me at the trial. But. to my surprise,
shortly after Seth Taylor's death, she
wrote to me. 1t was all over now, she
said; but her mind could get no rest
until she had begged my forgiveness
for what she had done. since the longer
she reflected on it the more she was
convinced that she had miSjudged me-
There was lot more in her letter to
the same effect, and with which | need
not trouble you. You will easily
that / was very much sur
priSed and pleased as well. / made it
my business to see her and tell her so.
All my old love for her came back
when we met. and she was no longer
| was beside myself al
most with delight at the prospect of
her after all. OF course l
never dreamed of such a thing after
what had happened. and least of all
did | dream of the horrible trap that
was being laid for me. When, a few
weeks after our reconciliation. | asked
- q - my wife, in the quiet way
that now seemed natural to her she
accepted my offer, and we were mar
red.
She was not the fond and cheerful
wife | expected to find her, but no
could have been more patient
md Obedient or more devoted to my
interests. A long time before | had
insured my life for 800 pound sterling
would satisfy my wife but
hat | insure her life as well, and for
wice as much as my policy stood for,
md l made no objection. This was
when we had been married not more
han four months. A month after the
insurance had been made her health
vas not as good as it had been prev
Ously. She would be i'll for a day or
wo and be well again for perhaps
Veek, and then she would relapse. We
wed in apartments and had no ser
ants, and when she was ill [ waited
n her and never made trouble of it,
or if ever a man loved woman loved
er. She gradually grew to be more
frequently unwell, and the doctor we
allied in seemed puzzled to make out |
rhat was the matter with her. A girl. |
rho was employed by our landlady, |
anne in at odd times and gave her |
Medicine and prepared anything she |
ancied in the way of food. The land |
idy was paid extra for this, but she
ave the servant no more than her
rdinary wages. so that what the latter
id was not done willingly, and one
ay my wife asked me if | thought it |
Ossible th1t the girl could be wicked
nOugh to tamper with her food out of
Dite. She had had some broth that
ay, she said, and she thought it tasted
| ridiculed the idea as a
ok wOman's fancy but the same
ternoOn l was fetched in hurry from
le office, the messenger bringing the
artling news that my wife was very
NEAR dying, in fact--and that the
aid servant had been given into Gus
'dy on suspicion of having poisoned
ar. When | reached home | found
lch to he the case. 1t appeared that
Iring the morning the girl had pre-
Ted my wife some arrowrOOt from a
lcket | myself had bought the day
'eviouSly, and she was Immediately
she had emptied the
ID. indeed-taken with such violent
inns that the doctor was sent for, and :
him my wife mentioned her suS-
ciOnS of the servant. The doctor eX-
mined the remains of the arrowroOt in
e cup and thereby discovered such
nple proof of guilt that the girl was .
once arrested. | felt so furious
.ainst her that I could have killed ,
'G rs L biau lOu i 4
we'd my wife sincerely and would
we suffered death myself almost to
we saved her from harm. Happily i
c prompt remedy that was adopted I
erted the threatening danger, and (
G same evening she was able to see t
d reply to the questioning of the s
lice Inspector who visited us. 7 :
Is ut the bedside the whole time and
ard all that was said as to the strange
stes my wife had for some time past
tected in the food the girl had given
r. The Inspector wished to see the
picard in which the food was kept
d moved several articles from the
elves himself and took possession of
I'm. z
q As I have told you, we occupied :
" two rooms, and the cupboard was /
the Sitting-room. We were alone
,ro A. 4b,no - |