Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1891-01-24
The Widows Lodqer.

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oned him in. This waslli usual practice,
but it did not always succeed, for Sensi
was as quick as he was silent. This
morning, however, the student caught
his man.
us there no changer he asked, clos
ing the door.
mo change was the mournful re-
ply, except that Mrs. Mary looks more
like and angel, an the other is asleep"
worn out, poor thing; she is a good
nurse really. Doctor Hyde Is asleep,
TOO, and your master dropped off to sleep
while | was talking to him, with the
baby in his arms. Sensi."
Sir"
Mr.. Parker had stopped, and was
looking at the glassin Sensi's hand with
an expression of horror and incredulity
slowly creeping over his face.
Where did you take that glass
FROM"
THE little table by Mrs. Mary's side.
Was | wrongp Her mother was asleep.
and / saw it had been used, though it
is not quite empty"
Have you ever done such thing be-
fore2n
"Neverl Old Mrs. Allenby always
gives me everything; but stopl you
know something, Mr.. Parker, and you
must tell me-you must and he rolled
his terrible eyes ut the young man. IF
she has done anything TO Mrs. Mary, /
will strange her in her chair"
hEtuuTf Cot1 Darl-nr ,y;th a c,,l1an
and resolute sternness which took the
mulatto by surprise; "sit down and let
me test it before we say a word to any
one. Should the test fail, no harm is
done, and if it is rs | suspect, we must
keep the secret TO ourselves. | want no
help but yours. and not a word TO your
master, mind, or Doctor Hyde, till /
tell you to speak"
lie opened asmall chest Of drugs used
by him in some analytical experiments,
and applied a test TO the few drops OF
medicine and sediment remaining in
the glass; he waited for the changes,
and as they came a low thick sweat
broke out upon his face.
Amongst all the things-cruel and
horrible things-that | have heard or
read he said. there was never any
me thing so bad as til $, and she is Mar
garet's mother. No wonder that we
could not understand the symptoms"
What is it. Mr.. Parker? Was Mrs.
Mary being killed."
slowly and surely poisoned, SeDsi,
unless there has been some terrible and
almost inexplicable mistake; but we
shall know tonight. Now, Sensi, listen
TO my plan. If il is as / suspect, it will
be time enough to tell your master and
Doctor Hyde when we have proved it.
If not, we can keep our own counsel,
and shall have done no harm.n
The mulattO, with a rapidly growing
respect for Mr. Parker, listened atten-
lively, and it was quite half an hour be-
fore he left the room, and then he went
about the house with his sweet good
tempered smile, quiet face, and quiet
footstep as usual.
The next time he was semitic the sick
room Mrs. Allenby opened the door
rather wider than was customary, and
stepped out on the landing.
II was asleep when you came in this
morning" she said, with her unvarying
plea SAINT manner.
Yes, madam" he said, with IN un-
moved c~ountenance. II tried TO wake
you. but | could not. so ! set the chick
en- broth over the spirit lamp and clear
ed the ROOM
"You are very kind and thoughtful,
Sensi, and would make an excellent
nurse. WIN you please tell the cook or
the h%ousemaid, or whoever cleans that
china and glass to be very careful that
they are quite bright and dry, the medl-
cine glasses especially; they generally
are. but if there is the slightest smear
or dulness it is so distasteful.n
81 always do that myself, said Sensi,
with that same unmoyed face and re-
spectful attitude, ''they are too busy"
Then you attended TO those you
took down this m%orning?'
Yes, madam"
'That is right. viii you be good
enough to say there is a slight change
for the better, and Doctor Hyde may
come up when he arriyes?"
The mulatto bowed and went down.
stairs; if she could have seen his dark
face when it was turned away from her
| Mrs. Allenby would have trembled.
He took the message down, to the in
tense relief Of the household, though a
similar message had gone down many
times before. George Hyde thought,
or hope and love made him think, he
saw favorable signs when he went into
the room, and Mrs. Allenby cheered
him with a few words.
II should not be surprised" she said,
smoothing Mary's long, rich hair ca
resslngly, ito see a change by the morn
ing; she rested so well last night"
"You were right in your predictions
before" he said, touching the white
face on the pillow gently with his lips.
II hope it may be so again."
Mrs. Allenby did not leave her charge
all the day. She slept and rested for a
few hours in the early evening, and
then resumed her vigil. BY midnight
the house was quiet and the gas turned
out-the only light to be seen WAS in
Tic SlCh CitdilIDCl dili MI dihC .
room. He had his reading-lamp before
him, and sat studying a treatise on toxi-
cology. The door of his room was part
ly open.
The hours passed slowly, but he had
no sense of drowsiness. A church clock
in a neigh boring square chimed the
quarters and struck the hours until 1t
had told three past midnight-the time
he knew for Mary's sedative-the hour
at which she nearly always woke. She
had been so accustomed to her medicine
at this time that she woke by the force
of habit to take it.
Strangely enough she did not awake
on this occasion, and Mrs. Allenby, af-
ter looking at her attentively and medi-
tatively, drew a long breath, and went
to Tho table near her couch, divided
from Mary's bedstead bya heavy screen
Of many folds. She poured the medi-
zine OFT with a steady hand, set the bot
Gle down, and then took q small phial
from the bosom of her dress. From this
she measured a certain number of drops,
counting them carefully - they fell in
TO the glass.
As she replaced the stopper, a stined
cry rose to her lips. for both her hands
were seized from behind, as the terrible
eyes CT the mulatto looked into her
mum Hu.