Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-03-29

rapiuIy along On the opposite Slue OF the
| street.
The person was manifestly very much
| frightened, for l could hear the quick,
startling cries he gave out Is he sped over
| the wet walk.
For some reason or ether felt strangely
and strongly Influenced by this occurrence,
and instead Of passing on-as would have
done upon almost any other occasional
stood there in the drizzling rain watching
and listening to the fleeing figure, though
could hear much better than l could see.
Looking back and following the cries
soon saw, by the rays from a dim street
lamp and the light from the drug store
windows, man dash across the street,
right through the mud, and plunge madiy
into the drug store
When ! saw this | felt satisfied that it
was all explained quite as well as if was
to return and ask questions
"Some person in the neighborhOod is Ger
tainly sick and this man is after medicine
or after a doctor"
With such 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.
/ 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 a little water into a glass and
taking out Of my pocket the small vial
had received from the drug clerk counted
out just an even five drops.
/ 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 !
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
II,
but the same unseen hand that had re-
strained me since the aGrighted cries in the
street still held its power, and the glass
was not raised to my lips.
Ding-ling -ling-ling- lingIing! echoed the
bell without interruption, and when
opened the door a wild eyed, mud bespat-
tered, and generally disheveled man gjlsped
out:
I'm hsRua f.lr
h-what-have-y ou-done
-with-that-that-me-medicines"
II then flashed upon my mind who the
person was, though l at first took him to
be an escaped lunatic.
as that you, Charlie' What's the mat
ter'' / asked, still not quite understanding
what he meant-fOrI did not think Of the
medicine.
Tell me, quick" he answered, clutch
ing me by the arm and looking wildly into
my eyes. "Have-you-taken -that-medi-
gave-yOu-whe n-you-were-a at
-the-store"
"No," said l, now compromising fully.
81 was just going to take it when you
pulled my bell"
THANK Godp' he said, and then collapsed
in a heap at my feet.
picked the poorfellow up and was about
10 call for some Of the people in the house
when he recovered himself, and with my
assistance be crawled slowly up to my
warm aud comfortable room.
After 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 me, 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
mistake. | 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
hydrochloric acid instead Of hydrocyanic
acid-the medicine l gave you.
81 knew that hydrocyanic acid was a
deadly poison in the dose you spoke Of tax
ing and | almost lost my senses when the
full reality Of my error became evident. ]
cannot begin TO tell you how felt or how
! have felt all through the matter until
now
81 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 it?
81 first rang up the firm, but could get
no response. | wanted to learn of your
residence, 50 that could go there at once
81 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
ntely called up the chief Of police, gave him
your name, and quickly detailed the events
TO him
81 soon bad 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
the city-so it appeared TO met was final
ly ascertained that you lived on Williams
street, though the exact number was still
unknown.
I'VE rang up all the drug stores on or
near Williams street, but they did not