Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1891-02-18

not even hinted at. I remember only en-.
tertaining surprise at the time, but as the
time went by the affair grew upon me to
such q degree that was constrained by
curiosity, which amounted to partial mania,
to investigate. One day happened in to
the health Office, where the record of deaths
and their causes are kept, and turning to
the proper name found thatthe watchman' g
death was attributed to the intense heat
which prevailed upon the night when he
was found writhing upon his beat
'1t instantly occurred to me that DR.. G ,
whom knew, must have known from the
mans general condition, as we'll as the
medicine which I prescribed, that it was a
case of strychnine poisoning, and / must
confess that it struck me with a suspicion,
which instantly repelled, that the doctor
was in some way particeps criminis. made
it point, however, to casually throw my
self in his way, and to raise the question OF
the death of the watchman. The first few
words which the doctor dropped convinced
me that he was in no way mixed up 10
the mysteries of the death.
sHe stated briefly that when he was call
ed the man was dying, with ooly few
breaths left in his body. The wife had in
formed him that had been gone but short
time before be was called, and that l had
said her husband had been overcome by the
heat and something the watchman had
eaten, which disagreed with bis stomach.
The fact is DIR. G. had not been called in
until the afternoon. On com pairing notes
DR.. G. became interested, and knowing the
people in the neighborhood, where he was
often called, began course of cautious in
Quiry, and in the course of time gave me the
following facts:
"When the watchman died, and while
the preparations for the funeral were going
on, the widow gave great scandal to the
neighborhood on account of her deport-
ment. Her face was absolutely radiant
with the happiest of expressions and the
sound of her voice was as joyous az the ex-
preston of her face. She talked glibly on
the most trivial of subjects and welcomed
people as though wedding instead of a
funeral were going on. Noticing finally
that some of the callers were shocked at
her actions, she became demure and silent,
and called up an affectation of sudden grief,
but it did not last long; the old radiance
came back, and it seemed that the short
time of her simulated grief redoubled the
intensity of her broadly apparent happiness
when her natural feelings triumphed.
"In due time after the burial of her hus-
band she drew $4,000 insurance money
from life insurance company, and dispose
of such effects as she had, bought tickets
for herself and family of three children to
England. 1t was only after her departure
that DR.. G. learned that the medicines
which I had prescribed had not been ad-
ministered, but had been thrown In closet,
where they were found intact subsequently.
She told neighbor that her reason for do.
ing this was that she was a Catholic, and
would not give her husband Protestant
DOCTORS medicine.
"Having started into the investigation
together, DR.. G. and myself extended it to
the subsequent career of this woman. On
her arrival in England, where, as it trans
pired, her girlhood's lover lived, she sought
him out, and found that he had entered the
British army as a common soldier. But,
nothing deferred by this, she flew to his
arms, and they were married, although she
knew him to be a common drunkard, only
saved from drunkard's grave by the rigid
discipline of the army.
.And ere long she also knew that she
was Indifferent TO his selfish egotism and
swinish character. She loved bin and she
was near him, and that was all she cared.
He beat her, but she loved the hand that
rained the blows upon her head. He squan-
dered every dollar of the money which she
possessed, and when his regiment was Or
dered to the West Indies he left without
even taking farewell look at her as she
lay, not only in a bed of sickness but in a
bed of poverty, with her three children in
the poorhouse. She only wept, but never
upbraided her hearts love when she heard
how be had brutally deserted her,"
As the doctor ceased the cynical merchant
hummed the line, "'Tis love that makes
the world turn round."-J. w. w. in De-
triot News.