The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-09-29

lSS!S + stool, playing with
(S,TAMN&1 IL the collar of her
llN&N\~ pet dog. Mrs. For.
QkSG wv rest in her rich
\N|f Z dress and sealskin
stood looking down upon her.
ayes I do said the girl. "And why
should I not, pray?"
HIN! He is seventy, and you are
seventeen"
"H'm!" mimicked Ella. II shall
grow older every day; and If he is
satisfied no one else need complain"
"But-are you satisfied"
eyes," defantly.
"And how is it with Harold Gamer
on?"
II am not engaged to him and never
was"
"But people say he is fond of you."
"People say great deal that they
are not authorized to say" Ella re-
torted, as she pulled Gyp's long ear.
"They don't mention by chance that
Mr.. Cameron is in search of rich wife,
I suppose"
"Oho! that is It'll" thought Mrs.
Forrest. "And Ella hasn't a hundred
dollars of her own. Well, I can only
hope you will be happy" she SAID
aloud.
"Thank you, am sure to be; shall
I not be rich?" retorted Ella bitterly.
"That girl is selling herself for Sci
den Moran's gold" thought Mrs.
Forrest, as she went away. "Seventy
and seventeen! I wish there was a law
. against such marriages. 80. -..,-
So beautiful Ella Banks married the
white-haired old banker, and all their
friends hocked to the wedding. And
Ella to her surprise, Was happy in a
quiet way. MIR. Moran, man OF
rare culture and refinement, was
young at heart, as good men always
are, and delighted to shower upon his
wife all that fancy could suggest or
wealth provide. And the beautiful
Mrs. Moran soon found herself the
fashion.
Among the most frequent OF her
many visitors was Harold Cameron.
His manner toward Mrs. Moran was
precisely what it had been to the
lovely Ella Brooks-lnsinuatin and
devoted, almost confidential. But to-
ward him Ella had changed, and he
knew enough OF human nature to
perceive that she resolutely shut her
eyes to the might have been.
II have forty years the advantage
OF old Moran; can afford to wait"
be unused as hestroked his silky beard.
When Seldom Moran fell i'll and lay
at deaths door for weeks, Harold
Cameron actually imagined that
providence was playing into his
hands.
AT his age he can't possibly live"
he said to himself.
But Ella received him in her parlor
one morning, and smilingly told the
young man that her husband was bet
ter. His face heightened.
"Better?" he repeated.
"Oh, much BETTER" said Ella, glad
ly.
"Little hypocrite," he thought.
The next day when he came to in
quire for Mr.. Moran he mentioned a
case OF suicide that was the talk OF
the town.
"But after all it was q bungle," he
rem arked. "If q man wants to label
himself a suicide he has only to buy a
bottle OF laudanum, swallow half OF
1T and leave the other half OF it on the
table beside him. There are other
poisons which act more stealthily."
What are they?" she asked, drawn
on by p morbid curiosity, for some
how she felt that Cameron was talk.
ing at her: 49,
"Well, I hardly know; prussic acid,
for instance. The least particle
causes instant death. If I wanted to
poison anybody and leave no traces
behind, prussic acid should be my
motive power. The verdict would be
Sudden DEATH but from what cause
no one could ever discover. ,...
Ella shuddered. ,.. 49,,
'Do not speak of it," she said. ut
1T isn't a pleasant topic"
"YOu are oversensitive." returned
Cameron, with laugh. "Poisoning is
beginning to rank among the fine arts
now" And at this point the CONVEX.
sation changed. .z
When Cameron had taken his leave
Ella discovered his perfumed hand.
kerchief lying on table. She took it
up, and directly beneath lay tiny
glass vial, filled with some dark liquor.
She opened this with a. shiver; pene-
tratlng odor OF bitter almonds filled
the room.
1T is prussic acid!" she muttered,
"Oh, heaven! what Goes this man
think ] am"