Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-04-18
THE LIPS OF DEATH.

''He was an Englisbman,' - said Fritz,
Avery rich and Of noble blood. Ach, they
are witch's blessiDgs-wealth and high
Birth met him up country from Bonn
bay and Travelled down with him. i was
sick Of knocking about the Afghan from
tier, and be was off on a flying trip to Eng
Iand-tjust for wbim,' he said. II Is
restless in the veins, that blue blood-rest-
less as spilled mercury, and as unstablsas
--tbat''---
Fritz tossed puff Of faint smoke into
the air and watched it fade into nothing
ness.
"He was a human VOLTA hunter Of
women. Evil tales and many did he tell
me Of his victories. He had loved, he said
Testing as the devils jest-wbereyer he
had found a bright eye TO leer at or trim
figure to clasp. And read his heart--all
but one page. So gave him my flask Of
brandy, and 1t Mas full. Before night
knew all He had found favor in the eyes
OF the Princess Lbaka, the most beautiful
woman in India, and had furnished the
honor Of great prince. He had taken ter
rible risks~risks far more horrible than
those Of death.
sin the morning he was sober. But he
did not speak to me again, and / carried
my revolver always after that till he met
with his death. and l was safe from his
hate
eat Bombay / met with a friend.
German sea captain, whom had not seen
since my youth, and he begged me, for old
friendships sake, TO sail with him as far
as Suez, where could ship for Brindisi,
and thence journey 10 the fatherland. The
Englisbman was still with me, and !,
4 e.. t,.ft IL
with the result that he, too, sailed for Su-
ez with us. ! had thought we were TIE
only passengers aboard, the Hanover be
ing merely cargo vessel, but when we
were day out found that we had a wo-
man on the ship. My friend, the captain,
told me that sshe was rich native who
had insisted on sailing to Suez in the Han
over. But, native or white | feared for
any woman with the Englishman aboard.
'1hat night saw the woman and fear
ed for her the more. She had only one at
tendant, and she might have been an Eng
lish woman by the freedom with which
she moved about the ship. passed her
on the deck, and as | did so, with sud
den movement, she threw back her veil /
had seen the native princess of whose con-
quest the wolf had boosted in his cups
never mind how, will tell you again
and knew that this woman was as much
more her equal as the diamond of Africa
Is more than the pearl of Ceylon.
"Iwas no boy to brood over u pretty face
and strolIed forward and smoked cigar
with Wilhelm Strauss and talked of his
Gretchen, who had been my payfcllow by
the Rhine The wind had been against us
all day, and we were still toiling heavily
through the Arabian sea toward Alden in
the clear Indian moonlight. At last Will
helm said good night and went below. |
was finishing my cigar before following
his example, when some one on board be
gan to sing barharous native music ii
was, but the voice was that Of n Patti, !
went aft quietly and saw that the singer
was our pretty native passenger. She
was leaning over the bulwarka, and the
attitude showed TO perfection the wonder
ful grace of her figure. Beside her, his
arm about her shoulders, stood the Eng
lishman. just MS paused on tho lee Of
the after cabin she ceased Der singing, aud
he began to whisper TO her. Presently she
laughed I'm cerie lttlo laugh aud said in
Hindoostancc, loud enough Tor me to hear
a kiss sahib. Surely the sahib would
not have me kiss him
Gle answered In that deep, carcssing
tone in which EnRlishmen make love, but
could not catch his words.
"Listen, she said 4 will sing the sa-
hib something. and then he shall kiss his
servant. Listen
"Then she began weird, dirgelike
chant that sounded more like u native
Dead March In Saul 1t took her about
three minutes to sing, and when she had
finished, with a long drawn, waling cry
that sounded like no earthly voice, she al
lowed him to kiss her. Watching them, |
thought their lips would never part She
had laid her hands on his shoulders, and
ut last she lifted them and stepped back.
And IA | am living man he reelcd and
dropped to the deck dead. Absurd though
the idea was, | thought for the moment she
had stabbed him. and springing forward
caught her wrist. But she blew into my
fnce. and | seemed to lose all power of
sight and motion for the space of few
seconds, and when | recovered my senses
she was just disappearing into her cabin.
when we examined the wolf-for
may not say his real name--there was not
wound upon him. Simple Wilhelm
Strauss said II was heart disease, and kept
my suspicious to myself But | managed
to obtain a simple reagent from the ship s
tnPIttlne tntSl. anu Nhth idlNa IL upon
the VOLTS lips and tongue faint trace Of
purple showed itself -
"poisouedS" | said.
Poisoned by that kiss" said Fritz.
"Thc woman was poison maiden, n lit
tie known product OF Hindoo priestcraft.
She had been fed upon some poison from
birth until she was saturated with it. Ii
must have been very deadly to do its work
30 quickly, with no larger dose than was
given in the meeting of their lips, But
then her breath laden with it was enough
to dare me.
"But what you say is impossible"
said inoredulously,
Look up the back volumes of your Ian
Get. = said Fritz cagerly. what you can
not explain is the poetic justice of the &C
currence. The poison maiden was the in-
strument Of the injured prince $ vengeance,
but IL ever a man deserved 10 die by the
kiss Of woman it was the wolf. Fix
change.