The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-03-29
THE LIPS OF DEATH I'LL


less as spilled mercury. and us unstable as
-that''--
Fritz tossed puff Of faint smoke into
the air and watched it fade into nothing
ness.
He WINS human VOLTA hunter OF
women. Evil tales and many did he tell
me of his victories. lie had loved, he said
Testing as tho devils jest--wherever he
had found 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 was full Before night l
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 rslss--risks far moro 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.
"At Bombay ! met with n friend, n
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 l could ship for Brindisi,
and thence journey to the fat herland. The
L.
bound by courtesy, told my friend of him,
with the result that he, too, sailed for Su-
OF with us. had thought we were tie
only passengers aboard, the Hanover be-
ing merely Il cargo vessel, but when we
were Il day out found that we had wo-
man on tho ship, My friend, the captain,
told me that she was rich native who
had insisted on sailing to Stlez in the Han
over But, native or white, | feared for
any woman with the Engllshman aboard.
THAT night | saw thu woman and fear
ed for her the more. She had only one ut
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 a 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 IVES as much
more her equal as he diamond of Africa
is more than the pearl OF Ceylon.
=" was no boy to brood over pretty face,
and strolcd forward and smoked a cigar
with Wilhelm Strauss and talked of his
Gretchen, who had been my playfelow by
the Rhine. The wind had been against us
all day, and we were still toiliug heavily
the clear Indian moonlight. At last Viii
helm said good night and went below.
was finishing my cigar before following
his example, when some one on beard be
gan to sing barbarous native music it
was, but the voice was that Of Patti. ]
went aft quietly and saw that the singer
was orr pretty native passenger. She
was leaning over the bulwarks, and the
attitude showed TO perfection the wonder.
full grace of her figure, Beside her, his
arm about her shoulders, stood the Eng
lishmuu. just as paused on the lee Of
the after cabin she ceased her singing, and
he began to whisper to her. Presently she
laughed an eerie little laugh and said in
Hindoostauee, loud enough for me to hear
"A kiss, sahib Surely the sahib would
not have me kiss him.
lie answered in that deep, caressiug
tone in which Engllshmen make love, but
l could not catch his words,
Listen, she said. Il will sing the sa-
hib something, and then he shall kiss his
servant Listen,
"Theu she began a weird, drgelike
chant that sounded more Ike n native
Dead March In Saul 1t took her about
three minutes to sing, and when sho had
finished, with n long drawn, wailing 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
at last she lifted them and stepped buck.
And Hs | am u living man he rccled and
dropped to the deck dend. Absurd though
the idea was, | thought for the moment she
had stabbed him, and springiug forward
caught her wrist. But she blew into my
face, and seemed to lose all power OF
sight and motion for the space Of II few
seconds, aud when | recovered my scuses
she WAS just disappearing into her cabin.
"Whcn we examined the Yolf-for
may NOT say his real name--lhcre WIS moi
wound upon him, Simple Wilhelm
Strauss said it was heart disease, and kept
my suspicious to myself But managed
TO obtain simple reagcnt from the ship's
medicine chest, and when | laid it upon
the VOLTS lips and tongue faint trace OF
purple showed ITSELF
Poisoned | said
''Poisoned by that kiss" said Fritz.
1.-THE woman was poison maiden, lit.
tie known product of Hipdop priestcraft.
She had becn fed upon some poison from
birth until she was saturated with it. Ii
must have been very deadly 10 do its work
so quickly, with 10 larger dose than was
given in the meeting of their lips. But
then her breath laden with it was enough
70 daze me-
but what you say Is impossible, !
said ineredulously.
Look up the back volumes OF your Ian
Get, " said Fritz eagerly. What you can
not explain is the poetic justice Of the &C.
Gnrrence. The poison maiden was the in.
strument of the injured prince vengeance,
hut II ever n man deserved to die by the
kiss of woman 1t was the wolf Elk.