The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1896-01-30
A CASE OF POISON.

widow Of large fortune and high social
position, residing with her daughter upon
O handsome estate a few miles from town.
1 found Mrs. Trevor in state of the deep.
est anxiety and distress. Her daughter
had been Ill for some weeks already and
was growing slowly and steadily worse
every day. Tho disease, which seemed to
be a strange, painless decline of strength,
without visible cause, had baf1led the ut
most skill and experience of the physicians.
None Of them could even give 1t a name,
and one after another they had retired,
oonfessing their defeat. She had heard Of
me, she said, in connection with some re-
markable cures. Ipromised to do my best.
1 was shown TO Miss Trevor's room.
She was about 1S, and despite her languor
and paleness one Of the most beautiful be-
ings / had ever seen. After long and
anxious examination /, too, was compelled
to acknowledge my complete ignorance Of
the nature of tho malady from which she
was suffering. j could detect no fever, no
organic lesicu, nothing but slow, fatal
sapping of the vital forces. While l was
questioning the girl there was cautious
rap at the door, and a voice inquired, |
"May come in, dear Helenp"
What was there in the voice that affect !
ed me disagreeably2 / am not given to
fancies, but something in those smooth,
persuasive tones chilled me like note OF
warning. / saw the person who had spo.
ken-the impression was deepened. She
was a woman of 20 or 2S, tall and slender
of figure, pale of complexion, with very
light hair and prominent features. Hor
eyesl had never seen such eyes in hui
man countenanoe They were of dull
blue, SO faint as to be hardly discernible
from the surrounding whites, and WHOM
her face was In shadow they seemed to dis
appear In sort of greenish haze. The
effect was not pleasant.
, This person was introduced to me as
Miss Misane cousin of Mrs. Trevor's
deceased husband. AS she leaned over the
sick girls couch, touching the laoes about
her neck with her long, gaunt fingers,
had an ugly idea that those fingers would
gladly clasp the soft, white throat and
press the frail young life out of the body.
1t was an absurd fancy, and l could not
help It'll had taken n strong dislike to
the woman, and l was relieved when Mrs.
Trevor invited me into her boudoir. Per-
picked and i'll at ease, sat listening to
the poor lady's gossip without needing her
words, until was suddenly aroused from
my reverie by an important sentence, at
my poor girl dies, Martha MisaDe will in
herit the whole Of Mr.. Trevors fortune"
Istarted and looked at her with a strange
thought taking shape in my mind. "The
whole of your husbands fortunef" 1 re-
peated mechanically.
Eyes. She is his only blood relation
Aside from my dover, the estate would &C
to her, nearly million"
rose to my feet and moved rostlessly
about the room. Turning abruptly tc
Mrs. Trevor, said: 81 do not profess at
present to understand the malady with
which your daughter is affected. With
your permission, l will send word to my
assistant in town and remain here, whore
/ can give my whole attention to Miss
Trevor" Mrs. Trevor clasped my hard
in the fullness of her gratitude and de-
parted to give the necessary directions for
my installation in the house. l watched
Martha Misane's face furtively as my in
tention was announced. Was it imagina-
ton, or did l catch a quick, malignant
gleam in the glance she cast at meY
For the next two weeks gave my whole
time to studying my patient and watch
ing Miss Misane. Wild as 1t seemed,
had come to believe firmly that II were
eventually to overcome the disease which
was surely draining the young girls life
1t must be through discovering Martha
Mlbullb bbOTbus OhO DlOEhluBJ hllOE u
night disturbed by harassing anxiety,
rose early and went down stairs to walk
in the extensive grounds surrounding the
dwelling had supposed that all of the
inmates besides myself were still asleep,
but on turning into path in distant
corner of the garden L came suddenly up
on Miss Misane, bending over a flower bod
which she seemed to be wedding. She
wore thick gloves and carried small box
in her hand She seemed strangely agi
tated at sight Of me. She dropped thC
box and stood gazing at me In positive
terror. asked myself what 1t was SHE
feared had discovered.
"You are devoted gardener" re
marked, at the same time casting my eyei
about to catch, If possible, some sign o.
what she had been engaged in.
Eyes" she stammered confusedly, 90
love flowers"
"That is very peculiar plant" said
pointing to low, odd looking shrub ovel
which she had been bending. "What Ii
its namep I have never seen anything lik,
1t before" Her agitation increased as
approached the plant.
"I-yes-it Is very peculiar, as you say
1t is nativ, Of Java, believe. The seet
was given me by friend, who brought Il
from the eGst. 1t Is called ooluber the
snake plant"
While she had been speaking, had bent
over the plant in turn and stretched out
my hand to touch it. She uttered sup
pressed exclamation and seemed about t
restrain my arm.
"It is unsafe to handle 1t without
gloves" she said in an almost inaudibll
voice. "It is said to irritate the skin"
"Poisonousp" queried, drawing baob
and looking at her.
"Oh, no. she replied quickly, mot poi
sonousl Oh, dear, mol Only irritating. .
With my mind full of new suspicion
or rather with new direction Of the ole
suspicion, bowed politely and resumed
my stroll. But as soon as saw her enter
the house returned to the spot and exam
looking thing. The leaves were thick and
feshy, shaped somewhat like q serpent'i
head and covered with venomous looking
brown spots. Here and there between
opposite pairs of the leaves, were small
green globes, about the size Of a pea--nC
doubt the fruit of the shrub. struol
one of them off with my cane, and crush
ed 1t upon the ground. A black, visoit
huid escaped while a strange, suffooatinl
odor diffused itself through the air. /
was an odor not TO be forgotten, and SO op
pressye that / was glad to leave the spot
but l did so fully determined to keep oil
eye upon Miss Misane's gardening opera
tions
At early dawn on the following morn
ing l quietly left the house and concealed
H., 10 4ha l,a.