Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-08-03

couldn't stop laughing. He laughed
even when he entered my room. was
obliged to recall to him the gravity of
the accusation. He was a kind Of smooth
dandy of % or 26, with a brown mus
tache and the conquering eye.
Pardon me, sir" he said. Its so
funny / can't help it"
"You call poisoning funny" l de-
manded.
ga poisoning! He, he, no; no! All,
if you knew you'd laugh with mel"
$50 on speak" said | sternly.
well, the story is queer. Mime. X. is
pretty, amiable, and, my faith, l was
very happy. But such an Imagination
she had You understand, she'd say to
me, pointing to her husband, reading Il
picture paper there in his own house,
that man must disappear. l can't bear
it year after year. He must die 1t
seemed funny to me-for I'm not a trag.
10 lover-so l replied in a hollow
voice: You wish poison? You shall
have it, Three times a week I sent a
little package of ~bicarbonate of soda,
with which she dosed him, supposing
he was dying by inches, when really he
was getting fat on it. If you only knew
how jolly it was to feel like conspiratoys
and take double toll of kisses! How
you must love me- she'd say, throwing
herself into my arms; you who are so
honest, yet have committed a crime for
mel Believe me or not, chief, she loved
me too much, and I'm not sorry to be
released by this denouement."
OF course the gay cavalier might be
lying. We took no chances and sent to a
bureau in his room and found a lot of
little packets carefully folded. They
were taken to the municipal laboratory,
where, sure enough, they turned out to
be bicarbonate of soda.
Then came the other agents who had
been watching M. X. They said that
they had learned at his restaurant that
the poor victim of poisoning was as
fresh as a rose and enjoyed a great ap-
petite, perhaps due to the ~bicarbonate,
which assists digestion.
Before bringing the conspirators to-
gether the judge and I scolded the lover.
He had such an air of having done no
wrong that he certainly deserved a wig
ging.
Before we had finished he had lost all
desire to laugh and was wondering how
it would all turn out. I went into Mime.
x. IS room and told her the whole story.
She was silent, but her attitude said
Heavens, what stupids these police
are, and how clever is my lover! He
has fooled them, and we shall be freed !"
Then the lover came in and made his
confession. As he spoke Nine. X. chang
ed expression. Her lip curled con-
t~emptuously, her ego flashed. At last
she interrupted:
"See here, Leon; you are lying! Tell
the truth! I'd rather go to prison than
bear this shame!'
"Be reasonable, DEAR" said Leon.
"Do you suppose I'd risk the guillotine
for your beautiful eyes?"
"Wretch!" she cried, menacing him
with d gesture Of such fury that he re.
coiled to the door. "Idiot! And l be-
lieved in your love! You're mocking
mel Beastl Beast! But Ihope you'll go
to prison, just the same! Mustn't he,
sir?"
We separated the lovers, but there
was no reason for OBTAINING them. In
law intention does not constitute crime.
And the poisoned" man had swallow
Ell nothing worse than digestive remedy.
1t was like a woman who one day
bought a revolver to shoot her lover.
The armorer, suspecting her purpose,
loaded it with blank cartridges, all Of
which she dutifully discharged at the
offender without harming him.
We set the lovers free with a sound
talking to-" Leon went away less jol-
ly than he came. 10 the woman, weep.
ing like Magdalen, but calm, 1 said:
MADAME, you wished to commit crime,
and it is not your fault that you failed.
The law does not permit us to punish
you as you deserve. But take carel You
shall be watched, and if any accident
Details your husband we shall know
how to explain it,"
With this result: We learned that
she never saw the pretty Leon again.
Nine or ten months later the agent who
kept an eye on the XII closed his last
report in these words, "The family is
more united than ever. New York
World.