The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1900-02-01
I was both scared and dumiounded.

He had been working busily all the
morning, when. all Of sud den, he burst
out into insane weeping. Then followed
fits of wild laughter. then silly. maudlin
rawlings, then more weeping. lput him
to bed and gave him an opiate. 1t had
NO earthly effect; SO. frightened and
puzzled out Of my wits, sat in the tent
all that evening and night, listening to
the raving and pitiful crying of what
was evidently crazed man.
Well. if you will believe me. that same
thing was repeated every day for
week. Fortunately, was able TO finish
up the remaining few days work. and
we entered Pueblo de Maria on time.
thereby completing our contract
Kirby was still in the same mysterious
condition. save that now he would sit
motion less for hours brooding. over
taken by fits of awful melancholy, and
oftentimes crying in a piiful, wailing
fashion that nearly drove me wild.
There was a Mexican doctor in Pu
eblo de Maria, and had him come over
and examine Kirby, who wept ana
moaned during the examination. |
could see that the Mexican was fright
ened, but he merely shrugged his
shoulders. and, having pocketed his fee,
and said q brief and heartfelt "Quien
sabe," the investigation ended. So far
as be could see. the senor ingeniero
"was suffering from a bad attack of the
sun; with care and perfect quiet he
should be over the illness within few
days."
A day or two later left the poor fel-
low in Juana's care, and rode over to the
pueblo to get some opiate; wanted him
to have one nights rest, anyway, for
mex, day intended to take him, as best
| mighs be able, back to civilization
and doctors.
The trail which | was following led
along the slopes of the hills and Sierras,
all covered at this time Of the year with
dank. dense shrubbery and tropical
vegetation. There was no sign of life
anywhere about. and was thinking
sadly about poor Kirby, when sudden
ly saw woman slip noiselessly into
one of the dark glades just ahead of me
on the trail. 1t was, il not Consuelo,
very much like her, and l wondered
what was up. She was supposed to be
many days travel away from our camp;
what, therefore, could she be doing
here, sneaking about in the mountain
glades? l began to suspect mischief;
she had not seen me, felt sure. and
would proceed to find out what she was
after.
tied my horse, loaded my revolver
| tor was taking no chances with saw.
age of Copsuelo's sort), and crept noise
lessly on her track. Soon caught a
glimpse of her, kneeling with her back
to me. Her occupation seemed inno-
cent, for she was merely plucking the
brilliant red blooms that grew densely
around on the mountain side, and talk
ing to herself as she did so. Wondering
what she could be saying. l stealthily
slipped closer and closer, hidden by the
shrubbery. Nearing her. saw that her
face looked years older, lined. wicked
and hideous-,he face Of n crazed wom-
an or devil! Over and over again she
murmured. as she tossed the little red
flowers into her rebozo: Flor de los
locosl Florecitos de los locos!" (Flow-
ers of the crazed-little flowers OF the
crazedl") Then understood. She bad
been giving the deadly, Grazing flower
(made into some sort of tea, no doubt.
through old Junana's arts) TO poor
Kirby. With the wish to torture him
beyond belief. she was gradually Graz
ing him: it would have been too merci-
full TO kill him outright.
l drew my pistol and called TO her.
With the spring of u wounded tiger she
was at me, and, before size caught sight
of the pistol, had buried her sharp
teeth in my arm. Then, seeing the re-
volver, and before had time to make up
my mind to murder n woman, she was
off like a flash, the red flowers Of the
crazed" strewipg the ground. | fol-
lowed on dead run; mounted my horse
and galloped back to camp. hoping to be
in time TO circumvent her further evil
work. But she had evidently hidden
herself somewhere on the mountains,
and. though a search party worked dill.
igently to find her, we never saw her
again. You may rest assured that did
not again leave Kirby's side until the
Mexican police from the Pueblo de
Maria had arrested and locked up old
Juana, after had forced her to confess
AS had thought, Consuelo had never
gone home, but had hidden herself in
some mountain cave. whence she hac
come to our camp at night, bearing a,
each visit fresh supply Of the flower.
of the crazed." These our cook haC
faithfully made into tea, which was
given daily TO Kirby. 'The first dose,
the old wretch stated, calmly, "had
been a little too strong" for which rea
son it had SO seriously affected the
poor senorl"
We carefully conveyed Kirby first tt
the City of Mexico. where every imagin
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