The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1901-08-31

the allowance to Bessie, Mrs. Abbott.
When he ran away he had changed
his name to Packard and she had new
er traced him, though his invaluable
legal man had once carelessly con-
veyed to him the impression that
vindictive and spasmodic search for
her strangely missing husband was
now an and then made by his clients ben
efciary, Mrs. Abbott. Packard had
thanked his legal man gravely with
out vouchsafing any information con-
corning the recalcitrant husband to
his expectant legal man, and had gone
to his club to offer up thanks that his
trail was covered.
DR.. Packard, the scientist, the ia
vored, the admired by the lovely and
gracious women of, society and by
men Of affairs-what had this man in
common with the hot-headed boy of
quarter of century before. whose
name was Abbott and who had been
a fool? She could never find him. .
With short sigh DR.. Packard set
down the retort he held and reached
for the glass Of water he had drawn
some moments before. The day was
warm and he was thirsty. He drank
every drop before he emerged from
his mental = wanderings and stood
blinking as one whose sleeping eyes
have opened suddenly on glare of
light. Then he stumbled, sat down.
and stared stupidity at the empty
glass. Two feet away from where it
had stood was another glass similar
in shape, filled with colorless LIQUID.
One of those glasses had held water.
the other had been filed with a solu-
ton he had made of a peculiar, color
less, tasteless poison. And he had
drunk one of them
: There was a dampness on his fore
head. If it was the poison he had
swallowed he was dead man inside
an hour. Then of a sudden he squared
his shoulders and laughed harsh1y
with relief. Hastily he reached for the
other glass-he could test its contents
and the suspense would be over AS he
grasped it his trembling hand shifted,
the glass slipped into the sink and the
contents disappeared down the drain.
@ The man groaned. It had come on
him so suddenly, he had awakened to
the everyday world so abruptly he had
not had time to get his balance. He
was not in a normal condition to face
such a catastrophe and he sat clutch
ing the table edge with starting eyes
and a CHASTITY face. He did not want
to die--he would noti "A blind panic
had him fast as he realized there was
no use calling for help. No one could
save him. With nerves tingling he sat
waiting for the first tWinge of pain, his
Imagination lending hideous aid to
reality. In a few minutes every thing
would be ended for him if it was the
poison he had swallowed and some
thing of his old, dominating will came
back as he rapidly adjusted his point
of view. Stubborn1y his thoughts re-
turned to Bessie Abbott but not with
contemplatiye leisure this time. She
doomed a solemn fact In the life he ]
had suddenly become separated from
and the idea of a full expiation seized
him and was insistent. With the odd
notion growing he rose and WaVered
toward his desk in the next room and
wrote hurriedly. There was really no
one else with SO good claim on his
wealth and the child, young man by
this time he still thought Of him as
an alien, disinte restedl y might pos
sibly make some use OF prosperity even
as he had done. With liVid face he
glanced over the unblotted letter.
Sc You could never have found me
living, /. it ran, but it is my within
you should profit by my death. It
will give New Y ork somet hing to talk
about and wonder over do not OBJ
ject adding to the gayety of nations
for know the devil OF ennui. Come
to the address at the top Of this sheet
and take possession. Every thing is
yours. must confess rarely reme1n-
bered you till today when strangely
enough you have been much in my
thoughts They say the mind of the
aged reverts 60 scenes of youth pos
sgibly In my case fory is old. It is 4
evidently sufficient In fate's Judgment
for In hall an hour I shall be dead.
sGn0dhg. 8