Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1902-04-10
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OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES QG2SEoSSGS0OOSSsS
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.

orally with her mother. On reach
ling the middle window, she halted,
and out Of mere curiosity looked in.
! She saw the captain standing inside
with his back to the windows and his
face to the great mirror over the
| low mantlepieCe; and, as the mirror
was exactly opposite to the window,
Ishe could see the reflection plainly.
He held two small bottles in his hands.
| and was dropping some perfectly
| cOlorless fluid from one into The
| other, evidently counting the drops
! as they fell. He was so engrossed N
hi" task that he did not hear the ap-
IprOaCh Of the watcher, nor did he
| raise his eyes to the mirror. Had he
| done so, he must have seen the re
Election Of the coIorless face so in
Itcntly watching his movements.
| DTOp after drop was slowly and
! cautiously measured, yet the hands
| that held the Walls did not tremble.
| One drop fell upon the side of the
/ lCwermOst bottle, and she saw now
Icarcfully he removed it. Then he
| began again, and the drops trickIcd
! slowly from one vial to the other.
All at once the idea flashed through
!hcr mind that what he had in the
bottles was intended for her. She
could not avoid the suspicious
! thought; she could not help the
quick impuIsive action that followed.
She opened the long glass door anc
walked quickly up to his side.
What are you doing?" she asked
abruptly.
She never forgot the terror her sud
den appearance caused him
Great Heaven" he cried in,
voluntarily.
He started back, fear and horror
in his white face, and in his agitq-
ton both bottles fell to the ground
The next moment the room was filled
with a faint odor as of peaches. He
gave one swift glance at her and one
.at the fragments; then he made
desperate attempt to recover himself
How you startled me-" he OK
claimed.
Il am sorry" she said cOldly. I
diG not mean to startle you. | have
been at the window some few
minutes, and | wonder you did not
SEE me. How carefully you were
measuring that fluid! What was it?
Angela was not slow to notice the
ahject terror that came into his
eyes; but it lasted only for a mo
mons.
Il have suffered dreadfulIy from
Tho toOthache lately" he explainai;
and this was something I had pro
cured for it. was obliged to
measure it carefully; the druggist
tells me that it is a poison"
And meant for me- thought the
girl, as surely as | live!"
you really startled me-" the cap
tain went on. The color was return
ing slowly to his lips and face. And
now see-I have lost my precious
On ops"
You can get more where those
came from" she told him; and he
looked with eager piercing eyes into
her face.
Nothing was to be learned there:
it was quite calFl and inscrutabJc.
Il was impossible that she shouIG
have even the faintest suspicion.
Why or how should she?
II thought my nerves were
stronger" he said laughingIy.
Angela was looking at the frag-
ments of glass on the ground.
What a strange odor," she re-
marked. 1T is exactly like that q:
Icache'
Peaches," he repeated. oh, no.
not at all. 1t is rather like musk. if
anything. I will ring the bell and
Lave the glass taken away"
When the servant answered the
SIMMONS. he said:
Il have had an accident. and have
broken two small bottles and spilled
some medicine. See that it is al
cleared up"
He was not quite himself as re
spoke, and his eyes moved restIess!y
from the servant to Angela. He
would not leave the library until me
fragments OF glass had been removed
and the carpet well Cleansed. Evan
when that was done a faint odor as
OF peaches fingered in the room. He
went to his dTessing-room, and pro
cured & bottle of strong perfume
which he sprinkled on the carpet and
Eladually that overpowered the peach
odor. Then he seemed content.
Nj that day Angela was
debating IN her mind-was she
right or wrong in her susDi-
cions OF the captain? If they were well
founded, in what deadly danger she
stood. Her thoughts travelled back
over every detail of the meeting in tie
.IiErary-his abject terror. his involun-
tary exclamation. his plausible state
ment. and the evident anxiety he had
displayed that no trace of what was
spilled should remain on the library
carpet. The incident was full of sus-
mClon. and she could not help the feel
ing that in some way or other she had
a narrow escape
On Thursday evening she found on
her toilet table the silent message
a glass filled with fresh violets-and
she knew, as Jane Felspar had ex-
pressed it. that the way lay straight
before her, that early the next morn
ing she must leave the dear old home.
which was no longer a place of safety
| for her.
| She resolved to spend the few re-
naming hours with her mother: and
on repairing to her room. she found
The unhappy lady weeping most bitter