Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-04-29
CHAPTER xI.

apparent dlfference in the bottle OF
medicine l now held in my hand from
the appearance 1t had presented when
the old doctor gave 1t to me short
time before, might be an effect Of diff
ference OF light, or of the settlement
OF some sediment which had pre-
viously noticed near the bottom.
But a careful scrutiny revealed the
fact that not only the draught itself,
but the bottle which held it, had been
changed. There had been slight
notch in the rim of the bottle the doc
tor gave me; the rim of that which
I now held in my hand was without
flaw.
As for the mixture itself. I had not,
indeed. looked at it very carefully
when DR.. Million gave it to me, but
I remembered its appearance we'll
enough to be sure that it was darker
in color and also thicker than the
stuff was now looking at.
My first impulse, when had made
sure the draught had been changed,
was to throw 1t away. My second
was to take it for analysis to the
ships doctor.
But on reflection 1 decided that he
was not likely to take my new sus-
picions any more seriously than he
had taken the old ones; and there
fore finally resolved to lock the bot
tie away until we reached Cape Town,
where we were now due in a couple
OF days, and to get it analysed there.
In the meantime I would say nothing
about my discovery to anybody.
I left my cabin In a very perturbed
state of mind, and it gave me some
thing OF shock to run against young
Mullion as soon as I reached the open
deck.
"Ohls cried l, In = feeble way, as
he stopped short in front OF me. And
! think he must have turned pale.
II hear you've been looking for
me?" he said, quietly.
And as just stared at him for a
moment while was collecting my
thoughts and deciding what to say
to him, was struck by the anxiety
on his face. -.
"Oh, oh, yes" painted out at last,
as / fell into seat and wondered
what l should say next.
For when I had impulsively offered
to speak to him on behalf OF Jennie
Atkinson, had for the time been un-
der the influence of a revulsion Of
feeling concerning him.
Now that / again doubted either
his honesty or his sanity-I wasn't
quite sure which-how could we'll
become the mediator between him
and an awfully nice girl?
He sat down near me, and waited
patiently with his hands loosely
clasped and his head little bent.
And as I looked at him, suddenly
found it hard to believe that he could
be the rascal had suspected. The
one expression which, upon close
scrutiny, seemed to be most marked
in his handsome face, was a logged
and persistent unhappiness which
struck me now more forcibly than
ever.
That was the sentiment which I at
once, almost involuntarily put into
words.
What miserable chap you always
are"
He must have expected some very
different sort of address. For he
looked up quickly with sort of shy
surprise that had in it something Of
gratitude, and at the same moment
the dark face flushed from forehead
to chin. When he answered, which
was not Immediately, he did so with
an Intellectual attempt at laugh.
"Oh, we'll I'm not one of the lucky
ones, like you," he said, again looking
away.
"Lucky!" echoed 1, in grumbhng
tone. / don't know so much about
that You're not seedy from one
years end to another, like me. #
you haven't got rich father, you
have q well-to-do uncle, which pans
out much the same in the end. And
I'll never forgive you for your In
gratitude in not approaching the
good opinion of somebody-you know
who"
Young Mullion sat up and looked at
me severely.
I'm not the dolt you take me for,"
he said, shortly, but with so much
earnestness in his face and manner
that at that moment 1, like the
weathercock I am, would have gone
bail for his honesty and straightfor-
wardness to any amount. There's
no one in the world like-like some
one you know; I've never felt the
same about anybody as I do about
that person. But for all that / don't
want that person to know it, and
it's jolly hard to keep ones mouth
shut sometimes"
saw the workings of the passion
within him in his mouth and eyes
as he spoke and felt sorry for the
poor beggar, awfully sorry. I felt
strongly that there was mystery
about the fellow. a mystery which
made my suspicious reasonable, even
while they fought against my judg-
ment of the man himself.
would have given the world to
ask him point blank to explain all
the odd things that were happening.
I felt SO certain that he held the key
to them all. But there was about
the man, frankly as he was looking
me eye to eye, straightforward as his
speech was. reserve, dignity
which made 1t impossible for me to
accuse him to his face Of attacks
upon me. I made q bold attempt to