The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1902-01-10

4
"And who is this:" the prizes
whispered, moving nearer TO tn,
bed "Ea, The gunmakerl"
"Ies," replied the vouth, watch
ing every look and movement of tn.
fellow most closely.
"lou are in a strange place,
should say" Savotano whispered
not looking the young man directly
in the face. but casting upon him q
sidelong glance, as though he dared
not look direct.
"Speak not too loud, sir priest, /"
said our hero, determined to enter
into no conversation with the man
if he could avoid it. ''Do not awak-
en- the count, for he is very faint
and weak"
And then Ruric had another rea-
son. He feared if Damonoff should
awake that the strange discovery
they had made might be revealed,
and, of course, he wished not that
the villain should yet know how well
he was understood.
'But why are you here?" pursued
Savotano, who seemed determined
to know. Il am this poor mans
spiritual comforter, and / surely
have right to know wherefore is
the presence of one bearing the pc
culiar relations toward him which
are sustained by you"
Ruric's first impulse was one of
disgust and wrath, but he managed
to keep it to himself.
"Sir priest" he returned, moving
his chair noiselessly nearer to the
visitor, SO that his whisper might |
not disturb the sleeper, 81 heard
that the count was dying, and / |
would not have him die without first
me for all that / had
DONE"
Sand has he done it ?"
'He has,"
Sand why do you remain here?
Where is his attendant ?"
"She is out somewhere. The
count has had strange fit-a star
Ting spasm-and | feared if he
lad another the woman could not
him alone"
"Ahw uttered Savotano. ga
pasm?"
eyes, a most strange one, as
hough something were at his heart,
IS though his brain were on fire and
lis whole system shaking"
The priest turned his head away,
tut Ru1ic saw plainly the exultant :
ook which rested there. There was
o installing any more. That one
ook-for Ruric saw twas proof 4
nough. 81
"Well, WE'LL" the misshapen vii
lin said, 81 will call again when he :
awake. l would not have him
lie and / not by him." y
Thus speaking Savotano arose
nd moved toward the door. His :
;ep was eager, and his every look 81
etrayed some anxious purpose. He o.
opped as he reached the door and g
oked back, but he did not speak. Il
uric was afraid he might go to the .,
deboard to look at the medicine, :
1t he did not. He simply east one !,
ore glance at the watcher and then i;
# the room. /,
In half an hour more the surgeon W
turned. His face wore clear, w. :"
nphatic expression, and his move 70
ents were all quick and prompt, % o
though each one was for the pur- 81
se of announcing some self evil o.
mt decision. e
"Well," he uttered, with quick 90 -,
drawn breath, 1--WE have put the ho
edicines to test" And then he 4h
lned back and looked into kurlc,s ~
&c. -.
"And what did you find?" the y. -.
ung man asked. ~
''Just what we expected. We ;n p
We detected arsenic in three Of H.
> medicines which the count had ~,
take. But this poison is not wa
me. There is much opium in the -
ne. even so that we could smell it 80,
en- our suspicious guided us. The loo
son has been most adroitly fixed. so
e priest must have one of those his
ipes which have been used by SCI of
ific prisoners, for no physician in ha,
scow could have concocted the I.
dly poison" if
But wherein was it so wondrous- ara
peculiar ?" asked Ruric, with in :.
,st.
Why, in this: Arsenic was the
lcipal poisoning agent, but that -
le would produce symptoms III
oh any physician would know at I'LL