The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1903-12-17

! The COntrabandiSt; .Hs:1 E$$:s !:
OF
THE
! One LifG'S Secret! ,.s:s, ,Ssss :;


BlduCe sun id5leueu On lHe gOuth- WA"e
do you wantY
He gave her the paper, which she pc
rused. Then regarding him closely once
again, she said;
Follow me, and will obtain for you
what you desire"
| Without further speech, she crossed to
the opposite side of the room, to where
chintz curtain hung before a low arch
way; lifting this, she passed through, and
beckoned to him. He followed.
They were now in a kind Of large
closet, which contained two or three
chairs, a circular table covered with
boxes and vials of different sizes and
shapes. The woman seated herself be-
fore this table, over which was burning
brazen lamp, pendant from the wall.
She motioned to the youth to take another
near her. He did so.
do you know" she said, reading the
contents of the paper again, what it Is
that you wish for?'
Eyes. Hasten; must have itP'
A purse of gold was flung upon the
table before her. She saw the glitter
strike through its meshes and smiled.
"You know the worth of your WISH
There Is but one physician, believe, now
living who Is acquainted with the secret
of this drug"
The youth shuddered visibly. His dark,
burning eyes were fixed upon the face of
the woman.
"You doubtless know the effect of it?"
ebn oHxnd ne CHI nnnnnI n cfn oil
casket of solid iron, which stood among
other boxes on the table.
II do"
II her intention had been to penetrate
the boys disguise, or to hear the tones of
his voice, she was baffled. She abandon
ed the attempt, therefore, and proceeded
to take from the casket certain vials,
nearly all of which were filled with some
liquid. Perhaps twelve of these were re-
moved, and the casket appeared entirely
empty; when, touching a secret spring,
false bottom was removed disclosing
three smaller vials lying side by side in
separate compartments. The one lying
in the center she took up; it was filed
with fluid colorless as water
The boy bent forward, breathing heav-
lily, his burning glance fixed eagerly upon
it. He stretched out his hand to take it;
that hand was small and fine and lily
white. The woman saw it, but her quick
eyes were instantly fixed upon the vial
again.
"No-no!" she said, calmly. "This con-
tains a hundred times the quantity you
want. A single drop is sufficient to rid
you Of your worst enemy-your rival, If
you have one.
The youth shuddered again; and she
marked well the shudder, but there was
nothing strange to her in it. She recog-
nized the feelings actuatng him; she was
accustomed to these things, and did not
seem to observe his emotion.
Selecting a small vial from a box of
empty ones beside her, she measured out
and poured into it very small quantity
of the fluid; then stopping the mouth of
this vial tightly, she melted a piece of
wax and sealed it over.
"Here Is the drug. A death warrant Is
in your hands," she said finally, giving
it to the youth.
He grasped it eagerly; the fingers that
clutched 1t trembled. Pointing to the
purse which he had thrown upon the ta-
Bile, he thrust the vial into his breast,
passed through the archway, through the
outer room, and gaining the passage,
once more entered the street.
Cool and damp the night air swept over
his burning forehead. With deep
drawn breath he hurried on, still grasping
the fragile vial containing that death po-
tion, and escaping fearfully from the
neighborhood where it had been obtained.
Each moment he turned his head to see
that no one followed him; for he was in
possession of that which might, in more
ways than one, prove dangerous to its
owner; and the scrutiny of those splendid
eyes haunted him. But besides himself,
not soul traversed the now silent and
deserted street. Yet he shivered with
strong excitement. With rapid and al
most noiseless steps. he hurried on.
And the Italian, Blanca, looking forth
an instant after the slight figure that fit
ted on through the gloom, turned again to
the room in which sat the aged alchemist.
"You gave the boy his drug, Bianca?"
he asked, raising his head
"Yes-yes! but tell you, it was a wom-
ans heart that throbbed beneath that
mantle; woman's hand-and beautiful
one, too-that paid me in yellow coin.
See!' and she tossed the heavy purse to
her husband; there is the reward-the
price for which | have sold the life of
another mortal! How many are entered
on my list now, l wonder?" She laugh
ed bitterly, and then a deep, despairing
groan followed the laugh.
And along the streets of Paris at mid
night, sped the figure of that boy; on-on,
with nervous and shuddering haste, still
clasping the fatal vial Till, at length,
the Hotel de Clairvlle is gained once
more, and unseen, unheard, he glides ST.
lently in, and stealing up the stairs, en-
ters a chamber, and securing the door,
filings aside the disguise of that nights
guilt And Helen Montauban stands re-
vaalaIf