The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1904-06-29


unsteady. creep to my uncle's room bear
ing the little gold box
An hour afterward T. too crept softly
in. having made a plan meanwhile MP.
Greer slept heavily and after the first
few minutes ! moved about his room
without c1nstraint The gold box was in
ifs place and | found also the old silver
one IN drawer Of his desk. I took one
tablet from the silver box ana destroyed
It. SO that there remained nineteen In each.
Then / changed the contents II the two
and replaced the gold box with its now
harmless tablets IN my uocie's pocket.
The silver box. in which there must nov
be one tablet poisoned by Ormond. | re-
stored % the desk first breaking the
spring Of the lid SO that it could not be
opened
by this stratagem had preserved Mr..
Greer from any further danger during
nineteen days aud | had prepared a long
punishment for the assassin. Every even
ing he must watch what he would think
TO be'a game of chance with death and
his own soul as the stake lie could not
know whether the poisoned tablet would
be used the first evening or TIE nine
teenth. lie would have 10 walt for It in
horror.
/ wonder how many years were crowded
fnto those nineteen days for Otmond lie
grew haggard ana his flaming eyes sank
farther into his head Mr.. Greer often
spoke of hts offered looks Suggesting rest
from business. Il sea voyage or 2 few
weeks ia the woods with dogs and gun
But Ornond had forged his own chain.
As for me. / found mad fascination in
watching him every evening. seeing him
rs,I .A.,lY
determined to preserve that self control
which was slowly slipping away from
him. Toward the last. when there re-
malned but few Of the tablets. so that to
him, no doubt it seemed an incredible
and personally vindictive chance which
ruled the matter | often thought that
he would spring to his feet ana shrek
aloud AZ my uncle raised the goblet to
his lips
And on the evening when there re-
manned but two! How shall I describe
the tension Of that secne2 II seemed to
me that the blindness u my uncle aud
Gladys was beyond belief vet the world
is fun OF such blindness
"Only two more tonight" said my I'M
Gle opening the box "Shant we finish
them? Gladys, my child. join rue tonight
Come | insist -
Ilc filled two glasses, and ! saw Orfkoud
grip the arms Of HIS chair Gladys seem
ed to detect an unusual earnestness in
Mr. Greer's tone She looked at him
quickly and then laughed
81 fear acquiring the fatal appetite"
she said, and yet this once / viii accept
the risk
MIR Greer dropped tablet into each Of
the goblets. and he raised his own Or
mond's head was rocking upon his spine.
! could see the beads Of the sweat OF az
ony shine upon his forehead He seemed
TO be striving to rise from his chair, to
speak, 10 lit his arm in n gesture Of
warning, but fear held him by the throat
"Pituul coward" | cried springing to
my feet This is unbearable. Would
you risk her life2"
My uncle paused with the goblet ut his
lips In fact. he had already drunk,
though Gladys had not They both stared
ut Inc. but neither found words
Ormond sprang forward to the table by
which they were standing He leaned
heavily upon it. ana his eyes were burn
ing question into mine
Il know the whole truth said I. "Will
you deny it2 Then / defy YOU 70 drink
from that glass
pointed to the one which Gladys had
set down. A terrible shudder passed oyer
Ormhnds frame, and the expression of
his tnce wholly changed SO that he looked
more like the Ormnnd of old days.
MS the best way" he said quite calm
w rGoa forgive me-"
lie raised the glass to his lips ana frain-
ed II at Il draft
Mt Greer was looking at him with IA
strange expression, and his voice was
chokud as with grief when he spoke.
III won't hurt you, Ormond" he said
II took EN- all out | was awake the
night when you came into my room ana
stole the box. / was awake when you
brought IL back l knew what you had
done-that you'd poisoned one or more of
the tablets because-well, because OF Glad
ys, ] knew It, aud what should do about
TT That was the question
well IL was too much for plain man
like me" he added. ~ see that now
should have taken advice. But u seemed