The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1907-08-09


to me-my own property" the voice
rising again in futile wrath. Destroyed
before my eyes, without even letting
me see it! Isn't it monstrous?"
ct seems very extraordinary,
Drummond said, ''but your wife must
surely have had some reason" look.
ing at him keenly. ct was done quite
openly"
A couple of weeks later, when Drum
mond was returning to Winnipeg, he
passed close to the farm and curious
to learn what had happened in the
interval-whether the letter mad any
result-he stopped and looked in. It
was getting dusk and Grant was sit.
ting alone, his arms on the table, his
head in his hands. He looked up as
Drummond stood hesitating at the
door.
"You!" he cried, jumping up with
a forbidding look. What do you
want? Haven't you done enough mis-
chief?"
Drummond noticed that the big,
powerful man swayed as he stood, as
though from weakness, and that his
face was haggard with weary, cavern.
Gus eyes.
What do you mean?" he exclaimed
Indignantly. "if you think you can
bully me as you did your unfortunate
master, you are very much mistaken"
$50 that is what you think?" said
Grant. "Well, I'm not surprised; I
saw where your sympathies had gone
last time you were here. He took
you in as he did others. He's as cum
ming as a fox When the mischief
was done he told us in glee the we
owed it to YOU"
81 don't understand" Drummond
said coldly, but with qualm of mis-
giving. The mans voice carried con.
viction.
81 can explain in few words. MT.
Crawford is addicted to the morphia
habit, and 1T was to try to effect
cure that his wife brought him here.
The doctor said it was his last chance.
A healthy, outdoor life, away from
temptation = out of reach, as he
thought. of his enemy-might restore
his powers of mind and body. He was
drifting rather rapidly down the road
to insanity"
There was an exclamation of dis
may from his listener
But these drug people are the most
difficult of all to deal with; they're
worse than drinkers. He has to be
constantly watched or he'd manage to
get the stuff somehow. We haven't
a neighbor within half dozen miles
and it's more than double that dis
lance to the nearest post town, but,
though he was safe enough that way,
he'd loiter about the trail half the
day on tine chance of seeing somebody
go past who'd do his errand for him.
In spite of all our precautions he's
managed to get the drug two or three
times since we've been here and then
well them" grimly, we've had
hell of a time.
''He was just recovering from an
attack when you came, and was feel
ing particularly low and miserable,
craving, of course, for the stimulant.
He had managed to get an order
through to some fool of a chemist,
but fortunately his name was on the
label and Mrs. Crawford recognized
it and destroyed the stuff, as you saw.
Then you," with a twist of the lip,
"came along and played the good
Samaritan"
"How could I tell? I'm awfully
sorry; I'll never interfere again with
out knowing all the facts, but ON the
surface it really seemed as though
he were being badly treated. II hope
1 didn't do very much harm?"
st was pretty bad, he Kept us go.
ing day and night, but he's better
now. You see the attack came be-
fore he had properly recovered from
the other, and when he's had big
dose hes like a man possessed with
devils. He's as strong again, he'll
laugh and sing and go on in the mad
dest way. Then the reaction comes
and that" with a shudder, sis the
worst of all. Talk of soul in tor
ment! / have seen what that means
Good Lord! when 1 think of it, won.
der why such things should be-" Grant
went on, as he moved restlessly about
the ROOM II knew her before she was
married, managed her fathers farm.
If you had seen her then you would
hardly recognize her. She was as gay
as a lark; as strong and fresh and
pretty as the heather at home.
And look at her now." His voice
broke "And she loves the man still,
would do anything in the world for
him; if she's hard on him, it's only for
his own good
Drummond got up when the door
opened leading upstairs, and Mrs.
Crawford came in.
Her face was white and tired, but
all the hardness had gone from it.
The lips smiled TREMENDOUSLY, the eyes