Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1910-05-12
CHAPTER XII.-tContinued.) J

esting conversation the Major could
not but admit to himself that Arkel
had frightened up wonderfully in ms
intellects since first taking charge OF
the case The man was not brilliant
not even clever; yet in the present in
stance he displayed more readiness OF
resource than Jen would have given
him credit for. The theory of the drug
ging was worthy of investigation, and
the Major determined to see if any
thing could be discovered likely to
support this view of the matter He
still held to his belief in Jaggard's hon.
esty, for it was incredible that an old
servant of thirty years standing
should turn traitor all at once; but he
thought it probableA that some one
might have taken him by surprise
and drugged him. But as the window
was closed, the person in question
must have been concealed in the room.
Here Jens train of thought became
confused.
Jaggard was far from the condition
of connected thought, or coherent
words. He turned and tossed upon his
poor bed with bright eyes, burning
skin, and babbling tongue His head
was swathed in bandages, and the
housemaid who watched beside him
had frequently to replace the clothes
he tossed off in his violent movements.
This nurse was a sickly, dark eyed
creature, who was strongly attached
to Jaggard; and it was her love for
him that made her proffer her services
to look after him, and that chained to
his bedside. She reported to her mas
ter that DR.. Etwald had been that
morning and was coming again in the
afternoon, but that there was nothing
to be done until the delirium had ex-
pended itself
"Ay," thought Jen, as he stood by
the bed, ''or until the man dies. If he
dies without regaining his senses, we
will never know the truth"
He bent down to replace the bed
clothes which the sick man had thrown
off, and, as he did so, faint perfume
sickly and rich, struck his nostrils. 1t
seemed to come from the bandages at
the back of the head, and on bending
down for a closer inspection, Jen saw
that one of these was of finer linen
than the rest. The fabric was cam
brio, and with a start which made the
blood turn to ice in his veins, Jen real
lied that it was a woman's handker-
chief
How came this here?" he asked the
housemaid, pointing to the scrap of
linen.
"Oh, that was on the first night,
sir" she FASTENED to explain. TT was
put on his head when in the room
rTI- -,
says as it amt safe to take it away
yet"
A curtain interposed between the
head of the patient and the light of the
window. This Jen drew aside, and
lightly removed the outside wrappings
of the wound. The housemaid looked
on in horror, for she did not dare to
prevent her master from meddling, yet
she felt sure that he was doing wrong.
But Jen was bent upon making the
discovery as to whom the handkerchief
belonged; and in a few minutes he had
the outside bandages removed, and
saw the handkerchief discolored with
dry. blood lying over the wound. With
deft fingers he lightly touched the four
corners. In one of them was the ini-
tials IN. d.
M d." said the Major to himself.
Margaret Dallas. the mother of Isa-
bella. How did her handkerchief come
into the room on that night? And the
perfume?"
1t struck his sense of smell with a
belief that he had smelt it before
Nothing is so strong to waken mem
ory as odor and in less than half
minute the mind of the Major leaped
back to where he had smelt it before
1t was the perfume of the dried poison
of the devil-stick