The Ontario Argus. (Ontario, Or.) 1???-1947, 1913-07-31
A Mystery
of India
By GROVER ]. GRIFFIN

colonel OF the British army. L do not
vouch for 1t, but there are certain fea-
lures about II that assure me that 1t is
not altogether improbable.
Edgar Oldershaw, a lieutenant in an
Irish regiment went out to India with
his command He was great favor
lite with the Indian people and min
gled with them as much as II not more
than with his own countrymen. SO
great was his influence upon them that
before he was twenty-five he was Civ
en- command of native battalion.
Oldershaw fell in love with Eura
sian girl, the daughter of an English
woman and an Indian nabob. She had
been brought up under Indian influ-
ences: but, being of two races, IL was
easy for her to incline to either. New
ertheless she was more Indian than
| European. One thing was certain
that she was very handsome girl,
a fascinating creature. combining Eu-
ropean manners with that peculiar
mysticism pcrvading all India.
Oldershaw married the girl. but
began to look pale and thin. The sur
geons of the British army could not
| make out what was the matter with
| him. He was a man of excellent CON
| stitution. temperate I'm his habits, and.
| so far as could be detected. each one
Of his organs was In n healthy condi-
ton. Nevertheless he seemed to be
under the influence of some disease.
Some of his European friends were
inclined to believe that his wife was
holding him under spell. But there
was no evidence OF this. Indeed. Mrs.
Oldcrshaw seemed to be very much
attached to her husband and greatly
troubled about his condition. The only
reason that his friends Ind for consld.
cring her 10 be n possible cause for
this condition was that her English
mother had died few months after
the daughters birth. and her death
had never been satisfactorily explain
ed. This was no reason at all. II
merely indicated that Europeans had
no faith In Indians.
Oldershaw was long while aillng.
was ordered on on some service where
his wife could not go with him he
gradually recovered his health ana
that when he returned to her he re-.
lupscd into his former condition. This
was talked about among Oldcrshaw's
army associates, or, rather. their wives,
but no one had the courage to speak
al IN h.a A All
ed 10 the invalid's medical adviser To
bring the matter before him. but the
surgeon politely declined.
Colonel Oldershaw lived year after
his marriage. then died. having grad
ually succumbed 10 some influence,
weakness or mental trouble. No one
could give any definite cause for his
death. An autopsy was ordered. and
tests were made for poison. but with
out throwing any light ms 10 the cause
Of his death. This eXonernted his
wife, II indeed she needed exOncrntiOn.
for every one who knew her intimately
declared that she sincerely mourned
her husband and was especially anx-
ious that the cause OF his strange Ill
ness should be- determined.
Two years after this the Widow
oldershaw married an American. one
Edmond Baxter. business man OF
Calcutta. No one expected that she
would long remain single, for she was
only twenty-One at the time of Older
shaw's death. and besides being beau
tiful she was rich.
A month after his marriage Baxter
went To America on important busi-
ness. II was said. leaving his wife In
Calcutta. He never returned. or
course after awhile tongues began 10
wag. people wondering IL he might not
have discovered the secret OF his pred
ecessor's death BE this as IL may,
he remained in America. while his
wife lived In India. No one ever
heard OF any divorce between the two,
but Mrs. Baxter did not take another
husband Till news came from America,
nine years after her second marriage.
that her husband had died of an or
dinary disease.
The widow was still a handsome
woman, not much over thirty and rich.
Time had somewhat erased the early
reports of some malign influence upon
the men she married She took a third
husband this time an Indian. He
lived six years. when he died a per
fectly natural death-at least. so read
the certificate.
II seems that a young assistant sur
geon of British regiment hearing OF
the case of Colonel Oldershaw, resoly-
ed 10 hunt up an explanation OF the
mystery. How he learned what he did
would take too long 10 tell. When a
little girl. her mother having died. the
subject OF this story fell 10 the care OF
a woman who made II pOisGn girl OF
her-that Is. she gave the child small
doses Of poison. increasing them till
she could bear TO take a large guam
tity and her breath was poisonous 10
another. The outrage had been dis
covered and stopped. but not before
the child had partially become infected.
Each Of the cases pertaining 10 her