The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1915-02-11

sShS ooS' ~
One cloud only Nv
hung over DR.. - "
CrowdeTs life. 1t
was q woman of course. When q
mere boy, not yet formed or educat-
ed, he had married pretty Ethel
Wood. a milliner's apprentice. She
was pretty Of course, very, very pref.
ty-and she was good, and tender,
and true. But she was ultimately i'm
possible for a man with such brain
as Dr. Crowder possessed.
Through all the toilsome years he
had been conscientious in his monthly
remittances, even when 1t had re-
duced him to the most uncomfortable
straits. Yes. Ethel and the little boy
had been taken care Of physically
that much was taken off his con-
science. But many times he ques-
toned within himself whether that
covered his obligations.
But, great heavens, she could not
SPELL" he said to himself over and
over again. "She scarcely could read
never read anything worth while.
She had no ideals, ambitions, no men
tai initiative"
All! but the boy-he got on Dr..
Crowder's mind many sleepless nights.
What right had he to project human
life into the world and leave 1t to
work out the devious course Of exist
ence without the guidance and aid OF
q fathers care?
Tonight the memory Of his girl wife
and the few happy months he had
spent with her-before he heard the
call to climb the heights-was hot up
on him, and he paused in the midst OF
his experiments and sat with his head
in his hands for long time.
OF one thing he reflected with salts
'faction-as he frequently had done be-
fore-he had covered his tracks well.
No acquaintance Of his youth could
possibly identify the great DR.. Crow
der of New York as the callow youth
of Pottstown 20 years ago known al
Tom Billings.
He seized a glass Of water standing
on the table in front Of him and
gulped it down and turned to his
work. The water tasted rather Pc
.culiar; and he paused moment to
look at the glass containing fluid al
colorless and as tasteless as water
but deadly poison. This was the basis
of the experiment he was making.
Great God!" the thought flashed
through his mind. Gould possibly
have made a mistaken"
The cold sweat stood on his tenn
pies. If he had drunk the poison he
would be a dead man within a half
hour-and there was no known anti
dote. Panic seized his mind and he
trembled like leaf.
IT I am to de-" he said, II must
prepare for it." The peculiar feeling
in his head left no doubt in his mind
that he had taken the poison.
Then his thought turned quickly to
the wife of his youth and his boy
whom he had never seen. He turned
quickly tc his desk and wrote rapidly
for some minutes. He wrote the Sc
cret and the history Of his life. He ex-
planned the change in his name and
his relation to Tom Billings and Ethel
Wood and-the boy. And then he
wrote a will leaving all he had to his
wife and boy. Staggering to the
door he summoned the janitoI and
ordered him in his old imperious way
to find a friend-at once Which, be-
ing done, the two signed their names
as witnesses and the document was
hurriedly placed in an envelope and
given to tho janitor to mall to Ethel
which the janitor did at once.
Some hours later the janitor found
DR.. Crowder stiff and stark on tho
foor Of his laboratory and the great
est physicians in all the great city
were summoned.
Consciousness returning, DR.. Crow.
der looked for moment into the face
of the great doctor who stood over
his bed-a colleague and a friend
and said: mo use, Ned; its the new
poison"
Tie man bending gravely over him
smiled indulgently.
ITS only nightmare. Fred. no
said. "I feared 1t myself when ! saw
the stuff in your laboratory; but
have tried every test and It is not 90