The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1915-12-31
A Doctor S
Story
~ U,4ttt.nH cIJhNIr rIi
By WILLIAM CHANDLER

called on me to visit her.
| attended A.iss Young for some time.
during which not only made no head
way in improving her condition. but
lost ground. | noticed that whenever
| called the nurse was i'll the sick
room and never left it during my visit.
One day while was with the patient.
having asked the nurse to get Ie
something from the bathroom adjoi
ing and she was absent a few seconds.
Miss Young's face suddenly assumed =
panied expression, and she whispered
in my ear. .'Shes killing me- She
had barely time to say this and resume
her usual expression when the nurse
returned.
OF course gave no sign TO Miss
Hazard. the nurse. Of what had been
communicated to me- but | saw III
once that something must be done to
free my patient from her ministration
called up Mr.. Van Crden. the uncle.
and told him over the phone that W;ls
not satisfied with his niece'S nurse anG
would not be responsible for my pa
tent Unless she were replaced by an
other Of my own choosing. received
10 definite reply. but before my next
visit was Informed that since the pa
tent had lost ground under my treat
mcnt he had decided to call i'll anoth-
er physician. My services would no
longer be required.
D,,f+i
had told me and my dismissal at at
tempting to get rid of the nurse.
made up my mind at once that some
thing was wrong. But dared not ac
without more information and resolv
ed to proceed cautiously. l soon came
to the conclusion that | had better act
with my successor in the case and sent
my Office assistant to watch the house
and discover who had succeeded me.
She reported that recent graduate.
Dr.. Vernon, had called at the house,
and ut once made an appointment to
meet him and put him in possession
Of all that | knew about the strange
condition Of affairs.
Vernon, possessing this knowledge,
had Il great advantage since it was
not known that he had it, and he could
thus the better take steps to make
more discoveries. We arranged that
should make inquiries as to who the
parties were and secure such other in
formation as was possible. Vernon
was to do what he could by way of
investigation in the sickroOm. learn
ed that Miss Young was an heireSs and
that her uncle was her guardian till
she came to be twenty-one years old.
when the estate would pass into her
own keeping
Vernon found means to communicate
with the patient by insisting that the
nurse get something for him that
would require her going TO the kitchen.
and he learned that the medicine he was
giving had a taste that 1t should not
have. He gave Miss Young IL vial.
which she concealed under the bed
she sent the nurse to the bathroom for
a glass Of water. While she was gone
the patient emptied the medicine into
the vial. and when the doctor called
again he took it away with him.
That evening Vernon and | in my
the vial and found traces of u slow
poison The secret was out-the
guardian was killing his ward. In
vestigations made by Vernon. who was
by this time much interested in the
case. as well rs his patient. revealed
the fact that with Miss Young out OF
the way Van Orden would be sole heir
at-law to her estate.
The question now arose. What should
be our next step? Should we inform
the victim of this conspiracy of her
danger or have the suspected parties
arrested without her knowledge? Yer
non told me that his patient was in g.
nervous condition. bordering on col
lapse. and recommended that we act
without consulting her. To this ] as
sented
That same morning Van Orden wiis
arrested. and Miss Hazard was called
out of the sickroom and also taken
into custody A new nurse whom !
had selected was ready to take her
place and at once entered upon her
duties. Vernon and / were in the
house at the time of the arrests and
entered the sickroom with the new
nurse The patient saw at once that
she had been delivered from the tyran-
ny under which she had been slowly
dying and greeted us with a smile OF
supreme relief. Had / not been mar
ried man | should have been disgrun-
tied at seeing the look she gave Yer
non. for it was plain that she had Civ
en- him her heart.
.'Oh. Doctor she said to him when
she knew all that we thought best ta
tell her. .'how much owe you.
where do l come in?' | asked.
And you, too. of course.
Our patient was not told that an at
tempt had been made to poison hei.
and that her uncle and nurse had been