The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1915-10-15

ooh, certainly!' He got up with a
start, as ii l had disturbed him at a
particularly interesting place, and fol-
lowed me to the medicine chest. There,
deprived of the breathless excitement
incidental to the practice Of his profess
sion, he looked at Betteredge and
yawned wearily.
Miss Verinder Joined me with a glass
jug of cold water which she had taken
from the side table. LET me pour out
the water" she whispered. II must
have a hand in it!'
l measured out the forty minims
from the bottle and poured the lauda-
mum into a medicine glass. 'Fill it till
it is three parts full l said, and hand
ed the glass to Miss Nerindcr. l then
directed Bettercdge to lock up the med
icine chest, informing him that l had
done with it now. \ look of unuttera-
bic relief o~verspread the old servants
countenance. He had evidently sus-
pected me of a medical design on his
young lady.
l took the piece of crystal which was
to represent the diamond from my
pocket and gave it to her.
"Iou must have a hand in this, too
said. you must put it where you
put the moonstone last year"
She led the way to the Indian cabinet
and put the mock diamond into the
drawer which the real diamond occu-
pied on the birthday night. Mr.. Bruff
witnessed this proceeding under pro-
test, as he had witnessed everything
else. But the strong dramatic interest
which the experiment was now assum-
ing proved, to my great amusement,
to be too much for Betteredge's capaci-
ty of self restraint. His hand trem-
bled as he held the candle, and he
whispered %anXiously, care you sure,
miss, it's the right drawer?"
led the way out again, with the
laudanum and water in my hand. At
the door | stopped to address q last
word to Miss Verinder.
Don't be long in putting out the
lights" l said.
Il will put them out at once,' she an
swered, land l will wait in my bed
room, with only one candle alight."
She closed the sitting room door be.
hind us. Followed by Mr.. Bruff and
Betteredge, l went back to Mr.. Blake's
room.
We found him moving restlessly from
side to side of the bed and wondering
irritably whether he was to have the
laudanum that night. In the presence
of the two witnesses l gave him the
dose and shook up his pillows and told
him to lie down again quietly and wait
Mr.. Brutf resumed his papers Will
every appearance of being as deeply in
terested in them as ever. AS for Bet
teredgc. consistency of principle anC
dignity of conduct had become in his
! case mere empty words.
Looking next toward Mr.. Blake
found him as restless as ever in his
bed, f~retfully wondering why the in
huencc of the laudanum had no begun
to assert itself yet. The wiser course
to take was to dismiss the idea of the
~ AAoAI LIS Ail1lINA ~ 1CtAllilS lllIl
insensibly to think of something else.
With this view l encouraged him tt
talk to me, contriving so to direct the
conversation on my side as to lead hin
back again to the subject which hat
engaged us earlier in the evening, the
subject of the diamond. Little by little
he became so interested in putting me
right that he forgot to fidget in th<
bed. His mind was far away from
the question Of the opium at the al
important time when his eyes first tolt
me that the opium was beginning tt
lay it's hold on his brain.
l looked at my watch. 1t wanted
five minutes to IL when the Fremont
tory symptoms of the working of the
laudanum first showed themselves tt
me.
At this time no Impractical ey,
would have detected any change ii
him. The sublime intoXication of OPT
UNI cleaned in his eyes; the dew of F;
stealthy perspiration began to glistel
on his face. In five minutes more tn,
talk which he still kept up with III,
failed in conference. He held steadil,
to the subject of the diamond, but h,
ceased to complete his sentences. 4
little later the sentences dropped t,
single words. Then there was an in
terval of silence. Then he sat up il
bed. Then, still busy with the subjec
of the diamond, he began to talk again
not to me, but to himself. Tha
change told me that the first stage IL
the experiment was reached. The slim
ulant influence OF the opium had go
him.