The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1925-01-02
ictOr Rousseau
capysishs W w. 6. Chapman
CHAPTER X-Continued

I'D
"Af flrst, when came here, 1t was
Dnly at times that he'd take the NOR
phine, and then he'd have terrible out
bursts Of rage and his mind would go,
especially when he'd have those fits
after he came back from Avonmouth.
But after that the hoodoo got him.
That was when was afraid"
1.-THE hoodooY inquired Joan.
.sMiss Wentworth, the devil who
was at him so long got hold OF him
once or twice. I've seen him come
back from Avonmouth a different man,
Miss Wentworth. That's when I've
been afraid. Because the devil that
can Kill the body isn't much of
devil, but when he kills the soul there
is no help but prayer When he's in
those dreadful moods he's another
man. He's wicked man, Miss Went
worth, and I'd shoot him then. il he
tried to harm me or any ofSmine, and
wouldn't think I'd killed Doctor Lam
caster. It all began after they accused
him Of stealing the trust funds"
1T is not true" said Joan.
"I'm sure it isn't, Miss Wentworth.
But you see old Doctor Lancaster
didn't leave the charge of the fund
to his son; he left it in the care Of
the trustees. And there were COM
plications about the hospital at Avon
mouth. And then. after the doctors
bride ran away on the eve of their
marriage 1t changed. all his nature"
Il have heard of that" said Joan
quietly. "But we must not discuss
that in the doctors absence"
"Why, everybody knows about that.
Miss Wentworth. Before it happened
they say the doctor was the most re-
spected man in Lancaster. He'd been
born here. you know, on the planta-
ton down in the valley Millville way.
She was a Miss Reid. She came from
Farnley county. She was the reigning
belle there. admired and flattered. and
1t turned her heart TO a stone to have
all the men after her. crazy to marry
her. The doctor was young man
shen, and he couldn't see any further
into her heart. such as it was. than
the rest Of them.
.'She led the doctor chase before
she promised him, they say. But the
very day before their marriage was to
have been she left her home without
word to anyone. to go of with an
other maHsswho's never been discoy-
cred. That broke the doctor up. He
took to drugs then. they tell me. The
institute had been a big place before;
It stood over on Morley's hill. bur 1t
burned down one night. and we took
this old farm house. And the doctor
Us using the funds. they said. and
Ssn't responsible at all.
The trustees found that the money
8 gone Nobody knew where it
pt. because the doctor had his own
eritance, and he wasn't the man to
i or squander. They wouldn't do
thing to him, because of his fam
but they put Mr. Myers in charge
THE finances. That's all. None of
liked him, but what could we do
about 4it7 He was here when Doctor
jenkins and were appointed. and us
soon as we understood how matters
we're we agreed to stay as long as we
could and try to help the doctor"
.Mrs. Fraser, want to know why
Mr.. Myers melted Doctor Lancaster
to use morphine" said Joan.
Miss Wentworth"
"You know he did. You told me
so. And Doctor jenkins knows
The matron looked agitated. "What
could we do?" she cried. Suppose
we knew. what can two people do
against man like Myers? Suppose
we had said so, who would have be.
lieved us? We did all we could do
and we all love the doctor and would
rather stay with him and help where
we could than be discharged and do
nothing" H
She looked at Joan piteously. like a
child caught In wrong-dolng
II know you did your best" an
swered the girl but why should
Doctor Lancaster stay here In Myers
power, instead of at his home in
Avonmouth, where he is respected
and powerful? Nothing of all this is
known there"
The matron wrung her hands. II
don't know" she answered. II sup
pose that man has had him by the
throat in more ways than we know
Whenever the doctor used to go to
Avonmouth Mr.. Myers would go with
him. and generally he'd come back
with him. Miss Wentworth. till you
came here the doctor wasn't a man
what with his drugs and the hold Mr.
Myers had over him. he was just d
machine. And Mr.. Myers was the
driver"
Joan had the feeling that she should
not listen to the matron's talk about
Lancaster; 1t seemed disloyai of her
but she felt. too, that she must know
more. and speedily, IT, she was tt
thwart that menacing evil which she
sensed more and more clearly as the