Year: 1870

He eyed her keenly, but replied, COM
posedly:


81 think will take some of the cordial
myself; for I do not feel quite well. Ali
cia, dear, shall I bring it here and drink
your health ?"


Mrs. Spencer smiled sadly in assent-she
never disputed her husband-and he went
out. Presently he returned with two glass
es. Both contained liquid, colorless and
inodorous. Mrs. Hurd was watching him
with her heart in her throat; for, as she
told me, she felt that a decisive moment had
come. There was something in the gray
pallor on the doctors rigid face that told
her of a desperate purpose in the mans
soul.


He lifted the glass on the right Of the
tray, and gave it to his wife.


"Drink it, DEAR" he said "it is pana-
cea for all evils. also, am going to take
glass of it p and he pointed to the glass
still on the tray.


Mrs. Spencer accepted it, and was put
ting it to her lips when Mrs. Hurd inter-
posed


eff you will bring tumbler Of water,
doctor; Mrs. Spencer complains that the
cordial leaves a bad taste in her mouth
And my old bones are so full rheumatism
that it kills me to go down stairs"


The doctor turned and bent ON her
look as if he would read her though and
through. But she kept her face impassive.
If he had any suspicious, her manner qui-
eted them, and putting down the glass he
left the room.


Then Mrs. Hurd changed the position of
the glasses.


When he came back, and he was absent
only moment, the nurse stood just where
he had left her, and Mrs. Spencer was ly-
ing back in her chair with closed eyes,


Again he lifted the glass this time it
was the one he had designed for himself,
and placed it at the lips of his wife. She
drank the contents, swallowed little of
the water he had brought her, and thank
ed him in her sad sweet way.


"Now for my own cordial" said he, with
affected gayety. 81 indulge myself in
something a little stronger" and, as he
spoke, he tossed off the mixture.


"It made me stone cold to my fingers
ends to see him do it, said Mrs. Hurd, in
relating the circumstance to me; "but
Heaven is my witness l felt not single
twinge of conscience. argued like this.
If it was simple cordial, as he had said, il
would do him no harm. If it was poison,
his blood would be on his own head.''


He went to bed half-honr afterward,
complaining of fatigue. In the morning
they found him dead


was called to the post mortem examin-
alton, and we discovered in the stomach OF
the deceased sufficient quantity of one Of
the deadliest poisons known to modern
science to kill half dozen men.


My brother physicians agreed that the
man was insane, and had probably taker
the drug in one of his unsettled fits OF
mind. l did not dispute them, but, ever
before Mrs. Hurd told me her story,
had my own theory in regard to his death
There was no public exposure however
Mrs. Hurd and l agreed that it would
benefit no one to make the wretched affair
public and we kept our own counsel.


Miss Melrose, in spite of my conviction
that she had been an active party to th'
conspiracy against Mrs. Spencers life,
could not help pitying. Such miserable
worn, and haggard face as hers l have
never seen, and when they buried DR.
Spencer, she was confined to her chambe
with brain fever.


attended her in that illness, but though
: she recovered her health, she was neve
herself again. She was harmless maniac
whose delight was in gathering flower
and decorating the doctors grave wit
them.


She is living still, and she still gathers flow
ers and lays them on that grave, singing t
herself, meanwhile, a sort Of low incar