Year: 1872

h4iSs bSlOIG LLldL SAS WAS 4 uSdlLIlyl


blooming girl; Immediately after this


marriage she began to fail. Do you see


anything strange in that p


! Not necessarily


Let me enlighten you further. Dr.
Spencer was at one time engaged to Miss


Lucille Melrose, but he broke the en-
gagement and married my mistress in


stesd. Miss Melrose was. poor as Jobs


turkey; Miss Herndon was an heiress,


and DR.. Spencer was deeply in debt and


hard pressed by his creditors. Do you


see anything singular In that?'


Perhaps. Go on


When my mistress married Spencer


she was only seventeen, and she had


been taught to obey her father in every
thing. She was 4 gentle, affectionate
child, and it would have been easy for
! Spencer TO have won her love. But he
! did not care for that. II was her money


that he wanted. l paid his debts and
bought him fast horses; it set his table


with nice. costly dishes, and it put his
power to keep Miss Melrose robed like a
queen. And all this time my mistress
had been slowly but surely sinking
And look you, DR.. lockwood, believe
she is not dying of disease, but of-here
she lowered her voice e, a whisper aa
she spoke the word-'poison.'


Impossible! This is q grave charge


of poison given her husband, who, at
her death, will have sole control of her
property and be free to marry Miss Mel
rose. There is no time to explain to you
IN detail the thousand and one oircum-
stances which have led me to the belief,
for we are almost at the door. It is nev-
er the case that Miss Melrose and Spen-
Ger are out at the same time, or I should
have called another physician before
but tonight they are called away by the
death Of Miss Melrose's sister, and will
not be back till tomorrow. With the
consent of my mistress, I come for you
and OIL DR.. lockwood, pray you,
save my dear mistress. I nursed her
when hermother died and left her a help
less infant; all through her innocent
youth she was like an only child to me;
and now to her fading hour before my
eyes! Good heavens! if knew beyond
q doubt that he was guilty, his life
should pay the Forfeit


I was already beginning to feel deep
interest iii Mrs. Spencer, although had
never seen her, and like her old nurse, I
was inclined TO feel q great animosity
for DR.. Spencer.


Mrs. Spencer received me in her bed
chamber. It was on the second floor,
and was furnished with exquisite ele-
ganee. Every thing in the room be-
spoke the taste and deIicacy of the oc-
eupant. The warm air was fragrant
with the faint odor of heliotrope, and
glancing around saw the purple bios
SONS and green leaves in an alabaster
case on the ledge of the south window


She was tall and straight, with a pure
ly oval face, liquid brown eyes, and q
dash of hectic in her cheeks, which is
never seen in perfect health.


She received me, as I know she did
everybody, gracefully, and though there
was a slight embarrassment in her man
ner when spoke of her spoke of her ILL
ness, she answered my professional in
quiries without hesitation.


AS for myself, laid aside all false
delieacy, and questioned her plainly as
to her SYMPTOMS. Mrs. Hurd, her nurse
remained in the room, and added many
little important items of information.


When she spoke of her husbandit was
with sort of hopeless sadness, which
distressed me greatly.


Not breath of suspicion against him
In her answer to my questions, and felt
sure that at present she knew nothing
of what Mrs. Hurd had such serious sp- |
prehensions. was glad it was so, for, |
with her finely strung organization, it |
might have produced serious results. II
made my examination of the patient as
closely as could, and drew my own
conclusion could have sworn that Mrs.
Spencer daily swallowed arsenic in |
small quantities, and the deadly drug |
was telling fearfulIy on constitution
never very robust.


She said, answering my questions,
that she had no physician except her
husband. He had thought himself bes-
ter acquainted with her case, and there
fore better qualified to treat it. He new
er lett medicine with her to take; he al
ways brought it freIh from his Office, /
and administered it promptly.


There was little enough l could do in |
such u case. Anxious 10 do everything,
the very circumstances of the affair left
me poweriess.


A charge Of such nature, of course.
I could not make against DR.. Spencer
without the amplest proof. If limited
a suspicion, every one would at once set
it down to my professional prejudice:
and if could not substantiate my state
ment, the doctor could make me pay
dearly for such sIander uttered against
him.


The only dependence seemed to be in |
Mrs. Hurd. To her 1 unbogomed my
self freely. told her without reserve |
thatI believed DR.. Spencer was kill
ing his wife by 1l1g p)tson and be
sought her to be constantly, on the
watch to save the victim, and to discov-
er some proof by which we could fasten |
the guilt upon him.


She smiled grimly and promised obe-
dience. gave her a powerful antidote
for the poison I susDected. and went /