SHORT STORY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2330, 27 October 1898, Page 42

SHORT STORY.

PLANT NO. 9063.

By STACKPOOL E. O'DELL. My friend Wilmore told me a surprising story the other day. Doctors— and Wilmore is one — do meet with surprising cases at times. I had not seen my friend for some time, when he invited me to spend a few days with him at his pretty villa overlooking theRoyal Gardens at Kew. On the first evening of my visit I sat with him on the balcony of an upper room. f? Close to us was the great palm house. W'ilmore pointed to it. " Whenever I look at that house," he said, "I think of the events of a night that I spent in it with a man who would have committed a murder had I not been instrumental in preventing him." 1 I did what anyone else would have done — asked Wilmore to tell his story. "Don't mind if I do," he replied, "only. I must not be too long about ifc. " Well, it is almosti2s years singe I settled here near this wonderful garden. I put up my brass plate and waited for patients. I could do this -with little anxiety, for I had a slight income to keep me going. " There came to Kew about the same time a colonel, his wife, and his daughter. Apparently they did not intend to reside here permanently — they took a furnished house by the quarter. " I met the three of them in the gardens constantly. Like myself, they had obtained a private pass, and used to enter by that little gate opposite to us. They were «e'dom in the gardens when the general public were admitted. " To be candid with you, the beauty of the colonel's daughter was to me far more enchanting than the beauty of the gardens. Yes ; it was a case of love at first sight. " I am not going to describe her except to say that every man, before he reaches my age, experiences the sort of intoxication that I did then, and to him the beauty of the loved object is incomparable. " The girl, I must tell you, was one of the most healthy-looking girls I have ever seen. We doctors know at a glance where health has its abode. " I took a dislike to the colonel — naturally, perhaps, for he seemed to guard his daughter Avith exceeding sternness. He disliked me, too, it was 'plain. I shall never forget how he used to watch me and frown. Though I was in love, I was not quite devoid of reason, and could find many excuses for the man's apparent antagonism. Doubtless he wanted a quiet time, as I did. Besides, the colonel might well have imagined at times that I followed them. It had really reached that stage with me that I felt despondent when I .could not see them. Of the colonel's .wife I need say little — she seemed to be an unusually modest, quiet, even timid, woman. " For two weeks I had to be absent from Kew on business. " On returning, my first visit was to the gardens — to the rhododendron walk. They were a splendid sight ; but I saw nothing of them — I was looking for a face. Just as I reached the open I saAv three figures coming from the direction of the grove of bamboo. " I fancy I betrayed my feelings a little — I could not. help it. I was shocked, almost paralysed, to see the girl, upon whose image every fibre of my brain had dwelt, supported by her mother, -p&le, sickly, utterly broken down m health. " She looked at me — oh, what a pitiful look ! Her eyes were unnaturally large and unnaturally bright. Her face had become thin, its colour had deepened. She was plainly suffering from some sort of slow fever — a fever that was consuming her strength little by little. " Later in the day I was at the railway station, getting some books from Smith's library. I saw the colonel at the ticket office ; he was inquiring for a ticket to Holyhead. He did not see me. " It occurred to my mind all at once that I might see his wife and daughter by themselves next day. Perhaps I should have a chance to introduce myself in my professional capacity. That night I concocted all sorts of plans. In the morning I was in the gardens early. As the time drew nigh that those whom I wished to see arrived, I was close to their customary gate. They came somewhat late, and I followed them. I felt mean — very mean — in doing so. " They made their way to the quietest place in the gardens — the rhododendron valley. There is a fountain beside the path to it. They stopped at it. I saw the elder lady take a handkerchief, saturate it at the fountain, and apply it to the girl's forehead as she stood beneath the arching shade of a yew tree, leaning against a branch of it. Presently they proceeded slowly, I following. Fortunately there were no others at that early hour to see me. The two disappeared round a turning into the valley. As they did so, I saw something white fall. When I reached it, I found it to be the handkerchief. " Well, as I am telling the story, I had better tell it all. I put the handkerchief to my lips and kissed it. To my amazement, an odour came from it that I had smelt but once before and had never forgotten. It was the odour of the ' Thug plant.' " It was a fortunate thing that I had travelled in the East. While doing so I met a lady — the wife of a Madras artillery officer — who told me that she was on the point of death. She described her sickness most carefully. None of her doctors had been able to cure her. She had done some service to the ' medicine man ' of the station — he was noted among his caste for skill in curing by means of herbs. He begged that he might see the lady, and, at last, was allowed. He entered the room, looked at her, went about in an amazing manner — smelling everything on the bed, the upholstery, the rugs, curtains, blinds — and reached the window. There he pounced upon a plant that the officer's wife had had for many years, having brought it from her own English home. The 'medicine man ' plucked from the pot a small weed that had not been attended to. With a cry of delight he said that the sahib's wife would live. " I sought out the ' medicine man,' " continued Wilmore, after a pause, " and after some persuasion he told me that the weed h& had found wswjii tkg atat suoposfid to fee

used now by Thugs instead of their former ! strangling cord. Its odour was poisonous ; was emitted only at night ; must be inhaled from the plant or from some article saturated with it ; that the Thugs covered tho plant during the night and^ collected the poison. " Now, in the handkerchief I had picked up in the gardens 1 recognised the smell of the ' Thug plant ' that the ' medicine man ' had made me acquainted with. " The girl, it seemed, was dying from the effects of tho poison. Who could be administering it, and why? Where had it bsen obtained? What was Ito do? These questions absorbed my attention. " I did not follow the ladies further. To savo the girl, I felt that I must not lose a moment. " That evening the director of the gardens was to hold an 'At home.' I decided to go, to confide in the director. It came to me like can inspiration that the 'Thug plant' might be in the gardens. I found the director's house crowded — it was an old-fashioned place, partly in the gardens. When the hosfc saw the urgency of my case, he arranged with "some" special friends to take his place in entertaining the guests. " Then he listened patiently to all I had to say, making particular inquiries concerning the 'Thug plant.' .... ' "' We have' a specimen,' he said. -' £f you come with me we will obtain' more information about it.' "In a few moments we had crossed Kew Green, and entered the herbarium, having with us the curator, one of the guests. We consulted there a ponderous book, and read all about the ' Thug plant ' and its properties. Then we went to a department containing a multitude of drawers, labelled and numbered. An envelope, or ' capsule,' was produced. As the curator opened it, I exclaimed : " ' That's it ! I smell it from here !' " ' Has anyone lately inquired about this plant?' asked the director. " The curator again consulted the books. " ' There is an entry here — yes — Colonel called, made special inquiries about the " Thug plant," and was taken to see it in the palm house.' " The director asked its number. " ' 9063,' was the reply. , " ' We will go to the palm house,' said the director, ' and have a look at " 9063," and see if it has been disturbed. I believe it is a good size — it is some time since I saw it on its arrival.' " He procured a dark lantern, and the key of the palm house. We started for it. The director told me what he knew of the colonel and his family. It had occurred to me many times how little the girl resembled the colonel. She was his stepdaughter, I was now told. The director's wife knew the girl's mother ; she had married a second time. In a few months, on coming of age, the girl would inherit a considerable fortune — the reversion of her property, in case of her death, would be to her mother—' and that;,' said the director, ' means the colonel.' "We were going through the herbaceous garden, and just emerged into an avenue, when we saw a figure passing rapidly into the cypress walk. " ' Who's that ?' said the director, in a low tone. " ' The colonel !' I answered, grasping his arm. " ' What is he aboiit?' he asked. " ' Let us follow,' I said, ' and carefully. He may be after the plant.' '" Down through the avenue of cypress trees we kept the coloneFs shadow in view ; then we watched him passing along the margin of the ornamental water. The shrill cry of a startled seagull made us clutch one another. " ' Let us stand here,' said the director ; 'we can watch the house well.' We stood by a magnolia. The colonel, with rapid strides, made for the great house of glass. He had to cross a wide, unsheltered space. My companion had his doubts— but the identity of the figure was now too clear. " ' It's he !' he ejaculated. '' The colonel went round to a side entrance. We glided round also, to keep him in view. " ' Why,' said the director, ' he's in, without a key ! Someone has been bribed. We will go to the opposite door. I know where the plant is.' "We went. Outside the door we removed our boots, lairing ,them with us, we crept in like burglars. " In a few moments we reached the foot of a winding iron stairway, partly hidden by creeping plants and the surrounding palms and shrubs. We ascended noiselessly. " Presently the director caught my arm, stopped me, and pointed below. There was the colonel. He was leaning against a. palm trunk, looking down intently at a bush covered by a white cloth. "For five hours we remained there, stirring only to ease our positions. "As morning approached we saw the colonel look at. his watch — which he had done many times — then remove the bandage from the plant, fold it, place it in what was plainly; an oilskin case, and put it in his pocket. He left as stealthily as he had come. So did we. "We followed him to his house. He opened the door with a latchkey. " Before he could close it, we were on the step — he had no time to refuse us admittance. "'Colonel,' said the director, 'we must speak with you.* "'Why now? 1 he answered. "He was shaking with fear. The surprise was too much for him ; he stammered, lost his voice, and presently lost control of his muscles also. He recognised the director — and doubtless he knew me also. Wa held him, each by an arm, brought him into the dining room, and put him in a chair. He was in a pitiful condition. I saw what was coming on— it was paralysis of the brain. " I need not say that his stepdaughter recovered. I believe she is gossiping with the director's wife at this moment." When she returns presently I'll introduce you— she's my wife."

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