CHAPTER XIX.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 169, 11 September 1886, Page 7

CHAPTER XIX.

», , A STARTLING RESEMBLANCE. , , It chano6d that John Harris had an errancfc * across the. bay 1 that morning after Etee'at mysterious appearance' and disappearance from, and into the fog, with his au§j> ige?tjve message.,,. „ , . ' r : The twbg^ntieinen had talked over ,tKjEst phatyfcom affair, i{in their room at the hotel* before retiring; ; f or the night: but' Ijhey ijvipXQ so fulLo^ their owij b ( usineB8 T )that they had .cou eluded, to take, no. .notice, of. fo „ until, in the. nidnnng, John remembjarecL .that he ha<J to cross the bay." " . \ ,' Oscar had intended to go put with Anatoje^qn h,orpeb»idk, it'beinj^ a lovely jday * ,b,ujb >ipon heating that John was goin& tjo Alameda "he "decided ,lo accompany,' hixxk and inquire into the arsenic Wle, althougb h© had little doubt but that Eleo had ptooured the poison, and only wonderedlat thcfc 'fellow's' boldness in lingeting in San Fran"cM6; '- " crt ■•' ?*'•/* ' .-.•• ..o *t Fdont like his hanging a,bout,"'be re-. "rharkeS, , as' they were^epebding' lover .the*. w"ater.'^'" WheWwe "are gone the ladies wilt nb- protection,- nor- the lad eithw, CiH 'hfive half a mfnii-to' set the police ito.searcJdjugiHe Chinee 1 quarter t>foiv him on.our^re'turn.'"''-;/ .-V ■ .-*■• ;'r ,*"'- y :' •' -. . 1 ' <v lt is oWduiy todd po, !1 assented John.. £fter traneacting the busioeea .whU^iJhad, ''t^ken tKetn across, th'eyrepaiied tOitKe drug "■ e'tl>re, a"t?svhi6h th'a * ar^euie made: inqiiirjae, giving th'e^datel^ as^towho' hud ?pijrcbasQcli , * s'tt'ch* a'nfrirAicleVon? th'afcday # '• I^ u4#;; m^u, r^lef kV if feWing^h>tth^m?ght tbtrto ' got himeelfinto txidwßle/jw^-jwttoe^tjtMKl fo^^fAimbSr,vridttiingi{i!tfniili^K^ i&so&ti& s^^^oWdeiermiiJ^i^^iw-:, , rjJl^aCfac^V when^he; "deolar«i',tha6' h'9>c«l '

utrwrin htrifferrold myirfnd^fpbUott^ except opium,, if, they chose, to consider "I &bS positl^ of tli»t^h£t I am willi *&§ to fwfcarlto it<» he'J&entedX n * a " ' > " r "Look ai your books and see whom you *daellitt©.» ;' s *-"" - ;U; U ' A \ The 1 clerk searched 'his ' book a'hd 'ebon «arne to an item. *' ' * < ' "St remember all about it now," heiaid; 'iboKing quickly iip; " as plainly aR if it had t>ccu;t d this morning. I sold twenty grains of araocic to a lady " * * , ** Alady H — the cry was. involuntary and came from both/ "A" tall, peculiar-looking lady, with black eyes and pale face. She said she had jusfe rented a house over here, into whicli «he expected to move soon, but she ob aerred the basement was' infested witb rats, and she desired to get rid of there before she took possession. She said that she was going into the baker's to get a roll or a.Mt of| t bread upon which to sprinkle the poison, and that she should place it in the house on her way back. She was "« 'tfndy, sir, and I didn't doubt her word. 3 iiope no mischief has come of it." "Oh; no, nothing serious,' answered Homey n ; " except that her Chinese servant cot possession of it, and we did not know Wb object. " • "Tsawthe fellow standing by, the door,' observed the clerk, "and heard the ladj "reprimand him for following her. She had siran him' orders to remain at the baker's. Tm glad there's nothing wrong." : The gentlemen bowed and went away. "What do you think of it?" a>ked Harris, as they walked along, waiting for a «ar. '"I think tfie rascal purloined the package from her bag, while he was alone mpetaire, watching by Anatole's bedside." " That 'may be. But if Mrs Jar Hine propoeed using the arsenic over here, to get rid of rats, why did she not dispose of it in the manner of which she spoke to the Clerk ?'» * g Sho may not hare had time. A car may have passed which she did not care to lotei It was late when she got home, as it •was." 41 Then why did she not accuse Elee of taking the poison from her bag ? It h very strange that she never acknowledged that *he had bought it." • "Why, John, what on earth are you diking about?" asked Romeyn, looking Around in surprise at the troubled countennance of bis friend. f * And, now I come to remember, she said, "Outand out, that she supposed Elee had purchased it, while she was looking at the -house." " That is not impossible to account for Rot knowing that he had taken her own package— if he did take it *ho supposed that he must hare supplied himself for pnrposea of his own. Doubtless Elee is in the babiu of going to the drug store for opium. Shocked and agitated aa Mrs Jardine was by the condition of Anatold, it is not reasonable to expect that she would sco through everything at a glance." "But why did she not mention, the next morning, that she had been buying arsenic?' i( It was not necessary. And she probably realised that it might place her in a tKßagreoable situation. Surely, if ever a mother loves a cbiid, that weman dotes on that boy. I feel almost ont of patience "with you, John, at tho drift of your questions." Harris did not immediately reply. A car came along, and they entered it. When they were once more seated on the deck of the Alameda, he then, in a hesitating manner, turning bis eyes off on the water, «aid: "I hare made up my mind to tell you something, Oscar." •♦Well?" "Do you remember anything about the H mnrder V " I do not." "I suppose not; for I was only fifteen, mud I'm threefyears your reaior. Well, it created an immense sensation in New York. On me it made a lasting impression, because of one or two circumstances which I will i&late to you. On the morning of the aisTOYery of the murder, I was on my way to the day-school which I then attended, very «arly, about eight o'clock. I pa»?ed the fcouse, on street, in which the murder 'was committed. A crowd -vraa parsing in the open front door, and I, boy-like, squeezed my way in, slipping like an eel tfom the policeman who tried to keep me out. I got into the parlour, where the murdered man was stilt sitting in the chair in which he had been found dead. I saw him. You can imagine the ineffaceable horror of such a sight to a boy of my age. But I saw more. I saw the woman who altnoat immediately after ward v » - arrested for the murder. Her face made a deeper impression on me than the dead man's. In the instant when X first perceived her she wa9 looking at the corpse. Her face was blanched. Her dark, deep-3et eyes wore an expression which I -cannot describe. It wa3 a look both pingu lar and, terrible. She was a handsome "woman, with peculiar features — a smooth, marble forehead, straight, heavy black eyebrows, had a curve of the mouth and chin euch as I have never seen in any- other woman— sa ve one I " Well, the fact of having been among thos^ wj^o" entered the houeo that morning Itept me(in terestad in the trial. My parents tried tcf keep me from reading or hearing about it ; but I stole my way into court on the day on which the trial terminated, and' yae preaent when the ju'rv entered with their .verdict. A verdict of 'Guilty' was generally' expected— l think the woman erself expected it, and, her countenance as she sat there awaiting the return of the twelve men who were deciding her fate renewed the pbwerf ulimpreasion which it had made upon me at first. I caw nothing but her face. s My^eyes ,w,ere glued to it. , I noted the greyshadow which crept o^er it, and the strange light in the deep- sot eyes •whed/Vthe jury entered the court^rofcm, ihoagh she' maintained an* eatotiiahln^ outward, [composure. She was acquitted, belt the /verdict' of public opinion was l etil against her, and she left New York.' ■ " Kow, Oscar,' I am coming to the point •of my 'etSryV" I" haye 1 never seen another face like that woman's, until quite recently : thfin-'I met 'its living counterpart, except such .changes as would naturally be made by^tbe flight of fifteen years: 'and even then/the change was small. There is a traman* who is the living image of that supposed murderess (" ' . • Vl'ou mean^-i " ( ' ;' -■ "Mrs Jardine. Yes., If such a »thing yrexp not really imposeible, I should believe that she teas that woman. Height, manner, bßfttibg? completion, features; andexpres«iona Why, Oscar, I toll you that I am in. a .cold chill, when lam in her preeerice. J-.Two or three times K the, resemblanoe boa startling that itv.^ae anade me ill— espeQially on the nigh^oi'Ana* toles illness, when you took the arsenic Ironi ' Blee'a*. pocket. .Oscar, „ I neurly * /aro^ed'!" / »' v- .. „.'.,■- f^" { ,V^ '•i You must be crazy* John.,, This If^y-ia of Bpani«hbdescerit, , Mexican^ bpni r J^She ''„-~wmß !« belle in the, cjftyx;of . Mexic6jin l , > fier : : ironngdays,, married mn\4&m&sXwftU- ■ man, went with him to Philadelphia,- Fhere i --'«!» occasionally! made a yi»it tp ;^Neif ,Y^rk,' *^ ( to-'gttba^it ' . f fl»OluriMl luiow how abßurd»my. impr»t«ofl

? i .» Well^ l* must' «ay, your is something ridioulouß.. aX-thoughtyou luvitd .Bejle v jTar4fae t ,too ..wett . tp, .oheriah, ,f fotfi atraogalarncies toward kflk W9sstiliu>U „: "IJov© her as my 'life J" re«^pride4s6bn mournfully. rt , i- x ,', , ,'\ jf j. . *,„ „ •♦'Did the,-womqri ( \vli6 ,w,as .held r ior trijdi as ft murderers have)*'^sh t ild a^ou&two yjsars of age ? Bella is verging ,pn ,^e^tpen." . j* VIS of bat there w,as.-an,ljq t fai|t— ponnected with the matter. %I % I don'fc^lite'io speak of it. ■ Bat sornqtimesl imagine , that MUa Jardine may'nQt be quije as| qldjasjier mother makes her out. In. thepe ,W,arin southern climates girls mature early.'". I ,,! *' Good heavens, John, what a goose you are !" exclaimed Romeyn, as the boat touched the dock,.' '* You had better ask MrB Jardine, for her credentials before you make any more love to her daughter." . , ■ 4 , ", Dqn't make fun of me, Oacar>V Xsbpuld be as, light-hearted as<a kitten if I could get rid of thia disagreeable feeling; >, I do 1 not know what I suspect, but I rtbstiapect eoraetbing, lam not eaey about Ajaatple," They stepped ashore. ' „ 'V » » " Going up there this morning ?'* " >t/ ** Of course. Couldn't grist withbuc that comfort. Only two more visitor Oscar ]"• Evening came, and with it John Havris to Mrs • Jardine'a house: Osoar^ bad arrived earlier, and was playing chess' with Anatole. Both ladies were out taking a little walk for the exercise. '■ Mrs Jardine usually chose the twilight • hour for her daily promenade, averring that the sunlight gave her headache. Tho parlours ' were well lighted up, and John, in a fit of abstraction, threw himself into the nearest chair, leaned his head against the back, and indulged in a gloomy reverie 'while waiting for Bella to make her appearance. The chair he had cbogen was hall behind the door of the front parlour. Very soon the ladies returned, and not knowing that their callers had arrived so early, stepped at once into the parlour with their hats on. Mrs Jardine flung the door open rather briskly, and it jarred against the chair occupied by Harris. When she heard the qjar, and -saw a man leaning back in the chair, she threw up her hand?, letting the little parcel which she carried drop to the floor, while a grey pallor settled on her face, her eye? opened, her nostrils expanded into an unutterable expression of horror. The next moment she burst into a hysterical laugh. " I declare ! Mr Harris, how you startled mo ! ' Why did you get behind tho door ?" He Arose to his feet ; he was startled, too, and was looking at her-in a atrange way. '•You must excuse me," she continued, stooptne to pick up the parcel which he had not offered to lift for her ; " I had a friend once who died in his chair* and when discovered, he was sitting juat as you were. , I 'suppose it waa the association," she went on, rather hurriedly for her, who was seldom stirred from her measured way of speaking. "There is a great deal in association, madam," he answered, still watching her face intently. M I remember that Doctor H. was found in his chair in such a position. 1 remember just how he looked." , She turned her faca quickly from him ; she wae untying her hat strings, and she now took off the hat and laid it on a table. 44 You did not see him ?" she asked, brushing a bit of dust from her bonnet, and looking at it instead of him. "Yes, I went in with. the . crowd that morning." " You must have been a mere boy," she observed, now facing him, speaking in her usual tones. "I don't recall the date, excspt that wo were about removing from Philadelphia to Cuba ; and I just recollect my speaking ■of the great New York sensation. Were it not' for that I should have forgotten it entirely, I dare say." "I was about fifteen years," said Harris, and then he turned to greet Misa Jnrdine, who had come in out of the fog, like an angel out of a cloud, her complexion fairly dazzling in its pink and white, her oyea sparkling with the effects of her walk. " There's the innocence of heaven Awe," thought John, tromhling under the light touch of the flower-like hand. " Why do I torment myself ? Why do I care whether it be so or not ? It is of f armor© importance to me to win this young girl to love me, by showing, every moment when I have the chance, ho>v dear she is to me, how devoted I am to her " He shook off the chill at his heart, and set himself to work to please Bella. He had a splendid tonor voice ; and they sang lovesongs together ."" When Oscar and Anatole had finished their game, they had aotnequartettesinging. Mrs Jardine was unusually silent. She appeared pleased with the music, but every time that Harris chanced to glance in her direction her eyes were upon him, until he grew uneasy in the consciousness that it was so. His evil genius was with him that night, prompting him to do what he did not mean to do. He had not meant to refer to Doctor H,; he would have bit tea off his tongue rather than have done it ; but the words " had said themselves" before he could check them. , • As he finished a beautiful solo part which 'he had been carrying, he glanced over at Mrs Jardine, and finding her eyes fixed on him, he immediately walked over to her and said : , " Mr Romeyn and myself were in Ala.moda on business this morning, . Happening to think of it, we went into -the drug store, to ask about the purchase of arsenic which had been made there. , The clerk denies that Eke bought any of him." , • . • A dark flush came over her pallid cheek. •"I could have told you that without t'roub.ling"to inquire at the Bh6p,'if I 1I 1 had thought it worth my while to 'mention the Subject l again, af ter>'th& ' dartger was^oVer 'a'ddiHs deviser bah&hed. When I came to look in my ! little \ shopping-satchel the next day, after the 'exdifcem'ehtf had subsided, for a little ' package of arsenic' which y r h6d bought' to poison' 'the rats in 'the' house which I thought of taking,' I found it gone. I (Sdmprehende'i 'at once that Elee, Who hid been lurking about while I was In thd'store, had ;1 been t seized with curiosity* to know what I had been getting, and* had rifled s my- bag l after* "I we^t 'fflbwn ataira in '' ; the^«^nlng. < '•' Blee" % J w'as very* light-fingered."' -He' -stole*^ J small articles, "especially things -good to r '6at. I 'dare cay he thought I .had* be*n' buying candies, and went to help himself. '('He 1 probably took the paper to aee'What was in, it* and 1 quite ignorant of ? the- dangerous? 'nataft'ofits' e^jtentfr Yes / . the ' more^. think df iV/th'e Triore'l" ani ■^bnyiriced^tb'ab Elee had no eviMntention in abstracting the 'txSiSbtff 1 f t«ink ;he^gAve?^at6le 7 bpium with thi simple desire t6 make him ileep'sßl ttfkt' l h'e could >''g*t'>t**fyPVßetog» fa cuetbme'd totakingit in Urge duantities him. self, he gave *n oV ? rdohe';''and t ! drekdfally ' f rigKiefiSd f-\aVf-the^'^nieqtten'deß/f -\ aVf - the^'^nieqtten'deB/ ofy ,his linpfrfdind&, called uS r to* -r^ue, Jbut 'diofrricftiaarefi^ ddnfoa^tncrrliberfy he-had t ;^ g '.ife ( fotih?i^ died ouj: of ber i^irbie oheeK i sho

sweet-spoke^ words. > \, r ,, t j. v £ , apqke^itjh him, } fp waa'with a soft melanJfc^een in hw p/a.ce, he cq^ld no, pao^e h,^ye > ithstooa than a feather the^iiia, i'.j,,^^, • , " l\'a)'e me th^ 1 'moaiieti Jopn, a^s the men were going l?aok to t\ie»r , jroomV/ V.Fshovliii ' giyja 3 up s the Isabella Gold Mining Qoinpany at'once lt and stick by her. l',, „. ,t, t M , " u Then she would despise you " ' "!Dq y<?u think it ? Despise such devotion r ilt ((A>2 - '; ,;,. ; „ : ' 4 "^es », women suqqeeq. , The, most innocent and unselfish* 'of their to aupcead in tHe i *,worfd. " \ T^ey , must iiplmii 1 © a , he^p. ' W;hefch,e> ,^0 *,be" 5 a/brave ebldier, or only competent in his attempts to' make money, he inuet show that he has eomepluck.*'' \',\*\, , , '_"' ** J I wiah Misa Jardine could see me go' after a Comanche." It was barely^ possible,^hat thia ardent aspiration of our lover " would be gratified. For, the next mprninc:, while \the, two were at breakfast, Jn, comes Aiiatdle, ' with eparkling eye8 (j «nd re^ cheeks, declaring that hip aunt julietta wae.going with them to Mexicoj and sent, him to ask if one of the gentlemen would be so kind 88 to come and see her about, it, if either of them had time. , '