A DEATH
"Aunt Judy, my Poilu is tellible sick! He can't open up his mouf mo'n
'bout a minute far. Won't you please, ma'm, punch it open wif the button
hook so's I kin poke some breafkast down him?"
Mildred had the little puppy clasped in her arms and he did seem to be
very miserable. His eyes were partly closed and his teeth were tightly
clamped together.
"I weckon that big ol' dog what eated a piece out'n him done made him so
sick."
"But, honey, that was a week ago, and if it had been going to make him
sick it would surely have affected him long ago. It was nothing but a
scratch, and don't you remember Aunt Judy bound it up so tight it only
bled a moment?"
Judy and Kent had remained at Wellington for a visit. Kent was so soon
to join his regiment that he felt he could not tear himself away from
his mother and sister, so they had lingered on after the other guests
had departed. The bride and groom had also returned after a flying visit
to Nance's old home and were now with the McLeans, Nance declaring that
Andy's mother must have all she could of her son before he was to sail
for France.
Judy took the puppy in her lap and smoothed his silky sides. The little
fellow opened his eyes and gave her a grateful glance. Mildred did
squeeze a little too tight when a fellow felt as sick as poor little
Poilu did.
"Maybe we had better get the doctor for him," suggested Judy. "There
come Andy and Aunt Nance now, across the campus! Call them, Mildred!
Andy is not too proud to doctor a dog."
Mildred delightedly ran to the door and waved her arms frantically. "Hi
there, brideangroom! brideangroom! Somebody's mighty sick in this here
house. Better hurry up or they might go deaded!"
Andy and Nance quickened their pace and hastened into the house.
"Who is it?" they cried anxiously.
"It's my littlest brudder!"
"Dodo! What is the matter with my little husband?" asked Nance
anxiously.
"'Tain't Dodo! He ain't my littlest brudder. I'se got anudder brudder.
Ain't you knowed about him?"
Nance and Andy were much mystified, but they followed the amusing little
creature into the library. Nance thought perhaps the big-hearted Molly
had adopted a French orphan,--Molly was quite capable of doing it.
"There's my brudder!" and Mildred pointed to the suffering puppy. "Ain't
it too bad he's got a tail?"
Andy laughed as he lifted the poor little Poilu to his own knees.
"What is the matter with him, Andy?" was Judy's anxious query.
"It looks like the last stages of tetanus." The patient was even then in
a violent convulsion. Andy mercifully laid his handkerchief over the
little fellow's head, dreading that Mildred should see his suffering.
"I'd put him out of his misery but he will be gone in a moment anyhow,"
he said sadly. "Has he been hurt?"
"A week ago he got bitten by a dog, but it was a mere scratch and did
not amount to a row of pins, so Molly and I decided."
"Did you put anything on the wound?"
"Nothing but a surgical dressing down at the war relief rooms. I
remember it was one of the beautifully made dressings Madame Misel had
just brought in----"
Andy sprang up, a wild light in his eye. The puppy had breathed its last
so he handed it over to Judy without more ado.
"Where is Molly?"
"She has gone down in the village to pack supplies at the war relief
rooms. There were lots of things to get off, so she went quite early. I
am to follow a little later, just as soon as Kent finishes primping.
What is the matter?"
"There may be much the matter. You and Kent come as fast as you can,"
and Andy and Nance hurried off without any more explanation.
The news was broken to Mildred that her pet was no more and her bruised
heart was much comforted with promises of a funeral later on when Kizzie
got time to make arrangements. Kent and Judy caught up with Andy and
Nance before they reached the old church where the war work was carried
on.
"What under Heaven is the matter?" panted Judy.
"It may be nothing, but I must investigate. Let's go in as quietly as
possible. Does Madame Misel still work on the surgical dressings?"
"Yes, indeed! And such beautiful work as she does! Molly insists that
she must have a great deal of good in her to give so much time to this
work. Sometimes I think I must have dreamed that they spoke as they did
that night in the garden. Why should pro-Germans and spies choose this
particular spot, anyhow?"
The workroom was filled with very busy ladies when our young couples
entered. Molly was tying up dressings, after carefully inspecting and
counting them. An order had come for many bandages and other dressings
and all hands were at work trying to get them off. Madame Misel was
deftly arranging the rolled bandages in pyramids and then tying them
with strings made of the selvedge torn from the cotton. Nothing goes to
waste in this war work. Madame's countenance was as calm as ever as she
bent over her work, but when she saw the two men enter, Judy noticed a
sudden alertness in her glance and a tiny spot of red on her usually
white cheek. As she pulled the selvedge string, she must have given it
an unusual tug for it broke and the tightly-rolled bandages flew hither
and yon over the floor.
"Humph! There is no telling how many germs got picked up in that
scatteration," muttered Andy as he stooped and gathered the bandages.
"The--bandage--does--not--touch the--wound," said Madame, evidently
forgetting she was speaking to a surgeon.
"No?" said Andy shortly.
"Molly," he said, "I must speak with you a moment."
"Well, Andy dear, I am awfully busy. You come home to luncheon with me,
you and Nance, and then you can speak all you've a mind to."
"I must speak now," whispered Andy sternly.
"Heavens! Is anything the matter?" asked Molly.
"I am not sure," and Andy drew her towards the vestry at the back of the
church. "Tell me, Molly, have you packed all the dressings that that
Misel woman has made?"
"Why, no, not all of them! Why?"
"Have you mixed them with the others?"
"No! They are so beautifully folded that I do not have to inspect them,
and so I have put them in boxes to themselves. She is the best worker I
ever saw."
"Molly, I shall have to ask you not to get this shipment off to-day."
"But, Andy, it is most important! The poor wounded are bleeding to death
and the ship sails in two days. We must get them off this evening if
they are to catch that boat. What is your reason?"
And then Andy told her of the puppy's death. He said the fact that his
first aid had come from those very rooms, and that tetanus, or lock-jaw,
had set in on a perfectly healthy puppy when he had a mere scratch from
another dog, made him suspicious that tetanus germs were on some of the
bandages.
"Why, Andy, that is ridiculous! Poor Madame Misel may be in sympathy
with Germany in spite of all she says, she and her husband, but she
could not do such a vile thing as that." Molly could not help feeling
impatient and indignant with her old friend. "Only look at her sweet
face and all thought of such infamy will leave your mind."
Andy did glance towards Madame Misel and the look of venomous hatred
that he surprised on her face was shocking. The young physician laughed
grimly. "Molly, you are no judge of persons unless they happen to be
angels. You think wings are getting ready to sprout even from our
enemies."
"Perhaps they are! Who knows?"
"You may be right, but in the meantime, please don't let any of these
dressings get off. I must see those Secret Service men. Where are they?"
"Edwin knows, I believe, but he has not told me."
Molly was irritated beyond endurance. How was she to let these women
know that the shipment must be held up? It was all of it so absurd. The
women had done the work and now these men must come poking their fingers
into the pie that they had had none of the work of making. The idea of
accusing Madame Misel of such a crime! Judy, too, seemed to be doubting
the stranger, and Nance, of course, would be aiding and abetting Andy.
"I shall have to ask you to be very quiet, not to give this creature an
inkling of our suspicions," commanded Andy sternly. "That is very
important."
"Well, naturally, I'll hardly be so rude as to let her think anyone is
so unkind as to doubt her," and Molly's lip trembled.
"Molly, dear Molly, don't hate me so. I can't help seeing that something
is wrong and if I have the slightest suspicion, I must surely probe to
the bottom. You must see that."
"Of course I do, Andy, but I just can't bear to have anybody abused,
especially a woman who makes such lovely dressings," and Molly tried to
smile at her friend.
"Well, I'll depend upon you to stop the work of getting them off and
still not let the woman know she is under suspicion. Just go on packing
but do not make the shipment."
"I hate to resort to such subterfuge, but I'll do my best," sighed
Molly.
"Wouldn't it be better to bring one criminal to justice than to kill
thousands of poor wounded men by dressing their wounds with tetanus
germs?"
"Of course, only--but--you see----"
"Yes, I see that your heart is so tender and you are so honest yourself
you think all the world must be like you."
Molly went sadly back to her packing, all the joy and zest gone out of
her work. How could nice men like Andy and Kent think such things about
a poor defenseless woman? No doubt she did have a sneaking sympathy for
Germany. Was not that natural? Had she and her countrymen not been under
German rule long enough to consider the kaiser as their rightful ruler?
Because her husband chose to pretend to be lame was no reason why
everybody should think Madame Misel capable of such a dastardly thing as
putting tetanus germs on the bandages of poor wounded soldiers. That was
something no woman, no matter how bad, could do,--and surely this woman
was not bad, not really bad. Molly Brown was so constituted that one had
to be proven to be bad before she could believe evil of him or her, and
then, as a rule, she would find some excuse for the sinner if not for
the sin.
Nance and Judy stayed on to help in the work, while Andy and Kent went
to find the Secret Service agents. While the task of making bandages,
etc., went rapidly forward, the detectives quietly ransacked the cottage
occupied by the Misels. This was the first opportunity they had had of
going over the house. The occupants had never before left it alone. Much
of dire importance was discovered. Among other things a small laboratory
where no doubt all kinds of evil germs were incubated. The search was
made very rapidly, as they were anxious to leave things in such order
that the owners would not suspect that they were under surveillance.