"It grows almost everywhere in
the world, but most thrivingly in the tropics. All the poisons
that I have mentioned are related to it in some way, I believe."
"I've seen the thing in lots and fields," I replied, "but I never
thought it was of much importance."
"Well," he resumed, "the jimson weed on the Pacific coast, in some
parts of the Andes, has large white flowers which exhale a faint,
repulsive odour. It is a harmless-looking plant, with its thick
tangle of leaves, a coarse green growth, with trumpet-shaped
flowers. But to one who knows its properties it is quite too
dangerously convenient for safety."
"But what has that to do with the evil eye?" I asked.
"Nothing; but it has much to do with the cigarettes that Whitney
is smoking," he went on positively. "Those cigarettes have been
doped!"
"Doped?" I interrogated, in surprise. "With this weed of madness,
as you call it?"
"No, it isn't toloache that was used," he corrected. "I think it
must be some particularly virulent variety of the jimson weed that
was used, though that same weed in Mexico is, I am sure, what
there they call toloache. Perhaps its virulence in this case lies
in the method of concentration in preparing it.
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