Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1837-08-25
From the pickwick Papers.
A MADMAN'S MANUSCRIPT.

would have struck to my heart many years
ogo! How it would have reused the ter
'or tina, used ~ come upon me sometimes.
sending the blond Kissing aud tlngllng my
skin. aud INV knees knocking together with
frghf! like It now, though. lt's fine
name. Show me the monarch whose an
grv frown was fared like the glare Of
madmans eve; whose cord and axe we're
ever half s" sure ~ a madnan's grippe.
Hn! h.! It's a grand thing TO be mad +!
,n be peepcd at like wild lion through |
the iron bars; to knash ones teeth and
howl. through the long, still night. to the !
merry ring f heavy chain; aud to roll
and ,w,ne among the straw. transported
with such brave music Hurrah for the |
madhousc! Oh. m'e a rare place!
II remember DAYS when | was afraid OF
beng mad when used to start from my
sleep. aud talI upon my knees, and pray to
b. spared from The curse Of my race
when | rushed from the sight Of merr-
men, or happiness, to hide myself in some
lonely place. and spend the weary hours in
wa ching the progress of the fever that
was to consume my brain. ! knew that
madness was mixed up with my very blood.
aud the marrow of my bones; that one
generation h d passed away without the
pes,lence appearing among them. and that
] was the first IN whom It. would revive.
| knew it must BE- so that so 1t always had
h"e'.v-s.Ad- II ever would be; and when
| covered in some obscure corner of o
crowded room, and saw men whisper, and
point, aud turn their eyes toward me,
knew they were telling each other Of the
dooned madman.
II did tins for years: long long years
they were The nights here are long some.
times-very long bu, they are nothing To
the restless nights and dreadful dreams
had at that time. 1t makes me cold to re-
member them. Large. dusky forms, with
sly and jeerlng faces. crouched in the cor
Eers of The room, and bent over my bed a,
night. ten, ,ing me to madness. They
told mo in low whispers, that the floor in
the old house in which my father died, was
stained with his own blood, shed by his
own hand IN raging madness. drove my
fingers into my ears. but they screamed
: INTO my head TIL the room rang with it,
: that IN one generation before him the mad
ness sumbcred, bu, that his grandfather
had lived for years with his hands fetIered
to the ground, to prevent his tearing him
self to pieces. knew they told the lrul h
! II knew It well. / had found It out
years before. though they had tried to keep
It from M. Ha! Ina! was too cunning
Tor them. m1dman as they thought me.
"Al las: II came upon me. and ! wonder.
cd how | could ever have feared it..
could 90 INTO the world now, and laugh
and shout with the best among them.
y knew | was mad. but they cid not even
y suspect il. How used /, hug myself with
; delight. when ,hongh, Of the fine trick
- was PLAYING them after their old pointing
> aud Ieer'ng. when | was not mad, but only
drradng that | might one day become So
:, And how used to laugh for JOY wher
y wa. alone. and thought how we'll ! KEEP
" INV secret, and how quickly my KIND friends
y would have fallen from me. If they hat
' known the truth. could have screamed
with ecstacy when d,ned alone with some
y fine roaring fellow. 10 think how pale h'
y would have turned. and how fast he woult
u have ,nn. il he had known that The dea
friend who sat close TO him, sharpening
bright. gIulcr,ng knife. was a maduan
y with all the power. and half the will. /,
:, plunge 1t in his heart:
"Rlches bscamr mino--wea|th poured il
!" upon me. and r,o,ed IN pleasures. enhan
'e ced thousand fold to me by the conscl
'" onsness Of my well kept secret. 'nheri
ted an estate. The law. the eagle.eye
law itself. had been deceived. and ha
" handed over disputed thousands to a mad
" mans hands. Where was the wit Of tn
" -harD sight ed men Of sound mind? Wher
:" he drx'erny of the lawyers. eager to dis
= cover flaw? The madnan's cunning ha,
~ overreachrd them all.
y" II had money. How was courted!
!" spout it pr"uselv. How I was praised
!" brothers hnmblnd themselves before me
~ Tho old. white headed father, too--sucl
y" heferrnce--- such rPspect--such devote,
', tr,rnd-h,p whv, he worshpped me. Th
" old man had daughter, and the yOun!
" men a SISTER. aud all he five we're poo'.
a. was rich and when married the girl.
u, saw smile of triumph play upon the ace
~ nf her needy relatives, as they thought q
their well planned scheme. and their fin
W pr,ze. II was for me to smile. To smile
= y" laugh outright. and tear my hair, an
;" roll upon the ground with shrieks of mer
e' rmenl. They lille thought they hs
~ married her 10 a mailman!
u. "ln one thing was deceived in all m
J." cunning II had not been mad -fC
Wv though we madmen are sharp wltte
w. enough. we get bew'ldered sometimes
Z" should have known that the girl woul
W "a, her have been nlaced. stiff and cold,
dan, lcad"n coffin, than borne, an envie
, BRIDE. to nv rich. glt'ering house.
~ should have known hat her heart was WI,
~ The dark eyed boy whose name ono
~ heard her breathe in her troubled sleep
~ and that she mad been sacrificed to me. I
sc -,I, a., ,,v.,,v or,h. ,Id ,,h;,o h..J,
c. - 49,, LL, L,L