Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1856-10-18


come up TO his idea Of lhe nse of bed. lie
stood upon it, and began to beat his hands abou,
his body, warm them and then TO leap,
like man trying to warm bis feet. His bed
being hair mattrass, which had a spring, his
agility appeared the more remarkable.
What is the matter with my child = inquir-
ed the lady of the house, taking his hand fec
tunsiely in hers, rubbing it tonderly to animd-
tcn 10 the tips Of his white fingers. lie look
ed at he for moment or two wiik interest,
placed his hands on the cheeks, pressed them
and The borders Of her cap between his palms,
bending his head towards hers.
lie is going 10 kiss her. thought l. Twas
mistaken he contemplated no more than a
Sandwich Island salute. Allor bringing the
point Of his nose into contact with hers he roar
ed out Boo =
What can all hint
Ia ba hat replied my mad friend,
jumping aud slapping his hands on his thighs
kept my eye fixed firmly upon him, Of
which he now and then seemed conscious, and
remarked that he cast the same sort of glances
in the direction Of the window he had done
down the well of the stairs. | was now fully
convinced Of his madness, aud saw the niediat-
ed seli-destructon, which he would accomplish,
il not closely watched and well guaided, !
therefore resolved not 10 leave him. There
were five or six strong young me0 in the room
besides myself and the lady Of the house, who
drew up, under my direction, round the foot Of
the bed; but ms agility become such that
feared he would bound through the window
} over our heads, and therefore watched my OPP
portunity 10 catch him by the legs an trip up
his heels.
We let him go, on receiving an assurance
that he would be quiet and he lay sill for The
space of half an hour. Aner this he begun
10 humble something 10 himself which did
, not understand and did moi interrupt him. By
and-by he imagined himself in the pulpit. lie
; began 10 preach--lar more eloquenlly when
mad than gave him credit for doing wheN sane.
His denunciaiion OF hypocrites was tremendous.
He hurled at the heads Of sinners generally The
liercest maledcions. Having exhausted this
, park Of artillery he opened on them with the
classical writer's, and displayed extraordinary
5 facility in the use of his weapons; charging
| them home, aud treading his path through diff
: cult passages in Latin and Greek authors, among
which he iripped, stumbled, OF floundercd when
in his right senses.
r have often thought since, with surprise, Of
0 the extraordinary change of natnre--for may
: call it snch-produced in few short hours
n The facility with which he quoted diilieul; por-
It tions Of the classics, which lie could not master
= when sane, though curious phenomenon, did
! not impress me SO much as his devilish wicked
$ ness. Memory is a cabinet with many hidden
S drawers. doubt il We ever actually lose any
s thing 1t may be slowed away in some hole
2 and corner ill an old association touches the
y hidden spring or says, Opcp stsDae' and brings
d the forgotten treasure 10 light. DR. AbeEeren.-
r by, in his work on the Mental Powers, relates
an anecdole Of gentleman who had lost his
h knowledge of Greek, which had been consider
II able, during fever, and had To begin again
with the alphabet and grammar. One day,
= while studying harder than usual, all his for
d mer knowledge flashed into his mind like the
y rays Of The morning sun through the open shut
+ tiers of dark room. This is all very curious,
'f but to me not so iucompreheusble as to see a
g mao of a naturally kind disposition ehuckling,
n actually luxurating, in the imaginary torments
, Of The damned.
$ This terrific exciemeu, could not last long.
T. In Two or three days he calmed down and spoke
1f to himself in whispers. lie seemed uncon-
= scious Of my presence, though never lett his
d bedside for half an hour together, thought
his sight was affected. for ! saw him Reckoning
r to hat (which lay on bed in another part ui
r. the room,) to come over to him and when il
Il did not obey, holding up his fist in threaten
Is ing manner
re One morning, as he lay picking the quilt
e the lady of the house entered the room, and
| placed four letters in my hand, saying, He
i'd was 10 the habit OF getting such letters every
N week.
lie The intelligence which beamed in her kind
IN face was not necessary to point my suspicion:
d, TO the source whence this correspondence flow
it ed. The letters were written in female hand
aud bore the Coventry post-mark. My friend
n came from Coventry; but he had neither moth
el e. nor sister He was an only son, and bolf
his parents were dead
Ut sat examining the letters in silence one b,
Oh one, and If the truth must be told, a tear OF
Il, two dropped on them as thought of the sorrow
b. which was in store for a fair writer.
81 As raised my head with sigh, found M
Dc friend on his elbow in the bed, devouring th'
letters with his eyes. | verify believe, had
d, attempted to pocket them he would have pounc
to ed upon me like tiger, or lake me by Ih
at throat for thief therefore followed the i'm
pulse of the moment and handed them to him
e. Ho snaiched at them like hungry dog, an
lt- hid them beneath the bedcoibes, watching +
he see if | had my eye upon him. By-and-by, h
drew out one, broke the seal, and began.
nd thought, to read it. Taking an opportunity 4
nd approaching his bed on tiptoe, and looking owe
he his shoulder, found he had the letter lurue
- upside down He opened the second, the third
aud the fourth. and turned them about in a
at directions but could make nothing Of then
nd and left them on the quilt.
- WELL inquired, what newsP
He looked perplexed but thought NOR
aer rational, or less insane.
- did you read themP
as mo-
ant ] sNWh, ,ot