Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1859-11-10

dcr1ug3d, cu~ ont n the pure air ana
amid the pescefnl scenes OF the coun-
try. il fairly shocks us to hear Of Ia
Mates. And then. worse still, they
LAY thisman was driven mad by read
ing the Agliculturist. That brings
the charge to our own door in fear
ful way- lie was upset. not by hard
midnight study OF mathematics, meta
physics. classics. physic. law or divin-
ity; nor IN the vain search for the
philosophers stone. nor by trying to
square thc circle, or to invent perpet-
ual motion. not by any Of these ex-
hausti3g labors but simply by reading
our qnht pages. at the cool Of the day,
just aitet shooting his harvest home.
Not a real case OF insanity? just
wait, then. till We prove 1t. Here IS
the evidence. On the evening aforesaid.
while reading this paper. he dropped
II on the floor. and fell into deep
study. for half an hour. during which
he spoke to no one. Then. Suddenly
ropsing. he brought his clenched fist
down upon the table with a blow
which made every thing rattle. and
spoke in loud voice: 'I'li do it, de-
clare I'll 10 il. and I'll DO it at once
NOBODY knew what he meant. aud he
explained himself TO m one. But next
n1rning he went out before breakfast
aud drove down stakes all along the
sides of the highway, and all about
the door yard. During the day. he
was seen walking about the premises
in front Of the house, examining some
old aud half dead poplars. and was
heard to mutter something like this:
- lyon must come down. old gentle
mca, you must come down and make
room for your bctters" And some
old stumps and piles Of stones and
rubbish he saluted in the same way.
Not many Gsys after. he called his
son and his man John to dig holes by
the road side. and in the yard where
he had driven the stakes "What
possesses the old man." they whis-
pered tn each other. n they delved
away Mt the unaccustOmed work.
The holes being dug. he ordered the
double team 10 be hitched up. and all
parties drove to the woods On the
outskirts Of the forest. the farmer
found some fine Young elms. naples
and ash. he babe the men dig them mp
carefully. and then haul them home in
the wagon This work he kept up
for several DAYS, laboring himself in
digging up and setting out. and en-
ioyed the work exceedingly By the
road side in front of the house, he set
rows Of white elms. and by the street
leading OF at right angles to this. he
set naples. mingling the hard and
soft. AMI an occasional white ash. As
the work proceeded from day to day.
he would sit down and look this way
and that. and up into the air. in n sort
OF rcvery. Perhaps the cracked brain
man was thinking that the arching
eIms would make weird looking
canopy over his front avenue. and that
the goll and crimson and purple hueS
of the foliage on the side street would
look quite fantastic in Autumn. His
wife and children. look out OF the win
dows. occasionally, exclaimed to one
another;
"What IS father doing?" "Birnam-
wood has come to Dunsinane. laugh
iaely shouted the oldest daughter. who
bad read Shakespeare at her boarding
school. Ever since he got his last
agricultural paper, his head has been
full Of something new.
THIS fit of TRANSFORMING was broken
in upon for several days. while some
of the ordinary field labor called for
|attention. During this time, he seemed
perfectly rational. though his family
noticed on returning from his work at
Levening. he would walk around among
he newly planted trees and mutter
pomething to them.
Mint after this work was finished,
thetAsea~c set In again He ordered
the old poplars to be cut down and
.;rubbed up. and the piles OF rubbish by
the fence to be cleared away. He then
went to the neighboring nursery, and
bought several ornamental trees. roses
and shrubs, and hal them set out in
the deor-yard His wife and daugh-
tcrs were delighted, and aided in the
work OF planting the bushes and vines {;
though they reIoiced with trembling
il seemed SO strange All the neigh
bors admitted that the farmer was inn
proving his homestead. and the fami-
" took new pride in their dwelling,
and felt increasing attachment to farm
life But, then. what did 1t all mean?
He never acted 30 before Not one
farmer in hundred was ever known
10 do such things. There must be a
screw loose somewhere. That agri-
cultural paper upset him.
Well, we can not now relate all the
circumstances: but matters went on In
this way for a long time. Meanwhile.
the farsacr repaired his house. and
built new<front fence. and had them
botn painted. In short, the whole
premises. rear and front. put on an al
tered aspect Most of his neishbors
said he was crazy. But he replied.
smiling, that he saw tokens of in
sanity in the neishborhood: and he
had been dcranged heretofore. he con
fessed: bat now hal come to his sens
\ es. and hoped to remain so the balance
Of his days Amer. Agriculturist-