The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1865-06-28
A Railway Panic,

nuffled from head to foot in q superb Spanish
cloak lined with sables. His tone of voice was
perfectly composed and matterof-fact.
''Indeed, sir" replied, with some surprise, "
mo such idea occurred to me-"
"But I am mad, though !" he retorted in the
same quiet, confidential way.
was IN no humor for leyity just then, and as
his was SO evidently an attempt at practical
Ioking, | made brief reply to that effect, and
ooked out of the window. 1t was an express
rain, going at the rate of fifty miles an hour
very moment bore me farther from one who
vas expressbly dear to me, and felt that Inever
7ished for silence and solitude more than at
hat moment. The worst Of it was that, if this
nan had made up his mind to talk, could not
lelp hearing him, and there was no one else for
him to address, since we were alone together in
he carriage.
"Yes," he continued, 'T really am mad
ust escaped, just escaped-not an hour ago.
Shall | tell you how did it ?"
/ continued to look out at the landscape fly
ng past, and feigued not to hear him.
II was not always mad, oh, dear, mol do
not exactly remember now what it was that
lrove me to it, but | think it was something
connected with lord Palmerston and the ace of
aubs. No-yes-oh yes the ace Of clubs had
certainly something to do with it. However,
hat is of no consequence now. had fine
house, and gardens, and horses, and servants,
md wife-aha such a pretty, gentle, loving,
title wife And loved her, too-nobody
,nows how 1 loved her-only wanted to muir
Ter her! | loved her SO that | wanted to muir
Ter her Wasn't that rare joke, eh?"
II began by this time to feel seriously un-
comfortable. 1t was getting slowly dusk, and
ny companion's face, composed as it was, wore
IN odd expression that did not quite like.
"Pray, sir, said, with effected carelessness,
let us change the subject. If you insist on
eonversing with me, We may as well choose a
more agreeable theme"
agreeable Why, could anything be more
agreeable? Well, l will continue. 1t was
ong time before they found it out, hid it SO
we'll. But knew it well enough, for used to
see faces everywhere, in the furniture, up in the
rees, in the bushes; and knew they could not
really be there, and that was mad at last For
/ had always expected it. Ay, ever since l was
q boy at school! Somehow they did find it out
though, in spite of all my caution, and was so
cautious, so cautious! They found it out and
one day two men came and seized me in my
gardens-my own garden and took me to the
mad-housel Oh, it was dreary place, that
mad-house! They shut me up by myself in
bare, cold room, with never fire to warm me,
though it was bitter winter. The windows
were barred across with iron, through which the
daylight shone, as if through the ribs Of a skel-
eton; and every night-would you believe t?-
every night there came fearful shape and sat
there, 1nocking and moving atme in the moon
beams That was hell, indeed One night,
when could bear it no longer, rushed upon
fba a ffot, rbf md HCtpu lp1
dashed il up against the hard walls-and then
the keepers came and tore me from it and
bound me down with cords upon my bed.
heard them say to one other that / had tried to
destroy myself; but ] knew better 1t was the
shape struggled with--it was the shape tried
to kill! Only they could not see it. Yet there
it still sat mocking mocking, mocking, all the
long night through; and they watching II my
room, and yet so blind that they could not per
ceiye Ii / do not know how long this fury
Of mine lasted, bnt l think it must have been a
weary time. At last one night, | woke from
a troubled sleep, and 10 the shape was gone
Ah, then | wept for JOY that ! was free from it.
and then | was proud, very proud, for 1t was
gone, and | had conquered it at last Well,
time went on, and l resolved l would escape
How do you suppose went to work? Why !
pretended to be cured of my madness. Every
day the doctor came to see me. But not me
alone; could hear him going to every room
all along the corridor, and so / knew when be
was coming long before he got to my door. l
must deceive him, l knew, as well as everybody
else. Oh, it was a hard task, and did !
/ The worst of my madness was that | could not
/ help thinking Of the oldest things, and when l
talked nv tongue woald utter them However,
| schooed myself to talk to him. Ipractised
| speaking in a calm, low voice. studied what
! | should say-I accustomed myself to rise and
bow, as if he were entering the room. did
not speak much, but what l said was reasonable
Il knew it was reasonable. used to say that
| felt better; that ! was tired of the confne-
ment; that hoped shortly to be permitted to
return home, and sometimes THAT was a clever
thought) | asked anxiously after my wife. One
day she came to see me. You cannot think
what an effort her visit cost me. She looked
SO pale, and timid, and pretty that day-and
forced myself to sit down by her; to say to her
all the things had learned to say to the doctor
to take her hand in mine; and-oh, longed to
kill her so the whole time. But did not. Ah,
no l even kissed her cheek at parting, though
| could have yelled aloud for rage as l bent
over her don't know whether they still sus-
pected me, but l was not released, for all my
pains. 90 determined 10 oe ILL., knew Jue
docter would find me out if only pretended
therefore, starved myself. Ha ha wasn't
that fine! This is how did it. Every day,
instead of eating the food they brought to me,
l put half of it under loose board in the foor,
and half left saying that felt i'll and could cal
no more Each day left more and more
so that it should seem as if my appetite grew
constantly worse. And then I got ill-only
did eat just a morseI now and then to keep mt
from diving. l suffered fearfully, but still