The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1867-10-30
THE ESCAPED LUNATIC.
Glow far am [ from the tavern ?"

I dOH lar alll l. liOul Lue tdVeIu!.
"Three miles, sir.
The toll gate keeper looked anx-
iously IN nay face as he held up
his lantern, athwart which the
l gusts Of rain dashed furiously.,
= "What time is TT"
/. He glanced over his shoulder,
through the halfopen door, where
fire and candle light cleaned cheer
| lily upon the face Of a cheap wood
en- clock. =
"Nine o'clock, sir, -. -
| I spurred on my horse with q
word or two Of thanks, the closing
door Of the toll house shutting out
fall warmth and light and human
companionship, and I was once
more in the wind and storm and
pitchy darkness: No matter.
Three miles was no distance worth
speaking of: = 1 should soon be
within shelter; SO 1'patted my
t-horse'sneck, and spoke soothingly
to- him. ....-..
cold fellow, don't be nervous.
|sHeaven's artillery wiilhurt,neither
~ofus,, and you shall have a, feed Of
oats ,and.a snug dry stable, very
soon!" s.. -. :: -. ..-,. 80:
Sultan tossed his superb head,
Eas if. he fully comprehended my
encouraging words, and quickened
his pace. But at that instant a
Blaze of tightening more brilliant
and vivid than-I had yet: expert
enced, revealed the whole SUR
rounding scenery with. CHASTITY dis
tinctness-deep woods. through
which. the narrow road: wound
sinuously-a sunken, zigzag fence
on each side, and-coutd it have
been possible that was mistaken?
or did a white, terrified face glare
at mine through the, low cedar
thickets, in that instant Of illumi-
nation I? -<%c
t2 ssHaloo!" I cried out, listening
iatently for some other sound than
: the rush Of the rain and the per
.petual futter of moVin g: foliage in
The wind. But~no- sound was re-
turned. : Twice L repeated the
summons-twice it was in vain:
:. awe. are, dreaming, Sultan, "::I
said, encouragingly, to my horse:
sCome,s get:on, old fellow, or we
shail-fapey ourselves hemmed in
-by:witches." -. .,,2Zi;.-t..- -.
7 am not a, nervous man by ma;
ture, but those three miles.seemed
to me the:longest three I had ever
traversed, and unconsciously /
Kept listening for footsteps on& the
side of the road; watching for pale,
frightened faces; and when;at last:
theiruddy lights of the wayside
tavern cleaned through the. dense
aisty:dafkness, WELCOMED them
With a glad heart, (.
: That, night l slept the dull.
AeaHyssleep of:a thoroughly wea-
Iied man, and rose, depressed and
unrefreshed, in the morning g: Not
even the fragrant slices ofham and
the, good coffee could: inspire me
with an auDetite.
Bring my bill, landlord, if you
please,"'I said - :. -. 90.
!, ."Ism.serry you should have been.
delayed sir" said the fat and jolly
'Boniface, bustling in, -"b1s the
servants have just, come in from
the village, and they're telling me
of very extraordinary occurrence.
"a, ,lnatic, .sir-one Of their worst
cases, escaped from the asylum,
aud at large in the woods!"
=, "a lunatie p I exclaimed. l,
felt the blood ebb away from my
cheeks as remembered the white
face among the cedar thickets of
the wilderness.
"What time did he eseape?" I
asked.
"About seven o'clock, sir" he
replied.
And T had seen the apparition
at little after nine. Then it was
no optical delusion-no spectre of
a disordered imagination.
1 paid my bill without q word
then I told my host what l had
seen.
"Dear me, sir" said the excited
landlord. "But they're on his !
track they'll soon secure him"
'Landlord," [ said, as drew on
my gloves, lis it far to Arch Hall?"
"Arch Hall, sir? Squire Ackley's?
Only abontStwo miles by the foot
path through the woods-six by |
the high road"
Iwaited an instant. Bright and
warm the summer morning sun
shine streamed in upon the floor;
softly the breeze stirred the creep
ers that trailed over the porch |
pillars I thought of Sultan, al
ready 'overwearied. Il
II have half a mind to walk,
and let you send Sultan after me
this afternoon" said I.
"It'sjust a pleasant walk, sir"
said mine host, rubbing his hands
and smiling. Squire Ackley an
old friend Of yours, sir p
s!Yes-nn: I have never seeni