The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1869-01-21

gagou hNnu-tO. hand with McAdAm
who brandishcd huge carving knife
| had often see him use at tho dinner
table. Kelly had fortunately caught
tho hand that held tho was an ac-
tive as well as powerful young
man, but all his efforts aud my assist
auco were not sufficient to disarm the
manager till |, being blessed with
considerable lungs, raised the house
by my cries of t"lIelp e. aud "Mur.
der J and he was at lcngth strapped
down in his own bcl--lor the ram.
parts Of reason had given way, and
the mau was IN paroxyism of fran
tic mania. All that could be done
was doue for Mr.. McAdam, aud no
misfortune was ever moro lamcntcd
in the houso. But il was confirmed
insanity uud as he had no relations
in London, and was single man, his
Scotch Friends had to be written to,
aud country clergyman, together
with spirit merchant, aud writer
to the Signot, came and removed him
to an asylum in Scotland.
am not telling my own story, and
will therefore waste neither time nor
space with how it happened that,
some eight or niue years after, | was
established in the High street Of
Belfast, with my two brothers.in.
law as partners in the drapcry line,
Kelly was still travelling for Cooper
~ Coyordale, aud followed his ancient
course when off duty. Nobody in
tho shop had got any news from him
regarding the poor managers attack,
Kelly told him tho man was mad,
and that 1t was not every man that
had a brain to 90 wrong; this was the
sum of his explanation. But about
the time mentioned he called on me
for orders, one wet Saturday even.
ing, uncommouly like tho day on
which we had last seen the lady OF
the stripe; for she never madc her
appearance after. suppose my or
ders had been satisfactory, and Kelly
had nothing better to do, for he stood
chatting with me about old times aud
companions, till my heart warmed
up, and l asked him in to supper
We grew exceedingly friendly over
the oysters and double y, aud when
Mrs, Gingham had gone to look after
her household affairs, (my wife was {
good mauager) l ventured a hint
Of curiosity about poor McAdam anC
the old woman.
"Well, it's all over now" said
Kelly, taking another pull at the
tankard. "Ihey say he'll never re,
cover, and the story is worth telling
to a sensible man like you. ] heard
it at Inverness, when McAdam first
came to our house, but l never let it
out, for he was a better mau than
the most of us, and tried hard to do
WE'LL aSdYot you see it went against
him, aud ull through tho folly of Nj,
youth. He was not more than eight
cen when he first went into busine3s
with an old friend Of his family, anC
they were highly respectable. But
McAdam was an orphan, aud had hil
own fortune to make. His employ.
ers were Stewart d Mckenzie, one OF
tho oldest silk houses of the North,
but be lodged with Mrs. Cameron,
tho old Iezebel who camo after the
stripe. She was lieutenant's widow
aud had the half pay and "A pretty
daughter, Grace. They should have
been respectable, but they were not
exactly,
"Thcir comings on were counted
rather light, and Inverness, besides
being a very staid town, has plenty OF
leisure to make remarks. 1t could
not be expected that its single and
tea. drinking ladies would forgive
poor Grace for her roses and ringlets;
two or three half"scandals had been
ia circulation before McAdam went
there to lodge; and he first fell in love
with the daughter, then learned ihC
family habits of carelessness and OK
travagauce. believe it was not for
them, but to supply some pressing
necessity Of his own at card-table or
playhouse, that, in plain terms, he
stole from his employer and pawned
a piece Of old Venitian satin, known
as Zebra, from the peculiar and bril-.
liant red stripes with which it is al
ways crossed.
The satin was unique in Inver'
ness, had been purchased to suit Z
lady patroness, was missed, and hually
traced to McAdam. Ills employers
we're worthy men; far from prosecu
ting him, they did not make it pub
| lie, but by their advice, as we'll Al
that Of his friends, he left that par
| of Scotland, broke off his connection
with the Camerons, and re.establishel
This character in the warehouse Of ;
rigid old uncle in Glasgow, VIII,
died and left him nothing after tel
years service. / lsuppose the Scotch
man had not committed himself il
the matter Of Grace, The Cameron
never advanced a claim upon him
aud he escaped well, as a man alway
does, from such snares.
But, however it was, the poor cir
never held up her head after, but
pined away, going from one com
plant to another, perhaps in tn,
course of nature; a any rate she died
aud her mother turned queen, they
say. Mrs. Cameron was a distan
teiation to the pawnbroker with whom
! McAdam had dealt. When he
daughter had gone, she went to keel
the old mans house, for he was I
widower without children, but lik,
most of his craft, not without money
Mrs. Cameron got it iu his will aitel
his death, and must have got the storl
of the zebra satin from him. Boil
| helped to turn her brain to mischief
and ever after she did nothing bu