The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-02-22


she wants to lind her brother, I-'
What i that to us what have w
u do with It Why should she come here
he savagely asked ID loud voice
Oh, sir, | shall gu away at once | did
not mean any harm, she said, evidently
scared II not terrified at the angry impet-
uoslty VI the man Felix Rulless looked
al his employer in dazsd, wondering
manner. Rrlyasou detected tile gaze 81
the foreman. a. If ashamed III lily conduct
be turned and walked brlskly away.
kulyss conducted Amy Wood tu the
Mayor office where she told her story.
ANA very sad one II was She had AL
ways been an invalid. was small. weak ana
sickly ln babyhood, gIrlhood- ever since
she came into tins truubluus world Her
father had died before she Was able tn LISP
Or prattle the name NJ papa her
mother HAD to wurk hard to raise Oscar
and herself. but Gnd spared the mother
strength until Oscar Mas able tu take her
place. Their life hai been hard and sOr-
rJvful from the beginning, tut as Oscar
grew older, more home comforts, sunshine
ana happiness began ~ surround them.
| But all tins Was cphemeral vanished III a
| moment the mon tnt the full truth burst
upon them The mother never recovered
from the shock. could never shut out from
her mind the horrible reality until the
death angel Wings vlIied tier eyes forever
I Little Amy Mas then alone ia the world
but she rev stronger under the atthCtiuu
and her heart y,arurd fur THE brother who
had carried her Irvcd her. played ana
studied with hgr when She Was yet u babe
And she resolved KY -u ~ HIM, be near
him. want upon hlm. sooth HIM ana love
/ him III his darkness Ii was a noble re-
solve none Int a sister would think ~ it,
\ none Tut a sister would carry it into execu-
V tluH.
\ The Mayor ana many others touk deep
I interest In THE fair, beautiful. Wee woman
4 inr shc Nas \ woman ~ luftness NJ souI
anna rIpruess uf uiud She Vas frank. Iu-
-cmous and innocent tut very wise. ana
| hure her sorrow with a heruism really
| cummendahiu.
Every thing she needed vas procured
Tor her, anu ALI escort Nas sent tu jackson
Vile. Through the influence " several
prominent and influential citizens. She was
gwen a room at the asylum and Mas per
mtted to ~ thr constant companion of
hrr brother " When She first saw Oscar
SIG rushed up ta him, threw her arms
around him, kissed hIm. ana asked Him
vver 81 pleadlngly ii he did not know her
The maniac at first seemed surprised and
scared ana tried tu run away, but she helJ
hlm fast ana begged him tU speak to her
tie looked AT hrr blankly ana then smiled
but ~ Wa an eApressiunless, meaning
less smile, and conveyed such all inca VI
melancholy sadness that Amy burst into
tear, and cried long ana bitterly The
maniac came up to her, struhcd bier iaAeu
hair, and astuushtd her by asking If
angels cried seeing she did nut answer
he said
I" Little angel, this j prison II you
can't fly. vuu will have tO remain here
The gates AIRY guarded IN huge sharks that
swallow all who attempt u escape, % fly,
little angel, fly.
Dear Oscar, | am going to stay here
and take care Of you. She answered softly,
and turned her la.ge blue eyes full upon
him
III am not Oscar ! Am Atlas Oscar j.
ID a lower ward, he replied Il i slugu-
Tar that while he disclaHued tht name NJ
oscar hr insisted upon designating auuth-
NJ maniac with that appsllutIou. This
Na-aTy, nO doubt, arose from tht fact that
an mixing IF the name still lurkcd IN hls
mind, but from the narrnwueSs of the
cumpas. ~ which K moved, he Vas unable
to locate the name where ID belonged.
Amy found him much larger and stronger.
lat a. fair and gentle as ever he Vas the
most harmless maniac in the aSy yum, and
was evidently showing signs ut improve
VII fl.. I u
deem Him hupeIessly Incurahle.
After Amy had been few days at the
asylum. Oscar became strongly attached to
her ana during the day he could not bear
To have her out VI his sight He always
called her "ilttle angel, and seemed to
get angry should she call him anything but
Atlas. One day he told tier III a secret,
cautious tone that he vas going to escape.
The confinement evidently fretted him
Tu Amy he always talked Of the fields and
tnrests with rapturous delight, but with
the cunning peculiar to manIacs. he never
mentioned these things before the keepers
or other inmates " the place.
There vas a grove near the asylum ana
~ Vas the practice Of the MANAGEMENT to
huld picHlcs there occasionally, during the
summer i'll which the most rational and
tractable manlacs generally took part
Ihe superintendent was very careful, how
ever, nut to allow too many out at one
time, he also took the precautiUn tO send
plentiful supply NJ keepers along. As
Wood never attempted to escape, and Was
UbedIrnt and dOcIle, he Was usually per
mItted to attend every fete-chamPetre that
Was gwen Amy, as matter Of course,
always attended him since she came, and
tnr that reason the keepers we're less vigil
amt u hs ease than i'll any other
Along towards the first of September
yne w these open air festivals Mas given
uu the event uf visit from the commits
sIoners. Oscar and Amy were present
although the picnic was not specially from
hs ward. but as We have already lnti-
mated, he VAS permitted To attend nearly
All these festivals.
On this day he strolled away towards
the outskirts uf the grove, but on account
q his previous good behavior, his absence
excited 10 alarm When out NJ slght "
the rest his manner suddenly changed, his
eyes shnne With strange brilhancy, his
nustrIs dIlated, and his breath came thick
and fast
+" Now. little angel, We are clear of the
sharks, run, little angel, run, he said ex
citcdly, wildly.
Oh, ~, dear Oscar, don't e., she
exclaimed, taking his hand as # 70 detaln
him, hut she trrmbled visibly a. she saw
huw unnaturally Mild he looked.
II Goodbye, little angel, ! must 90, he
sand bounding away like an arrow.
Oscar Oscar She cried, running after
him as fast as she could. Happening :"
look round he saw her following him, and
stopping suddenly he turned back, took
her by the hand and ran on, on across
broad field towards a road leading into the
country. But little Amy could not run
far, she was soon tired and fell down from
sheer exhaustion. The maniac stopped
quickly, gathered her up in his arms, and
ran ,n ~ hnfnrn Mhen hn REACHED the