Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1875-11-15

ed the tremulous Nathan, speaking all
the more rapidly in that the frantic had
already deftly effected the change
"And your coat, too-nice cool linen.
Upon my word, now, that coat is iufn-
itely preferable to this swallow tailed
concern of mine, with the buttons. Yes
it fits me very nicely. | hope you
don't object, sir, to the accommodation ?''
"N-o!' faltered Mr.. Tripler
"Well, good morning" )" said the stran-
ger. looking round with Dewildered
air. 81 really don't possibly see where
my chief orderly isl told him to be
here at precisely nine o'clock-and ev-
erything will be in confusion if don't
attend to it presently"
He plunged into the green, dense fast
nesses of the woods, talking resistlessly
to himself as he went, and Mr.. Nathan
Tr,pler was left solus IN coarse straw
hat, and coat of coarse blue cloth, gar
nished with huge yellow buttons, whose
brilliance was considerably tarnished.
"Dear me, what figure l cut, !" sigh
ed Mr.. Tripler, cycling himself with dis
gust. 81 must 90 directly home and
get something decent. A man would
be hoOted through the streets of New
York if he ventured to make his appear
ance in such a costume as this"
He rose, brushed away the chill drops
of perspiration from his forehead, and
was just replacing the crimson silk pock-
ct handkerchief in its resting place,
when he was suddenly grasped from be-
hind and thrown quickly to the ground.
''Well, we've cotched you at last, my
hearty" said burly man who stood
over him, while another had bound both
his hands and feet together before he
could find words or breath to remon-
strate. "You thought you were going
to give US the slip, hey? Come, it isn't
worth while to cut up like that, you
know, unless you want the strait jacket
brought out.
Strait jacket l'' gasped Tripler
"what do | want of strait Jacket %
Nothing, unless you behave yourself
unruly like. Steady, then Tom, bring
up the wagon
"Where are you taking me to ?" re-
monstrated our hero, as he was tumbled
into a one horse wagon.
ITO the asylum, to be sure, where
you'd have been two hours ago if you
hadn't been little too spry for the
stage driver and your keeper.
Light began to dawn upon the trou
bled chaos of Mr.. Tripler's much beWil
dered mind
"It's all mistake, my good fellows
"a ridiculous mistake" " he exclaimed
''fOr I'm not madman."
''No, of course not we know your,
not, of course, )" responded the larger o
the two with wink to his companion
"drive on, Tom."
'But am not, indeed; you are mis-
taking me for some one else-a man VIII,
has just now forced me to exchange hat
and coats with him and went down INT
the woods-he is the madman y
"Oh mo- guess not" said the BIZ
keeper, with fearful attempt at
pleasant irony.
"Good men, you are laboring under
very singular delusion," demonstrate
the victim, trying to speak plainly be
tween the jolting of the wagon and hi
own excitement; 81 am Nathan Triple
of No. - John street"
"Oh, yes" said the keeper, lightin
a cigar, yesterday you was NapOleo
Bonaparte, and to-day you're Natha
Tripler, and to-morrow-likely as not
you'll be King of the Sandwich Islands
I've heard this kind O. talk afore l''
Tripler's heart began to stand sti
with underlined horror as he asked hin
self, was this a dream, or was he actua
ly to be immured within the high ston
walls of the asylum he had so ofte
walked past with a feeling of dread an
horror beyond all description, the lif,
long victim of some hardly credible mi
take In vain he reasoned, argued, pr,
tested his words fell on the unheedin
ears of his conductors like drops of raj
pattering upon the stony surface of II
bic Rock, until at length he arrived
more dead than alive-into an apar
ment at the end of long row of simili
ones.
1t was lighted and ventilated by :
iron grating in the door, with a CORE
ponding window high upon the wa
and furnished with a narrow couch al
: a stand built into the wall, and ther
/ Mr. Nathan Tripler, released from b
confning bonds. was left to enjoy L
f uninterrupted society of his own chez
= less meditations.
at can't be possible | must
: asleep and dreaming p thought Natha
But it was possible, and he never "
] wider awake IN his life
: Towards evening, pitcher Of wat
I. and a piece of bread were dealt out
S him. Mr. Tripler ate it under sort
f mental protest to relieve the gnawi