The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1879-11-15
Up the River with a Lunatic
AN ENGLISH STORY.

ALI Dixon, Tom Giffard and I had
gone up the river camping out; we had
done our second days work. It was
early morning on the third day, glorious
weather. | was in the boat, getting the
steering lines in order; Giffard and
Dixoa were on the bank talking to DIR.
Rawle. As | understood it, the doctor
was at the head of private ASYLUM for
lunatcs. He was Giffard's friend, not
mine. He had been taking constitu-
tional when he happened to fall in with
US Just as we were sitting down to our
open-air breakfast; the chance meeting
led to Gifard inviting him to share our
gypsy meal. He did.
He was pleasant fellow, not too old
and not too young. | liked him exceed
ingly. We talked of things in general
and Of lunatics IN particular Some
thing led to his mentioning-I think 1t
was speaking of the cunning of certain
class of lunatics, and the difficulty of
keeping them within four walls-the
fact that one of his inmates had escaped
day or two previously, and had not yet
been retaken. This was the more singu-
lar, as 1t was tolerably certain he had
not gone lar, and search had been made
for him in every direction.
AS Giffard and Dixon were saving
good bye, preparatory to getting into the
boat, the doctor laughingly said,
"Should you happen to come across him,
| shall consider you bound to bring him
back safe and sound. He's a man of
forty-four or five, tall and bony, iron
gray hair, and has curious habit of
showing his teeth and winking his left
eye. Don't look out for raving luna
tic; for on most points he's as right as
you and |. He's wrong in two things.
Whatever you do, don't let him lose his
temper; for whenever he does, tho ever
SO slightly, he invariably goes in for
murder-he's all but done for two
keepers already. And don't talk to him
OF England or Englishmen, for if he
should get upon his native land, he'll
favor you with some observations which
will make you open your eyes"
We laughed. ALT and Tom shook
hands with him and got into the boat.
We promised, if we should happen to
meet him, we certainly would see him
returned to safe custody. Alf stood up
and showed us from the shore; we sang
out last goodbye, and left the doctor
standing on the bank.
1t was a beautiful morning. The river
was delicious, clear as crystal; we could
see the bottom, and every stone and
pebble on it; just gentle breeze fan
ming the surface of the waters into q
little ripple. We lit our pipes end took
it easily. / am a good bit of traveller
know many lovely hooks and crannies in
foreign lands; / have lived abroad as
much as at home; but / will match the
higher reaches OF our own Father
Thames for beauty and for charm
against any scenery in Europe. And on
an early summer morning, after a spell
OF glorious weather, it is in all its prime
the water so cool, so clear; the bank Sc
green, so charming; the stately trees on
either side; the mansions seen over the
meadows, or peeping out among the
trees. You may choose your Rhine,
your Garda, or your Maggiore, or your
golden bay of Naples, but leave Cook.
ham and old Father Thames to me.
Presumably, we had come for river
beauties and the camping out; pre-
sumably, but, as a matter of fact, there
was a young lady lived not so far ahead
mutual friend, Lillian Travers
Separately and jointly we had high
opinion of Miss Travers; not only of hel
beauty, but of other things as WE'LL and
having come so far, we hoped we should
not have to return until at least we had
had q peep at her. Unfortunately
though we knew Miss Travers, we had ne
acquaintance with Mister-there was ne
Missis. We had met the young lady al
several dances and such like, but or
each occasion she was under the chaper
onage of old Mrs. Mckenzie. Apparent
ly Mr.. TravGrs was not party man
But Lillian had promised to introduce
us to him whenever she got chance
and we were not unhopeful she would
get that chance now. So you see tina
little excursion riverwards had more il
it than met the eye.
We went lazily on, just dipping thu
oars in and out; smoking, watching th,
smoke circling through the clear sir
All thoughts of the doctor and his part
ing words had gone from our minds; we
talked little, and that little WAS of Lillian
and the chances of our meeting. We haC
gone some two or three hundred yards
we were close to the shore; Aft coult
almost reach it by stretching out his oar
We We're dreaming and lazing, whel
suddenly some one stepped out from
HuOAS Tue trees. ne WAS CLOSE 10 us
no. q dozen feet away.
He was a tall man rather over thai
under six feet. He was dressed in
dark brown suit of Oxford mixture; b
had stick in his hand, wore billy
cock hat, and his coat was buttoned RICH
up to his throat. He had light whiskers
heavy, dropping moustsche, hair I'm
usually long, iron-gray in color. 81
might be soldier retired from his pro
tession, or an artist out painting; he eel
tainly looked gentleman.
We were passing on, when he rsise'
his stick, and shouted out, "Stop!'
1t was regular shout, as though W
were half mile from him. We stopped
although it was an unusual method @
calling attention.
Gentlemen" he said, still at the to-
of his voice, =" should be obliged if 20
could give me a seat. ! have long wa
to 90, and am tired"
We looked st him and st each othel
1t was a free-and-easy style of asking
favor; but he seemed a gentleman, an
an elderly one too. Common polltene:
dictated civility.
81 am afraid" said ALT, eve hav
hardly room; she's only built for three.
On, that doesn't matter he sale
yoL can put me anywhere, or I'll tab
an oar for one of you"
was on the point of advising poin
blank refusal not appreciating his o
& A IL "a