The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1879-12-04

was being watched; he couldn't sit still
he looked first at one bank, then at the
other; his eyes travelled everywhere,
resting nowhere; his hands fidgeted and
trembled; he seemed all of quiver.
expected him to break into paroxysm
every second. If hadn't called out he
would have run us right into the shore
when / called, he clutched the other
string violently, jerking the boat almost
round. I heartily wished him at Jer.
icho before he had come near us.
| No one spoke. We went slowly
along, watching each other. At last he
said something.
I'll will get out" he said in an
odd, nervous way. ~ 90
"With pleasure" said Alf, :" IN a
few minutes" as .
"Why not now Why not now sirp''
he said, seeming toshake from head to
foot. -
Where are you going to getP into
the riverP'' ~-
1 admired AIfs coelness; envied
him. L only hoped he wouldn't let it
| carry him too far.
The man glowered at him; for q mo-
ment he looked him full in the face. l
never saw look in a mans eyes like
that in his. ALI returned him look for
look. Slightly, almost imperceptibly,
he quickened his stroke. A little lower
down was q little hamlet with a we'll
known inn and capital landing stage.
When we came alongside the stranger
said:
"This will do; I'll get out here"
He turned the boat inshore. No
sooner were we near enough than he
rose in his seat and sprang onto the
beach. There were several people
about, watermen and others. Alf was
after him in an instant; he rose almost
simultaneously and leaped on shore; he
touched him on the shoulder.
"Now come," he said, "don't be
foolish; we know all about it.''
The other turned on him like q
flash of lightning. "What do you
meanP"
But Tom was too quick for him; he
was on the other side and took his arm.
" Come" he said, ''don't let's have a
row."
The stranger raised himself to his
full height and shook off Tom with ease.
He then hit out right and left in splen-
did style. Tom and Alf went down like
ninepins. But my blood was up. lam
pretty strong. He was old enough to
be my father; but found my match,
and more. Twas like a baby in his
arms; he lifted me clean of my feet
and threw me into the river. 1t was a
splendid exhibition of strength.
Tom and Alf, finding their feet, m ade
for him together, and scrambling out
as best could, followed suit. You
never saw such a set-out. We clung
to him like leeches. The language he
used was awful; his strength was mag
nificent; and though we were three to
one, he was a match for all of us. OF
course the bystanders seeing a row,
came up; they interfered and pulled us
off
Here's a pretty CO." said one.
"What is all this9" tNa
"Stop him! lay hold of himr' said
Alf. "He's iunatic."
"A what?" said the man.
"He's lunatic escaped from DIR.
Rawle's asylum" 40
Instead of lending a hand, the man
went off into roar of laughter. and the
others joined. The stranger looked
literally frantic with rage. A gentle
man stepped out from the crowd.
There is some mistake" he said.
"This gentleman is Mr.. Travers, of
Tollhurst Hall"
. You could have knocked us all three
down with feather, do believe.
Could it be possibleP Could we have
been such consummate idiots as to have
mistaken a sane man for lunaticP and
that man was Lillian Travers' father!
could have shrunk into my boots,
could have run away and hid myself in
bed. To think that l should have
dogged and watched, and insulted, and
assaulted the man of all others in whose
good books we wished to stand-Lilian
Travers' father! Never did three men
look such fools as we did then. We
were so confoundedly in earnest about
it, that was the worst of all. l don't
care what you say; you may think it
first-rate joke, but he must have been
an eccentric sort of elderly gentleman.
If he had behaved sensibly, if he had
made one sensible remark, he would
have blown our delusion to the winds.
We rendered our apologies as best
we could to the man we had so in
suited; but he treated us and them with
the loftiest scorn; and we got one after
another into the boat amid the gibes
and jeers of an unsympathetic crowd.
And as we moved from the wretched
place as fast as our oars would take US,
we each in our secret heart declared
that we would never forget our ad-
And we haven't. From that day to
this have never seen Lillian Travers,
nor do wish to.