The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1879-12-18
WITH A LUNATIC.

ALI Dixon, Tom Giffard, and II had
gone up the river camping out; we had
done our second days work. 1t was
early d nnorning on the th rd day, glorious
weather. l was in the boat, getting the
steering lines in order; Giffard and Dixon
we're on the bank, talking to DR., Rawle.
AS understood it, the doctor was at
the heal of a private asylum for lunatics
He wGS'Giffard's friend, not mine. He
had been taking constitutional when
ne happened to fall in with us just as we
were sitting down to open-air breakfast;
the chance.meeting led to Giffard invit.
ing him to share our gypsy meal. He
did.
He was pleasant fellow; not too old,
and not too young. ! liked him ex-
ceedingly. We talked OF things in gen.
eral, and of lunatics in particular. -
Something led to his mentioning-I
think it was speaking Of the cunning of
certain class of lunatics, and the diff
Guilty Of keeping them within foar walls
the fact that one of his inmates had
escaped day or two previously, and
had not yet been retaken. This was
the more singular as it was tolerably
certain he had not gone far, and search
had been made for him in every direc-
tion.
AS Giffard and Dixon were saying
good-by, preparatory to getting into the
boat, the doctor laughing said Should
you happen to come across him, shall
consider you bound to bring him back
safe and sound
We laughed. ALI and Tom shook
hands with him, and got into the boat.
We promised, il We should happen to
meet him, we would certainly see him
returned to safe custody. ALI stood up
and showed us from the shore; we sang
out our last good-by, and left the doctor
standing on the bark.
Presumably we had come for river
beauties and the camping out x-presum-
ably; but as mattes of fact there was
young lady lived not so far ahead, mu-
tgsl friend, Lillian Irayers. Separately
and jointly We had q high opinion Of
Miss Travers, not only OF her beauty,
but Of othet things as well; and having
come so for, we hoped we should not
have to return until at least we had had
a peep at her. Unfortunately, though
we knew Miss Travers, we had no ac-
quaintance with Mr.. there was no Mrs.
We had met the young lady at several
dances and such like; but on each occa-
sion she was under the chaperonage of
old Mrs. Mackenzie. Apparently Mr..
Travers was not party man. But
Lillian had promised to introduce us to
him whenever she got o chance, and we
were not unhopeful she would get that
chance now. So you see that little ex-
cursion riverward had more in it than
met the eye.
We went lazily on, just dipping the
oars in and out; smoking, watching the
smoke oircling thro ugh the clear air.
We were dreaming and lazing, when
suddenly some ono stepped out from
among the trees. He was close to us
not dozen feet away.
He was tall man, rather over than
under six feet. HO was dressed in
dark brown suit OF Oxford mixture; he
had q stick in his hand, wore billy
cock hat, and his coat was buttoned
right up to his throat. He had light
whiskers, heavy dropping moustache,
hair unusually long, iron-gray in color.
he might be soldier retired from his
profession, or an artist out painting; he
certainly looked a gentleman.
We were passing on, when he raised
Hls stick, and shouted out, 'Stopl