Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1879-11-13

my mind; tall, strong, about forty.fve,
iron-gray hair; q habit Of chewing his
teeth and winking his left eye. Gracious
powers! was it possible We had a lunatic
with us unawares7 I know the posi-
bility, nay, the probability Of such a
thing made me feel more than queer.
If there is anything in the world l in
stinctively fear, it is mad persons. 1
know little of them, have never been in
their company. Possibly my ignorance
explains my dread; but the idea of sit.
ting in the same boat and on the same
seat with a man Who
DR.. Rawle's warning, "Don't let him
lose his temper, or murder will ensue,"
made me bound from my seat like Jack
in-the-box. The boat tipped right out
of the water, but l didn't care. The
man was glaring at me with cruel eyes;
my muscles were strung, my fists
clinched; every moment / expected him
at my throat.
What the dickens are you up to-"
said ALT. "What's the matter with
your"
"Excitable temperament, hot blooded
youth" said the stranger.
I could have said something had I
chosen, but l preferred discretion; I
didn't like his eyes.
"N-o-nothing," I said. 81 think
I'll sit in the bow" l didn't wait to
learn if any n had an objection, but
swinging round, I scrambled past ALI
and tripped full length on to TOMS
knees. The boat went up and down like
q swing; it was a miracle he was not over.
els the fellow madw roared ALI.
At the word "mad' the stranger rose
up straight as a post. "Mad!" he said;
do you know SIR He checked himself
and sat down. "Pooh! he's only a boy"
In passing Tom I whispered in his ear.
"The lunatic," I said.
"What!' said Tom, right out loud.
"Bold your row, you COMPOUNDED don.
key! It's the man from DR.. Rawle's!" :
BE was going to say something
naughty-1 know he was, but he stopped
short, and stared at him with all his
eyes. Either ALT overheard me, or else
the same idea occurred to him at the
same moment, for she stopped, dead in
the middle of sgt4EQ}&e~ ard i i2Bamno1ataad
ALT went on staring at him for q minute
or more. I kept my head turned the
other way to avoid his eyes. All at once
I felt the boat give q great throb. l
turned; there was the stranger leaning
half out Of his seat, looking at ALI in a
way I shouldn't have cared to have him
look at me.
What's the meaning of this inso-
lence?" he said.
The question was not unwarranted; it
could not have been pleasant to have
been stared at as ALI and Tom were
IL beg your PARDON" said ALT, cool as
a cucumber. "To what insolence do
you 1efer?"
Tom actually chuckled; I couldn't
have chuckled for a good deal; it seemed
to me not only imprudent, but risky; I
couldn't forget DR.. Rawle's words about
his homicidal tendencies. He turned
red as a lobster; I never saw such ali ex.
preston cone over q mans face before
perfectly demoniacal. To my surprise
he sat down and spoke as calmly and de-
liberately a. possible.
"Thank you," he said. II shall not
forget this"
There was a sound about his II shall
not forget this" I did not relish. ALI
said nothing. Tom aid he set off rowing
as coolly as though nothing had happen
ed. I extemporizel a seat in the boat
and tried to make things as comfortable
as possible.
l noticed, although ALI and Tom were
so cool, they hardly took their eyes of
him for more than a second at s. time.
His behavior before their furti7e chances
was peculiar; he saw ne was being
watched; he couldn': sit still; he looked
first al one bank, then at the other; his
eyes travelled everywhere, resting no
where; his hands fdgeted and trembled
he seemed all of a culver. Iexpected
him to break into a paroxysm every Sec
ond. If I had not called out he would
have run us right into the shore; when
l called he clutched the other string VIC.
lently, jerking the boat almost round.
| heartily wished him Ut Jericho before
he had come neal us.
No one spoke. We went slowly along
watching each other. At lsst he said
something.
I'll will get out" he said. in an odd
nervous way.
With pleasure" said Alf;"in a
minute"
"Why not now? Why not now ir? %
he said, seeming to shake from head to
foot.
Where are you going to get' into
l admired Alf's GOODNESS, l envied him.
I only hoped it wouldn't let it carry him
too far.
The man glowered at him; for q mo-
ment he looked him full in the face. I
never saw a look in a mans eyes like
that in bis. Aft returned him look for
look. Slightly, almost imperceptibly,
he quickened his stroke. A little lower
down was a little hamlet with a well
known inn and q capital landing stage.
When we came alongside the stranger
said:
"This will do; I'll get out here"
He turned the boat inshOre. No soon.
er were we near enough, than he rose in
his seat and sprang onto the beach.
There were several people about, water.
and others. ALI was after him in
an instant; he rose almost simultaneous.
ly and leaped on shore; he touched him
on the shoulder.
"Now come" he said, "don't be fool.
ish; We know all about it."
The other turned on him like a fash
of lightning. "What do you meanr
But Tom was too quick for him; he
was on the other side, and took his arm.
"Oome, he said, "don't let's havea row."
The stranger raised himself to his full
and shook of Tom with ease.
He then hit out right and left in splen.
did style. Tom and ALI went down like
ninepins. But my blood was up. I
on shore and ran into him,
dod ged his blows, and closed. I am
pretty strong. he Has old enough to be