Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-06-28
JEMMY'S MADMAN
Letter from Miss Jemima Ru I'm al 4.
20 IhOm3a Rurnxide. ESn

goes not matter. Let It suffice that It. has IT, by
TOns enI OF al parties, who hope that In some
nAuaoi 0lnaTy way IL may greatly advance the
moral and emotional interests Of other young
men an women.J
I've had an extraordinary adventure. Prepare
10 snver or all places set as traps for the un-
Naly traveller. H Is the most trying and un-
aMaelgated. l should recommend all 1nexperi-
SnSeu young women Qike myself, before re-
celSed this sad lesson) to settle one point def
nltely, before starting on their travels: il H
frona e 10 t IN way determine either to start
When left the Plainville train and entered the
lOt, crowded waiting room, went at once to
Inc t1cket-maSter, and asked =
show long shall have to walt for the train
10 Mountain Ash Station?"
six hours" answered that wooden man,
without gl1mmer OF natural emotion.
know groaned aloud as / turned to view
the prospect DER. The day was simply-Tophet
tine waiting. room, as remarked. was crowded,
elderly, countrified or travelling agent like tour,
lists 1t was ever my misfortune to meet: nothing
that onered chance Of entertainment,-plenty
bly, wakeful, all more or less decorated with
gingerbread crumbs around th6lr noses do
sometimes find comfort and consolation in
elderly person, unaccustomed to travel, who
engages your attention by means of an umbrel-
"a, and receives answer to her numerous ques-
lions with an air OF open suspicion which Sug
gests her belief In the creed that travellers ar
always nars these oddities, you know, ar
always always amn 9. Yesterday morning |
seemed as II all the interesting and all tn
eccentric elements of migratory society had
been eliminated, only the drearieSt common
place remaining.
wanted to take a walk, but my prophetic
soles assured me that those pavements, radiat-
Ing heat, were no better than burning plow-
Joy such promenade; the very grasshoppers
In distant fields ehirped with a noise like sizz-
ling. You see, Thomas mavOurneen, how gloomy
was the situation; and yet, out of these un-
elements. Ingenious sister
yeloped an adventure Of vast dimensions-so
vast, In fact. that 1 doubt If you ever let me
wen.
Upon this scene OF anguish and gloom enter
the lfvelfeSt OF strangers; his hat had been
clapped OHIO hat with such a cock could pos
sibly have been straighteded before glass
his coat also looked hasty, and il a doubt re-
glance at his movements would have dissIpated
1t forever. He was looking anXiOuSly through
the crowd, and was observing this unseemly
energy with languid amusement, when sud-
denly i met his eye; and oh Tom. the most be-
wfldeItng thrill went through me- Can you
believe that his look meant recognition,-not re-
heaven knows what beside,
expected him to hail me as sister at least,
AFTER that joyful glance; instead, he dropped
into seat and began steady stare, which, for
moment, returned as If fascinated Tom,
wasn't 1t shocking? OF course changed my
fsfons Of su me sbaf oI Gm afaaR po
faint with horror, In the hope OF interrupting
at least, that unwtnking gaze; but all In vain
Like the ancient mariner, he had fixed me with
You needn't put on your sneer and humble
'shirtauon;" no such thing. flatter myself /
and solemnly assure you that. incredible as il
seems, there was nothing Ia this mans orbs
that even limited such thing. There was
something horrible In the hxity OF his stare. /
felt that something unusual caused 1t. scented
mystery, and dreadful suspicious locked into
it is not at all clear what might have done,
IL left TO mysen-but just at that crucial mo-
ment big, nasty wasp came Dumping In thro'
the WINDOW and settled In my hair. suppose
ne was entangied.-af all events, he refused to
You know how 1 hate thems No doubt /
acted like lunat1c,-I pranced about shaking
sight Of the man whom had Quite forgotten asn.
He had risen TO hts feet, looking much excited
what happened next was as much his fault as
the door, stin tearing my land ran down
the street, Tom, as II had been six years Old,
hotly pursued BY the man,-the wasp, stin fast
In my hair, doubtless much disguised, and puZz-
ing like ten thousand rolled into one.
You may Judge II your sister was frightened
Il don't think knew what was doing, until
/ found the broad Connecticut before me- the
wasp free at last, and long since departed and
the dreadful man out OF sight. / breathed
once more. Are You sympathking? Worse Is to
precipice, In fact After had cooled on little
under an old wilow-for it was quite rural ali
around, counted i've more geese besides my
self two ducks and hen)-I peeped over the
brink, and there, twenty feet down, the river
purled along. COOL dim and Tranquil and great
ferns waved al the base Of the roc 5oeks sending
green and fresh, that longed TO drop down
among them and spend the five long hours of
waiting 10 peaceful nap: Prepare Toni am
Half way down was smooth wide ledge; /
felt sure could reach it, for had not forgotten
how always followed you up apple-trees and
Tracing back the cause OF crime, you win find
that you are TO blame for what follows: /
trusted to the foolish instruction OF misguid-
ing elder brother, and blndly sought my own
destruction.
BY the way. kept one eye on the landscape
IN my rear but no one appeared In view, and 1
the chase. / had formulated theory by that
ume-he was harmless lunatic-Im sure you
think 50 yourself, don't you now?
Behold then your sister on the brink Of q
precipice. You know what always happens to
bad little boys and girls who do wrong things
Dough or the ice or the stolen eggs always
break, and Nemesis, who was just hiding round
the col er, steps In promptly with good birch
switch. Mine Is an orthodox moral tale and SO
Of course tie twig TO which trusted played me
false, and who began the descent with such
propriety, suddenly threw caution to the winds,
went gaiIy and informally bowling down the
rather to my own surprise, for fully expected
10 wind up with an fmpromptu bath In the
river.
IL wasn't so very bad,-the drawback OF the
situation was that had not the nerve to go
back, / shook all over, and was rather bruised,
tCo, II the truth must be told.
The family OF Burnside has ever been noted
for its presence OF mind In time of danger q
spare you the time-wOrn joke, that absence OF
body would be better), and i, its true repreSen-
tattye at that moment, soon arrived at the con-
ciusion that had better shout for help. OF
course didn't want tO,-the worst punishment
for having been fool Is the necessity OF calling
In outsiders TO witness TO .it,-but there was
nothing else TO be done. threw back my head
shut my eyes and began a systematic series OF
yells. 1t Is strange that one cannot make
premeditated scream sound spontaneous Don't
you know how ridiculous it always sounds ON
the stage? My performance was very affected
but you may try, yourself, to shout the sylla-
bles "Ah-o-wi'' as loud and as long as possible
and improve on IL II you can.
CHANGING to open my eyes and look up after
the first explosion-oh, Tom. there was the
crazy man looking down, Without word, |
screamed IN earnest then, and for the first time
he thought ut 10 speak.
"Don't be heightened. You fell down, see.
All right. sit still ana III come 10 you tn a min
ute. BE sure to sit perfectly STILL" SO saying
he vanished, leaving me with my mouth wide
open, and the scream. so TO speak, frozen with
In II.
Now, Tom, I can't stop every time TO depict
my state OF mind. just please TO fancy 1t, for
the thought of postage ON this letter already