Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-11-12
Up the River with a Lunatic.
AN ENGLISH STORY,


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
Dixon were on the bank talking to DR..
Rawle. As I understood it, the doctor
was at the head of a private asylum for
lunatics. He was Gifard'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. l 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 it was tolerably certain he had
not gone far, and search had been made
for him in every direction. s.Ee.
As Giffard and Dixon were saying
goodbye, 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 a 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. Ali 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. ALI stood up
and showed us from the shore; we sang
out a last goodbye, and left the doctor
standing on the bank.
It was 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 a
little ripple. We lit our pipes end took
it easily. am good bit of traveller !;
know many lovely hooks and crannies In
foreign lands; / have lived abroad SIS
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 so
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 matter of fact, there
was a young lady lived not so far ahead,
mutual friend, Lillian Travers.
Separately and jointly we had a high
opinion of Miss Travers; not only of her
beauty, but of other things as well: and
having come so far, we hoped we should
not have to return until at least We had
had peep at her. Unfortunately.
though we knew Miss Travers, we had no
acquaintance with Mister-there was no
Missis. We had met the young lady at
several dances and such like, but on
each occasion she was under the chaper-
onage of old Mrs. Mckenzie. Apparent
ly Mr.. Travers was not a party man.
But Lillian bad promised to introduce
us to him whenever she got chance,
and we were not unhopeful she would
get that chance now. So you see that
little excursion riverwards had more in
it than met the eye.
We went lazily on, just dipping the
oars in and out; smoking, watching the
smoke circling through the clear air.
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 had
gone some two or three hundred yards
we were close to the shore; ALT could
almost reach it by stretching out his oar.
We were dreaming and lazing, when
suddenly some one 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. He was dressed in q
dark brown suit of Oxford mixture; he
had 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 un.
usually long, iron-gray in color. He
might be soldier retired from his pro.
fession, or an artist out painting; he Ger.
tainly looked gentleman.
We were passing on, when he raised
his stick, and shouted out, "Stopp
1t was regular shout, as though we
were half a mile from him. We stopped
although it was an unusual method OF
calling attention.
Gentlemen" he said, still at the top
of his voice, 81 should be obliged if you