The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-01-14
Capturing q 1unatic.

| Alf Dixon, Tom Gifard, and I had
gone up the river camping out; We had
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; Glfard and
| Dixon were on the bank talking to DIR.
Rawle. As understood it. the doctor
was at the head of private asylum fox
lunatics. He was Gifard's friend, not
] gaine, He had been taking a constitu-
tionalss walk 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 10
share our gypsy meal. He did.
| He was pleasant fellow, not too old
| nor too young. liked him exceedingly.
We talked of things in general, and Of
lunatics In particular. Something led
| to his mentioning think it was speak
! ing 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 a day or
| two previously and had not yet been re-
| taken. This was the more singular as it
| was tolerably certain he had not gone
! far, and search had been made for him in
every direction.
As Gifard 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 forty-fve, tall and bony,
iron-gray hair, and has a curious habit
of showing his teeth and winking his left
eye. Don't look out for a raving lunatic; !;
for on most points he's as right as you
and |. He's wrong in two things. What
ever you do, don't let him lose his tenn
per; for whenever he does, though ever
90 slightly, he invariably goes in for muir
der-he's all but done for two keepers
already. e-A. <-aAI
We laughed. Alf and Tom shook
bands with him and got into the boat.
We promised, if we should happen to
meet him, we would certainly see him
returned to safe custody. Alf stood up
and showed from the shore; we sang out
3 last goodbye, and left the doctor
standing on the bank,
Presumably, we had come for rive
beauties and the camping
ably; but as a matter of fact, there was
a young lady lived not so far ahead, a
Mutual friend, Lillian Travers. Eeba-
rRtely and jointly we had high opin-
ion of Miss Travers, not only of her
beauty, but of other things as well; end
having come SO far, we hoped we should
not have to return until at least we had
& peep at her. Unfortunately, though
ne had no acquaintance with Mr.-there
was no Mrs We had met the young
lady at several dances and such like; but
on each occasion she was under the
ehaperonage Of cid Mira Mackenzie.
Apparently Mr.. Travers was not party
man. But Lillian had 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 riverwald had more
in it than met the eye.
We went lazily on, Just dipping the
oars in and cut; 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. ALI
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 a dozen feet away.
He was a tall man, rather over than
under six feet. He was dressed in a
dark brown suit of Oxford mixture; he
had a stick in his hand, wore a billy
cock hat, and his coat was buttOned
right up to his throat. He had light
whiskers, a heavy dropping mustache,
hair unusually long, iron-gray in color.
He might be a soldier retired from his
profession, or an artist out painting; he
certainly looked gentleman.
We were passing on, when he raised
his stick and shouted out, Stop"
It was a regular shout, as though we
were half mile from him. Westopped,
although it was an unusual method of
calling attention.
Gentlemen" he said, still at the top
of his voice, g should be obliged if you
could give me a seat. / have a long way
to go, and am tired"
We looked at him and at each other.
It was a free-and-easy style of asking
favor; but he seemed a gentleman, and
an elderly one too. Common politeness
dictated civility.
II am afraid" said AIf, eve have
hardly room; she's only built for three"
"Oh, that doesn't matter" he said;
"you can put me anywhere, or Pll take
an oar for one of you"
CAN right" said he; ave don't mind
if you don't. Steer her in, Jack"
steered her in. No sooner were we
near the shore than, quite Unexpectedly,
he stepped almost on my toes, rocking
the boat from side to side.
Chang itP' said; "take care, or you'll
have us over"
"What if / doP' ne returned. "Ifll
only be a swim; and who minds a swim
in weather like this?
We stared at him; the GOODNESS. not to
say impertinence, of the remark was
amazing. Begging seat in our boat.
knowing it was full, and then telling us
he didn't care if he spilled us into the
river! He seated himself by me, setting
the boat see-sawing again, crushing me
into a corner; and without asking with
your leave or by your leave, took the
steering lines from my hands, and slipped
them over his shoulder.
Excuse me- I said making a snatch
at them, ''but if you viii allow me"
was on the point of advising point
blank refusal, not appreciating his off
hand manner; but Alf thought differ
emily.
"Not at all" he said; 81 always like
something to do, and / expect you've
had enough of it"
His GOODNESS was amusing; he was i'm
penetrable. / know / for one regretted
We were such mules as to have had any
thing to do with him. We waited in
silence a second or two.
"Come" he said "When are you going
to startT'
t1paa1.o-.uN y soiA Ale liz r,o44loa g.