The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-12-15
"a WITLEsS THING"

membranes fitted.-Hamlet, act Nv, sc. D.
Now, remember Lord Grayton," said the
Doctor solemnly, AL I told you You are
very welcome to come to our ball. though,
as a rule, we only ask a certain set of wise
men and maidens who know our ways and
their ways. Still, you are good-looking,
| humorous and CHEEKY, and if you are sensi-
| Bile you can enjoy yourself, and, maybe do
| them world of good. l believe in electric
| ity as a curative agent-not the quack nom
sense of belts and chains and musical boxes,
! that only shake the nerve-centers, but the
real electricity of animal spirits, the tonic OF
| good health"
Il shall do exactly as am bid" said Lord
| Grayton, a handsome, forid, muscular
| young man, strong as horse, buoyant as
| balloon, just back after self-imposed exile
of five years in India with the big game; but
tell me of all those COMPOUNDED cautions
| again. l did a lot of dancing. of various
kinds years ago, before l went after the
| tiger" and he laughed as mingled memo
ries of Mayfair and the Lotus Club swan
| back to him-and I've tried both the Corro-
boree and the Salonga; but pom honor l
never danced with a lunatic girl yet"
| Are you quite sure of that?' said the
Doctor, grimly; 'they are to be met with
outside Copswood, can tell You. However,
| listen; the rule is simple Be civil and don't
! contradict. If old Crackton asks you to play
chess play. He's good player, and will
beat YOU fairly if he can; if he can't he'll
| make false move and call CHECK mate' and
you must resign. If poor Snobly thinks you
are the Prince and Sirs' you all over the
place. and throws out hints about being
asked to Sandringham; if you are asked to
listen to the Ginning clock in Bakers interi-
| ors, or to avoid some one else because he's
glass and might break, you must do your
best to be courteous to them all, and on no
| account laugh at their fancies."
dc tl,ari At,A he IoIs a5o't
"I'll see to that and introduce you to the
| incest and tell you what to avoid speaking
| about; the men will make the talking for
themselves the women don't talk much"
Sign of insanity, suppose. And what am
to talk about?'
| Everything save some one thing-the
| Empress of Austria, or the stage, or white
roses, or Mr. Malock, or black stockings.
| I'll give you the cue-never fear only it may
happen that one of them will ask you to
dance, and then you must steer as best you
| can-talk society or art on chance. My own
girls and their friends get on famously with
| the male patients, and you must do your
best. Come you are going to be our best
tonic tonight, and you must be off and dress;
sharp, mind, as they all go to bed at mid
night"
"Queer thing this" soliloquised Grayton
as he completed an elaborate dressing, "be-
ginning my first season after five years by
dancing with lot of lunatics Hope thev
won't wear straw in their hair; if they do, l
shall bolt to the Congetons's dance"
He had many strange adventures that
evening as he strolled about the pretty ball
room at the Copswood private asylum. He
was duly defeated at chess by the venerable
Crackton, who deliberately slid back a cap
| tured queen on the board, and performed
prodigies of valor with her. He sympa-
thized with the gentleman who had swal-
| lowed crocodile and he noticed the pale
m N WI lqnI hxy
counting the lights on each side of the room
and singing softly to himself Sorry | can't
admit it, sorry l can't admit itl' He
had been an acrostic editor once upon a
time. He noticed the fussy little man, with
| a paleblue shaver face, who wanted to stage
manage the sixteen lancers, and who pite-
! ously entreated the dancers to go back over
all that again, please, and try and get it
erisper;" and the erratic journalist who
wrote paragraphs on his shirt-cuffs. and many
other strange folks that passed by in the
motley pageant of unsettled reasons.
There's King Lear" whispered the Doc
tor as "a very foolish fond old man, four
score and upwards" passed them, muttering
of Brighton AS" you know who he wasp
and he whispered name in Grayton's ear
that made that nobleman whistle softly.
"And are thereany Ophelias, whose young
maids wits should be as mortal an old
mans lifeP " asked Grayton, showing that
he knew his Shakspea1e as well as the Doctor.
Eyes, but we keep their secrets. Now go
and dance" and the Doctor took King Lear
| off for cup of coffee.
1t was sad, weird sight altogether and as
Grayton watched it, it reminded him of
| Kaulbach's Dance of Death" and he felt
oddly morbid as he thought of his own lonely
| life. He had once loved and given bis heart
| to a woman whom he had both idealized and
| idolized; he had youth, brains and position,
and with her he felt he could conquer the
world. 1t was an old story; she turned
! out to be as loveess as she was
| lovely, and so he took to the tigers He had
got over it all now, but he shuddered as he
rememb ered the fret of it all, and thought
how near madness he had been driven when
| he heard OF her ultimate fate, and where
| her life had drifted to. So there were Ophe-
las here. More like Audreys, he thought
| as he watched some rather uncouth garnbol-
ing in corner. His eyes wandered round
the room, and rested at last on a face.
1t was an exquisite oval face, somewhat
| sad and wlstful in expression, of that rare
delicate olive color one sees in the South
with the skin of so fine texture that the
red flush springs up through the vein tracery
| at a moments excitement; the large brown
eyes were soft and dreamy, the chiseIed
mouth was half parted, and the dark brown
hair, looking black night, was worn,
Greek fashion, close to the head, sweeping
in undulating lines past the tiny, rose
tipped ears. She was seated on low
sofa carelessly clasping one knee
with both hands. She wore a SIM
pie white frock, just mysterousiy frilled
round the little white column of throat
and a great black-red rose nestled in her
breast One little high-arched foot, in peach
colored netted silk, kept swinging to tile
music. No one seemed to talk to her except
the Doctor, who smiled pleasantly as he
passed and said something to which she an
swered with nod.
"Ophelia at last" said Grayton to himself
and in melancholy vein he wished he were
Hamlet and could lie at her feet and watch
the play.
Poor Opheia Divided from herself and
her fair Judgment" (the quotation was ir-
| rao;Sto bIaN yvopJor vuhat cont bar haro.