Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-08-14
THE sELF-INVITED GUEST.

u
/ their ginehams rs an additional pre-
caution. Ii the entertainments offered
/ were scarcely eXhilcrating, still it was
a case of Captain Hobson's choice
! that or nothing else
! Whilst Belgrade was gazing on the
somewhat melancholy scene he caught
n form which was not unfamiliar to
him. 4 tall, stout man, with red
complexion and plenty of dark hair.
under hat that was conspicuously on
one side, and with an untidy beard that
had once been chestnut. but was now
rusty, was seen approaching. He was
badly dressed. very much buttoncd up,
and wore comforter around his neck;
whilst his extreme erectness and
large cane which he held in his hand
gave him defiant air which attracted
q good deal of attention. Belgrade
rubbed his eyes. ''Can it bep" he
thought. Eyes; surely it is that Dr.
Menzies-poor Alan Menzies Why,
heard he was in confinement How
got he here?"
There was no mistake, for the stout
man espying Belgrade, called out in a
loud voice:
Fred, my boy! Fred. confound it,
how doyou do, sir? Not know me; not
know Alan Menzies? Give me your
hand, sir.
Belgrade replied: 81 did not expect
TO see you. The surprise COMPOUNDED
me"
You thought | was shut up and was
mad, - cried his friend. $50 am, sir;
as mad as halter, rs mad as damn
ed halter, sir! / nave got q keeper
with me- he continued, in a stage
aside voice. "IIe is somewhere about;
not a bad fellow, but rather fond of
this, and Menzies made = gesture of
carrying his hand TO his mouth. The
poor man talked so loud and dwelt so
much on insanity, that little crowd
collected around Inn and Belgrade,
and this promising to become Il large
one Colouc Fred became much en-
barrassed.
Sop moment here" he said to
the other, Il want io speak to one of
these coumi>iouairc,; ! will be with
you almost immcdiately. And, hur-
rying of, he crcpt around and passed
into the reading room rs hc hoped quite
unseen. There he happened 10 meet
otutl ~ Ohlltos W iAtt cbNAti2 lAlIi NhbtA ia
q rather clustered condition, inquired the
cause
We'll, )" said Belgrade, Il have been
4 bounced upon by that chap Alan Men
zcs, who is us mad as Nebuchadnezzar,
and | bolted in here. He shouts so that
| thought we should have been mob
bed "
did you know him in ludia?" asked
Jones.
"Oh, yes" replied Belgrade; 81
have been stationed with his corps
the Twenty-fifth Irregular cavalry
and | have met him nj Mussoorie and
Nance Tai A clever medico ! believe,
but his head failed-cards and drink,
they say"
Eyes. murmured Jones, 'lattaSly
that But the mischief lay deeper
he was very fond of his wife -
$50 have heard" said Belgrade;
"but she belonged to period before ]
had met Menzies
"She was pretty young thing,
continued Jones, when he first mar
ried her, but that informal system of
the husband staying on the plains and
the wife going up to the hills ruined
her. She went off with Phil Bird, q
man in his own regiment. and on leave
under certificate given him by Men
zies. | don't know what became of
them. Bow-wows / suppose. Phil is
I dead, | have heard, but nothing is ever
reported about her
THAT was what first set Alan
wroug?''
"Yes-wcll, made him reckless; and
then he took to play and pegs, and his
naturally eXcitable disposition did the
rest And yet, - added the General,
with a sigh, Il can remember Menzies,
we'll read man, quoting his bits Of
Burke, and his passages from Walter
SCOTS poetry, and the best talker in
all mess discussions. Sic transit, my
dear Colonel"
The two got on politics next and de-
nounced 'that fellow Gladstone, and
sighed for ian odd English policy,
with other aspirations common to their
calling, and nj last Belgrade thought
he might easily emerge. So he moved
out intending to at once leave the
building. But he had only got fairly
into the nave $50 to speak, when, be-
mold, seated on bench, and evidently
waiting for him, was Menzles.
"Ah. Fred, my boy, caught you once
morer' he shouted, waving his cane
and again attracting attention.
Look here, said Belgrade very
sternly, If you make such an internal
row | shall have to call your servant
and insist on his taking YOU homo at
once.
"No, no answered Menzies, going
to the other extreme and speaking in
whisper, mo, my dear Fred, | would
not annoy you for worlds. | tell you
what it is, old man. | want to dine with
YOU at your home tonight We will
have q nice chat together-talk over
old times. / can be as nice rs possible.
Call Wolf and ask him if | cannot.
OF course the Colonel used every
! means in his power to dissuade Men
zies from urging such request, but
the poor creature so pertinaciously
stuck to his nroiect that ut last Wohf