The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-01-09
"A WITLESs THING"

NOW, remember, LORD Grayton,
lsaid the Doctor. solemnly, ''all told
you. You are very welcome to come
to our ball, though as rule, we only
ask a certain setIof wise men and maid
ems who know our ways and their
ways. Still, you are good-looking,
humorous, and CHEEKY, and If you are
sensible you can enjoy yourself, and,
maybe, do them q world Of good. /
believe In electricity as curative
agent--uot the quack nonsense Of belts
and chains and musical boxes. that
only shake the nerve-centers, but the
real electricity of snimal spirits, the
tonic of good health" ~
II shall doexactly as am bid" said
Lord Grayton. a handsome, forid, mus
cular Young man, strong as horse,
buoyant as balloon, Just back after
self-imposed exile Of five years in India
with big game; ..but tell me OF all
these COMPOUNDED cautions again. / did
a lot Of dancing Of various kinds years
ago. before went after the tigers
and he laughed as mingled memories
of Mayfair and the Lotus Club swan
back to him--.sand I've tried both the
Corroboree and the Salonga; but pom
honor never danced with lunatic
girl yet. " 10 1879 ''''''
Are you quite sure Of thatP" said
the Doctor grimiy; 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 Crack
ton asks you to play chess, play. He's
agood player, and will beat you fairly
if he can; If he emit he'll make false
move and call checkmate, and you
must resign. II poor Snobly thinks
you are the prince, and 'Srs' 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 interiors, 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 &C
count laugh at their fances."
Sounds rather jumpy. And the
ladiesp' Ills
"I'll see to that, and introduce you
to the incest, and telfyou what to avoid
speaking about; the men will make the
talking for themselves, the women
don't talk much" b'' ".
''Sign Of insanity, l suppose. And
what am 1 to talk aboutp"
Everything save some one thing
the Empress Of Austria. or the stage,
or white roses, or Mr.. Mallock, or black
stockings. I'll give you the cue--never
fear; only 1t 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; nine sharp,
mind, as they all 90 to bed at mid
night"
Queer thing this, "soliloquized Gray
ton as he completed an elaborate dress
ing, beginning my first season after
FIVE years by dancing with lot Of lu-
natics. Hope they won't wear straw
in their hair; If they do l shall bolt to
the Congletons' dance"
He had many strange adventures
that evening as he strolled about the
pretty ballroom at the Copswood pri-
vate asylum. He was duly defeated
at chess by the venerable Crackton.
who deliberately slid back a captured
queen on the board. and performed
prodigies Of valor with her. He sym
pathized with the gentleman who had
swallowed crocodile, aud be noticed
the pale cadsverous man who amused
himself BY counting the lights on each
side Of the room and singing softly to
himself. 'Sorry can't admit itl' He
had been an Acrostic Editor once upon
time he noticed the fussy little
man, with a pale blue shaven face. who
wanted to stage-manage the sixteen
Lancers, and who piteously entreated
the dancers to Ego back over all that
again, please, and try and get It crisp
err" and the erratic journalist who
wrote paragraphs on his shirt-cuffs,
and many other strange folks that
passed by in the motley pageant Of un-
settled reasons.
There's King Lear" whispered the
Doctor, Is "a very foolish. fond old
man, four score and upward" passed
them muttering of Brighton AS"
"you know who he WASP" and he whis-
pered name In Grayton's ear that
made that nobleman whistle softly.
''And are there any Ophelias, whose
young maid g wits should be as mortal
as an old man lifer" asked Grayton,
showing that he knew his Shakespeare
as well Is the Doctor.
Eyes. but we keep their secrets.
Now 60 and dance;' and the Doctor
took King Lear Of for cup of coffee.
1t was q sad, weird sight altogether,
and as Grayton watched 1t, 1t 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 idol
lied; be had youth, brains, and posi-.
ton, and with her he felt he could con-
quer the world. TItwas an old story;
she turned out to be as loveless as she
was lovely, and 70 hs took to the tigers.
lie had got over 1t all now, but he
snuddered Is he remembered the fire.,
OF y all, and thought how near madness
ne had been driven when he heard Of
her uitimats. late. and whore her life