The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1884-01-26
* WITLESS THING"
"a document in madness; thoughts and
reIuem brances fitted. "-Hamlet, act. iv sc5

"a document in madness; thoughts and
| reuem brances fitted. ''-Hdmlet, act iv. Sc 5
| "Now remember Lord Grayton," said
| the doctor solemnly, ''all | told you
You are very welcome to come to oul
ball, though, as rule we only ask Ger.
tain set of wise men aud maidens who
know our ways and their ways. Still,
You are good looking, humorous and
cherry, and if you are sensible you can
enjoy yourself, and, maybe, do them a
a world of good. l believe in electricity
as curative agent-not the quack non.
sense of belt and chains and musical
boxes, that only shake the nerve Gen.
tres, but the real electricity of animal
spirits, the topic of good health.'
Il shall do exactly as am bid, said
Lord Grayton, handsome, ford, mus.
cular young man, strong as a horse,
buoyant as balloon, just back after a
seli-imposed exile of five years in India
with the big game; ''but tell me of all
those confounded cautions again. l did
a lot of dancing of various kinds years
ago, before l went after the tigers
and he laughed as mingled memories of
Mayfair and the Lotus Club swan back
to him-''and I've tried both the Corro-
bOree and the Salonga; but pom honor,
never danced with lunatic girl yet"
| "Are you quite sure Of that?" said the
Doctor grimly; they are to be met with
outside Copswood, can tell you. How.
ever, listen; the rule is simple. Be civil
and don't contradict. If old Crackton
asks you to play chess, play. He's a
good player, and will beat you fairly il
| he can; if he can't he'll make falls
move and call 'checkmate,' and you
must resign. If poor Snobley 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 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 fancies.''
Sounds rather jumpy Aud the
ladies?"
''1'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, I suppose And
what am to talk about?"
Everything save one thing-the EN-
press of Austria, the stage, or white
roses, or Mr.. Maliock, or blackstockings,
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 Oh
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 60 to bed at
midnight"
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 luna
tics. Hope they won't wear straw in
their hair; if they do. l shall bolt to the
Congleton's dance"
lie had many strange adventures that
evening as he strolled about the pretty
ballroom at the Copswood private asy-
lum. He was duly defeated at chess by
the venerable Crackton, who deliberately
slid back 4 captured queen on the board
and performed plodisies of valor with
her. He sympathized with the man
who had swallowed a crocodile, and he
noticed the pale cadaverous man who
amused himself by counting the lights
on each SIDE of the room and singing
softly to himself, Sorry can't admit it,
sorry can't admit" He had been an
Acrostic Editor once upon time. He
noticed the fussy little man, with pale
blue sLaven face. who wanted to stage
manage the sixteen Lancers, and who
piteeusly entreated the dancers to Ego
back over all that again, please, and try
and get it crisper;H and the cratic Jour
nalist who wrote paragraphs on his shirt
cuffs, and many strange folks that passed
by in the motley pageant of unsettled
reasons.
"There's King Lear" whispered the
Doctor, as very foolish, fond old man,
fourscore and upwards, passed them NUT.
tering Of ''Brighton's AS" you know
who he vase and he whispered name
in Grayton's ear that made that noble
man whistle softly.
"And are there any Ophelias, whose
young maids wits should be as mortal
as an old mans lifeo" asked Grayton,
showing that he knew his Shakespeare as
we'll as the Doctor.
Yes, 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,
as Grayton watched it, it reminded b i'm
of kaulbach's Dance of Death" aud
he felt oddly morbid as he thought of
his own lonely life. He had once loved
and given his heart to a woman whom
he had both idealized and idoized: he
had youth, brains and position, and with
her he felt he could conquer the world.
1t was an old story; she Was said to be
as loVeiess as she was lovely, and so he
took to the tigers. He had got over it now
but he shuddered as he remembered 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
Ophelias here! More like Andrys, he
thought, as he watched some rather I'M
couth gamboling in corner. His eyes
wandered round the room and rested at
last on face.
1t was an exquisite oval face, some
what sad and wistful in expression, of
that rare delicate olive color ono sees in
the South, with the skin of so fine
texture that the red flush springs up
through the vein tracery at moments
excitement; the large brown eyes were
soft and dreamy, the chiselled mouth
was half parted, and the dark brown
hair, looking black as night, was worn