The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-06-27
oPHELIA.s
Maine Farmer.

II ANk
boxes, that only shake the nerve cen
tres. but the real electricity Of ANNA
spirits, the tonic OF good health
shall do exactly as I am bid,n sale
Lord Grayton, o handsome, fforid, mus
cuiar young man, strong as a horse
bouyant as q balloon, Just back after ,
selfimposed exhile Of five years in In
dia with the big game.
Are you quite sure Of that ~ said the
doctor, grimly; ssthe rule is simple. BIZ
civil anddon't contradict. Hold Crack.
ton asks You to play chess, play. He's
. good player, and will beat you fairly
# he can; if he cant he'll make q false
move and call scheckmate, and you must
resign. II poor snobly thinks you are
the Prince, and sSirs' you all over the
place, and throws out hints about being
asked to Sandringham; If you are asked
70 listen to the Ginning clockin Bakers
interiors, or to avoid some one else be-
cause 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.a
Sounds rather iumpy. And the
ladies'"
I 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.
"Siggn Of insanity, I suppose. And
whit am I to talk about.
Everything save some n thing
the Empress Of Austria, or the stage,
or white roses, or Mr.. Mallock, or black
s~tockings. I'll give you the cue-never
fear; only il may happen that one of
them will ask you to dance, and then
you must steer as best you can-talk
society OF art on chance. Ny " girls
and their friends get on famously with
the male patients, and you must be off
and dress; nine sharp, mind, as they all
go to bed at midnight
Gray had many strange adventures
that evening as he strolled about the
pretty ballroom at the Copswood pri-
yate asylum. He was duly defeated at
chess by tha venerable Crackton. who
deliberately sid buck a captured queen
on the board, and performed progidies
Of yalor with her. He ay%mrathized with.
the gentleman who had swallowed a
crocodile, and he noticed the pale.
~cadaverous man who amused himself by
counting the llglts5on each side of the
room and singing softly to himself,
Sorry I can't admi.it, sorry L can't adj
NIT It'll He had been an acrostic editor
once upon a time. He noticed the fussy
little man with q pale blue shaver face,
who wanted TO stage manage the six teen
Lancers, and who piteously entreated
the dancers to ogo back oyer all that
again, please, and try and get it crisp
er and the erratic journalist who wrote
paragraphs on his shirt cuffs, and many
other strange folks that passed by III
the motley pageant of unsettled reason.
There's King Lear whispered the
doctor. aas q very foolish. fond old man.
fourscore and upwards passed them
m%uttering Of Brighton A,sn: ayou
know who he wasp and he whispered
q name in Grayton's ear that made that
nobleman whistle softly.
.And arc there any Opllelias, whose
Young maids wits should be as mortal
as nm old mans life ~ asked Grayton.
showing that he knew his shakespeare as
well as the doctor.
Yes, but we keep their secrets. Now
g and dance = and the doctor took
King Lear off for a emp of coffee.
So there were Ophelies here! More
like .Audreys, he thought, ashe watched
some rather uncouth gamboling in the
corner His eyes wandered round the
room, and at last rested on q face.
It was an exquisite oval face, some
what sad and wistful in expression, of
that rare delicate olive color one sees
in the South, with skin Of SO fine q
texture that the red flush springs up
through the vein-tracery at q moments
excitement; the large brown eyes we're
soft and dreamy, the chiselled mouth
was half-parted, and the dark brown
hair, looking black as night, was worn
Greek fashion, close to the head, sweep
ing IN undulating lines pastthe tiny rose
tipped ears. She was seated on d low sofa,
~carelessly clasping one knee with both
hands. she Wore a simple white frock,
Just ~mysteriousfy friIled round the little
white column Of a throat, and a great
black-red rose nestled in her breast.
One little higharched foot, in peach-net-
ted silk, kept swinging to the music.
No n seemed totalk to her except the
doctor. who smiled pleasantly as he
passed her and said something to which
she answered with nod.
aOphelia 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 OpheliaI divided from herself
and her fair Judgment" (the quotation
was irresistible). g wonder what sent
her here-some brute of q man, or o
soldier lover killed at Kassassin, Gra-
sciOusl I hope this terrible Meg Mer-
rides is not going to ask me to dance1"
and he moved away, as he saw a Wild
eyed woman bearing down upon him, to,
alseat somewhat nearer the pale girl
with the black-red rose.
For ! time he watched her; then he
fTaed 10 magnetic her. At last their
eyes met; lie staredsi her full in the face.
Hhe neyer shrank from his look, only a
sortsof plying Gght seemed % glow IL