The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1886-09-25


me where | crouched on the starstep. |
With a bound he was beside me, aud
seized my arm in his hot grasp.
"Come, come with me, Dian~, chaste
goddess of Night, you and | have to
climb the heights of Olympus before
morning. Great Joye is calling us,
don't you hear himP We will 90 by the
hill where Endymion sleeps and awaken
him. Come, hurry, hurry; the gods are
getting impatient"
AS he spoke he pulled me away from
the balusters to which / chung desper-
ately, and dragged me toward the door.
Now, l had always heard that the best
way to pacity lunatics is to humor them
and pretend to fall in with their peculiar
fantasies. All very well in theory, but
alone, at night, in deserted house, far
from all possible help, in the actual
grasp of powerful maniac, think any
one would find it rather difficult to re.
duce theory to practice. Moreover, my
friends especial craze seemed to be the
classics, and every scrap of ancient
mythology | ever learned had gone
clean out OF my head at that moment
My only thought was to get away from
him, and l drew back with all my
strength as he dragged me forward.
Resistance only inflamed his frenzy. In
the dim light could discern his rolling
eyes, clenched teeth and foaming mouth;
his powerful hands clutched furiousy at
my shoulder and throat as he hurled me
through the open door
"YOu will not come with me? You
do not wish to see Endymion nor to
scale Olympus! Then you are not
Diana; no, and l am not Apollo; you
are Iphigenia, and l am Agamemnon.
The ships wait in the harbor; they can
not sail in such weather. Only heal
what tempest Neptune has raised to
detain them! The gods must be pro-
ptiated; they demand a sacrifice. The
victim is ready, but where is the sacri-
fetal knife? Ha! see it see itn'
With a wild, eXulting cry he loosed
his hold on me, and ran down the steps
to seize on a rusty bayonet lying in the
yard, dropped there possibly by some
careless, or perhaps wounded soldier
But the victim was by no means
ready, and the moment | felt his fierce
grip relax | turned and fed for life
down the long hall and up the ruined
staircase Why | chose that, instead of
escaping through the back door, | can
not tell; my first impulse led me to it,
and Irushedup the broken steps, spring
ing over chasms where the planls were
gone, and catching desperately at the
remaining baulsters to save me from
falling With no light to guide me ON
my dangerous way but the titful glare
of the lightning, ii was a miracle that |
did not break my neck, but death was
behind me and my only alternative was
to face it in another and less fearful
shape. | could hear the madman's
wild shrieks and EXPLANATIONS when he
perceived my flight, and as I reached
the top of the stairs cast a terrified
look behind, and beheld him rushing
down the hall wit}s- the bayonet in his
hand. just then another lurid flash lit
up every corner of the desolatc house
with binding light, then vanished into
redoubled darkness, Mypursuer dashed
headlong up the steps-a stumble-'a
heavy fall-a deep groan-and all was
silence save the weird voices of the
storm.
Slowly the hours of that terrible night
dragged by. remained crouched on
the landing | had reached, afraid to
move lest | should fall through some
unknown opening into the story below,
shrinking in terror from the frightful
violence of the storm, dreadng far more
another attack from the maniac, ard
praying as we only pray when in bodily
peril. At dawn ! heard steps and
voices in the hall and saw men with lam
terms apparently searching for some
one. Presently, l heard one of them
say:
= HE amt in none o the rooms: I've
searched 'em every one, an there amt
no sign of a living thing about 'em. "
Whats that?' said another. who
was standing near the stairs, Il heard
| something move and sorter groaa un
, der the stair-steps. Open that close
l there"
Its locked"
Then burst it open. He may have
: fell through above there, and hurt him
L self"
y A single shove from a strong shout
. der, and the frail planks gave way
o Yes, he was there, lying as he haC
n fallen, and with deep cash in his side
from the bayonet with which he had in
d tended to immediate me. He was no
l dead, poor wretch! 1t would have beer
d better for him if he were-but insensi
: bic from loss of blood. The men raiseC
y him, and carried him back to the asy
II lum in j, from which he had es
II capped the day before. l waited till the
r were gone, and then clambered dow
, from my perch, a feat which in dayligh
did not find difficult.
l. afterward heard the sad story of tn
e escaped lunatic. He was young ma
: of good family and fine talents, VIII
$ had become deranged from inccssan
+, study and insufficient sleep, havin
10 made it rule during his college ca
II reer to spare only six hours from tn
"a twenty-four for rest and recreation. II
: passed brilliant examination, espec
+ ally in the classics, graduated, with hig