Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-09-26

/ profound plty.FSI wass<raid Of 4t5
Sad, very sad, very sad. - s
what the matter. sir? Inserted the
woman in alarm. 'Theresasn nothing
wrong, 'opeS2}1 6
Gwen, said ssdes|g, 8 we mug
hope for the best lfope sfor tile best
After all, It may y contemporary thi.
time -
''Lor' sir, a5a the woman, now
thoroughly frightened, what on earth
! do you mean?'
How long did Mr.. Benton stay
here?"
Let me see, sir, !" said the landlady
making a somewhat protracted calcula-
ton III her mind. ''Six weeks, if he d
stopped until last Saturday
| ''Six weeks!' exclaimed Mr.. Padger
as If in profound amazement ''Six
weeks.! And do you mean to fell me
that he lived i'll this house for six weeks,
and you never found out that he was in
sane?''
'Lor' sr!'' cried the woman, turn
ing pale. ''You don t say So Merciful
me, what an escape.
You never observed anything strange
about him. continued Mr.. PGdger in
quisitorially. 81 can't believe it,
woman, can t believe it. -
Well, sir, - said the woman, who
began to nurse vague idea that harbor-
ing lunatic was criminal offenSe. 81
never took no count of it, but come to
think of it, he did seem to act as it were
queer like at times
''Of course he did, - said Mr.. Padger,
encouragingly. ''Of course he did. He
must have. Now what did he say he
was by chance?'
''He said he was a doctor, - said the
woman, growing nervous under Mr..
Padger's rigid eye and judicial manner.
Dear me. dear me. It's terrible
sad. But you must have noticed some
other symptoms of insanity. 1t will be
serious thing 1 am afraid if you aid
not.
q Oh, but 1 did, sir, of course -
calculated the woalaIlsegssHmn@ as Mr..
aPadger hoped she w06fd8sasat the Sc
robustness of the affair would8apply Hlas-
pleasantly TO her. n IS
"Of course you did CouK se5d give
NE an instance or two?
Well, there was sne Gay he aomss
'ome be 'avin particufafs s1alpy ''
Funny? Funny, aw6man!4' inter-
rupted MIR. PadgeFse1erely.
ono offense, sir,I 'ope. 1 should say
strange -
''Ah, yes. That is better. Strange.
In what way?'
Gwen, he didn't seem to ave no
happetite for his dinner. Times he would
sit glOwerin at his plate, other times he
would sing and almost dance about the
room, first up and then down e was all
the hafternOon, Iike-like a gas lamp
with the water i'll the pipe.''
"Did he say nothing in these strange
paroXisms of depression and elation?'
inquired MIR. Padger, drawing upon his
stock Of long words to further overawe
the already intimidated woman.
comfy once, sir, - she replied. '' 'E
got up with q sign from the chair, and e
'ad been gloOmin' in, and 'e says e,
Well, it's done now, so it's no use
botherin Mrs. Marshall wot are you
doing of there? Get out, which last
part was addressed to me. sir, as [ was
in the room a cleanin away, an e
'adn t noticed. -
"Ah. - said Mr.. Padger, ''You don t
happen TO remember what day that was,
do you?'
"In course. I do, sir. for more by
token it was for all the world the day of
the murder.
"Murder! What murder?'' said Mr.
Padger with all the carelessness he could
command.
You don t mean to say you 'aven t
'eard of the celebrated Westcliffe muir
der?'' cried the woman in establishment
at such unheard of ignorance.
BLESS your heart, my good woman!
I've got other things to think about.
What wassthe murder, and who did it?''
We'll as 10 that nobody seems to
rightly know, but i'll the main folks here
about think that Miss Ennis might done
it"
"Ah, well, - said Mr.. Padgor. 81
can It stop chattering here ali day. You
are sure you don t know where DR.. Ben
ton is at present?''
'I've no idea, sir. Do you want him
perticler?
" Want him! I'm his keeper. Stop,
here's my name and address. If you
should hear from him, or find out in any
way where he is, YOU II let me know at
once, wOn't you? III make it worth |
your while -
''That 1 will, sir, willingly, - said the |
Poor gentleman, I'd do any
thing 1 could, IN sure, to get him under |
proper control again. Good morning, !
sir, good morning. No trouble at all, |
thank you, sir
BY the way, Sald MI. Padger, |
stopping short as the footmark came to |
his recollection. "You didn It ever hap |
pen to see Mr.. Benton without his stock
ngs. did your
''Lor' sir! - cried the woman. brist-
ing up with Indignation. g 'Ow can |
you ask such a thing, and me a respect
able Ionewidow woman with three chill
iren. 'i's,.s
: anse, my good Woman, no Of
tense: Tt syss coplglsis2 of his,
hat is all, s2isess Nj gsf, as he
walked brisKa away IS
On his lafFfyal at Asegis mot
saited him House seemed
I'll sbH4 p ana deserted, but he found to
lis delight that Mary and one other ser
7a4F reinained, though they also, as he
eSFned subsequently, were starting next
leaving the house in charge of
| caretaker from the town.
Why, Mary. my dear, said Mr..
2adger, what is the meaning of this?''
Well, Joshua, master had some bust
less in town, and Miss Gertrude didn t
eem to like the notion of stopping down
lere all alone, so therefore all moved
N 70 tho I onIon bODra |