Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-09-22

woman in alarm. .'There ain t nothing
wrong, 1 'ope. -
"weI, - said Mr.. Padger, eve must
hope for the best, hope for the best.
After all, 1t may be only temporary this
| time.
! .'Lor', sir, said 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 ealcula-
tieu in her mind. ''Six weeks, if he ID
/ stopped until last Saturday
''Six weeks! - exclaimed Mr.. Padger,
as If in profound amazement. 'Six
weeks!! And do you mean to tell me
that he lived in this house for six weeks,
and you never found out that he wes in
! sane?''
''Lor', sir " 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. Psdger in
| quisitorially. 81 can't believe it,
woman, L can t believe IT.
! ''Well, sir, - said the woman, who
began to nurse a vague idea that harbor-
| ing a lunatic was a 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,
| eneouTagingly. ''Of course he did. He
! must have. Now what did he say he
was by chanoe?"
HE said he WIS a DOCTOR, - said the
woman, growing nervous under Mr..
Padger's rigid eye and judicial manner.
{ No., a. ~
sad. But you must have noticed some
other symptoms of insanity. 1t will be
serious thing l am afraid if you aid
not. -
ooh, but I did, sir. of course, -
calculated the woman, assuming as Mr..
Padger hoped she would-that the Sc
robustness of the affair would apply I'M
pleasantly to her.
"Of course you did. Could you give
me an instance or two?'
''Well, there was one day he come
'ome be 'avin particularly funny
Funny? Funny, woman" inter-
rupted MIR. Padger severely.
"Eo offense, sir, l '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 timesshe
would sing and almost dance about Che
room, first up and then down e was Al
the hafternoon, like-like a gas lamp
with the water in the pipe. - e
"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 intiTnidated woman
comfy once, sir, - she replied. 60 Il
got up with sign from the chair, and e
'ad been gloomin in, and e says e,
Well, it's done now, SO it IS no use
botherin' Mrs Marshall wot are you
doing of there? Get out, which last
part was addressed to me, sir, as L was
in the room a cleanin away, an e
adm t noticed.
"Ah. - said Mr.. Padger, ''You don t
happen to remember what day that was,
do your
''In course, L do, sir, for moro 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
at such unheard of ignorance.
''Bless your heart, my good woman! |
Eye got other things TO think about.
What was9the murder, and who did it? -
''Well as 10 that nobody seems to |
rightly know, but in the main folks here
about think that Miss Ennis might done |
it, -
"Ah, well, - said Mr.. Padger. 81 |
can't stop chattering here all day. You |
are sure you don It know where DR.. Ben
ton is at present?''
GIVE no idea, sir. DO you want him
perticler?''
Want him! I'm his keeper. Stop, |
here my name and address. If you I
should hear from him, or find out in any /
way where he is, you II let me know at |
once, won't you? I'll make it worth
your while. -
''That will, sir, willingly said the
woman. ''Poor gentleman, ID do any
thing l could, L I'm sure, to get him under
proper control again. Good morning, |
sir, good morning. No trouble at all,
thank You, sir -
"By the way said Mr.. Padger,
stopping short as the footmark came to
his recollection. g You didn It ever hap
pen to see Mr.. Benton without his stock
lngs, did you?''
''Lor' sir!" cried the woman, brist-
ling up with Indignation. g 'Ow can
you ask such & thing, and me respect
able lonewidow woman with three chill
dren.'
No offense, my good woman, no Of
Tense. 1t was common mania OF his *
that is all, - said Mr.. Padger, as he
walked briskly away
On his arrival at Monplaisir another
surprise awaited him. The house seemed
all shut up and deserted, but he found to
his delight that Mary and one other ser
want remained, though they also, as he
learned subsequently, were starting next
morning, leaving the house in charge of |
a caretaker from the town.
fWhy, Mary. my dear, !" said Mr..
Padger. what is the meaning of this?'
Well, Joshua, master had some bust
ness in town, and Miss Gertrude didn It \
seem to like the notion of stopping down
here all alone, so therefore all moved |
into the London house earlier than usual
this year. Joshua, what are you look
ing so grim about?'
Nothing, my dear, nothing, - pro-
tested Mr.. Padger. '.I was only think i