Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1890-05-08


+ days. Horrible!
Suddenly he remembered that he had
been in the habit Of carrying a fifty
dollar bin in a little pocket unobtrusive-
/ ly made at tho waistband of his trousers.
/ Most of US would have thought of that
i before, but Mr. Drane had passed his
/ boyhood in the lap of luxury, and in his
/ manhood had not escaped from her lead
/ ing-strings until the beginning of these
/ unhappy episodes, SO that the where
| withal was naturally the last element
/ to enter into his consideration OF practi-
cal problems. In this case he felt GER
/ tain that his enemy, the tramp, must
have overlooked that pocket. He thrust
trembling finger into it. Glorious!
He felt the soft but firm texture of a
bank note, and he knew that be was
saved. He marched proudly into the
depot and inquired about trains for
Boston. That was still further away
from home, but he had friends there
who would identify him and see him out
Of his trouble. A train would leave in
the course of an hour. Good. How
much9 Five dollars. Very reasonable.
One ticket. please.
While the strip of paste-board was be-
ing stamped Mr.. Drane drew forth the
hidden bill and unfolded il. Then his
heart went down to hold sad COM
munion with his heels.
II beg your pardon, he faltered, adj
dressing the ticket-seller. but / don't
think LII go to Boston this evening"
The tramp had been commercially
thorough in his search through Mr..
Drane's clothes, and, having found use
for the fifty dollars, had recognized the
utility of an emergency fund and had
limited his reserve TO two dollars.
Mr. Drane went out again into the
unfeeling air of New York and wondered
why it was that he had never been able
before to sec any thing in the philoso-
ply Of pessimism. Still it is not often
that some consolation can not be found
in a situation when man has as much
as two dollars in his possession. Law
renee found it. lie didn't want to go to
Boston, anyway, for there was Bessie,
the good the beautiful, the soul-satisfy-
ing Bessie She was in New York. and
at the thought the atmosphere took on
sudden freshness as if it might have
blown across a garden of roses. Per-
haps her little feet had pressed the very
stone on which he stood Lawrence
patted the stone gently with his foot
and felt comforted. He would run the
risk of courts and retreats for the priv
ilege of finding her.
Meantime how far would two dollars
carry him? He must have bed and
breakfast and shave. The bed cost
rim half his pile at a neighboring ho-
tel. For prudential reasons he regis
tered under an assumed name, and for
once In this history no calamity is to be
recorded as the outcome of the decep-
ton In the morning a barber took
off Mr.. Drane's moustache for fifteen
cents, and modest meal reduced his
capital to half a dollar. Then he bought
q newspaper and sat down In hotel
corridor to read and reflect. The news
paper was uncommonly interesting.
Conspicuously displayed on the first
page was an account OF the escape OF
dangerous lunatic from Jenkins Re-
treat.
The lunatic was supposed to be the
wealthy Mr.. Lawrence Drane, OF
Kansas City. That unfortunate gentle
mans friends had come on to take
care of him and had arrived at the
Retreat but an hour after the escape.
They Immediately resolved to offer
a reward Of five hundred dollars
for his capture, and the proprietor
of the Retreat supplemented that
inducement by an offer of fifty dollars
from his own purse. Then followed
minute description OF the missing man.
Lawrence felt iattered, but still not
happy.
Every man but the milliOnaires in
the city is looking for me-" he thought
and he glanced cautiously over his pa
per at the other occupants of the room.
His blood chilled at once, for directly
opposite sat a STRENGTHENING fellow
staring hard at him. The fellow had a
copy OF the same paper that Mr.. Drane
was reading, too, in his hand He was
evidently detective. After a moment
Of agony the detective rose and came TO-
wards Mr. Drane. still looking sharply
at him.
Now for grand bluff thought
Lawrence. He nerved himself for a
mighty effort, but the stranger paused
awkwardly and said:
Excuse me, sir; see that was mis-
taken. thought you were an old friend
OF mine"
And hewalked away. Lawrence liked
to have choked with the excitement
and relief, and he felt that he would
rather be captured than undergo such
another trial. He must get away
Even his friends would discredit his
story and consign him to an asylum
Again mis- thoughts reverted to Bessie.
She would help him, but he dared not
go 70 Mrs. Bowers house. So he wrote
a note to Mrs. Bowers inquiring il he
might not call on the young lady whom
he knew only by the name of Bessie,
and trust to her kindness to screen him
from capture during the call. Itcost him
thirty-fiye cents to send this note by mes
senger. After what seemed intermin-
/ ab1a dalou tho r,aeaaprar returned with