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

fortunate was leaving the Retreat by
the method Jenkins had described, and
had failed to arrange his moose in an en-
tirely satisfactory manner. For what
seemed long time, Drane quaked and
hesitated not daring to penetrate
further into the secret. Then with
sudden resolution he seized the knob
and threw his force upon it.
The door opened easily. 1t revealed
an empty closet, with set bowl at the
side, into which thin stream OF water
was trickling, and running down the
escape pipe with the noise which had so
Mortified him. Alarm gave place TO
wrath. He vowed all sorts of ven
geance upon every body who had even
remotely contributed to his present
evil plight. Every body but Bessie.
He forgave her, and in thinking Of her
he fell quietly asleep and was not
wakened till the light Of morning
streamed into the room.
Breakfast was served TO such Of Jenk-
ms boarders as could be trusted outside
their cages, at eight o'clock. After par
taking Of that frugal meal Drane was
permitted to spend a little while in the
parlor. II had no other occupant at
first except short, stout man with an
abundance Of stiff, curly hair who sat at
table writing. Every time he paused
in that labor he stuck his pen behind
his ear; and when he was ready to re-
sumo his task he picked up a fresh one,
forgetting what he had done with the
other. The consequence was that in a
few minutes the bushy hair over his
ear was full of pen-holders, and there
remained only the one which he was
using. Presently that joined the rest,
and then the little man, after hunting
about the table few minutes, gave it
up and pushed his paper from him.
The servants here are very careless, -
s; be to Drane. They always fail to
or vide me with pens, although they
know the importance Of my work. And
for myself, am so absent-minded, do
you know, that my forgetfdlness has
been the ruin of my life. 1t is true"
He leaned toward Drane impressively,
and continued: II am genius. l once
wrote the greatest poem extant Then
| mislaid 1t. For months | searched for
the manuscript, but without finding a
trace of it. Ny cursed forgetful-
ness! Then | tried to remember
what was in it my forgetfulness
again. l couldn't think of sim
gle line. l could remember only
that it surpassed Homer, Dante or
Shakespeare. The thought that had
thus cast away undying fame by mere
carelessness undermined my health, I'M
til they brought me TO this sanitarium.
Confound it, one might as well be hon
est about it, There's no sanitarium
about it. It's lunatic asylum, and
for the sake of veracity let's admit it.
Here l 81. scribbling away every day,
trying vainly TO hit upon the single
inspiration which for a moment raised
me to an intellectual height no man had
ever before attained. Thus far in vain.
But who knows-wAo knowsl What's
your own special brand of lunacy?"
II am sane man ~ said Drane, half
angrily.
The short man shook his head.
await till you've been here while, E"
said he. Then you'll dream dreams,
and see visions. was sane enough, too,
but the atmosphere of this place-you
don't know what it is. In two days
you'll have delusions. You'll see things
that aren't there-serpents of various
hues; zebras with their stripes running
from head 10 tail, and revolving around
their bodies like the rings Of Saturn.
That's why they've put me here.
They're jealous of me. They don't want
me to remember the great work which
wrote but can not find. It's plot"
The short man was getting violent,
and presently an attendant came and re-
moved him, to Drane's great relief.
In the course of that day Drane en-
countered several interesting maniacs
Of mild order, but no serious incident