Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-03-03
Victim Of His Clothes
BY FREDERICK BURTON.


heard Mrs. Bowers reply. Only two
words, indeed, and as irrelevant as arc
most feminine utterances in times of
emergency: "Why, Bessie" was oil she
said. or at least all that Drane heard,
but he was more than rejoiced. Her
namc was Bessie! At last he had some
thing to call 'hor in his thoughts. It
| was the first hint on the subject. In
his JOY at this discovery he forgot to re-
greet that he didn't know the other half
of hor name. He watched her pour her
woes into Mrs. Bowers ear, and was
satisfied.
Such n spectacle is always entertain
ing, for when a woman has embarrassed
man by making blunder, If she is
not too stupid to SEQ it, nor too proud to
acknowledge 1t. nor too nervous to know
what she is about, she will sometimes
pity him divinely, If he is reasonably
good-looking. And il she has begun to
feel lit tie tenderly toward him, she
will often accuse herself unjustly, in
order that she may have the luxury of
telling herself how sorry she is that she
has put him into O difficulty.
That was why Bessie now gazed at
Drane with such angelic sympathy de-
picted upon her beautiful countenance.
She said in her heart that her testimony
had somehow helped to prove that he
was insane. 1t was question of the
heart, and in such cases woman never
allows an appeal to the higher tribunal
OF tho mind. So Bessie acted upon her
first impulse and implored Mrs. Bowers
to do something, no matter what it was.
With Mrs. Bowers 1t was q question
nnifhRp n hnn RI - hn md I'm
of the conscience. Therefore she de-
cided to be merciless, but just 1t was
her plain duty to protect Bessie from
impostors, fortune hunters and lunatics;
so sho frowned at Drane in q way that
gave him q chill to supplement the fever
which Bessie's tender glances had put
into his blood.
"Where will they send him now?'
asked Bessie, shuddering.
Probably to Wards Island, tempo
rarily," replied Mrs. Bowers.
"Will they be good to him there?"
"He will DO cared for" said Mrs. Bow
srs, sternly; land fed-to n certain ex-
tent"
"Oh, my!" cried Bessie, tearfully
Cant we take him home with US? You
have been so kind to me that look
upon your house as home now, you
know"
81 couldn't think of such thing"
Mrs. Bowers said, firmly. 81 can not
have lunatic in my house. 1t is all
that I can do to look out for YOU"
At the thought that Drane would be
sent, partly on her account, to an island
whore there might be neither pudding
nor tea, Bessie developed symptoms of
hysteria which touched Mrs. Bowers
heart.
"Pcrhaps could get him committed
to Jenkins Retreat" she said, relenting.
Where is that?'' asked Bessie, catch
ing at straw.
1T is private asylum uptown" said
Mrs. Bowers, where they care for mild
but hopeless lunatics. will speak to
the judge about it,"
sis it better than that awful island?"
at is shade more cheerful" Mrs.
Bowers admitted, shutting her lips to-
gether firmly.
"Then mako the Judge send him
therc," Criod Bessie. Tell him that
will give him ton thousand dollars If he
| will"
MY dcar" exclaimed Mrs. Bowers,
shocked at the girls ignorance, there
arc only n certain number of judges in
| New York, and you don't want them
ALL"
Drane had observed this conversation,
though he could not hear any of it. One
can not hear any thing in New York
police court. The testimony of tear
| full innocence given in such places is
heard only in Heaven; which is just as
| woll, perhaps, for it may get some at
| tention up there. However, Drane
knew that Bessie had boon pleading for
him; and when Mrs. Bowers approached
the judge, the prisoner realized that
some amelioration of hiscondition might
DO expected.
| Mrs. Bowers talked earnestly with the
magistrate, and with such good effect
that Drane was consigned to Jenkins
Retreat till his friends from Kansas
City should arrive. AS for tho tramp,
he went to be fed-to o certain extent.
| Mr.. jenkins called his asylum ire
treat" advisedly, because it certainly
was not an advance upon any thing
hitherto existing in that line of bust
ness. Its exterior had all tho subdued
horror of q fashionable boarding-house
where nothing thrives but gaunt re-
| spectability. Within it was even worse.
An atmosphere of references given
and required" especially tho latter,
filled the hall; and through a doorway
at the right, could be seen tomb-like
parlor, wherein upon the sarcophagus
Of a sofa sat the rigid images of two an
cient females, evidently patients. They
looked out at Drane with n cold severity
that made his hair curl.
He had come there in charge of q
court officer, and had not been allowed
to exchange q word with Bessie, whom
Mrs. Bowers had dragged away as soon
as the question of commitment had been
settled. He felt deserted and friend
less, and despite the fact that it was a
very warm evening, he shivered as, he
stood in the hall waiting for Jenkins,
OF whom the officer had gone in search.
A large number of entertaining and
cheerful reflections crowded upon Drane
as he stood in the dimly-lighted hall.
lie wondered, for instance, whether q
atrniuhk-faclrat u,ou1d ho rnpar ad aS nm