Los Angeles herald., 1891-12-29

accommodation than this for friend he
hasn't met in three years, I'll get out and
go back to Aberdeen"
''And think you'll conclude to stay
where ye are" said Mike with funny
little chuckle.
"Come, now, you'd better begin to
undress quietly, for that bath is waitin
for ye."
1t began to dawn upon me that Mike
really thought he had got new patient,
and laughed out loud at the joke.
"Why, Nike" said, 'do you mean
to tell me you don't recognize your old
friend? You surely are not under the
impression that am patient"
"Oh, that's all right recognize my
old friend very well, and haven't said
ye was a patient. Only Pm telling you
to hurry out of them clothes and take
ye're bath"
''It is about time to stop this fooling,"
said. "Now let me pass; want to go
down to your master"
"Ye'll find there's no foolin about it
now, and want ye to understand that
the master on this fure is called Mike
Brady-Mr. Mike Brady, Esq. Now
take off them Clothes"
snow let me pass; I've had enough of
this" said quietly, but was getting
very hot, and l felt myself turning white
in the face with suppressed passion.
The affair was getting beyond the limit
Of joke. stepped forward as though
to push by him.
had been so absorbed in this little
controversy that I had quite forgotten
the proximity of those two keepers who
had been following us so closely for
some time. As stepped forward, Mike
| stepped back and uttered little sharp
whistle. In one instant felt myself
grabbed from behind and I was in the
powerful grasp of the two men.
l struggled and fought like Gagged
tiger, but l was as helpless as baby,
and there stood that dunderheaded
tiend, Mike Brady, smiling at me in
calm victory and making me more and
more angry and mad.
Mad!
Mad? Yesl That was It'll He thought
was mad, and he knew to perfection
how to arouse all the evil passions with
in me. And he meant to do it. The
two keepers knew no better; they were
under his orders.
Now there flashed across my mind the
hundreds of stories I had heard and read
of perfectly sane persons being sent to
lunatic asylums "to get them out of the
way" and how, after short spell of
careful treatment" they had become
literally raving lunatics. Would Mike
Brady drive me out of my mind?
By big effort 1 restrained my anger
for a moment, and attempted to speak
quietly.
"Now, Nike" I said, "this joke is
about over. Please send one of these
men for DR.. Disney, and he will tell you
what mistake you are making. am
his old friend and have come to stay
with him as his guest. He will be wait
ing dinner for me-"
'Now don't let's have any more Of
that talk. know all about you-of
course, you're the doctors guest. You're
all his guests. 1t is little way he has.
And ye'll be going to stay quite long
while acceptin his hospitality. You're
going to begin at once. Are ys going to
take that bath?'
81 am not"
"Then we'll have to give it to you"
In moment was thrown onto the
bed on my back, and while the two
keepers held me Mike commenced to
disrobe me. Then I began to struggle
desperately and shout at the top Of my
voice.
"Well have to gag ye if ye shout, my
friend" said Mike. But struggled all
the more and shouted louder. "There's
no one will hear ye, and we'll soon put
stop to that struggling" He stepped
out of the room and returned in min
ute with an armful of straps.
They were going to strap me down!
The horror of the moment was almost
worse than the agony of the thought
rant brutes to whom every sane effort I
made was further proof of my insan-
ity. was becoming weak from exertion
and want of food. Then I understood
Mikes object in taking me the long
walk over the building. He had been
firing me out. Still kept up my
struggles and shouting.
With wonderful rapidity, showing
how well and thoroughly Mike had ac-
quired his duties, strap was thrown
across my legs and buckled tight to the
bed. and another across my chest hold
ing my arms to my side and almost
choking me.
"Hell settle down directly" I heard
one of the keepers say, and in truth I
had almost exhausted myself.
l began to feel the room swimming
around me.
Would help never come?
My throat was parched with terror
and my tongue almost Glove to the roof
of my mouth. l managed to gasp
prayer for "Waterl For Gods sake,
water!" And then forgot my troubles.
When came to myself was lying on
a comfortable bed in an elegantly fur
nished room, with bright fire burning
in it, and Alec-the scamp who had
brought all the trouble upon me-was
chatting my hands.
Later on in the evening, over pipe
and some hot whisky toddy, brewed in
old college fashion by Mike himself, I
| joined in Abe's laughter and learned how
he had come to look for me in the very
nick of time to save me from strait