Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-08-06

not yet got his senses fully after bad
night. Then, with a good deal of ex-
element, he babe me congratulate him.
Upon what?" 1 asked.
"Do you not remember" he replied,
show we two have talked about the
possible existence of plants that move
from one spot to another with the same
freedom as we conceited bipeds? Well,
I've solved that problem. They do
exist. But l can't really can't
make out satisfactorily whether they
do it by the exercise of volition, or
whether they are transported in spite
of themselves It's not a bit of use
troubling the British association on
the subject until we have settled that
is it?''
was half disposed to laugh at him
when he said this. But the mysterious
and quite unusual kind of earnestness
in his expression while he was speak
ing not only deferred me, but even
again made me feel uneasy about him.
You are not serious, Hammond" 1
said. ''And besides, old fellow, it's
very wrong of you to run away in this
fashion. Not to speak of the fright
you gave me, you'll catch chill, and
we shall have that fever business all
over again"
Fever business! What do you mean?"
"Why, you know you have been i'll.
J and you're not we'll yet; and SO come
right along to bed again"
He said nothing to this, but allowed
the boy and me to take care of him. l
| must say he looked strange object
| wrapped up in the blue blanket which
| I had seized for the purpose when
| we went after him, and especially
| when the moon shOne upon him
| through the teak trees of the forest.
The scurrying among the branches
! overhead seemed to imply that the
monkeys also found him spectacle
| too strong for their nerves.
| He was better in the afternoon and
| talked of the service and other matters
in a perfectly rational manner. 1t
seems he had written to Pekin begging
to be removed from Annoy; and he dis
cussed the chances of a favorable re-
ply to his letter nationally enough,
| though with disregard for the be-
reavement that / in that case should
suffer which puzzled me. For he was
naturally the most unselfsh of men,
| and he had over and over again said he
would never leave Annoy without me,
and that he would never be left in it if
| was tsppOlnCoO vice consul elsewhere
Towards sunset he became excited. l
did not like the metallic glitter in his
| eye. 1t recalled to me in an ugly man
ner a certain visit l had paid to Chi
nese madhouse a little time previously.
He was irritab BILE, moreover. and would
not let me touch his pulse. When 1
wanted him to come into the hut for
the night he objected.
| ssNo Randn1nb he Sai6 ssnot till
the moon there also goes to bed in the
awake tonight
"Why?' I asked
Because 1 am as sure as I stand
here that 1 saw one last night, and it
was when the moon was high. l reckon
it went at about the rate of yard a
minute. l mean to secure it, and /
should very much like to photograph it
before nabbing it.
"What are you talking about, old
chap?" l asked again, with the dismal
fear at my heart that the fever or sun
stroke had affected his brain.
The creeping plant, Randolph. It
was, as we'll as could guess at it, nine
feet long, with flowers all the way along
1.-THE calyX bright blue. 1 never
saw anything SO odd since l was born.
Do you know, l almost lost my senses
in sort of excitement over it, and l
suppose it got away in the meantime,
for when l tried to find it again I
couldn't!''
/ could only stare at him in bewiter-
ment. He was certainly not joking,
and yet the idea Of plant of this de-
scription was to my unobservant intel
ligence perfectly ridiculous.
But poor Hammond did not like my
incredulous look "You don't believe
me, I see!'' he exclaimed pettishly
That's ever the way with you prac-
teal fellows. 1 am thankful I'm not
practical. Anyhow, too, 1 mean to get
it this night, alive or dead-that's a
clear thing
mo, no; please, don't think of it, I
entreated. wait till you're d bit
stronger, and then if you like Well do
nothing else but hunt this crawling
beanstalk, or whatever it is"
81 am as strong as ever l was, if I
may judge by my feelings, and SO you
may as well make up your mind to my
going. Remember, Randolph, that I'm
your senior in the service, and 1 won't
put up with dictation from you or any
other man of your time of life"
1 could only shrug my shoulders, and
suggest to him as casually as possible
that of course had no right to inter-
fere with his movements, but that for
his own sake he ought not to go off in
''pyjamas'' again. as he did before.
Eyes, that was indiscreet," the dear
old fellow observed. with smile.
We humored him for the rest of the
evening, and at length he fell asleep in
his bamboo couch-chair, and we COW
cred him lightly and arranged the mos
quito curtains to protect him as much
as possible.
But / had no intention of going to
bed. Somehow or other, 1 fancied he
would wake and start off into the
woods, just as he had done before. At
the back of my mind 1 confess, too
there was a thin phantom of curiosity
about the shape nine feet long, with
| flowers upon it, which had fitted so
well with Hammond's ideal of creep
ing plant.
Accordingly, lit my pipe and read
| the North China Herald until I began
to feel drowsy. The paper had dropped