Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-04-12

! cral letters. One, which be opened first,
/ was marked ''immediate' and had been
! sent him from his own house by an intelli-
( gent and devoted woman-serVant there,
/ who had been for a long period in his en-
/ ploy. This letter made poor
pALRYMPLR's HEAD SWIM
/ as he read it. Written and signed by Mr..
Summerson himself, as chairman of the
( house committee OF the club. it ordered him
! to appear that same evening before meet
! ing OF the governors and answer to charge
| OF disorderlY conduct on the previous night.
! Then it Went on TO state that he, Dalrymple,
had been seen throughout the previous day
/ a. the ClUp in i state of evident intoXication
| ard had finally, between the hours of 10
/ and II O'Clock p. m, accosted and grossly
insulteG the Count dc Pommereul in the
main drawing-room of the Gramercy.
"DisCrderly conduct ''eyident intoXica-
( ton" grossly inSulted the Count de Pom
mereul," These words were trembling on
| Dalrymple's bps as he presently approached
SUmmersCn himself, the very gentleman
who had signed the letter. ard who stood in
the hall, arrayed for the street.
"What-what does it all meant" gasped
Dalrymple. IL never was intoxicated in
NY life, Lawrence Summerson; you ought
to know thatl played euchre last night
up in the cardroom, from O'Clock till u
with Ogden. and Folsom and yourself. If
there's any practical joke being got up
against me, for God sake
''NaIt L minute, please" said Summer
son. He went back into the courtroom, dis
arrayCi himself OF his street wraps. and
finally joined Dalrymple. His first words,
low and grave, ran thus: 'Can it be posi-
bic YOU don't recollect that our game Of
euchre was played the night before last and
not last night!i Then he went with Dali
rymple into a corner Of the readiug-room,
and they talked together for Z gooG while
IA 1-r1or bpt n hat
day in L mental whirl. 1t still wanted /
number of hours before the governing
committee would meet. He had lost day
out of his life-theTe could be no doubt of
that. If he bad moved about the club all of
yesterday with drunken manner, reviling
De Pommereul TO everybody who would
lend him an ear-if he had ufterward met
De Pommereul in the club and directed to-
ward him, in loud and furious tones 4 per-
feet torrent of accuSation-he himself was
completely, blankly ignorant.
For good while he sat quite still and
thought. Then he summoned Ann, the
elderly and very trustworthy Ann, who had
been his dear mothers maid and was now
his houSekeeper. He questioned Ann, and
after dismissing her he pondcred her an
swers. Three times yesterday she had
seen him, and regarding his appearance Ann
had
HER DISTINCT OPINIONS.
Suddenly light flashed up on Dalrymple
while he sat alone and brooded. He sprang
up, and cry. half of awe, half of gladness,
lett his lips. The battling problem had been
solved.
That evening he presented himself before
the governing committee. All assembled
were sorry for him. OF course punishment
must be dealt but for an old and popular
member like Dalrymple it must not be ex-
pulsion. The general feeling OF the club had
indeed already been gagged, and it was in
favor of suspension for six monthS-or a
year at the farthest.
Dalrymple. however, was determined
that he should be visited with no punish
ment at all. And he meant to state why.
His judges, as he faced them, all looked
politely grim. The president, after few
suave pre!iminarieS, asked Dalrymple if he
had anything 10 say concerning the charges
preferred against him. Dalrymple then
proceeded to speak, with clear voice and
composed demeanor.
His first sentence electrified his hearers.
81 have no possible recollection of yester-
day. he began, land it is precisely as much
OF lost day to me Is though had lain
chlGroformcd for tweuty-four hours. On
Wednesday night l returned home from this
club and went 10 rest. l never really woke
until Friday, possibly q little while after
midnight, ana then within my own bed.
On Thursday morning l must have risen in
q state of somnambulism. hypnotism, men
tai alteration, whatever you please, and not
come 10 myself until Thursday had passed
ana had once more retired. OF what yes
tcrday occurred l therefore claim TO have
been the irresponsible agent, and to have
become 50 through no fault of my own.
am completely innocent of the misde-
meauors charged against me- and ! now
solemnly swear this, on my word of honor
as 4 gentleman"
Here Dalrymple paused. The members
of the committee interchauged glances,
amid profound silence. On some faces
doubt could be read, but on Others its veri-
est opposite. The intense stiffness had be-
come painful, when Dalrymple spoke again.
y had hoped that l should escape
throughout my own lifetime all visitations
of this distressing kind. My grandfather
and two OF my uncles not only WALKED IN
their sleep to an alarming degree, ~ were
each subject to strange conditioE of mind
in which acts were performed byAhem that
they could not possibly remember after
ward"
Here the speaker paused, soon c5Stinp
ing, however, II lower and more reiectHe
tone: -
Yes, my family have had the strange
falling, that is, nearly all OF them except
myself, on The paterual side Of "
But he said no more. The tension was
loosened and agreat roar of laughter rose
from the whole committee. How ofte
every man there had ioxed him about that =