The Wichita daily eagle., 1891-09-11
THE MAD MAYOR.

! lOQR DAY hQQ GncD OleQ OF ~.
1t seems that the Cornish village of Gan.
tick was used once in every year to purge
itself of evil To this end the villagers pre-
pared a huge dragon of pasteboard and
marched out with it to q sandy common,
since cut up by tin works, but still known
as Dragons moor. Here they would choose
one of their number to be mayor, and sub
NIT to him all questions Of conscience and
such cases of notorious evil living as the
law failed to provide for. Summary jus
| tice waited on all his decisions, and as the
village wag was generally chosen for the
| post, you may guess that the horse play
was rough at times When this was over,
and the public conscience purified, the
company fell on the pasteboard dragon
with sticks and whacked him into small
/ pieces, which they buried in small hollow
called Dragon Pit, and so returned gladly
to their homes to start on another twelve
months of sin.
This feast of publication fell always on
the 18th of July, and in the heydey of its
celebration there lived in cottage widow
woman and her only son, demented man
about forty years old. There was no harm
| in the poor creature, who worked at the
Lanihorne slate quarries, six miles off, as a
libubber"-that is to say, in carting
away the refuse slate Every morning he
walked to his work, mumbling to himself
as he went; and though the children fol
lowed him at times, hooting and flinging
stones, they grew tired at last, finding that
he never resented it. His mother-a tall,
silent woman, with an inscrutable face
had supper ready for him when he re-
turned, and often was forced to feed him,
while he unlocked his tongue and babbled
over the small adventures of the day. He
was not one of those gifted idiots wh, hear
voices in the wind and know the language
of the wild birds. His talk was merely i'm
becile; and, for the rest, he had large gray
eyes, features of that regularity which we
call Greek, and stood six feet two in his
shoes.
One hot morning-it was the 18th OF
July-he was starting for his work, when
an indescribable hubbub sounded up the
road, and presently came by the whole rab-
BILE of Gantick, with COW horns and instru-
ments of percussion, and in their midst
the famous dragon, all green, with fiery,
painted eyes and long tongue of red fan
mel. Behind it the prisoners were escorted
"a pale woman or two, with dazed, terri
fed eyes, an old man suspected of egg
stealing, a COW addicted to trespass and
so on.
The mayor was not chosen yet, this cere-
mony being deferred by rule till the crowd
reached Dragons moor. But drawing near
the cottage door and catching sight of the
half witted man, with his foot on the
threshold, village wit called out and
proposed that they should take "the
Mounster'' (as he was called along with
them for mayor.
1t hit the mob's humor, and they cheered.
The Mounster's mother, standing in the
doorway, went white, as if painted.
'Man in the Jumps hateful animal"
she said to herself, hoarsely. Come in
doors, Jonathan, an let 'em go by"
"Come an rule over as" the crowd in
vited him, and CLEAN of proud delight
woke in his silly face.
"The heat-his head won't stand It."
The woman looked up at the cloudlsss sky.
For Gods sake, take your fun elseWherew
she cried.
1.-The women who were led to Judgment
looked at her stupidity. They, too, suffered,
without understanding, the heavy sport of
men. At last one said:
"Old woman, let him come. Well have
more mercy from a mazed man."
"Sister, you've been loose, they tell me-"
answered the old woman, IAN must eat the
bitter fruit OF. But my sons an innocent.
Jonathan, they'll look for you at tn.
works"
There's prouder work for me 'pon Drag
on's moor" the Mounster decided with
smiling eyes. Come along, mother, an
see me exalted"
The crowd bore him off at their head, and
the din broke out again. The new mayor
strutted among them with lifted chin and
a radiant face. He thought it glorious.
His mother ran into the cottage, fetched
bottle, and followed after the dusty tail of
the procession. Once, as they were passing
a running stream, she halted and filed the
bottle carefully, emptying it again and
again until the film outside the glass was
to her liking. Then she followed, and came
TO Dragons moor.
They sat the mayor on a mound, took of
his hat, placed a crown on his head and
broomstick in his hand and brought him
the cases to try.
The first was a gray mare, possessed,
they alleged, with a devil. Her skin hung
like sack on her bones.
"'Tis Eli Thoms' mare What's to be
done to cure her'" they asked.
Let Eli Thoms buy comb an comb his
mares tail while she eats her feed, so Eli II
know if tits the devil or no that steals oats
from his manger."
They applauded his wisdom and brought
forward the woman who had pleaded just
now with his mother.
"Who made herr" he asked, having
listened to the charge.
God, tits to be supposed"
"God makes no evil"
"The devil. then"
"Then whack the devil"
They fell on the pasteboard dragon and
belabored him. The sun poured down on
the mayors throne. and his mother, who
sat by his right hand, wondering at his
sense, gave him water to drink from the
bottle. They brought third casa boy
who had been caught torturing cow. He
had taken a saw and tried TO saw of one
Of her horns while she was tethered in her
stall.
The mayor leaped from his seat.
xiii himi" he shouted; take him of
and kill himl'' His face was twisted with
passion and he lifted his stick. The crowd
fell back for a second, but the old woman
leaned forward and touched her son softly
on the leg. De stopped short; the anger
died out Of his face aud he shivered
'No,n he said, Il was wrong, neighbors.
The boy is mad, think. an it's a terrible
lot to be mad. This is the devils doing,
out O. doubt. Beat the devil"
''Simme," said one of the crowd, 'the
sins o. Gantick be wearin out the smoky
man at a terrible rate.
Ave" answered another, "his nsughtt
ness bain't ekal to Gantiek." And this
ofsarvatio, was the oririnsl of a nroyerb