Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1891-07-10
That he WIS not quite ready. Ready for what
i wonderful

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life.
Let Ralph Carrlston be guilty or innocent
of the extraordinary crime which his cousin
laid at his door, felt that he was anxious TO
obtain possession of the supposed lunatics
person. 1t would suit his purposes for his
cousin to be proved mad. i did not believe
that even II the capture was legally effected
Carriston's liberation would be matter OF
great difficulty so long as he remained in his
present state OF mind; so long as |, doctor
of some standing, could go into the witness
box and swear to his sanity. But my old
dread was always with me-the dread that
any further shock would overturn the bal
ance of his sensitive mind.
So II was that every hour that Carriston
was out OF my sight was fraught with anxiety.
If Ralph CarristOn was really as unscrllpu.
lOus as my friend supposed; II he had really,
as seemed almost probable, subOrned our
agent; he might by some crafty trick obtain
the needful certificate, and some day should
come home and lind Carriston had been re-
moved. In such case foresaw great troub-
lie and distress.
Besides, after all that had occurred, il was
as much as | could do to believe that Carris-
ton was not mad. ANY doctor who knew
what knew would have given the verdict
against him.
After dismissing his visions and hallucina-
tons with the contempt which they deserved,
the fact OF man who was madly, passion
ately In love with woman, and who believ-
kept in restraint, sitting down quietly, and
letting day after day pass without making an
effort toward finding her, was in itself prtnd
fdcie evidence OF insanity. A sane man
would at once have set all the engines of de-
lection at work.
felt that il once Ralph Carriston obtain
ed possession of him he could make out
strong ease in his own favor. First of all, the
proposed marriage out OF the defendants
own sphere Of life; the passing under false
a
l0us, accusation made against his kinsman;
the murderous threats; the chastSement of
his own paid agent who brought him re-
port which might not seem az all untrue TO
any one who knew not Madeline Rowan.
Leaving out the question what might be
wrung from me in cross-examination, Ralph
CaiTiston had strong case, and knew that,
once in his power, my friend might possibly
be doomed TO pass years, II not his whole life,
under restraint So l was anXious,-yery
anxious.
And felt an anxiety, scarcely second to
that which prevailed on CarristOn's account
as TO the fate of Madeline. Granting for
sake OF argument that Carrist0ns absurd
eonvicton that no bodily harm had as yet
been done her, was true, / felt sure that she
with her scarcely less sensitive nature must
feel the separation from her lover as much as
he himself felt the separation from her. Once
or twice l tried TO comfort myself with cyni-
clsn-tried 10 persuade myself that young
woman could not in our days be spirited
away-that she had gone by her own free
will-that there was man who had at the
eleventh hour alienated her affections from
Carriston. But could not bring myself to
believe this. So was placed between the
horns OF dilemma.
lfMadeline had not fled of her own free will,
some one must have taken her away, and is
so our agents report was coined one, and,
II coined one, issued at Ralph's instance;
therefore Ralph must be the prime actor In
the mystery.
But In sober moments such deduction
seemed an utter absurdity.
Although have said that Carriston was
doing nothing toward clearing up the mys-
terry, i wrong him in so saying. After his
own cratic way he was at work. At such
work tool l really lost all patience with
him.
lie shut himself up in his yoom. out of
which he scarcely stirred for three days. BY
that time he had completed large and beau
uful drawing OF his imaginary man. This he
took to a well-known photographers, and
ordered several hundred small photographs
OF II, TO be prepared as soon as possible. The
minute description which he had given me Of
his fanciful creation was printed at the foot
of each copy. AS soon as the first batch OF
these precious photographs was sent home,
10 my great JOY he did what he should have
done days ago; yielded TO my wishes, and
put the matter into the hands of the police.
i was glad 10 find that In giving details Of
what had happened he said nothing about
the ACCESSIBILITY of keeping watch on Ralph
CarriS:on's proceedings. lie did indeed, Of
fer an absurdly large reward for the discov-
cry OF the missing girl; and, moreover, gave
the officer in charge OF the case packet OF
photographs of his phantom man, telling him
In the gravest manner that he knew the origi-
nal OF that likeness had something to do with
the disappearance OF Miss Rowan. The Of
ticer, who thought the portrait was that OF q
natural being, took his instructions in good
faith, although he seemed greatly surprised
when he heard that Carriston knew neither
the name nor the occupation, In fact knew
nothing concerning the man who was to be
sought for. However, as CaTTistOn assured
him that finding this man would insure the
reward as much as If he found Madeline, the
officer readily promised to combine the two
tasks, little knowing what waste of time any
attempt to perform the latter must be.
Two days after this Carriston came to me.
~ shall leave you tomorrow" he said.
Where are you going% asked. why
ii am going TO travel about / have no in
tention OF letting Ralph get hold of me. SO
| mean to 20 from place to place until find
Madeline"
BE careful" urged.
~ shall be careful enough. III take care
that no doctors, surgeons, or even apothe-
carries get OH my track. shall go just as the
fit SEXES me. if | can't say one day where /
shall be the next, it will be impossible for
that villain 10 KNOW.
This was not bad argument In fact, il
he carried out his resolve of passing quickly
from place to place did not see how he could
plan anything more likely 10 defeat the in
tentions with which we credited his cousin.
As to his finding Madeline by so DOING that
was another matter.
His idea seemed to be that chance would
sooner or later bring him I'm contact with the
man of his dream. However now that the
search had been intrusted to the proper per-
sons his own action in the matter was not
worth troubling about / gave him many
cautions. He was to be quiet and guarded
In words and manner He was not TO con-
verse with strangers. Ii he found himself
logged or watched by any one he was TO
communicate at once with me. But above
ALL begged him not TO yield again TO his
mental infrmity. The folly of man who
could avoid it throwing himself INTO such
state ought To be apparent to him.
Not Ottener than can help" was all the
promise could get from him. But see her
] must sometimes, or shall die"
/ had now given up as hopeless the combat
with his peculiar idiOsyncrasy. So, with
many expressions OF gratitude on his part,
we babe each other farewell.
During his absence he wrote to me nearly
every day, so that might know his where
abOuts in ease had any news to commune
cate. But had nome The police failed to
find the slightest clew. had been called up
on by them once or twice In order that they
might have every grain of information i