Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1898-05-19

we left Liverpool, anu hound MN
standing on the dock when we reached
New York.
He could not have come by another
line, for the ship in which had crossed
was the fastest Atlantic liner aioat,
and we had made a record voyage.
And yet the fact remained that [ had
left him in Liverpool and that 1 found
him in New York on my arrival.
There was something did not like
about it-something uncanny, unnat-
ural If he had intended crossing the
Atlantic, why did he not come by the
same steamer as his lady friend, Mrs.
Johnson? Where was the necessity for
the fearful leave-taking or the demon
strative reunion?
Then there came into my mind the
thought that this was no man at all.
lie was a will-o'-the-wisp, spook, an
elf, a goblin!
The thing played upon my mind as
drove to the hotel, until L felt impelled
to report the matter to the police. I
believe should have done this, had not
two considerations restrained me. The
first was that had no time to spare and
the second was that 1 was afraid of
making fool of myself!
Eventually, concluded that my man
kin must have solved the problem of
aerial navigation, and that he had
crossed the Atlantic in an airship. :
And when remembered his bird-like
appearance, I was more than half in
clined to accept this theory as a cor
rect one.
l had just time to take good din
ner at the Hoffman house; and then
l had to hurry off to the depot to catch
the night express for Chicago. l had
business there which required my i'm
mediate attention. There was Mr..
Peckitt in the Windy city to whom [
had a letter from a Liverpool merchant,
and whom it was necessary for me to
see at the earliest possible moment.
had boarded the train and sat look
ing out of the window, when 1 caught
sight of Mrs. Johnson coming along the
platform with the Mite.
The train was just on the point of
starting; and, after they had gone
through the same performance of kiss
ing as in Liverpool, Mrs. Johnson got
into the car, leaving the manikin stand
ing on the platform. AS we steamed
out of the station 1 saw him waving
farewell signal with the old black-bor-
! 1oroJ loOJl-archiaf
"Well, thank goodness, that's the last
of him." 1 said to myself as I turned in
TO my sleeper "Flying machine or no
| flying machine, he can't get ahead of
the train, even if he did beat the steam
ship"
I slept soundly, and did not awaken
until reused by the black porter in the
morning.
Now may all the powers of dark
ness seize him!" was my prayer, as, on
reaching Chicago, saw the little man
standing in the station, waving his
black-bordered handkerchief to Mrs,
Johnson.
There was the identical manil1in
whom I had left standing on the docks
at Liverpool eight days ago, and left
again OH the railway platform at New
York the night before.
The same black suit, the same black
hat, black tie, black stick; the same
blacl-bordered handkerchief waving in
the breeze.
It was puzzling. It was annoying! [
| took Il. as a. personal affront. Why
should this travesty of mankind pur-
sue me with such pestilent pertinacity?
Could l not 60 anywhere in this wide
world without meeting that elf-like fig
ure, and having that garb of unutter-
able woe presented to my unwilling
! ewes? Were there no means of putting
a quietus to this omnipresent mimicry
Of humanity? should go crazy, ii it
was to be my fate to meet him at every
corner and crossroad in life. This
thing had gone far enough; and I was
determined to put stop to it.
I swore. that if ne werei ain actual
entity, real corporal creature, and
not a spooh, or aphantasm OF the mind,
would have him arrested as soon as
put foot on the ground.
But nv resolution was somewhat
shaken by a sudden fear which took
possession of me. began to entertain
doubts as 10 my own sanity.
Was it possible, asked myself that
that singular appearance of the dwarf
in Liverpool had so impressed itself
upon my mind and worked upon my
imagination during the enforced idle
ness of the voyage, that was begin
ming to conjure up dwarfs at every turn
and corner and see manikins where
there were no manikins? Who would
believe such cocll-and-bull story, as
that little man whom 1 had left be-
hind in Liverpool had got to New York
before me; and then after leaving him
behind in New York that he had got to
Chicago ahead of me?
But the manikin! I had only to
produce him in proof Of my assertion.
I looked around for the object of my
thoughts; and then I found that I was
toe late. Both he and Mrs. Johnson had
disappeared. While 1 had been debat-
ing within myself the question OF my
own sanity the will-o'-the-wisp, which
was undoubtedly working TO unbalance
my reason, had made good its escape.
"Never mind, my little man." NUT
tered; "only wait till l catch you
again!"
About ten o'clock, after 1 had eaten
some breakfast, set out for Mr.. Peck
tits Office.
There I was ushered by clerk into
an inner room, where, TO my utter con-
sternation, I found the diminutive fig
urc in black, with Mrs. johnson sitting
opposite to it.
Mr.. Pecllitt?" 1 said in scarcely au-
dible voice, for had every reason to
believe Pecllitt to be a person of con-