The record-union., 1898-06-20

H..
he told me. I realize now the words
OF warning that were spoken to me by
my friends at that time, but I did not
realize that the brink was SO close. /
remember leaving home that September
day and going to Burlington, Brandon
| and Boston, but can recall only in
vague way my transactions in the last
named city.
| 1t seems many years ago. / remem-
| Der going to the theater with my
nephew, and leaving him after the per-
l formance; but from that time for many
days my mind is blank When I
| came to my senses l was on board a
ship in a very hot climate, and lay on
mattress placed on the deck of a
large ocean steamship. 1 felt that 1
had been i'll How / came there I did
not know. / was feeble, and my mind
was not yet clear. Those on board the
ship were kind to me. They called me
by q strange name. They asked me if
! l had been i'll long before 1 came on
board and l fell in with the idea that
/ had been i'll. Day by day / became
stronger
Il ascertained that we were sailing
IN the Caribbean Sea, and that the ship
on Which l was passenger was bound
for Colon, United States of Colombia.
When / was able to be about and walk
the deck l looked over the ships books,
and found that 1 had been put down
under a name that was not my own.
The passengers and officers called me
by that name, and natural reluctance
to telling that l had just recovered
from fit Of insanity forbade me from
giving out any information regarding
myself, so l allowed them to address
me by the name that had been given on
the ships books. 1t was not long be-
fore Colon was reached
My mind was yet in a weak state,
and 1 feared to do anything to excite
myself lest it should turn back again
to the channel from which / had had
such a narrow escape. 1 remained in
Colon few days, but did not like the
country, and, deciding to get back to
civilization, went to Panama and
crossed the isthmus, going up the Pa
clhc Coast to San Francisco.
Il had about 5000 with me. I was
decrep1t and broken down, but was
shown great respect on the way. I be-
lieved that 1 had returned to America
to die. My family believed me dead.
supposed, and 1 was as good as dead
to them. My mind was yet in a dazed
state, and for fully eight months after
leaving Boston I was not completely
myself. One of the first things / did
! with the small amount of money
possessed was to purchase a bicycle.
| with this, during the time / was in
California, I Travelled more than 4,5O0
miles. 1 rode out into the country, be-
cause / realized that / must build up
my worn out constitution I became
| acquainted with a large ranch owner,
q nd oh h hiS Ii al
his place two months. I took hold
and tried to make myself useful about
the place, my knowledge of engines
and machinery being Of much help to
me.
"a large part of the ranch was irri- |
gated, and there was a large engine TO
pump water from a spring The en-
gine was out of order owing to inse
cure foundations easily repaired this,
and the work so pleased the owner
| that nothing was too good for me, and
when | came to go away he was sorry
to have me depart
This work was the first that I had
| done. 1t braced me up to think Of
something besides brooding over my
unfortunate condition, and felt hun
dred times better for it. My next
move was to become agent for a mag
| dZlHe. L rOQe from place TO place,
| taking orders, realizing that out Of
| door work was what / required to re-
I build myself. During this time I went
under the same assumed name. I be-
| came interested in various electrical
enterprises in California and Oregon,
but owing to the fact that I had 10
references I could not obtain re-
sponsible positions. In one town I Sc
! cured the franchise for an electric
plant I wore a bicycle suit while can
vassing the town for support and was
| called by my opponents the bicycle
tramp But / won the Board of Alder
men over, and the company of bust
ness men I represent holds the fran
chise to-day.
| Il worked hard to get news from
home, without revealing my identity
Business interests that were confided
to me gave me my first opportunity to
come East, and L left San Francisco
about a month ago."-Montpelier cor
respondence New York Herald.
| A Spanish inventor produces from
grasshoppers a fatty substance, which
is declared to make the finest soup yet
1 ,fo1