Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1900-08-24
5 ADVENTURE With IA MANIAC !
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
-Tv HE scenes of that night
~ will never fade from my
memory" said my dear

memory" said my deal
friend Parker, as, on
evening not long since, he sat, thu
centre Of a pleasant circle at Orange
New Jersey. Poor Justin Harring
tom How I loved that boy! Fo
months had seen that insanity-th
dreadful disease that had wrought s.
much trouble in the Harrington fam
ily-was showing itself in Justin
There seemed to De actually nothing
that friend or relative could do to az
rest the fatal disease. TO have Spoken
one word Of warning, OF proposed an,
precautionary measures, would only
have driven the poor fellow at once
to desperation; so we were compelled
to watch him drift out into the see
of hopeless insanity. He had beer
giving q succession of concerts il
several cities and towns of New Eng
land, and had made very successful
tour, both professionally and pecuni
arily.
That Justin was 4 natural musician
no one could doubt who had evel
heard him sing or play the violin.
AS the insidious disease progressed
he seemed to become more and more
attached to the little instrument, and
it would have made your heart ache
to have listened to the walls which
in his moments Of sadness, he brought
forth from the strings. Every emo
ton the soul is capable of enjoying
suffering, or enduring, he was able to
portray. Di tamil paipite was bis IA
vorite instrumental piece, and some
times 1 have been compelled to leave
the room to hide the tears which this
faithful delineation of the performer
spiritualized conception Of the theme
would bring to my eyes
One evening, after having delivered
a lecture in Worcester, Mass, on my
way to the hotel of the place, I was
informed that Justin was stopping at
the same house-that he was as wild
as a hawk, and had been calling for
me.
1 went Immediately to his room,
never for moment supposing but
what I could soothe and control him.
Two of his brothers were below, but
he persistently refused to see them.
I tried the door and found it locked.
Justin" said l; Justin, my dear
fellow, let me in. 1t is Parker"
1 heard the key placed in the lock
and in a second more the mailman
seized my hand, and drew me quickly
into the apartment, and, to my hor-
ror, Immediately locked the door, re-
moved the key and placed it in his
pocket.
1t would not do to betray the least
symptom Of fear. His eyes shone with
a light which was almost demonia cal;
and 1 realized that had very fool
ishly thrust myself into a scrape
WHICH might furnish very exciting
item for the morning newspapers.
"Well. Justin, how have you been
since l saw you last" l remarked in
the usual offhand manner which had
always marked our previous inter-
course
Parker" said he, without deignin@
to notice my remark, what do you
keep looking at that door so wistfully
for? You are not afraid of your friend
Justin--of course not and then fol-
lowed succession of tantaliZing
laughs, so Internally frausht that
could not help asking myself if devils
do not help overthrow the reason in
order to take possession of the empty
head, and perform their cruel and vim
dictive acts.
"Why. old fellow" replied. taking
care to look him steadily in the eye
did you ever sec the man I was
afraid of? l think not. And why
you should use that word in reference
to me- l am ut & loss to understand
Tut, tut, man!-nonsense. Who
said anything? 1t wasn't Justin!-oh.
no! 1t was that ugly devil that steps
into my shoes once in a while and gets
the best Of me-
"lAll right" said I. "Now, let's have
some music
And l passed him his violin, hoping
it would. as I often had known it to
before, soothe and comfort him.
"Shall 1? Shall ~ he asked. look
ing up, while the~demon-like express
sion Of his face changed to one Of in
eXpressible sadness. Shall I play for
Parker?'
"Oh, yes" 1 replied. Everybody
up there is fond Of melody. Why.
heaven, my dear boy, is all one grand
harmony
But we are not there yet was his
practical reply; consequently don't
know much about it,
He took the violin, petted it a mo-
ment, as mother might a. slumbering
infant. then turned it carefully and.
with another upturneH, imploring look.
commenced to move his bow, but not
once, through the long half-hour that
,3;I 1n, o11ou, fhn how, 70