Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-04-19

had heard of the power that a calm,
steady look has over the insane. She
looked at him calmly and steadily,
though her face, she felt, was growing
white with terror The trouble was
that he would not look at her, but con-
| tinued to wrestle with his boot.
AT last an energetic wrench brought
the boot off and the madman thrust
his arm in it up to the elbow. Then
he said: by iinksw and smiled in an
imbecile, self-reproachful sort of way.
"How IS your married son in New
York;" inquired Mrs. Parker, in a
flash of aspiration, mostening her
| parched lips with her tongue.
Him.: replied the maniac. "Oh.
he's all right-leastways he was when
last heard from him"
He bent down and tackled the other
boot, and Mrs. Parker once more rose
and tried TO edge her way round the
table to pass him. He stopped and
looked up and she retreated to the
assumption of carelessness, on the sill.
If the worst came to the worst she
might throw herself out and risk the
injury that she might sustain from
the broken glass and the fail. 1t was
not more than eight or ten feet to the
ground. and anything would be pref.
erable to the horror of being In the
clutches Of madman.
Then another thought came to her.
Perhaps she could attract the atten.
tion of some passer-by and dumbly
summon assistance. She looked quick.
ly out.
A man was passing-a young man
with a quite noticeable dark mus.
tache, fashionably attired and holding
his arms gracefully bowed out from
his body. Mrs. Parker, who is a good.
looking young woman, threw her
whole anguished soul into an implor.
ing look and beckoned stealthily but
| imperatively to him. He smirked en-.
gaglngly at her in return and raised
his hat, hesitated, then smirked again,
caressed his little mustache and passed
on.
There" exclaimed the lunatic.
Mrs. Parker started. He had got the
other boot off, and, standing in his
stocking feet, was cropping inside of it
as he had in the other.
Good joke on me-" he said. 81
| clean forgot which one / put it in,
and l couldn't tell nothing by the feel"
Withdrawing his hand he drew out
thin, fat package, and then, moisten-
ing his finger, separated from it a S1U
bill, which he extended to Mrs. Par
ker, who looked at it wonderingly for
an instant and then dropped into q
chair and began to sob Historically.
1t appears that this is not the end.
The man from Waukegan who had
made safety-deposit vault of his boot
tried for some minutes to soothe and
calm the agitated woman, but his gen
tie ministrations only seemed to make
her worse. He stood and tugged
helplessly at his beard and then
rushed from the room in search nf
help. Going down stairs he suddenly
came upon the servant, who, in conse-
quence of his bootless condition, had
not heard his approach. Before he
could explain his mission she screamed
and fell over against the gas stove in
dead faint, and, as Parker says,
there was dickens of time gener-
ally.
Another thing, there is young man
with a slight, dark mustache who
passes the house quite frequently and
annoys Mrs. Parker by raising his hat
to her and sometimes kissing his hand.
Parker has not caught him as yet, but
he is bidinS his time, and has ex.
pressed his intention of breaking that
young mans darned neck.
As for the Waukegan man, he called
at Parker's Office for his receipt, and
hesitatingly inquired after Mrs. Par.
ker. you'll excuse me, Henry" he
said, "but amt she a-well, just a lit,
tie, you know
"Heyw said Parker.
The Waukegan man tapped his fore.
head significantly with his forefncer.
Chicago Record.