The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-11-03

question Oh only a snort time Tor the aTu-,
NOR that Nj. Chanler was eccentric to
get a pretty good circulation. Some went
so far as to say outright in up-to-date
vernacular, that the well known New
Yorker had wheels in his head
WENT. TO THE CIRCUS.
But about this time Mr. CEanler inno-
Gently enough added many prosclites to
the belief about his Thinking apparatus.
He actually went to q circus, according
to Mr.. Dickinsons statement. Now, who
ever heard Of a perfectly sane rich man
going to a circus? WAS "a question which
apparently suggested itself to d number
of people in the vicinity of Merrie Mills,
who had, blythe way, themselves travelled
miles in a one-rlule cart to see the trapeze
man. do sensational turn. Anyhow, Mr..
Chaner. who had come to his country
seat, and was q jolly good fellow, got up
a party and went to the show with every
body else that could scrape UP the gen
eral admission fee. Amelie Rives took
day off from the "Quck or the Dead"
Oh. some other. work in course, of construc-
ton and Went too. They were a con-
spiicuolls pair and excited comment.
''Wonder WHAT John Armstrong Cham
Ter is doing here" was asked by a curl
Gus Individual, %
Game t6lEbuy an elephant replied
somebody fond Of gossip.
An elephant.' exclaimed a third party.
"Who ever heard of anybody buying an
elephant? We'll, Il do say! Funny, ism :
III? Wonder what he'll do rext?''
Then the;rural 5gossips began to talk.
Soon it was spread all around the COM
rnu,ity that Mr.. Chanler was purchasing
elephants, and everybody opened their
eyes wide and stared a suspicious kind
of stare that spoke for itself.
WILD RUMOR CIRCULATED:
The rumor like most rumors based upon
idle curiosity and nothing to, do. accumu-
lated as many details as big IyntaVen
Bay oyster shell, and by the time it had
circulated the rounds it was a nice, large.
we'll developed, strange rumor. 1t said
that John Armstrong Chanlcr was going
into the show. business, that he had taken
q notion that he must have lot of
/ elephants to commence. with, and that
he had an agent inspecting and getting
estimates and options on a large number
of the pGuderous quadrupeds that Travelled
with their trunks
Mr.. ChanIer did not hear the latest re-
ports about himself. He simply went on
studying his favorite physiological sub
jects, enjoyed his library, and courted
Amelie Riyes, whom he afterwards mar
ried. ~
Meantime he decided that it would be
pleasure to have on his pretty estate
a nice fresh-water swimming pool where
he could enjoy a dip on hot summer aft
ernoons and have a swim. lie had plenty
of money for such q luxury. SO decided
that he would make the investment.
It was his wish that this swimmng-pool
be large and complete in its arrange
ments. Mr. Dickinson vas engaged TO
make, the plans and have them put into
execution. The capacity was to be about
100000 gallons, and concrete was GeciueSl
upon as: the material for the bottom. Ihe
sides were to bc walled up i'll brick. All.
TINS meant, a lot of work and. heavy ex-
pense, such as were unknown in that3ru-
raj olstricts, where little aquatic feats could
be easily performed in the natural
streams winding around the red hills OF
Albemarle. The country people could. not
understand. Why Mr.. Chanler should spend
so much money in this way. To them It
seemed to be rank cxtrava Sance, utterly
useless and unproductive of any practlcai
results. .5s<,-P 4.
Then .runlors were revived. Ruinors
travel on rapid transit schedule, especial
by when based upon flimsy hearsay.
'Wonder what John .Armst rong Chanler
is doing alI9 mat excavation and Walllns
at Merrie, Mills for?" asked q lacy. with q
prying nose; t.li4 @ ~
She gotta pronapt rely. a. Haven't, you
heard?' asked a neighbor. They say
mes gong to raise elephants &ONeIt5lileiG
and have big baths for EN-. Queer sort
of idea in these parts, I should say, Ell? =
Then the rumors gathered. in size like
a, rolling SNOWFALL, and it was spread
about that Mr.. Chanler had gone into the
! elephant Traising. business.
LETTERS CAME POURING In.
1t was not5l long before Engineer sDiekin-
son received a stack of letters from b-ick
contractors. quoting him, prices on quanti-
ties of brick to wall in the elephant baths.
| Many of these wrote, saying NesE can
offer you as [bargain on bricks that are
perfectly adapted for the baths Mr.. Chan
lersis building for his elephant rarm 5s.tsl n
fact, Mr.. Dickinson was flooded with this
sort Of literature.
| All this time there We're rumorS and I'll
mors with little more foundation ppar-
ent.y than the ones above referred to. and
shortly afterwards an investigat on was
starteGzsto ascertain the exact condition
OF. Mr.. Chanler,s mind, and Nv hethera or
not he was capable of taking are, of his
property.
~. FRINGE EDWARD. so 81
The rest of the story Is public property.
Mr.. Dickinson ICES not believe the well
known New Y orkerS was mentally unbal-
anced.a but, on tic ontrars. tina t hesyas,
perfectly sane. He is expected to SO tes-
tify in Iha tni;ll when itscomes up.
Meanwhile deyelo pments are watched