The Press., 1902-07-03
! TWO
LUNATICS
BY r. Y. BLACK
Copyright, 1909.
N. AZ. q O Nr

. Copyright, 1909.
q By the s. s. Mcclure Company
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
"It was shameful trap" he said,
con the part Of my people. The doctors
were very careless in their diagnosis.
no shut me up in place like this was
really too bad. In very short time,
however, / expect to leave"
"Oh. DEAR" she thought, her eyes
dimming, "they all say that! To think
that the poor man will never, never.
never leave. II am so glad-for you"
she said aloud. 'sYou will be over.
joyed."
"oh, I-yes. But do you know this
sanitarium is not SO bad"
"Do you mean." she said gently, sur
prised, ''that you will-er-have any re.
grets in leaving"
ssNo," he said, mot exactly that, OF
course-not regrets, so far as concerns
myself. for 1t la so humiliating to be
committed, you know" He paused.
ssBut." he went on, seven in asylums
one makes friends, and-one regrets
for them"
He looked down with tenderness
and a pity he could not hide, and she
blushed, and for moment there was
silence. Then she said. with an OBJ
viously strained laugh:
1--WE are. friends, Of course. Mr.. st.
John. What an awful existence 1t
would be here If one had no sympa-
thetic friends! But you must not regret
SO much on my account. In very
short time think my friends will take
| me home"
He choked groan before she could
hear it.
.srhe poor little thingw he thought.
'aThey all say that. And that decent
young fellow, the doctor, assures me
| her case is very puzzling and her
friends fear incurable. I am SO glad
| for you," he said. "Would it not be
Jolly IL we became friends in the world
as we have been when out Of the
world?'
Then he blamed himself again.
eff she really likes me-" he thought,
''and think the unhappy child does, /
should never had said that. 1t is cruel.
brutal, to put such thoughts in her
head"
She was looking at him with the
fearful smile we essay when we en-
courage one who does not realize that
death is near.
"It would be nice-very nice indeed. "
They were silent again, each sorrow
ing for the other.
There were many other patients
strolling on the lawns or sitting in the
summer houses. patients of all kinds,
| from the shaky narcomaniac to the op-
timistically cheerful paretic. Attend
ants, male and female, moved unobtru-
sively among them.
Miss Tracy and St. John stood to-
gether, silent now and unostentatiously
observant. A sturdily built (all the at
tendants were that man was taking a
| patient to the iron barred house. He
did not do it violently. He did it as one
| may see policeman occasionally es-
cort quiet prisoner with light touch
| on the captive's arm above the elbow.
The patient was little excited, but
there was no disturbance at all. A Wis
itor might never have noticed 1t. The
strange thing was the unanimous back
ward withdrawal from the attendants
path Of the patients encountered, the
look Of fright or dislike on their faces
directed not at the captive, but at the
guard.
"How they all dread him-instinctive.
ly, it seems" said the young woman
who expected to leave soon." HE is
polite enough and not i'll looking
butt
"a man Of great experience in his
peculiar work, I'm told" said st. John
musingly.
Its his eye and mouth that do it, ]
fancy" r..
"a thoroughly i'll dispositioned man
with plausible exterior" said st
John. IT believe him capable of it"
"Of murder? Do-oh, what are you
talking of, Mr.. st. John?'
st. John looked very uncomfortable
Miss Tracy looked vexedly embar
4 raised.
II heard some rumor Of a strange
death in the institution just before
came. was thinking Of it. Were you
here? Have you heard anything OF
it?"
He was little eager. .......
'How could be here? We came or
the same day, don't you remember?"
'Ah, truey'
So they watched the attendapt out OF
sight and turned to go inside them.
| selves.
They shook hands. although there
was no reason for it. They would meet
AoEN ~ &4~ r%oe
but-they shook hands and that lin.
geringly.
ats awfully sad" st. John ponder.
ed. $50 sweet face, seemingly so in.
telligent. wish-oh, pshaw! What's
the use of wishing? These things are
not to be remedied. wonder if-she'
give me photograph"
4, Miss Tracy went to her room slowly
!, 'I ann silly to be so affected by au
N ordinary case. There are thousands
n like him. Butch, dear, oh, dear! II
/ I'd known l was to. have this sad ex
II perience, I would never have consented
Il to come neverp, Z ss 'tss r-.1]r3St.s
They had NO OPPORTUNITY to meet
aloneafof several days. Perhaps theJ
II might 1shaves adeteopportunitiesss but
H. they did not. Doubtless, it occurred t.
each Of thesee. two lnnatics that it wa'
il, the wiser thing. TO stifles At once, any
friendship which. each thought likely
to cause useless pain In the future Il
the other.Ssys s.sS4aii tss&ss nm x.4y 4
H., Or. Bell found these .tWoaof his resi-
dents particularly. interesting, in those
A days. and 80 die, the attendant. 1t was
strange that they born so markedly pre-
4 ferred the company Of the sanitarfum
dpeople u that Of their fellow unfortus
natess The young mouse doctor thought
Miss Tracy charming and never was
H abrupt with her when she sought him
IN his office. as he was compelled to be
for self protection with some who