Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-06-12
!, TWO
! LUNATICS T
-. By P. Y. BLACK
Copyright, 1902,
BY the S. S. Mcclure Company

~ n
0~e~0%@~e~@~ee%0~e~e~e~@~6
"It was a shameful trap" he said,
''on the part of my people. The doctors
were very careless in their diagnosis.
To 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. 81 am so glad-for you,"
she said aloud. "You 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-haye any re-
grets in leaving?'
NO." he said, mot exactly that, of
course-not regrets, so far as concerns
myself, for it is so humiliating to be
committed, you know" He paused.
s'But," he went on, "even 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:
''We are friends, of course, Mr.. St.
John. What an awful existence it
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 a groan before she could
hear it.
''The poor little thing" he thought.
''They all say that And that decent
young fellow, the doctor, assures me
her case is very puzzling and her
friends fear incurable. | am so glad
for you," he said. "Would it not be
jolly if we became friends in the world
as we have been when out of the
worldW
Then he blamed himself again.
eff she really likes me-" he thought,
'and l 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.
at 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
patient to the iron barred house. He
did not do it violently. He did it as one
may see a policeman occasionally es-
cort a 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 it. The
strange thing was the unanimous back
ward withdrawal from the attendants
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 ill looking,
BUT
ga man of great experience in his
peculiar work, I'm told," said st. John
musingly.
"It's his eye and mouth that do it, 1
fancy"
"a thoroughly i'll dispositioned man.
with a plausible exterior" said st.
John. 81 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-
rassed.
Il heard some rumor of a strange
death in the institution just before 1
came. l was thinking of it. Were you
here? Have you heard anything of
it?"
He was a little eager.
'How could l be here? We came on
the same day, don't you remember?'
"Ah, truew
So they watched the attendant out of
sight and turned to go inside them
selves.
They shook hands, although there
was no reason for it. They would meet
at the dinner table in few minutes,
but-they shook hands and that lin
geringly.
''It's awfully sad,' st. John ponder
ed. $50 sweet a face, seemingly so in
telligent. wish-oh, pshaw! What's
the use of wishing? These things are
not to be remedied. wonder if-she'd
give me photograph"
Miss Tracy went to her room slowly.
81 am silly to be so affected by an
ordinary case. There are thousands
like him. Butch, dear, oh, dear! If
I'd known I was to have this sad ex-
perience, would never have consented
to come-neverv'
They had no opportunity to meet
alone for several days. Perhaps they
might have made opportunities. but
they did not. Doubtless it occurred to
each of these two lunatics that it was
the wiser thing to stife at once any
friendship which each thought likely
to cause useless pain in the future to
the other.
DR.. Bell found these two of his resi-
dents particularly interesting in those
days. and so did the attendant. Itswas