Evening star., 1909-08-21

bell was ringing. ringing as il does when
some one is proddins central from the
other end. and she spends her irritation
on the responsive bell. Grimbleshaw
stepped to the instrument with sharp
Hello: who's there?
rs that DR.. Grimbleshaw?' came the
response and the hearer gave start. in
spite of his natural and cultivated power
of self-control.
Yes. What is it %
You recognize my voice?
Yes. Mr.. Cal
There's no need of names, came an
almost angry interruption. Its enough
tha YOU know. Even telephones, like
walls. have ears.
Well. then. | recognize you. Has any
thing happened? To your mother j
mean.
NO. twasn't about her I wanted TO
speak. That man from down the river
you know"
Yes. yes. What Of him.
Has he been to see you yet
Yes. today But really. MIR. -
Careful, l know-hush, Here's some
one coming. I'll have to call you again.
Good bye"
We'll. I'll be-switched. ANY one to
have heard him would have thought we
were thicker-n thieves, | wonder what
the fool can be driving at" thought
something had happened to-Judith
With that he thrust his hand into ms
pocket and discovered his letters. one
from an old college mate ana ne
recalled that he had thought him a Iooi
for accepting a subordinate place at the
Hacklebury Insane Asylum. simply be-
cause it gave him fixed income May
be- after all. that monthly salary. regu-
larry paid by the state. wasn't TO oe
sneezed at He tore open the envelope
and read two pages of chaff and gossip.
and then suddenly came to bit OIL news
that fitted as a wonder of coincidence
into the chain of recent events.
Il must tell of an escaped patent
we have or rather haven't, inasmuch as
he has escaped You'll find the tail enc
the interesting part. as the lrishnan sain
of the wasp. He'd been here about ten
wears, and if you and l were as sane.
under the same circumstances, "ed DC
in states prison.
He stole whole trust company OF
national bank or something of the kind.
and then used part of the money TO nlTe
somebody to pronounce him insane he
wasn't crazy enough. however. to give up
the rest. that in the end. the pank
had swapped off the money for crazy
prisoner or what practically amounted
10 that.
why he stayed here SO long beats me.
They'd come to let him have. all sorts OF
privileges and he could have walked on
any day within the last five years lie
had come TO be a sort of shoWp1ece for
everybody round here knew something OF
his history and wanted to see him when
tley came to the asylum. Beyond that
he wasn't of much trouble. or much use
as far as that goes: but he was gentle
man. and / think he had something OF a
sense of honor, because of the trust
placed in him. and felt that he would
violate il by running away.
He was always denounclng the du-
thorities for sending him here instead of
irving him, and always threatening to
ask TO be tried. but nobody paid any at
tention to him, which is one of the ad-
vantages of being crazy. or being though;
crazy: for you can threaten all sorts OF
things which you don't want to happen
and nobody will take you at your word
But about a week ago he just qule'iy
walked off and nobody has seen hide or
much fuss about it, and the authorities
say they are keeping it dark as a better
means of catching him. At any rate.
they've kept il out of the papers, and
that's thing TO be accomplished, when
YOU want to accomplish it. with tire great
est difficulty You've got to be awful
smart or awful stupid.
Ordinarily ! shouldn't have told you.
but it helps to fill up the paper and make
a letter of decent length after six months
of silence, and then-here's the tail end
fellow is named Calden. and nes the
father of that Miss Judith Calden that
YOU were so nearly dead gone on two
wears ago in New York. when you were
at hospital practice. Now don't say you
weren't and don't say / haven't given
YOU something to think over while you re
waiting for those patients who never
come and who are dead bother when
they do come.