Year: 1865

length, not quite willing to allow hi


daughter to sail in company with fore
!, castle Jack. whose fathers whole estat
was only potato patch compared witt


domain.


Howe evr, that colonel had permitted


Cornelia and | to stand two or three


night watches together, and one morning


as was homeward bound after an al


nights lookout with the girl. Mr. Collin.


brought me to as | was passing his house


with the information that Almira had


been in tearing tantrum all night, and


that they were entirely worn out with


her mad antics.


l went in and found the girl plunging


and latheriDg about the house like era


zy fnback, bat in less than ten minutes l


had her as docile as sucking dove, and


quietly in bed in bedroom On the low


er floor, communicating with the parlor


Then l brought the big rocking chair, and


anchored myself in 1t, blocking up the


door way, SO that the crazy girl couldn't


run The blockade, and told all hands to


turn in and get some rest, ! would attend
to Almira. SO


The girl was as quiet as a dead dol phin
for half an hour or so, and fancying her
fast asleep didn't see impropriety of
taking bN of nap myself. Ihad stood
a whole nights watch with Corne liza, and
| needed it. Well, ! went on a cruise
into dream-land, and must have stood on
that tack for nearly two hours / think,
when l thought that ten sea eagles had
pounced upon me all at once, and was
wide awake in second.


1t was nothing like an eagle. Only
Almira Collins, the crazy girl-nOt a
single stitch of anything under heaven on
her, standing before me, looking as wild
as a sh-hawk,wi,h her bare arms stretch
ed out towards me, and her fingers crook
ed up like the claws of cat.


In second l laid hold of the wild,
crazy creature, and for more than guar.
Ter Of an hour there was such tassle as
ever lad Win anything human Up
ana down, over and under here and there,
the gIrl scratching, biting, kissing, pick
ing up and splitting like a vile cat. and l,
all the time, exerting all the might and
muscle that was in me to conquer the
crazy thing without injuring her.


Al length, when was pretty nearly on
my beam ends, | succeeded in subjugating
the girl and getting her back into bed
again, naked as she was. covered her
up, and after she had promised me in a
way more rational than | had heard her
speak at any Time previously, that she
would remain quiet, dropped into the
big cl air, and in spite of all could do to
keep my eyes open, in about an hour.
was fast asleep again.


l might have slept half an hour, sup
pose, and then, waking suddenly, l made
a discovery-frst, that my charge had
abscOnded during my nap, and directly
afterwards that she had escaped through
a window back of the bed, and in about
thirty seconds was out of doors and af-
ter her. | tracked her bare feet easily
enough down through the garden, and
across plowed field in direction to-
wards Colonel Hewitt's but in the pasture
land beyond, lost the trail. However.
| kept on towards the colonel's, confident
that the girl had fed thither as she had
done several times previously.


Within about three hundred yards of
the colonel's house, came upon the re-
fugee. She was bathing in quiet pool |
of pure water, hidden away under some
giant old elms and sdrrounded by wild
palm trees But l dlda's quite lay hold
Of her there her eats and eyes were TOO
quick for me, for as | was creeping up
cautiously to wards the pool, the crazy
water nymph shot out on the opposite
side, and giving two or three piping
away she went in straight line
toward Colonel Hewett's Lucheh door,
and away went cracking on all sail in
chase.


Ii was noon, and as we came out into
the open land, hundred and fifty yards
from the kitchen door, the girl five faith.
oms ahead, her long, black hair stream.
ing out behind her, and she, under bare
poles, scudding like witch in hurri-
cane, there came Colonel Hewett out
through gate by the barn, followed by
a squad Of ten farm hands: all bound .o
dinner, filing into the lane jast as
the crazy gnl and in full chase shot
By.


In and across the door yard we went.
and as thN runaway put the first foot on the
kitchen porch / grabbed her, and the in
slant my arms took in the chase sombody
ponnced upon me from behind. The
fret Hasb of ,bo,icbt was that !, r1ss !