Miscellaneous

Alf Dixon, Toni Giffard and I had pone up the river camping out; we had done our second day a work. It was early morning on the tliird day, glorions weather. I was in the boat, gettinothe steering lines in order; Giffard and Dixon were on the bank, talking to Dr. Kawle. As I understood it, the doctor was at the head of a private asylnm for lunatics. He was Giffard's friend, not mine. He had been taking a constitutional when he happened to fall in with us just as we were sitting down to our open-air breakf ast; the chance meeting led to Giffard inviting him to share our gypsymeal. He did. He was a pleasant fellow, not too oíd ind not too young. I liked him exceedïgly. We talked of things in general, iml of lunatics in particular. Someliiiig led to his mentioning - I think it was gneakiog of the ennning of a certain class of lunatics. and the difficulty of keeping them within four walls - the iact that one of his iinnateshail escaped fi day or Iwo pi-eviously, and had not vel been ïelaken. Thia was llie more singular as it was tolcrably certain he had not gone far, and search liad been made for him in eTery direction. As Giffard and Uixon were sannjr Ëfood-by, preparatory togetting intothe boat, the doctor laughingly said: " Should yon happen to come across him, I sluill consider you bound to bring hun back safe and sound. Ue's a man of forty-fonr or forty-live, tall and bonv, iron-gray hair, and bas a curióos hábil of showing his teeth and nanking bis left eye. Don't look out for a ravinr luuatlc; for on musí puim., i ■_. 11O right as you and I. He's wrong in two thins. Whateyer youdo, don't iet him lose nis temper; forwhenever hc does, tliouirli ever so Blightly, lie iiivariablj poes in for murder - he 8 all but doire fnr tu-o keepers already. And don't talk to him of England or Englishmen; for if lic should get upsn his nativeland, lic' 11 favor you with some observations which wil] make you open your cves.'r We laughed. Alf and Toni shook Imids wilh him, and got i rito the boat. We promised, if we should happen to meet him, we would eerlainly see him returned to safe custody. Alf stood up r.n.l shoved us trom the sliore; we sang out a last good-by, and left the doctor standing on the bank. It was a beauli ui morning. The river was delieious, olear as cry stal; we could see the bottom, and every stone and pebble on it; Jnst a gentle breeze fanning the surfaee of the waters into a little npple. We lit onr pipes and took il easily. I am a good bit of a traveler, Kiiow many love.lv nooks and erannies ui im-eign lands; 'i have llved abroa(Tu3 muchas at home; but 1 will match the higher reaches of our own Father TnMnies for beauty and for charm against any scenery in Europe. And on an early summer morning, after a gpell of glorious weather.it is in all its prime; the water so eool, so clear; the banks so green, 80 eharming; the stately trci ■; ou cillier side; the mansions secn over the meadows, or peeping out nmong I lic trees. You may ehoose your Rhine, your Garda, or your Maggioro, or our golden I!ay of X:i])les, but leave Cookham and old Father Thames to me. Presumably we had come for river beautics and the oamping-oat - presumably; but asa matter of f act there was a younglady livod not so far ahead, a mul nal friend, Liíian Travers. Separatcly and jointly we had a high opinión of Miss Travers, not onlyof her beauty, bot of other things aswell; and having come so far, we noped we should not h;r. to return until at least we had had a peep at her. Unfortunately, though we new Miss Travers, we had no acmi! intance with Mr. - there was no Mrs. . Imct the young lady at several di : - and stich like: hut on eaeh occab' !:o was ouder the chaperonage of ol '! Maekenzie. Apparently Mr. - was nol a party man. But L i h: promised to introduce us to hi .vi i ver she rol a chance, and we we ik i u diopeful she would get that cl] n. hv. Bo you see that little exc, n riverward had more in it than mei the cje. Wc, went tazily on, just dipping the oars iii - I '.ut: smoking, watching the giuoki! ciroling through the elear air. All thoughts of Ihe doctor and !iis partin ivordi had gone from our minds. ■■ ! cd little, and that little was of L ii and the chancea of our meeting. We had gone some two or three hundr 'I ards; we werc close to the shore. Alf ould almost reach it by stretching oiv his oar. Wc were dreaming and laing, when snddi nly some one stepp ed O)1 from amongthe treefl Tic was close to ná- not ü dozen feel away. He was a tall man, rather over tlian i ndor aix fee.t. Me was dressed in a dark brown suit of Oxford mixture: be had a stick in his liand, wore a uillycock hat, and his coat was buttored rightupto his throat. He had light whiskers, a heavy, drooping mustaelie, hair unueually long, iron-gray in color. lie migh( be a soldier retared from h3 profession, or an artist out painting; he ceitainly looked a gentleman. e were passing on, w íen he raised bis Hlick, and shouted out, "Stop!" It was a regular ahont, as though we werc half a niile fromhim. We stopped, although it was au unusuai method of calling altention. " Gentlemen," he said, still at tho j top of his voico, "I shoukl bc obliged ! if you eould give me a seat. I have a long way to go, andi aln tirod." We lookcd at hira and at eaeh otlier. It was a free-and-easy style of alking a favor; but he seenied a gentleman, and an elderly one, too. Common politeness dlctated civility. "lam afraid," said Alf, "we have hardly room: she's only built foi three." "Oh, that doesn't matter," he said; "you can put me anywhere, or l'lltake an oarfor onc of you." I was on the point of advislng a point-black refusal, not appreciating his off-hand manner; but Alf thought difïerently. "All right," said ne; "we don't mind, if you don't. Steer her in. Jack." I stcered her in. No sooner wcrc we near the shore than, quite unexpectedI3", he stepped almost on m}T toes, rocking the boat from side to side. "Hangitf'I said; "take care, or you'U have us over." " What if I do?" he returncd. " It']] only be a swim; and who minds a swim in freather like this?" We starod at him; the coolness, not to say impertinencc, of the rcmaik, was amazing. Begging a seat in our boat, knowing it was full, and then telling us he didn't care if he spilied us into the river! He seated himself by me, setting the boat seesawino; again, crushing me into a corner; and without asking with your leave or by your leave, took the steering lines from my hands, and slipped them over his shoulders. "Excuse me," I said, making a snatch at them; "but if you'll allow me." "Not at all," he said; "I tdways like something to do, and I expect you've had enough of it." His coolness was amusing; he was impenetrable. 1 know I for one regretted we were such nuiles as to have had anything to do with him. We waited in silenee a second or two. "Come," he said, "when are you going to start?" "Perhaps," said Alf, a bit nettled, 'as you' re in our boat a self-invited Luest, you'll let ub choose our own ime." The stranger said nothing; he sat stolid and silent. Torn and Alf set oft owing; the stranger steered right across the stream. "Where are you going?" said Alf. ' Keep vis in." "lm going into the shade; the sun's ,00 strong." He liad the lines; we could hardly insist on liis keeping one side if he preerred the ollier. He took us right to he opposite bank, nnder the sliadowof he willow-trees. For some minutes ïeither of us spoke. With him cramning me on my seat, and ramming his lbows into my side, my position was ïot pleasant. At last I let him knowit. "I don't know if you are aware you are occupying nll my seat." He turned on me short and sliarp. All at once I noticed his left eyc going ïp and down like a blinking "ow?; his nouth was wide open, diselosing as igly a set of teeth as I should care to see. hike a flash Dr. Ra.wle's worda erossed my miad: tall, strong, about forty-five, iron-gray hair; a nabit of showing lus teeth and winking his left oye. Gracious powers! was it possible ut HM ,. 1,...,.,:, .,1.1. - - - - n p j know the possibility, nay, the probability, of such a thino; made me feel more than queer. If there is anything in the world I instinctively fear, it is mad persons. I know little of them - have never been in their company. Possibly my ignorance explains my dread; but the idea of sitting in the same boat and on the same seat with a ma" who - Dr. Rawlc's warning, "Don't let him lose his tempor, or znurder will ensue," made me bound from my seat like Jackin-the-box. The boat tipped right out of the water, but I didn't care. The man was glaring at me with cruel eyes; my museles were strung, my fists clinched; eve.ry moment I expected him at my throat. " VVhat the dickens are you up to?" said Alf. " What's the matter with you?" " Excitable temperament, hot-blooded youth," said the stranger. I could have said something had I chosen, but I preferred discretion, I lllllll'lj liko liii o.yes. "No-o- nothing," I said. "Ithiiik ril sit in the bow." I didn't wait to learn if anyone had any objection, but Bwinging round, I sera'mblèd past Alf, and tripped full length on to Tom's linees. The boat went up and down likt; a swing; it was a miníele he wasn't over. " Is Ufe fellowmad?" roared Alf. A 'he word "mad" the strangei rose up straight as a post. " Mad!" he said; "doyou know, sir - " He ohecked himself and satdown. "Pooh! he'sonly a boy." In passing Torn I whispered in his .'ar. " Tlie lunatic," I said. "What!" said Torn, right outloud. "Hold your row, you confounded onkey! It's the man from Dr. tawle s." The " Be :y-m gimtg to say somethinr VUgJlty - Iknow Be was: but he stopped h rt, and stared at him with all his V:s. Eiiher Alf overheard me, or else the same idea ocourred to him at the same moment, for he stopped dead in the middle of a stroke, and inspected the man on the stearing seat. Torn and Alf went ou staring at him for a minute or more. I kept my head turned the otber way to avoid his eyes. All at once I feit the boat give a great throb. I turned: there was the stranger leaning half out of his seat, looking at Alf in a way I shouldn't have cared to havo had him look at me. "What's the meaning of this insolcnceP" he said. The question was not unwarranted; it could not have been pleasant to have been stared at as Alf and Torn were staring then. "I beg your pardon," said Alf, cool as a cucumber. " To what insolence do yon rel'er?" Tom actually chuckled; I conldn't h:ive chuckled for a good deal; it seemed tome not only impudent, but risky; I conldn't forget Dr. Rawle's worils about his homicidal tendencies. He turned red as a lobster; I never saw such an expression come over a man's faco before - perfectly demoniacal. To my surprise he satdown and spoke as calmly and deliberatelj' as possible. " Thank you," he said; "I shall not forget this. There was a sound about his " I shall not forget this " I did not relish. Alf said nothing. Tom and he set off rowing as coolly as though nothing had I bappeaed. I extemporized a seat in the bow, and trled to make things as comfortable as possible. I noticed, although Alf and Tom wore so eool, they hardly took their eyes oft him for more than a second at a time. His behavior before their f urtive glances was peculiar; ho saw ho was being watclicíi; ni coultln't sit srin; ne looKea Brst at one bank, then at the other; his evos traveled everywhere. resting nowhere; hls hands fidgcted and trembled; he seemed all of a quiver. I expected him to break into a paroxysm every sccond. If I hadn't ealled out he would liave run ns right into tlio shore; when I ealled he clutehed the other string violently, jerklng t lie boat alinost round. I heartily Wlahed him at Jericho before he had oome near ns. No one spoke. We wcnt slowly along, watching each otncr. Atlast he said something. "I - í vvill get out," he said, in an odd, nervous way. "Wilh pleasure," said Alf; "in a minute." " VVhy not novv? Why not now, sir?1' he said, seeming to shake from head to íoot. " Where are yon going to get? - into the river?" I admired Alf s ooolness; I envied him. I only hoped he wouldn't let it carry him too far. The man glowered at him ; for a moment he looked him full in the face. I never saw a look in a man's oyes like that in his. Alf returned look for look. Slightly, almost imperceptibly, he quickened bis stroke. A little lower down was a little hamlet with a well-known inn and a capital landing-stage. When we carne alongside the stranger said, "This vvill do; I' 11 get outhere." He turned the boat inshore. No sooner were we near enough than he rose in his seat and sprang on to the beach. There were several people about, watermen and others. Alf was after him in an instant: he rose almost simultaneously and leaped on shore; he touched him on the shoulder. "Now come," he said, "don't be foolish; we knovv all about it." The other turned on him like a flash of lightning. " What do you mean?" But Tom was too quick forhim; he was on the other side, and took his arm. "Come," lie said, "don't let's liave a row." The stranger raised himself to his full height and shook off Tom with case. He then hit o"ut right and left in spleftdid style. Tom and Alf vvent dovvn like ninepins. But my blood was up. ] scranibled on shore and ran into him, dodged his blows, and closed. I am pretty strong. He was oíd enough to be my father; but I found I had metmy match, and more. I was like a baby in his arms; he lifted me clean off my feet and threw me straight into the river. It was a splendid exhibition of strength. Tom and Alf, finding their feet, made for him together, and scrambling out as best I could, I followed snit. You never sueh a set-out. We chin? to him like leeches. The langviage he used was awful, his strength magnilicent; thongh we were three to one, he was a match for all of us. Of course, the bystandcrs, seeing a row, carne up; they ínterfered and pulled us off. "Here's a pretty go!" said one. "What'sall this?" " Stop him! lay hold of him!" said Alf; "he's a lunatic." "A what?" said the man. "He's a lunatic, escaped from Dr. Rawle's asylum." Instead of lending a hand, the man went off into a roar of laughter, and the others joined. The stranger l'-l-or] fi-oïfïrt t..;U „„,. gentleman stcpped out from thc crowa. "Thcre's sorae místate," he said; "this gentleman is Mr. Travers, of TollhurstHall," You could havo knocked us all three down with a feathcr, I do beliove. Could it be possible? Could ve have been such consummate idiots as to have mistaken a sane man for a lunatic? and that man Lïlian Travers' father! I could have fshrunk into my boots; I could have nu. away and hid myself in bed. To think that we should have dogged, and watched, and insulted, and assaulted tha man of all others in whose good books we wished to stand - Lilian Travers' father! Never did three men look such fools as we did then. We were so confoundedly in earncst about it; that was the worst of all. I doirt care what you say; you may think it a íirst-rate joke; but he must have been an ecccntrio sort of elderly gentleman. If he had behaved sensibly, if he had made one sensible remark, he would have blown our delusions to the winds. We tcndered our apologics as best we could to the man we had so insulted; but he treated us and them with loftiest scorn; and we got one aft er another into the boat amidst the gibes and jeers of an unsympathetie orowd. And as we rowed from the wretched place as fast as our oars would take us, we eaeh of us in our secret heart declared we should never forget our adventure up the river with a lunatic. And we haven't. From that day to this I have never seen Lilian Travers, nor do I wish to. -