IN A LUNATIC'S POWER.

Auckland Star, Issue 153, 1 July 1887, Page 6

IN A LUNATIC'S POWER.

Not far from the village of Medina, 0., in the winter of 1874-75, I was teaching a country school. I was a girl only 17 years old and weighing less than 100 pounds, and those who knew me laughed at the idea of my having any presence of mind in the face of danger.

It was a walk of a mile to the farmhouse where I was boarding, and in stormy weather I was conveyed to and fro in the sleigh. It was cleai'ly understood that should it come on to snow and bluster during the day the farmer was to come for me at the close of school. In ordinary weather the wallwas one to be enjoyed. Just after noon on the 13th day of January it began to snow and blow in the most furious manner, while the temperature fell 20 degrees within two hours. We liad a snug brick schoolhouse, a large pile of dry wood, and no ono knew how cold it was until school had been dismissed for the day. Then there were many complaints from the scholars, but all finally got away, and I was left alone to wait for the farmer's sleigh, which I had every reason to believe would soon be at the door. It was almost dark at 4 o'clock, and I got my i things on and sat down by the stove and waited three-quarters of an hour before beginning to wonder why Farmer Watkins did not drive up. We had a couple of lamps, and J lighted one and began work on an intricate mathematical problem. Time slipped fast away, and when I got up it was half-past five. I then felt that some accident had happened my friends and they would not come for me, and I decided to foot it home. I had not left the schoolhouse a hundred feet behind when I realised I must return to it. The wind was blowing at the rate of 50 miles an hour and directly in my face, while the air was so full of snow that one could not see six feet away. That night the thermometer registered 17 degrees below _.ero, and much live stock froze to death.

It was a bit lonesome when I returned to the schoolhouse and let myself in \ and felt the little structure trembling under the rising gale, but I relighted the lamps, brought in a lot of wood from the storeroom and found enough of my noonday meal left in the basket to take the edge of my hunger off. I had no idea of being obliged to pass the night there, but confidently expected to be called for at any moment It had come to be 8 o'clook, and I was getting very nervous, when the outside door opened and I heard a step in the flail.' I jumped, up to close the stove and turn out the lights, but before I 'had accomplished the latter object the door to the schoolroom was opened and in walked a total stranger. He waitcovered with snow and his cap was drawn down until most of his face was hidden. He did not seem to even glance at me, but advanced to the stove, shook off the snow, pulled off his cap. and overcoat, and then held out his hands to the warmth. I was what you might justly term dumbfounded. There was no fear of him, but his unexpected advent and the cool manner in which he acted quite took my breath away for a couple of minutes. However, I finally found voice to inquire : • Did Uncle Bill send you for me V

He looked me .in the eyes for a few seconds,and then walked through to the outer door, locked it, camo back to the inner door and locked that, and, as he slipped the keys into his pocket, he said :

'This is going to be a bitter cold nig* l *-' . A famtness came over me as he spoke, and I had to sit down. We were on the opposite sides of the stove, and I saw that he was a man of about thirty, medium height, slight build and respectable appearance. There was nothing about him of the tramp or rough, and his voice was a pleasant one. I was certain I had never seen him before, and I also felt from the first that there was something wrong in his coming the way ho did. A belated or storm-bound traveller would have l*on full of remarks and questions, m& he would not have locked the door So us. I looked him over like one in a dream. I felt a great faintness and a great fear, and yet I could not help but watch him. He did not return my gaze. Now and then his eyes met mine, but for most of the time he was looking carelessly around the room or at the stovepipe. By-and-bye it came to me that he was an insane man, and for half-a-minute I shut my eyes and had the hardest kind of a time to keep from fainting away. When I opened them he was regarding me with a cunning leer, and directly he said : i f You think you will run away from school, but I shall have my eyes on you all the time. School will now

begin.' . • j -He went to my desk and rang the in a vigorous mariner, picked tip a ruler and a book, and then standing in front of the desk, he said : to me : '... _ '"'Class in orthography, come forward.' •-•'- , While, as I told you, I was terribly frightened, I had the presence of mind to understand that I had a lunatic to deal with, and that he must be humoured. When he had repeated - his command a second time, I went forward to a recitation bench, and he began giving out, w,o.rds for me to cnplj Jun-lt. Jin.lf oyer Spell- , nofc think ... - 6-30 p. m . • ¥!-- i • A I am g^a°-N Kan Catholics are-. ilecl . Man '* SfSbers and Bohoj*, s I m| p. >i ~" ''dwi V ; «; . ~.. v protection \ '"'■ (To the Editor.) ./

' Stop ! The world has been going on too fast for the last fifty years, and must stop or be thrown out of its axis. We must go backward where we can.' In pursuance of his thoory he pronounced the word 'fulfil' as'filfull,' and I humoured him by spelling words that way. After about half-an-hour he laid the book down, complimented mo on my smartness, and during a recess of five minutes he walked up and down the floor, with his head down and his arms behind him, like one deep in thought. Thus far he had betrayed no temper nor sign of violence, and I began to breathe easier. 1 even calculated that it might be possible to trick him. He presently called me to recite geography, and here his insanity was still more apparent. When he asked me what an island was, and received the answer "as given in the lesson, he struck the desk with his ruler and exC aimed:.... 'It is not so. We have been fools. An island is a hill two bundled feet high, and these hypocrites knew it all he time.' It was 11 o'clock at night before he ceased asking questions in geography. Then I asked for permission to go home and get my slate-pencil. He accorded it, but as I reached the locked door, he called : ' No, you can't go. You are one of the boys who spat on the floor to-day, and 1 shall keep you here.'

From 11 to 12 I sat in a chair near the stove, while he paced up and down and muttered and mumbled in a strange way to himself. .Whenever the fire got low I replenished it, with objections from him, nor did he seem aware of the storm raging ontside. Just after midnight he made me work examples on the blackboard for an hour, and once or twice became very much excited. According to his theory I must not figure that two and two made four, but that the total was nothing. This was setting the world back After a rest we had a recitation in grammar, another in reading, and at 3 o clock he rang the bell and calmly observed :

1 Children, school is dismissed. Tomorrow being Saturday, there will be no school.'

Then, without seeming to be aware of my presence, he put on his overcoat, drew his cap over his ears, and passed out into the storm, and left me alone. I lost no time in locking the door behind him, and it was not until daylight that I got over tho fear of his return. Soon after daybreak Uncle Billy came for me, having been detained the day before by a sick horse, and sending me a message, which was not delivered. We had scarcely finished breakfast when the dead and frozen body of my crazy schoolmaster was brought in. He was in truth an old schoolmaster, and had gone insane and been confined in an asylum at Cleveland. Escaping from the place, he went tramping over the country, and walked in upon me in the queer manner I have related.

Be sure that the butter you purchase is branded with tho words "Freezing Company" on the margin around the shell. Refuse imitations. — (Advt. )