e madman was close behind him, and egress was out of the
question.

'Come,' he said, 'you need not be afraid; she won't hurt you.'

The poor creature walked to the bedside, and it seemed as if sanity was
vainly struggling to regain its place.

'Come closer,' he exclaimed to Hiram, who was standing near him.

Hiram advanced at the word of command, and the other again took his arm;
and both stood very still, looking at the dead woman.

'Had we better wake her, think you?'

Hiram shook his head.

'You are right. I must first earn the money--earn the money. Then--then
I will wake her. Yes, then I will wake her.'

'Is it your wife?' demanded Hiram, timidly, impelled by an irresistible
impulse to ask the question.

'Wife!' shouted the other, glaring on Hiram--'wife! who talks to me
about wife? Do you? Say quick!--do you?'--and he raised the cleaver in a
menacing manner.

'It was not I,' said Hiram, with as much calmness as he could command,
while he looked at the other fixedly--'it was not I.'

'Glad to hear you say so. If it had been, I would have made kindling
wood of you--yes, kindling wood of you!--That's all got along with,' he
added, lowering the cleaver. 'Now take a seat.'

The madman sat down on one side of a small table, and motioned Hiram to
occupy the chair opposite.

He did so.

'Now we are comfortable. Don't you think so? Shan't have to move, shall
we? Old Meeker, d----n his soul!--don't own this house. Come, let's have
a gay old time!'--and he commenced, half shouting, half singing:

'Ain't I glad to get out of the wilderness--
To get out of the wilderness,
To get out of the wilderness?--
Ain't I glad to get out of the wilderness?
Hip, hip, hurrah!'

Hiram sat pale, but not trembling. He knew his very life depended on his
composure, and he believed that the noise which the madman was making
would soon bring persons to the spot.

'You don't seem to like my little song,' he exclaimed, 'I will give you
another.' And he shouted on:

'I wish I was a horse, as big as any elephant--
As big as any elephant,
As big as any elephant--
I wish I was a horse, as big as any elephant--
Hip, hip, hurrah!'

'That's better, ain't it?' Suddenly he turned and looked at the corpse.

'Wife--wife! who said 'wife' to me?--who said 'wife' to me?' And he
burst forth more furiously than ever:

'My wife's dead, and I want another one--
And I want an