of my speed, my fear increased by the sound of pursuing
steps behind me.

I doubled and turned on the track, striving to distance or elude my
dreaded pursuer, but in spite of my frantic efforts, he kept closely at
my heels. Finally in one of my windings I was confronted by the six-foot
stone wall that surrounded the asylum on every side. Glancing backward,
I saw that the maniac--as I now knew him to be--was almost upon me, and,
making a desperate effort, I succeeded in reaching the top of the wall.
For a moment I fancied myself secure: but my pursuer darted behind the
shrubbery, and pulled out a small ladder, evidently used by the
gardeners. Seeing him thus prepared to follow me, I hurriedly dropped to
the ground outside, and scrambled to my feet just as the lunatic's head
appeared above the top of the wall. Again I had only a short start
before he was once more on my track.

And now began an exciting race "over brush, brake, and brier"; sometimes
I stumbled over a protruding root and fell headlong, but was up again in
a twinkling; sometimes my pursuer was so close upon me that I could
easily hear his panting breath. At the end of the first mile and a
quarter I thought myself done for, but my college training, which,
luckily, I had not forgotten, stood me in good stead, and I desperately
ran on.

"Oh," thought I, wildly, "where are the villagers? Isn't anybody near?
But there was no road leading out of the village in that direction, and
few people passed that way. At last, after years, it seemed to me, we
entered the village, and tore at full speed down the main street. If I
had longed before for some human soul to help me, I now as earnestly
prayed that I might unobserved gain my own door, and so be safe. But no;
some small boy, busily engaged doing nothing, soon raised the cry,

"Say, here comes the fresh young doctor a-tearing down the street like a
steam-engine!"

Then, almost tired out, and seeing the door of a small house standing
open, I dashed in, passed through the hall and dining-room, where the
astonished family were sitting at dinner, and out into the back yard,
where, completely exhausted, and utterly unable to run a step further, I
dropped behind a barrel.

My hope had been that the people of the house would have understood my
predicament and stopped the madman, but they evidently had not taken in
the situation, or else he had been too quick for them, for from behind
the barrel where I had conceale