The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-04-04

wall there was nothing to prevent him,
| He explained this difficulty to Rose.
| "Do you think you could persuade
the old man 10 buy bulldog?" he sug-
| gested tentatively. II should know
| how TO proceed then, could either
make friends with him by giving him
steak with aniseed oil on IL, or else
! poison him out OF the way, TO begin
with All heroes In books do tina :.
] would giNe. ms sort OF start, don't
! you know"
"Tn try" said Rose doubtfully: "but
should have thought IL saved you
trouble not to have TO do all that. Be-
sides, he might take fancy 10 you ut
once and spo | everything. Can't You
think OF something else?"
We'll" said Reggie. after mature
cons deration, II link I'll go by way
OF the b.ck garden wall when | depart.
just as sort OF beginning, eh? Prac-
tice is what l want"
And when Regg es time came to go
ne did make his exit by way of the gar
den wall IL was dark by that time,
and he barked his shins a good deal. A
neighbor's dog charged at him as he
dropped into the next garden. He
avoided II with difficulty and present.
ly made the street. AS he jumped
down ON TO the pavement. after care
fully chipping away some broken glass
~
made rude inquiries. and he was Obliged
To give his name and address before he
was allowed TO go. This upset his call
culations somewhat, for none OF the
books he had read said anything about
policemen in such a connection. How
ever, he felt the attack by the dog was
a step In the right direction. 1t was
only neighbor's dog, certainly, but he
felt more in his element with dogs than
with policemen.
lie made his trousers particularly
muddy in the escape, for Mr.. Druce's
spacious garden was upheaved in every
direction for the purposes of pipe-lay-
ng. There were innumerable holes. to
say nothing OF forbidding mountains of
smooth yellow clay. He narrowly es-
capped falling into the biggest pit of all,
a shiny hole, fifteen feet deep, with an
inch or two OF water at the bottom.
Ii lay about four hundred yards from
the house and was concealed there
from by strawberries. The sides were
steep and unscalable. The hole i'm
pressed itself on Reggle's memory. and
he dreamt Of it ali night. The next
evening, impressed by his experiences
Reggie started to call on his fiancee by
way of the back gardens again. 1t was
a chill, raw autumn night, and a thick
driz5le fell ceaselessly.
With the aid of a convenient plum
tree. trained against the bricks, Reggie
clambered up. paused for breath on
the summit and dropped on to the dead
leaves and sticky clay beyond. AS he
arrived there a woeful shuttle arose
from the ground beneath his feet He
jumped back pace or two.
Rose has got him TO buy that bull
dog. after all" he thought dolefully.
Help" said a voice family.
That sounded like Mr. Druce )"
thought Reggie.
He stepped gingerly up TO the edge
of the big PIT before referred to, and
peered into it's oozy depths. There
crouched a dim figure at the bottom.
BY the rim lay Mr.. Druces hat and
from the pits bottom came the voice
OF Mr.. Druce. feebly demanding sue
cor.
rs that Mr.. Druce?" querled Reg
gle calmly.
"of course II is." snapped the old
gentleman angrily. And you are Mr..
Reginald rhatters, presume. I
thought I should meet you"
1T is scarcely meeting" said Reg
gle.
"Confound you," .roared the irate pa
rent. II know OF your internal clam
behring's over my wall last night. It's
lucky for you I'm down here. I've been
here for half an hour. and can't make
those deaf idiots at the house hear me.
However. help me out, and mayhap |
may overlook the trespass this once"
That's very good of you." said Reg
gle. W
He sat down on an upturned wheel
barrow and lit cigarette. He had
never read anything OF this sort. but IL
seemed good opportunity TO strike out
an original line OF his own.
The action tnraged Mr.. Druce to a
dangerous extent. He snorted and
paved like tethered bull AS he drew
his feet from the mud Reggie heard