The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1901-06-06

large toads in their rooms that day.
To have q toad hop out at you from
n dark corner u not nice. 1t is still
less to step on one and crush it. 1t
gives n peculiar sensation. Mrs. Col
Inns found Il - There was lizard
in the milk bottle. and another on
the back Of . chair. from where 1t
climbed int . mother-in-law's hair.
Big spiders infested the place.
Toward nooa Drayto1 came down.
stairs carrying ON the end Of a pin,
and examining it critically, cent?
pede. Large, iaat ~" he asked,
with some pride; n killed it myself
at the top st Ne stairs. They always
como in fanihas Of three. The other
two will b alag pretty soon. sup
pose"
The motherin-law shuddered. "You
and Mr.. Dartlstt nsAs . great deal
of noise last night, Mr.. Drsyton," she
reproache6.
Drayton looked concerned. These
government quarters were % thin
foored, he orphaned.
did no always stay up until two
o'clock?"
He admitted being Of = restless dis
position, and given to insomnia.
"All right" he reported to Mrs.
Lawrence, shortly after. "lou just
rest on your oars. Wen have you
back in those quarters before the
kids have had time to do much dam
age to the place. l should say that a
fortnight, at the very outside, should
see Mrs. Collins suing for another set
any other old set. Bartlett will let
ner have them. He's an exceptionally
obliging q. NJ. rs Q. Ms go. That's
his reputation"
II did not run as smoothly as Dray-
ton might have wished. The women
of tho Collins family did not surren-
der without giving fight. They at
tackled Drayton himself first, but were
met with an urbanity which parried
every thrust. 1t was the thinness of
the walls and floors, and that was
manifestedly the governments fault.
As for his insomnia, the blame Of
that lay with the doctor, he should
think. He did not like staying broad
awake until nearly dawn any better
than they did. OF course. however,
he would try to control his restless
ness. The attempt met with failure.
though. and the women appealed to
the commandant. The commandant
was urbane, too, but the insomnia Of
his officers was evidently not q mat
ter to be reached officially.
It was plain that the insomnia
aroused tho suspicious OF the COL
linses. But tho insects did not. They
had never-not even in Texas Itself
seen house 50 everrun with reptiles.
There were lizards In everything.
There were frogs and toads In dark
hooks. They hoped into your lap
when you were least expecting it.
They were always getting under your
feet aad-squashing. Spiders spun
webs and dropped from tho ceiling
and the walls. And as for more ven
nous things! A day hardly passed
that Drayton did not kill . tsrantula
or q centipede somewhere around.
They seemed to emerge only when he
was near. The wrath toward him was
tempered with unwilling gratitude
to q savior. There had also been a
garter-snake on the front porch. And
one horrible day they had come upon
Drayton. sabre in hand. standing in
the front hallway beside the decapi-
tated body Of rattlesnake. They
neglected. in the excitement, to notice
that the body was not wriggling.
Jimmy had that morning produced
newspaper package. Here's a
dead rattler," he had said. II didn't
know a. you could use him. But l
found him, and you can have him for
dime"
And tho rattler had proved the
best investment OF all, as we'll rs the
last straw. Captain Collins had car
ried him ON stick out into the road.
Then he had gone to the commandant
and Bartlett. He was heavy-eyed for
want Of sleep. The whole family was
that way; and Drayton was. too. In
all humility he asked the favor Of
being allowed to change his quarters.
Any other quarters would do, provid-
ed there were fewer insects. He was
not particular at all He asked SO
little, in fact, that Bartlett took pity
on him. He renewed his offer of paint.
Now" he said to Mrs. Lawrence,
"you can come back to-your own.
They'll move out tomorrow. I've
just been inspecting the premises, and
there hasn't been much harm done.
They are still the best quarters in
the post. The kids have knocked q
few holes in the walls and the wood
works q little scratched. But I'll
give you some paint, too"
Paint was Bartlett's idea Of the
panacea for ell earthly ills. He had
not much else in the world, being a
second lieutenant; but no had paint,
and he was liberal with that.
The Collinses moved next day. Dray-
ton waited until tho last load Of fur
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