The Savannah morning news., 1903-05-31
THE QUEER CASE
OF ZEKE HIGGINS
PART NO. 6.
A Thrilling Chase Made by
Steaming Fire Engines.
BY HARRY BAXTER MASON.
BY HARRY BAXTER MASON.

Zeke Higgins felt worse about the
loss of his hypnotic power than he had
felt about the loss of anything else.
For a week after his father had per-
formed a terrible operation on him out
in the barn he was so sore he couldn't
forget it. Even in his dreams Sc saw
that horrible rawhide whip grinning at
him over the foot of the bed.
1t was on a Monday morning. He
had arisen from bed and dressed him
seld, all the time, somehow. thinking of
big Tom Stringer, the town bully. Zeke
had gritted his teeth. many times, and
determined to whip Tom some day, and
when he thought of it this morning he
doubled up his fist to see how hard he
could make it.
Then something occurred which
scared the wits pretty near out of him.
He felt a hot rumbling in his chest
where he knew his lungs lived, and,
without a seconds warning, two spouts
of steam came rushing out from his
nose. The steam filled the room so he
could hardly see; but that was not ali.
The frightened boy opened his mouth
to yell for help or something's of that
kind-but he did not yell. He opened
his mouth all right and his tongue wob-
bled around as 1t always did when he
talked, but instead of shouting it went:
foot! loot! Toot!"
1t sounded like a steam engine and
for moment the youngster stood still
and wondered what was going on in his
insides.
Then he made a second attempt to
cry for help, but his mouth only went
foot, toot, toot," while his nose went
"Choo-oo-oo-oo."
If ever there was a scared youngster
Zeke Higgins was that one. He whirled
around the room like a dying top,
bumped into the grass bed and fell
over the chairs, but still the steam
came from his nose and every time he
opened his mouth and tried to shout he
simply said, foot toot."
At last he learned to keep his mouth
shut, but he could find no way by
which he could stop the steam from
spouting out from his nostrils.
Just by pure luck he happened to
double his left fist. Instantly the
snorting stopped, but for few min
utes his lungs felt full of fire.
Well said he, ''I'll be jiggered if
this doesn't beat anything 1 ever saw
on read about. Here l have been try
ing to be good Sunday-school lad
and something has gone and turned me
into some kind Of an engine"
Strange as it may seem, nothing
more happened until just before he
reached the school house. Then he met
Tom Stringer. the boy who always
took a fiendish delight in pulling the
ears of the smaller boys.
Tom at once came at the boy like an
angry bull after a red flag.
| Zeke forgot all about his engine and
quickly clinched his right fist with the
intention of giving his old enemy a
swing on the jaw. AS the fist closed
Tom grabbed him by the nose, which
just at that instant began to pour out
| two good sized streams of hot steam
Tom Stringer explained afterwards
while the surgeons were wrapping
bandages around his scalded arm, that
| he was never more surprised in his
life.
He said that as he started to brush
mosquito or bug of some kind off
Zeke's nose, the steam began going
down his arm and didn't stop.
Tom howled us he felt his flesh be-
ing cooked, then he let go the nose
and began to cry. Zeke opened his
mouth to say he couldn't help it, but
all he could say was foot, toot. foot "
Tom looked at him with terror in his
eyes.
His face wore such a comical look
that Zeke started to laugh. but his
smile was only a shrill whistle as
| 1Olll luIIlSu anu went down the street
| as fast as If his father had caught
| him smoking a cigar.
Zeke shut off steam by closing his
left fist and walked on to school. He
tried to be especially nice that day.
but the first thing he knew he was
throwing paper wads at a boy across
the room. The shrewd old Prof. Rogers
caught him at 1t the first time. and
forthwith the culprit was called up for
| punishment.
This incident was a common one. so
he walked up quietly and the teacher
asked in stern voice:
What were you doing. sir?"
Nothing"
Were you not throwing paper
wads ?"
Yes, sir"
DO you call THAT nothing7"
Yes, sir"
Then a good whipping won't be
anything 10 you. Hold out your
| hand"
Zeke knew what this meant espec-
/ tally a. the teacher az that moment
reached for the big. black ruler with
/ which he always Redeemed the palms
| u miscnieYouf boys.