The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-07-26
LITTLE STORIES OF WASHINGTON LIFE
VI
WHEN RlVERTON REFORMED
(The Clubman's Story

scrawny little black arm he held thu
matchbox.
The saints certainly must have stood
guard over the matches
The man on the bed stirred uneasIIy.
Pedro looked interested The man turn
ed on his pillow. Pedro peered round
the side Of the shade. The cord took
his eye. and he investigated that. keep
ing a watchful eve on the figure on the
bed. Then he reache,- out cautiously
and pulled a lock of the sieeper's hair.
Then, with a sudden panic IN his mon
key heart. he leaped back to the win
dow
Rverton's eyes opened presently, and
ne looked around IN a dazcc fashion
From the window came a gentle rattle,
and the Stats swayed a little in the
morning breeze.
The rattle came again. Rlverton look
ed and sat up like a Jack in the box.
In the window. silhouetted behind the
bars, sat. or seemed 10 sit. black imp.
moving at him. He stared with an
awful fear al his heart. The imp ges-
ticulated. red glow filled the sky
behind. The imp grinned, and waved
a poker
Riverton gazed breathIeszly at the
creature.
There was fash as Of lightning.
There was. a smell as Of birthstone. The
grinning black figure Glazed al him
with flame-tipped fingers. taen little
flames ficIed through the bars Then
it made a sudden flying leap and landed
on the bed,
With a yell Ike a scared cat Riverton
flew over the footboard and jerked the
door open. The big building was quiet
save for a few early noises. From the
coalhoIe at the bottom Of the stairs
popped up the head Of a negro boy In
a scarlet and black sweater He struck
a match TO see what this charging ap-
partition might be RivertOn let out
another howl Of terror and bolted TO
the sidewalk. with Yale Fox and Casey
in hot pursuit.
It IS not usual 20 see three men rac,as
down Eighth Street in pajasnas before
breakfast. but minor features made the
scene even more bizarre than it must
necessarily have been. Casey's taste in
paiamas IS daring. and he happened 10
have some just then covered with huge
red flowers like peOnies. These he bad
lent to Riverton, around whose thin
figure they tapped with a Wild and san
culinary suggestiveness. Yale Fox, IN
silk garments not designed for street
wear pelted after him, and Casey, in
a striped yellow and white bathrobe.
with six-barreled revolver in one hand
and the excited Pedro cIasped tightly by
the scruff of the neck in the other.
pounded along in the rear.
1t certainly attracted attention. did
that chase The hunt was through the
market. where the vegetable women
| screamed and lodged. and the men had
| TO run 10 the heads OF their horses;
| into the Mall. where two or three
| tramps, the stoics OF our times. stared
| open-mouthed; around the railroad sta
| ton and back into the Avenue. where
/ Riverton caught sight of the Capitol
and started for that. possibly with an
I idea of seeking the society and sym
| patty Of George Washington. But at
/ this point he was heaoeo on and stopped
/ by two policemen, and other policemen
promptly grabbed the pursuers as they
came UP. Riverton nearly went into
! spasms at the sight OF Pedro.
"Oh, mammal cried Casey. Here.
take the haste, you Dago-man. and
kape him out of sight I'LL get this
| thing explained
And Pedro, now reduced to the last
extremity of simian distress, chung to
the banana-man and told him all about
It mOnkey-fashiOn.
In due time the police were appeased,
cabs were called, and Yale Fox and
Riverton in one; Casey. the banana-man.
and the monkey in the other, went home
| and cooled of.
But that cured Riverton OF sprees.
He said that if the mere suspicion Of D.
7. made him see a fiend from the Pit
| in a poor innocent monkey, there was
no knowing what the world of human
beings might look like in the light OF
the real thing. He has reason to be
grateful to Pedro, but with the incon-
sistency of man, he cannot bear the
sight of a monkey. Casey tried to find a
Kelley cure which would buy the beast
for use IN desperate emergencies. but
/ failed. He thinks they would have been
| convinced II they had been around when
Riverton's case came UP. But he had
TO give Pedro TO the banana-man.