Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-02-13

Ia last low sign. seemed, as we
watched. TO swell up suddenly within
him. His cheers became hideously
distended. the spaces about his now
protruding eyes pulled ND like blown
bladders- With great effort he
hunched his straining shoulders toad
wise. TO his ears. and then-no. I can
not describe IL. got so far as to try
to spell II phonetically, but wfen I
saw the unholv thine which | had
thougbtlesSly called into existence, I
tore the paper into FRAGMENTS and
then chewed them into a pulp that no
other eye but mine might look upon 1t
again.
AS the sound died away. we sat. as
IL frozen into dreadful silence, staring
at lubbock with eyes of horror and re-
proach; but when we saw by his
fixed, upward-turned and prayerful
eyes. dropped jaw and outstretched,
imploring hand that a second seizure
was impending. we quailed as the SOL
der in the trenches quails before the
coming shell.
When it was all over, there was a
deadly silence for half a minute, and
then we knew that the game was I'D.
did you hear that, Stocker?" said
voice in the room below. did you
hear that? And If so, what dye make
of it?"
Stocker's mumbled reply was not
audible, so we were not enlightened
respecting his views
quite So" went on the voice. 'Tt
didn't sound human, did it? And If I'd
heard it at night, I should have said
that this house was haunted, that's
what 1 should have said. But being
In the daytime, it can't be that. What's
that you say? Very likely bird that's
got nest in the roof? Don't tell me.
Birds don't make noises like that. No,
1t isn't wild animal that Mr.. Halls
brought home from his travels either,
unless it's an animal by the name of
lubbock, and he's wild enough from
all showing. Only I don't call him an
animal. I call him a numbering, saw
age brute. Anyhow, I'm going to see
what's under that roof, II break my
neck doing 1t. There's a ladder lean
Ing against one of the fruit trees In
the orchard, and IL we stick IL I'D on
top of the portico, we ought to be able
to reach the roof. Anyhow, We'll have
try, so come along"
Councillor Number Six, the Silent
Councillor. Hall and myself must, I
suppose, while this was going on. have
been looking the reproaches which we
dare not speak, for as soon as the DO
iicemen were out OF hearing, lubbock
said snappishly--
Its quite Incompatible that you
shoulc all look askance at me as II
was infected with African leprosy,
was in no way cognizant. OF COM
hitting mischief"
Quite SO, lubbock" assented Num-
Der Two; You couldn't help sneezing.
my good man, any more than You can
help getting the African leprosy, which
L trust you never will. The only mercy
is you didn't yawn, for yawning, like
the African leprosy, is catching. and
sneezing isn't But the question we've
now to consider is. What's to be
Gone?'"
L think" said the appeased Hub
book more deferentially, eff the coun-
Gil doesn't think the course toe igno-
minious, that it would be advisable to
ensconce ourselves under the table. II
the policemen climb up on the roof and
extract tito to look in, they can't see
us there, and they may conclude that
the room is uninhabited."
BY extracting a tile, our friend
doesn't mean annexing somebody else's
nat. explained Number Two good
humoredly; "all the same, / think he's
right. They couldn't see us under the
table, and if they come to the conclu-
sion that the rooms empty, they may
decide to sheer off altogether. or to
leave one on guard here, while the
other goes on to Marlborough to re-
port progress to the superintendent.
The situation is not very serious at the
worst, for 1t would be the easiest thing
in the world for us TO overpower the
two hobbies, and either silence them
altogether or leave them here gagged
and tied up, while we make off.
DON'T know that the former course
wouldn't be the kindest, for the room
might never be discovered. and unless
they could manage to make themselves
10y Va SN0lu SOOu CnaICe
dying by slow starvation. But if we
can work things to get clear away
without coming to blows with the bob
bies, I'd rather that it we're so. They
may think this is only an ordinary
billiard room that I've contrived up
here for a fad, and that thcy couldn't
Ind the entrance to, and that as Hub
book and seemed away, there's moth
Ing to be done but wait until we come
back to arrest our friend here. Ap-
parently it's he they want, not me.
whom they still appear to look upon
as reputable member of society. I
think our friends outside are propping
the ladder against the wall, in which
case 1t will be time to adjourn to un-
der the table"
RAtnrA