The Virginia enterprise., 1906-12-07

/
floor groaning. HIS entire face seemed
to have suffered violent impact with
some unyielding body, and both hands
covered his nose, from which the life
blood flowed freely. VI S,1s..4
And across the room, sitting against
the wall, his large person decorated
by sundry steel hoops and shreds Of
canvas, sat-William, the Hawkins
butler, staring. .dazedly, into space!
4"'oh, !Griggs, Griggs, Grfggs!'"
moaned the Inventor. Come quick!
Get my wife! I'm done for this time!
He's finished mel"
'''Hawkins!" I cried, shaking him,
'Did he
"Never mind him-let him escape"
replied. Hawkins, family. "Just get
my wife before / go. Goodbye old
friend, good-by." - ETIF T.
..Mr.- -'Awkins!"+ gasped the butler.
his senses returning.
What" shrilled the inventor. Sit
ting bolt upright, black. eyes, swelled
face, and all completely forgotten: Els
that you; Williamw
Yes, SIR stammered the man.
"Was-was it you hit sir?'
"Was it," yelled Hawkins, strug-
Cling to his feet. Look at this face!
What the deuce did you mean by :it?"
"Beg-beg pardon, sir, but did yGu
did you sorter strike me with T.
chair, sir?"
"I-well, yes, william, did,
r"Well, I, not knowing of course as
it was you, sir, sorter hit back. But
have you got the thief, STRIP
"'The what?"
Indeed, yes, sir. There's one IN
the house. I was attacked here-right
in this very room. See here, sir.
this bag! Just as opened the win
dow, he KEN behind me, sir, threw it
over my head, and tried to chloroform
me, sir-you can smell it, SIR"
Eyes. All right" said Hawkins.
briefly, with what must have seemed
to- the man strange lack of interest.
"You see, sir, whoever the rascal
was, he must a known as I intended
going out this evening, sir, and that
the house would be empty like. So in
he sneaks from the roof, bag and all.
and waits. And when I KEN up the
stairs instead of going out, sir"
"All right. That'll do. I under
stand" muttered Hawkins. "No one
threw a bag over you. It was a new
-er-sort of burglar alarm-just had
it put up to-day"
Burglar alarm" cried the butler.
staring at the remnants from which
he was slowly extricating himself.
"Yes!" snapped Hawkins. "And
don't stand there mumbling over it,
William!" 7
Eyes, sir"
Here" said the inventor, els a-er
-twentydollar note. You will i'm
mediately forget everything that has
happened within the last half hour
Eyes, SIR responded the butler,
with a wide smile.
Hawkins led the way downstairs.
In the bathroom he paused to lave his
much abused features; and by the
time he had finished, my own features
had had chance to regain something
like composure.
:"
had deserted some 20 minutes before,
Hawkins threw himself rather Imply
into chair.
well, we'll, well!" he muttered.
"Now, who. under the sun could have
foreseen thatg''z @aas - a.; y.
| I forebore remarks.
| = William ought to be In the prize
ring" continued the inventor, sadly.
But he's a bright chap. He'll. keep
his mouth shut Lucky-er-nobo
else was in the house, wasn't it?" 70
How are you going to account to
Mrs. Hawkins for those black eyes?"
"Oh-we can say that we were box
ing and you hft me. That's easy"
She'll believe that, too, Hawkins" :"
! said, gazing at the battered counte-
nance. You look more as IT, you'd
had a collision with an express train" :"
l. "Oh, she 'llsbelieye t. all right" said
the inventor, .cheerily. For once -
just for once, Griggss something has
happened which my better. half won't
be on to-. You'll see I'm right. There
isn't clew." i"
well, perhaps sighed .-x..a !,
/ "And now let's have some Of that
old Scotch. ! feel a little weak"
We loitered into the next apart
ment-the dining room. We turned
our our footsteps toward the side
board. We stopped-both of us-as II
transformed to stone
The door was of the silver-safe.
The drawers lay about the floor: And
the little safe itself was as empty as
the day, it left the cabinet maker! ..,..
'*D-d-d'you see It, too?" cried Haw-
kins in scared, husky voice.
'Yes," replied, STOPPING to look
into the, safe. ,r 1T must have been a
sneak-th1ef, Hawkins. Every vestise
Of your beautiful service IS gone!"
The inventor glared, long at the
wreck. .;;r.... js..*,~,.,:..
"And now that's got to be ex-
planned" { he muttered at last, con-
tinuing his journey to the s1deboard.
How can I get around it?'' 'ts-~ - -
He poured out a generous dose Of
the Scotch, imbibed It at swallow,
and shuhed gdrearily back ssH to- tho