The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-11-06
The EVENING STORY
while and the Whumps.
(By w. F. Bryan-)

information.
"whumps.'' replied Tim Mason;
"are beings like men, but they are al
| clio. kws rk insiIe =
"That winds up?" interrupted Will
lie. winds UP with key?" Win
| a. big key" assented Mason, accepting
the Inspiration. '"They steal little boys
and make the little boys wind them up
every half hour, day and night Wnen
the little boys are so tired that they
can't wind any more, they eat them:
and then steal some more little boys
Clocks don't eat" scoffed the IN
you have to oil them. don't you2
defended Tim. That's it," he went
on as Willie nodded assent. ''rhey
| only eat very fat little boys"
Willie glanced at his own plump
person and then looked up in alarm.
Can they run fast-faster'n me!' ne
demanded.
"How fast can you rum" demanded
| Tim, with a glance at the oval pain
| around the lawn. Accepting the hint.
Willie traversed the oval as rapidly as
his pudgy feet could carry him.
They can run three times as fast as
| that" declared Tim. "Come to think
| it over, some of the whumps can run
| three and a half times faster.
Then I won't run away into the
| woods again." promised Willie, and ne
| trotted solemnly around the corner or
1 the house to play in the sand heap IN
the back yard.
| Il
| he disappeared.
cit was all I could do to keep my
| face straight" she said with a laugh.
st don't think We. will lose Wine
was an inspiration. Tim; but what
| would the president say?"
| I'D go to join the nature fakirs,
was the laughing reply. but, at any
rate I shall not have to waste after
moons hunting for Willie that might be
| far more pleasantly spent on the porch
with his sister. Getting lost in the
woods eight times in two weeks be-
tokens that the wanderlust Is becoming
1 a habit with the youthful William"
"a habit to be checked only by the
whumps," assented Bess. Lets walk
as far as the spring and see If we can
see any of the curious beasts l sup
posr need fear no danger?"
| She glanced complacently at her slen-
| der outlines and Mason smiled. You
wouldn't grease one pinion of one wheel
of a whump" he said. 80 let us pur-
sue the whumps to their lair"
pushed into the woods-those woods
which so irresistibly attracted Bess
| Farleys small brother. 1t was Willie s
| first season in camp, and his voyage OF
exploration invariably resulted in lost
bearings and q rescue party. Confident
that the fabulous whumps would keep
| the youngster at home, Tim and Bess
made their way to the spring with no
| thought of Willie. But his sand toys
soon palled upor the boy and his active
mind sought fresh employment. He
wandered over to the edge of the invit-
ing woods and gazed longingly into the
| cool green pastures.
In the trees the squirrels chartered,
and he could hear the frogs croaking
solemn1y in the marsh just beyond the
road. Perhaps If ne was very cautious
! he might evade the dreaded whumps.
He was such little fellow. he might
be able to hide If they CHANGED his way.
| There was lovely big green bullfroS
| in the marsh. Perhaps even now he
was sitting on tuft of grass fairly
begging a small boy to throw stones at
him With the delightful feeling of adj
venture Willie cast discretion to the
winds, and slipped into the shady
spaces.
But no big frog was amiably waiting
to become target. Willie could hear
them croaking but not even a baby
frog offered itself to his aim and the
boy wandered on. He found new
charm in the woods, since at any mo-
ment he might be called upon to flee
from a whump, and he pressed onward.
Suddenly his heart stood still for one
awful instant. From the bushes just
beyond came a sound of voices sud-
denly raised in hue and cry. Willie
lodged behind the bush, scarcely dar-
ing to breathe lest his respiratiQns
| bring about his discovery, but the
sounds died away in the distance and,
growing bolder, Willie crept forward
and beheld the lair of the whumps.
1t was a rather inviting spot; not al
all what one would expect in the clock
work beasts. Three white tents were
pitched in little glade opening to the
| lake. On the shore were boats and
canoes, while about the tents were easy
| chairs of rustic manufacture.
The only fearful object was kettle
| swinging from tripod over the fire
This probably contained the last victim
of the whumps' cannibalistic tendencies
and Willie shuddered as he thought
how narrowly he had escaped similar
self upon his safety when without
| warning some of the whumDs burst
into the open, and Willie's blood
chilled as he saw that they bore as
were brave; they were both laughing
and joking and trying to pretend that
| they did not care, but that was all
make believe. Willie knew.
One of the whumps forced Bess into
a chair and another forced upon her
a reddish drink that they drew from
I, a bottle submerged in the spring. That
| must bepoison that they gave their vic
| tins to render them unconscious. One
| dreadful little moment Willie hesftated.
then he burst into the OPEN.
Please, Mr.: Whump," he called.
who was trying to make his sister
| drink please don't kill Bess. Let
her go and take me. I'll wind you up.
honest i will. You don't want her
she is such skinny thing"
| A roar of laughter greeted his ap-
pearance and Bess blushed redly at his
| personal allusion. The campers were
| puzzled, out in French Mason explain
| ed the bugbear that had been created
| to keep Willie out of the woods.
| Its shame to tease him" cried
Bess touched by the boys willingness
| to sacrifice himself for her. These
not whumps, WILLIE"
Yes, they are,' he insisted. II can
hear the clockwork ticking" He was