The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-06-26

and wearing dressing-gown and a pair
Of slippers, Flanagan following him with
/ a sponge, a bucket of water, and an
armful OF bath towels. Everybody pro-
tested at having TO move, but he was
firm, and they all fled down the stairs.
/ was the last. with Aunt Selma just
ahead OF me At the top of the stairs
she turned around suddenly to me.
That policeman looks cruel" she said.
What's more. he's been In bad humor
all day. More than likely he'll put James
fiat on the roof and tramp on him. under
pretense of training him. All policemen
are inhuman."
HE only rolls him over a barrel or
something like that" I protested.
James had a bump like an egg over
bis ear last night, Aunt Selma insisted.
glazing at Flannigan's unconscious back.
Il don't think it's safe TO leave him II
Is my time 10 relax for thirty minutes,
or I would watch him. You VIII have to
stay" she said. fixing me with her I'M
perious eyes.
So I stayed. Jim didn't want me. and
/ Flanagan muttered mutiny. But It was
easier 90 obey Aunt Selma than to clash
with her, and anyhow I wanted to see
the barrel in use.
/ never saw any one train before. II is
not joyful spectacle. First, Flanagan
made Jim run around and around the
roof He said 1t stirred up his food and
/ brought It in contact with his liver, to
/ be digested
mission, of a sort, in the kitchen, be-
came an autocrat on the roof
Once more" he would say. Pick up
your feet. sir Pick up your feet"
And Jim would stagger doggedly past
me. where I sat on the parapet. his poor
/ cheeks shaking and the tail of his bath
robe wrapping itself around his less.
Yes. he ran in the bath robe in Difference
to me. 1t seems there isn't much to a
running suit.
Head up" Flanagan would say lift
your knees, sir. Didn't you ever see a
horse with string halt?'
! He let him stop finally and gave him a
moment to get his breath Then he set
/ him to turning somersaults. They spread
/ the cushions from the couch in the tent
on the roof, and jim would poke HIS head
down and say a prayer. and then curve
over as gracefully as a sausage and
come up gasping. as If he had been
pushed off a boat
Five pounds day: not less, sir"
Flanagan said encouragingly. You'll
! drop il in chunks"
| Jim looked at the tin as If he expected
/
/ Yes. he said, wiping=the back OF his
| neck. If We're in here thirty days that
will be 100 pounds. Don't forget TO stop
/ in time, Flanagan. I don't want TO melt
away like candle"
| He was eheered, however, by the prom
! Use OF reduction.
What do you think Of that. Kit?" he
| called TO me. Your uncle is going TO
! look as angular as a problem in geome-
/ try. Tu-I'n be the original reductio ad
/ absurdum. Do you want me TO stand on
my head. Flanagan? Wouldn't that re-
| duce something?"
Your brains. sir" Flanagan retorted
gravely, and presented a pair OF boxing
gloves Jim visibly quailed, but he put
them on.
'Do you know. FianEigan." he remark
! ed. as he fastened them. I'm thinking
OF wearing these all the time. They hide
my character"
Flanagan looked puzzled. but he did
| not ask an explanation. He demanded
| that Jim shed the bath robe, which he
: finally did on my promise 10 watch the
sunset. Then for fully a minute there
was no sound save Of feet running rapid
, ly around the roof and an occasional
| soft thud. Each thud was accompanied
I by a grunt or two from Jim. Flanagan
was gTimly silent. once there was q
smart rap. an oath from the policeman.
and a mirthIess chuckle from Jim. The
ehuckle ended in a crash, however, and
I turned. jim was lying on his back on
the roof and Flanagan was wiping his
ear with a towel Jim sat up and ran
his hand down his ribs.
They're all here" he observed after
a minute. II thought I missed one"
The only way TO take a mans weight
down 80 F'Ianntga0 said drviy
Jim got up dizzlly.
Down on the roof, I suppose you
mean" he said
The next proceedings were mysterious.
Flanagan rolled the barrel into the tent
and carried in a small glass lamp. With
the material at hand he seemed to be
enecting a combination, no new one. 10
judge by his facility Then he called
Jim.
At the door OF the tent Jim turned 10
me, his bath robe toga fastened around
his shoulders.
This is very essential part OF the
treatment" he said solemnly. The ex-
ercise, according to Flanagan, loosens
up the adipOse tissue. The next step is
to boil it out. I hope. unless your in
structions compel you, that you will at
| least have the decency to stay out of the
| tent"
Il am going at once" said, outraged.
I'm not here because I'm mad about it,
and you know IT, And don't pose with
that bath robe. you think you're a
character out of Roman history. look at
your legs
81 didn't mean to offend YOU" he said
suikily. only I'm tired Of having you
choked down my throat every time
| open my mouth, Kit. And don't go Just
yet Flanagan is going for my clothes
as soon as he lights the-the lamp, and
somebody ought 10 watch the stairs"
That was all there was to It, / said
would guard the steps, and Flanagan,
having ignited the combination what
ever II was, went downstairs How was
I TO know that Bella would come up
when she did? Was It my fault that the
| lamp got too high and that Flanagan
couldn't hear Jim calling? Or that just
as Bella reached the top of the steps
Jim should come to the door of the tent
wearing the barrel part OF his hot-alr
cabinet and yelling for a doctor?
Bella came 10 a dead stop on the upper
step, with her mouth open. She looked
at Jim. at the inadequate barrel. and
from them she looked at me. Then she
began to laugh, one of her hysterical gig
giles. and she turned and went down
again. AS Jim and I stared at each
other we could hear her gurgling down
the hall below.
She had violent Mysteries for an hour.
with Anne rubbing her forhead and Aunt
Selma burning a feather out of the
feather buster under her nose. Only Jim
and l understood. and we did not tell
Luckily, the next thing that occurred
drove Bella and her nerves from every
body's mind,
At o'clock, when Bella had dropped
asleep and everybody else was dressed
for dinner, Aunt Selma discovered that
the house was cold and ordered Dial TO
the furnace.
It was DaFs day at the furnace; Elan
nigan had been relieved of that part Of
the work after twice setting FIRE TO a
chimney
In I'VE minutes Dial came back and