The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1910-02-16

thick shoulder and waddling on.
When Tubby threw the stub of his
seventh Dos uermanes cigar out OF
the window that night and put aside
back number of the Argosy 1t was
only 10 O'clock, nearly two hours ear
lier than 1t was his custom to retire
Although 1t was hot night, he closed
the windows carefully, switched off all
but one of the electric lights that lie
had installed on wire from the pow
er house and then brought forth from
the capaeious closet bulky dummy
dressed in suit of his own pink pa
jamas and placed 1t In a sitting pos
ture In the middle of the bed. Open
ing the trunk. he brought out the
skull and after fifteen minutes tink-
ering had 1t secure upon the shoul-
ders OF the efligy.
With Il wry face. he then made down
a bed In the farther corner behind the
closet. where the floor CHANGED to be
made of boards and not of openwork
Stats through which a spear could cas-
lily be thrust Then he opened wide
the bamboo windows and, contrary to
his custom, the door, switched off the
remaining light and. after Il glance
into the moonless night through the
algeroba trees aglow with fireflies. lay
down with n groan of protest upon his
hard bed, casting longing look at
the dim outlines of the more comfort
able one occupied by his alter ego. as
lie dryly phrascd It,
Tubby Hicks was never known to
have II case of nerves" in all his
happy life, and the nature of Insomnia
was quite unknown to him, except as
| lie had observed 1t In some of his less
fortunate fellow mortals. Tonight.
however the usually imperturbable
electrician was MS wide awake as cat.
For obvious reasons he dare not
smoke; he even dare not roll about In
search of soft spot because Of the
horrible row the grooming boards made.
So he lay upon his aching back and
listened to the big lizards that sour
ried over the ceiling and 'lok-u'd' In
raucous voices as IL deriding his mis-
cry.
A clammy thing fell with smart
spat upon his face, and he almost
screamed like schoolgirl but as the
horrible something scrambled away
over the wide dome of his stomach
he realized that 1t was only ten inch
lizard that had missed its footing as
II frislled along n rafter. Then a pig
came nosing about under the kitchen
for papaya rlnds, and installing the
sound for something very different, his
heart began 10 thump omlnously.
Scarcely had the pig revealed its iden-
tity by n satisfied grunt when a party
of reveling rats began to dance rag
time upon The bamboo mating over
head.
But what was that? Tubby opened
his mouth and held his breath In an
effort to determine. Yes, 1t surely was
the sound OF stealthy bare feet upon
the bamboo Stats of the open platform
outside the door, And there, vaguely
outlined against the sky. was a dark
form rising nolselessly above the win
dow cap. Listen The faint but un.
mistakable sound Of spear In the
cracks of the bamboo floor under his
bed came TO him and sent cold shiv.
err down his spine. Now dark figure
was balancing on the window ledge
spear In hand. and some one was
standing in the doorway. Now hall
dozen heads were visible ut the win.
dow to the right of the bed. villain.
Gus forkcd shield showing between
two OF them. A hand clutching a
poised spear rose stealthily In the
doorway-and then Tubby pressed the
button.
At the magic touch skull with eye
sockets, nose and mouth ahame APP
pearcd upon the shoulders of portly
form in pink pajamas under the mos
quito netting. the horrible thing leer-
ing ut its surroundings In way that
gave even Tubby thrill. For mo-
ment there was silence nothing short
Of abysmal. and Tubby noted score
of black eyes bulglng with terror from
under shaggy names of hair With
the ghost of II chuckle Tubby pulled a
string which released spring, and
the fearful thing under the netting
leaped up. the three dozen sixteen can
WV ppNtl bEuto llSlbt VI IL tuul tuc
movement switched on making 1t glow
like n fiery demon from the neither
world.
And then Tubby had the surprise of
his life. Instead of springing through
the windows In Il general stampede,
the 1gorrotcs Frustrated themselves be-
fore the pink glow 9 god. sending up,
| n rhnr,,c nf ,Tp.,,, .rutt,rroI oraono nnai
gaunt old savage Topped down SO
close to Tnbby that his feet pressed
the luckless electricians stomach. but
the old heather was so taken up with
the newfangled god that he had little
surplus thought TO bestow upon his
pedal extremities.
Then u brilliant idea seized Tubby.
Rolling cautiously over, he switched
Off the current, and the hectic god rap.
Idly faded into blackness For enc
long moment Tubby heard nothing but
the deep breathing OF the dark fornls
about him, while he held his own
breath then a wandering zephyr stray
ed in through the nearest window.
flaming the bald spot on his Uranium.
came cropping in his direction, and in
his eagerness to see it he again jabbed
at the button and switched on the cur
! rent
An ominous grunt from the leathery
old monster ut the other end of the
hand brought every head hunter In the
room to his feet, his spear poised In a
way that made the genial joker in the
corner SILVER For moment Tubby
locke | death straight between the
eyes; then. with an agility of which he
had never dreamed himself capable,
he sprang to the bed, slipped under the
mosquito netting and, clasping the,
glowing god In an ardent embrace,
stood safe from all danger except that
Of being roasted alive before daylight
brought the presidente and relief.