The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1910-02-18
Short Stories TO Drive Dull Care AvdY
The Sort of advertisement Longed for when
the Days Work is Over.
TOBE ENJOYED COY CORNERS

reception" he concluded with fat
rhuckle. swinging the glasses over his
thick shoulder and waddling on.
When Tubby threw the stub Of his
seventh Dos Hermanos cigar out Of
the window that night and put aside
back number Of the Argosy it 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 OF all
but one of the electric lights that he
had installed on wire from the pow
er house and then brought forth from
the capacious closet a 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 shout |
ders of the efigy.
With 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 of the
remaining light and, after a glance
into the moonless night through the
algeroba trees aglow with fireflies. lay
down with 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. ~
he dryly phrased 1t.
Tubby Hicks was never known to
have case Of NERVES" In all his
happy life. and the nature Of insomnia
was quite unknown to him. except as
he had observed it in some Of his less
fortunate fellow mortals. Tonight,
however, the usually imperturbable
electrician was as 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 If 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
It frisked along q rafter. Then pig
came nosing about under the kitchen
for papaya rinds, and. mistaking the
sound for something very different. his
heart began to thump ominously.
Scarcely had the pig revealed its iden-
tity by satisfied grunt when a party
of reveling rats began to dance a rag
time upon the bamboo mating over
head.
But what was that7 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 dark
form rising noiselessly 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'
er down bis spine. Now dark figure
was balancing on the window ledge
spear in hand. and some one was
standing In the doorway. Now halt
dozen heads were visible at the win
dow to the right of the bed. villain
GUS forked shield showing between
two of them. A hand clutching {
poised spear rose stealthily in thu
doorway-and then Tubby pressed the
button.
At the magic touch a skull with cyl
sockets, nose and mouth aflame >ap
peared upon the shoulders Of portl!
form In pink pajamas under the mos
quito netting. the horrible thing leer
) ing at its surroundings in way tina
gave even Tubby thrill. For a mo
ment there was silence nothing shor
of abysmal. and Tubby noted scor
Of black eyes bullying with terror from
under shaggy names Of hair. Wit
, the ghost of a chuckle Tubby pulled
! string which released a spring. an
] the fearful thing under the nettin
leaped up. the three dozen sixteen car
! die power lights inside Of it that th
. movement switched on making 1t glo,
+ like fiery demon from the nethe
q world.
}, And then Tubby had the surprise {
his life. Instead Of springing throug
the windows In general stamped
4 the Igorrotes Frustrated themselves b.
fore the pink glowing god. sending u
= a chorus of deep cultural groans. On
q gaunt old savage Topped down 9
o close to Tubby that his feet presse
q the luckless electricians stomach. b.
n the old heather was so taken up wit
+ the newfangled god that he had lit
Il surplus thought to bestow upon b
- pedal extremities.
d Then a brilliant idea seized Tubb
n Rolling cautiously over. he switche
8, off the current, and the hectic god "a
q idly faded into blackness. For OF
If long moment Tubby heard nothing b.
If the deep breathing Of the dark forn
III about him. while he held his ON
e, breath; then wandering zephyr stra
le ed in through the nearest windo'
" tanning the bald spot on his craniul
1e and he sneezed. Promptly q hal
It, came cropping in his direction. and
he his eagerness to see 1t he again jabb
be ut the button and switched on the CT
rent.