Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1910-03-07

With one accord they made for the
kitchen. When the light was switched
on and disclosed disguised and
startled mouse scurrying wildly for
shelter Mrs. Criswell did not faint.
Both she and her husband gurgled
joyously. She grabbed broom, Girls
well seized the poker.
Probably there is some costume ap-
propriate for the pastime Of killing
mice, but whatever it may be it assured
ly is not trailing lavender satin and q
brand new dress suit. Still, the con-
seriousness that they were inappropri-
ately clothed had no lettering effect
on the Criswelis A boiler factory in
full action was the only thing that
possibly could have made more noise
than did they with broom, poker, over
turned chairs and falling dishpans.
Finally, the intruder was dis
patched and swept outdoors, the Girls
wells repaired personal damages and
once more attempted frugal lunch.
They got 1t with some minor mishaps.
Criswell knocked over a jar Of pre-
serves and his wife in pulling out the
silver drawer pulled it too far, spilling
a peck or so of table implements all
over the hardwood floor Still, they
laughed so much that their troubles
more than paid for themselves.
Just as Criswell pushed his. chair
back from the table point of light
glittered at him from the library
Diving toward it, he quickly emerged
with large toy engine in his hands.
Elmer" said his wife, "I hate to
appear inquisitive-but would you
mind telling me if you have quite lost
your senses? Have you still at this
hour of the night such an Unsuitable
thirst for amusement that you have to
fall back on Tommy's toy engine?
Isn't dinner party, dance, mouse
killing bee-and supper enough"
"That's all right, Minnie" said
Criswell, soothingly. you know
you're Just as crazy over this fool
thing as am and It's never worked
right since Tommy got It Christmas
and don't know of better time to
fx IT,"
The engine was an affair run by
gas, so the Criswells with much labor
got It attached to the gas fixture.
Then on hands and knees they
watched It plunge madly across the
hardwood floor, chugging in very
h,,c 1iGra Tia
they were thus occupied that a noise
interrupted them. Raising their heads
from their absorbing occupation they
saw enter what Mrs. Criswell after
ward said was the biggest policeman
she had ever in all her life beheld Be-
who in turn was trailed by the biggest
policeman of ALL They regarded the
two persons in evening garb with sus-
picion.
"Whatchu dom here?" demanded
the biggest policeman
Even the Criswells could see how
foolish and inadequate 1t sounded to
explain that they were running a
child's toy engine at three o'clock in
the morning. That was why they
were meek when they had to explain
the mouse-killing in the kitchen and
the crash of silver in the dining-room
and why they insisted piteously IN
stead Of wrathfully that they lived
there and had right to run toy en-
gines in the middle of the night II
they wanted to- It was not till Nora
and Mary, the maids, who, reused
from slumber by the weird noises
downstairs, had telephoned the police
station that there were burglars in
the house and their employers were
out, peered in timorously, that the
Criswells finally cleared themselves
OF suspicion.
1--WE convinced those policemen
that we weren't burglars" Mrs Girls
well says. "but nothing in a thousand
years ever will convince them that we
aren't lunatics, and dangerous ones,
at that"
81 don't care" says Criswell com.
fortably. 81 think 1t was very pleas.