The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1910-03-15

dpdFauOT. or Dig movable closet,
and then opened the windows to the
blessed breeze that CHANGED to be
blowing down from the hills.
When he had taken a shower bath
from the cask that he had rugged up
over the porch he drew up a bottle
from the deep well in which he always
kept supply ION ice." as he phrased
1t in loving Renaissance, lunched on
crackers and mangoes and then start
ed for the plant. With him he took
mis- fieldglasses and carefully studied
the distant hills as he proceeded.
"Humph-they're filing through the
pass there from Bontoc now he com
mented after long look through the
glasses at cash In the distant noun
tains. "Well. hope they enjoy their
reception" he concluded with a fat
chuckle, 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 it was hot night. he closed
the windows carefully, switched Off all
but one Of the electric lights that he
had installed on a wire from the pow
er house and then brought forth from
the capacious closet a bulky dummy
dressed In a suit of his own pink pa
jamas and placed it in a sitting pos
Ing the trunk. he brought out the
skull and after fifteen minutes tink-
ering had 1t secure upon the Shout
ders of the effigy.
With wry face, he then made down
bed In the farther corner behind the
closet. where the floor CHANGED to be
made of boards and not of openwork
Stats through which 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 a glance
into the moonless night through the
algeroba trees aglow with fref1ies. lay
down with groan of protest upon his
hard bed. casting a longing look at
the dim outlines of the more comfort
able one occupied by his alter ego. as
he dryly phrased it.
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. aed 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 a ten inch
lizard that had missed its footing as
1t frisked along rafter. Then a pig
came nosing about under the kitchen
for papaya rinds, and. installing 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 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
form rising noiselessly above the win
dow cap Listen. The faint but nm
mistakable sound of a spear in the
cracks of the bamboo floor under his
bed came to him and sent cold shiv-
er down his spine. Now dark figure
was balancing on the window ledge.
spear In hand. and some one was
standing in the doorway. Now half
dozen heads were visible at the win
dow to the right of the bed. villain
GUS forked shield showing between
two of them. 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 atiame APP
peared upon the shoulders of portly
form in pink pajamas under the mos
quito netting. the horrible thing leer-
ing at its surroundings in a way that
gave even Tubby thrill. For mo
ment there was silence nothing short
of abysmal. and Tubby noted a score
of black eyes bulging with terror from
under shaggy names of hair. With
the ghost of Il chuckle Tubby pulled a
string which released spring. and
the fearful thing under the netting
leaped up the three dozen sixteen can
die power Fights inside of II that the
movement switched on making it glow
like a fiery demon from the neither
world.
And then Tubby had the surprise of
his life Instead of springing through
the windows in general stampede.
the Igorrotes Frustrated themselves be-
fore the pink glowing god. sending up
chorus of deep cultural groans One
gaunt old savage Topped down so
close to Tubby 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 brilliant idea seized Tubby.
Rolling cautiously over. he switched
off the current. and the hectic god rap
idly faded into backness For one
long moment Tubby heard nothing but
the deep breathing of the dark forms
about him. while he held his own
ed in through the nearest window.
tanning the bald spot on his Uranium.
and he sneezed. Promptly a hand
came cropping in his direction. and In
his eagerness to see 1t he again jabbed
at the button and switched on the cur
rent.
An ominous grunt from the leathery
old monster at the other end of the
hand brought every head hunter in the
room to his feet, his spear poised in
way that made the genial joker in the
corner shiver For a moment Tubby
looked 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