Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-02-10

his custom. the door. switched off the
remaining light and. after a glance
into the moonless night through the
algeroba trees aglow with firefies. 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 II.
Tubby Hicks was never known 70
have a 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 I'm
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 a 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 it was only a ten inch
lizard that had missed it's footing as
1t frisked along 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 a 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. it 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 noiselessly above the win
dow cap Listenl The faint but IN
mistakable sound OF spear in the
cracks of the bamboo floor under his
bed came to him and sent a cold shlv-
er down his spine. Now a dark figure
was balancing on the window ledge,
spear in hand, and some one was
dozen heads were visible at the win
dow to the right Of the bed. a villain
| Gus forked shield showing between
two of them. A hand clutching a
| poised spear rose steaIthily In the
doorway-and then Tubby pressed the
| button.
At the magic touch a skull with eye
! sockets, nose and mouth afiame ap-
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 a thrill. For a mo-
ment there was silence nothing short
| of abysmaI, and Tubby noted a score
| Of black eyes bulgfng with terror from
under shaggy names of hair. With
! the ghost of a chuckIe Tubby pulled
string which released a spring. and
| the fearful thing under the netting
| leaped up. the three dozen sixteen can
die power lights inside Of it 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 a general stampede,
the Igorrotes Frustrated themselves be-
fore the pink glowing god, sending up
q chorus of deep cultural groans. One
gaunt old savage Topped down so
close to Tubby that his feet pressed
the lucl1less 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 a brilliant idea seized Tubby.
Rolling cautiously over. he switched
of the current. and the hectic god rap
| idly faded into blackness. For one
long moment Tubby heard nothing but
the deep breathing Of the dark forms
about him, while he held his own
breath: then a wandering zephyr stray
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 it he again jabbed
at the button and switched on the cur
rent.
An ominous grunt from the reathery
old monster at the other end of che
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 a moment Tubby
looked death straight between the
eyes; then. with m 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.
Pump for Sale.