Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1910-02-09


seventh Dos Hermanos cigar out of
the window that night and put aside
a back number Of the Argosy it was
only 10 O'Clock. nearly two hours ear
Iier than It was his custom to retire.
Although It was hot night. he closed
the windows carefully. switched of all
but one of the electric lights that be
had installed on wireNrom the pow
err house and then brought forth from |
the capacious closet bulky dummy |
dressed I'm n suit OF his own pink pa |
jamas and placed II i'm sitting pos |
ture I'm the middle OF the bed. Open
ing the trunk. he brought out the |
skull and after fifteen minutes tink-
ering had II secure upon the Shout
ders of the ctgy.
With n wry face. he then made down
q 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-
ily 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 firefiies. 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 1t.
Tubby Hicks was never known TO
have a case of nerves" In all his
happy life. and the nature Of insomnia
was quite unknown to him, except rs
he had observed 1t 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 a 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 II deriding his mis-
cry.
A clammy thing fell with smart
spat upon his face. and he almost
screamed like o schoolgirl. but as the
horrible something scrambled away
over the wide dome of his stomach
he realized that 1t was only a ten inch
| llLaTu Iual Ito uliSSCi iNo AOOtihs 90
It frisked along a rafter. Then a 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 revealing rats began to dance n rag
time upon the bamboo mating over
= head.
\ But what was that? Tubby opened
q his mouth and held his breath in an
a 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
n outlined against the sky. was darl
"a form rising noiselessly above the win
= dow cap I.istenl The faint but I'm
10 mistakable sound OF spear in thu
II cracks OF the bamboo floor under hi
"A bed came to him and sent a cold shiv
r er down his spine. Now n dark fgur
" was balancing on the window ledge
20 spear In hand. and some one wa
n standing in the doorway Now hal
dozen heads were visible at the VIII
or dow to the right of the bed. villair
m Gus forked shield showing betwee
" two of them. hand clutching
riv poised spear rose stealthily in I'll
Ia. doorway-and then Tubby pressed til
n. button.
nd At the magic touch a skull with ey
he sockets, nose and mouth afiame a
he peared upon the shoulders of a port
an form in pink pajamas under the mo
quito netting. the horrible thing lee
de ing at it's surroundings in way tn
tly gave even Tubby a thrill. For a IN
re- ment there was silence nothing sho
an Of abysmal. and Tubby noted a SEQ
the OF black eyes bullying with terror fro
ha- under shaggy names of hair Wi
the the ghost of a chuckle Tubby pulled
hat string which released a spring. II
vas the fearful thing under the netti
Der leaped up. the three dozen sixteen @
ned de power lights inside of II that I
the movement switched on making it 81,
.ept ike a merry demon from the neil
the world.
los" ana tnen IuDDy hau the surprise
ime his life. Instead Of springing throu
the windows in a general stampe
,ped the Igorrotes Frustrated themselves
DOR. fore the pink glowing god, sending
ows q chorus of deep cultural groans. I
the gaunt old savage Topped down
t to close to Tubby that his feet pres
nees the luckless electricians stomach.
nboo the old heather was so taken up W
ruct- the newfangled god that he had IL
that surplus thought TO bestow upon
h as pedal extremities.