Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1910-01-06


very glad you've told me again." He
walked through to the stable and
peered into Togo's box. HAS he been
fed YETI"
well, not for quite while-not
for an hour or two. OF course I'll
have to feed him again before go to
bed"
Good! But suppose you postpone
that last feeding for another hour or
two. / think I'd like to show him
over at the Havilands'. And maybe,
II you could put him back into that
wire basket thing he came in, we
could take him along right now"
To Jimpsey's increasing puzzle
ment his father seemed as anxious to
put Togo on exhibition as he had
ever been himself.
At the same time 150 yards away,
in the pine and plastery smelling
basement of the new college library,
there was second lantern and q
second group. 1t was made up of q
very pale young architect named
Haviland, of his young wife and Mrs.
Englehart and another of Mr.. Ma
lone's assistants.
The assistant was kneeling in q
sort Of niche. Between his knees, In
the wire basket thing" was Togo.
In front of them was hole that
might have been a rat hole upon q
planet where rats are as big as wood
chucks and have learned to line their
burrows with steel tubing AS 1t was,
Togo was paying no regard to 1t at
ALL
Yet it was that nosing, scratching,
none too clean and none to savory
young ferret which four people were
watching intently. For one minute
or f1ve-or ten-they had been listen.
ing for something. And now at last
1t had begun to come to them-the
faintest murmur echo of finger
whistle" 1t sounded as II 1t had
come over telephone from a thou
sand miles away.
Togo sat up, thrust his nose out
and looked at that pipe end. But
even those who had never seen q fer
ret before could see that he was look.
ing at it incredulously and with con-
tempt. AS rat hole, that iron pip
ing was an absurdity, and rats as big
as woodchucks were palpably nom
existent
The whistle came again.
And again Togo twitched about and
eyed that pipe end, possibly, after all,
such things might be true.
A third time he got the whistle.
And now his cage door was snapped
open. For a moment he still persist
ed in his doubt, stubborn as beaver,
but the whistle was again repeated,
and at last, with a squeaking cluck
that admitted frankly that the thing
was something which 1t was at least
his duty to investigate, he shot
through the hole and disappeared.
He was eating a meat scrap from
the fingers of Jimpsey Englehart be-
fore the man with the wire basket
thing was out of the library cellar.
The matter was really decided al.
ready.
But it was necessary to make abso-
lutely sure.
When Jimpsey began to whistle
again, he in his turn had taken his
place in the library basement, and
Togo was being held for his start in
the power house. This time, too. he
made the trip more slowly. But he
made 1t. And he was slow only be-
cause about his neck was tiny dog
collar, or rather cat collar. And be-
hind it trailed $50 yards Of fine hard
fishing line.
"That'll take through any weight of
insulated you want" he said.
"And, boys, it's miles ahead" said
Mr.. John Malone, "of the old story Of
the lad that got caught up top Of the
factory chimney. and raveled down
the yarn from his sock heel. You
know l said all along we'd manage
our crossin' as soon as we'd actually
come to It, Then, too"-he ingratiat-
ingly expanded to young Mr. Haviland
--"this'll make fine story in the
paper. It'll make the finest story you
ever read" Meanwhile Togo had be.
gun his second run, this time to
North Hail.
And If, at the end of another hour.
he decided that he was not hungry
any more, and could accordingly
leave the remainder of his job until
the next morning, no one could do
any worrying about that. In the pro-
cession that left the new college build
ings with extinguished lanterns. Mr..
Malone contractor, and Mr.. Haviland,
architect, walked side by side-both
alike making solemn resolutions
enough for New Years Day. A few
steps behind them little Mrs. Havi-
land and Mrs. Englehart were taking
advantage of the darkness to give
each other series of half-tearful