The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1911-05-26
CHAPTER XIV. (contInued.)


left him to his mystery. Anne drank
her tea in a preoccupied silence, with
halfclosed eyes, an attitude that bod
ed i'll to somebody The rest were fe-
verishly gay, and Aunt Selma, with
pair of arctics on her feet and hot
water bottle at her back, sat in the
middle Of the tent and told me ia
miliar anecdotes of Jimmy's early
youth chad he known, he would have
slain herr Betty and Mr.. HARRISON
had found a medicine ball, and were
running around like a pair of children.
1t was quite certain that neither his
escape from death nor my accusation
weighed heavily on him.
While Aunt Selma was busy with
the time Jim had swallowed an open
safety pin, and Just as the pin had
been coughed up. or taken out of his
nose-I forget which-Jim himself ap-
peared and sulkily demanded the pri-
Yacy of the roof for his training hour.
Yes, he was training. Flanagan
claimed to know the system that had
reduced the president to what he is,
and he and Jim had a seance every
day which left Jim feeling himself for
bruises all evening. He claimed to be
losing flesh; he said he could actually
feel 1t going, and he and Flanagan
had spent an entire afternoon in the
cellar three days before with a potato
barrel. a cane-seated chair and lamp.
The whole thing had been shrouded
in mystery. They sandpapered the in
side of the barrel and took out all the
nails, and when they had finished they
Carried it to the roof and put 1t in
corner behind the tent. Everybody
was curious, but Flanagan refused
any information about it, and merely
said It was part of his system. Dal
said that II he had anything like that
ln his system he certainly would be
glad to get rid Of 1t.
At a quarter to six Jim appeared,
Etill sullen from the events of the
afternoon and wearing a dressing
gown and pair of slippers, Flanagan
following him with a sponge, a bucket
Of water and an armful Of bath towels.
Everybody protested at having to
move, but he was firm, and they all
fled down the stairs. was the last,
with Aunt Selma just ahead of me.
At the top Of the stairs she turned
around suddenly to me.
THAT policeman looks cruel" she
said. whats more, he's been in
bad humor all day. More than likely
he'll put James nat on the roof and
tramp ON him, under pretense of train
ing him. All policemen are inhu-
man"
%He only rolls him over barrel or
something like that" protested.
James had lump like an egg over
his ear last night" Aunt Selma in
sisted, glaring at Flannigan's uncon-
scious back. II don't think it's safe
TO leave him. It is my time to relax
for 80 minutes, or would watch him
You will have to stay" she said. fixing
me with her imperious eyes.
So stayed. Jim didn't want me,
and Flanagan muttered mutiny. But
1t was easier to obey Aunt Selma
than to clash with her, and anyhow J
wanted to see the barrel in use.
/ never saw any one train before. |
It is not joyful spectacle. First,
F1annigan made Jim run, around and
around the roof He said it stirred up
his food and brought It in contact |
with bis liver, to be digested.
Flanagan, from meekness and sub
mission, Of a sort, became an autocrat
on the roof
"Once MORE" he would say. Pick
mp your feet, sirI Pick up your feet!"
And Jim would stagger doggedly
past me, where l sat on the parapet,
hts poor cheeks shaking and the tail
OF his bath robe wrapping itself
around his legs. Yes. he ran in the
bath robe in Difference to me. It seems
there isn't much to a running suit.
Head up" Flanagan would say. /
lift your knees, sir. Didn't you ever
see horse with string halt?"
He let him stop finally, and gave
him moment to get his breath. Then
he set him to turning somersaults.
They spread the cushions from the
couch in the tent on the roof, and
Jim would poke his head down and
say a prayer, and then curve over as
gracefully as a sausage and come up
Sasping, as If he had been pushed Of
q boat
"Five pounds day; not less. sir." l