The Winslow mail., 1912-11-09
He Got a
Chance

/ EuUefS over LnOS6 COnCedlSQ from Or
dinary mortals. When it comes to
reading, Dillmere, because of his tenn
permanent, should select something
| soothing and mild It was malig
/ nant fate that LED him into the snare
of the book agent who was selling
/ The Worlds Greatest Crimes" at re
duced rates and in an attractive cloth
! binding
When Dillmere reached home that
night he found his wife waiting for
him She was pointing to the opened
bundle Of books much as one Of re
fined disposition might point at viper
or dynamite bomb.
What on earth, she began at
cnce, do you mean by buying that
stuff. James Dillmere7 Why, if
caught Jimmy with volume of crimes
in his hand"
You aren't going to- said Dillmere
They are not for Jin1my's youthful!
intelligence A mature mind can read
without harm about deeds of vic
"That book agent must have been
good talker," said Mrs Dillmere
erimly. You'll have to keep those
books on.your closet shelf or Johnny
and I don't see, anyhow, Why or
earth you should want to read such
things when there are SO many nice
books"
TIN tired Of nice books said Dill
mere recklesly. I've had 2 surfeit ct
recipes for tatting and prescriptions
/ for making china cabinet out Of
packing box My mind needs stinu
lating. Anyhow, it is 2 matter Of edu.
cation am ashamed to be ignorant
Of what has happened in the world
After dinner Dillmere retired into
the fastness of an easy chair with his
books and promptly was lost to his
! family
HIM" coughed Mrs. Dil1mere at
last in desperation, Il looked at new
coats for Johnny today"
Silence.
"H'm!' began she again "Gracs
telephoned that her uncle was dead
I wonder if he left anything? She's
always expected that he would
Silence
Mrs Dillmere looked at her husband
His eyes were popping out Of his head
and he breathed deeply James" she
/ proceeded in conversational voice.
"the bank failed today. Your father
murdered your mother. ] fell down.
stairs and broke my neck!"
"Um!" answered James vacant1y.
Mrs. Diffenere rose and swept the
book from his hands.
"Why don't you listen to me?' she
demanded
"Whew!" breathed her husband
"They were going some in the middle
| ages! If you didn't like fellow you
just put cold poison in his tea and II
he wouldn't drink it you choked him
till he did! Nobody seemed to mind
wholesale slaughter if you had money
enough to awe the populace! It must
have been fiercei"
That night Mrs Dillmere woke ur
to find her husband pacing the floor.
Somehow" he said, II can't sleep
Are you sure the back basement win.
some one on the basement stairs
little while ago, I don't see what is to
| prevent burglar from walking in at
! the open bedroom windows from the
room. There! Did you hear that?"
TITS that book you were reading,"
declared Mrs. Dillmere. eco to bed!"
Dillmere persisted in reading the
books Occasionally when the hor
rors grew too great for him to bear
alone he related them to his wife
after Johnny had gone to bed.
II don't see how they earned q 1iv.
ing in those DAYS" Dilmere said one
evening. "After every fellow got
through his daily stunt of poisoning a
few relatives beheading q whole vii
lage, robbing cathedrals and burning
up castles he naturally would not have
much energy left for the milder pur.
suits Of life"
Mrs Dil1mere woke that night to find
the lights turned on and Dillmere
| rerched on chair endeavoring to
climb the wall.
"James'" she shrieked
HuSEi SAID James 1mp2tlentlv
Tn escaping If I get to the top OF
this wall and drop into the moat be
low Caesar Borgia and his minions
cannot find me to make me drink the
poison They are burning up the bod
les of the people whose heads they
have chopped off, but I'll have to
hurry"
little later, while he mopped tbs
cold water from his person-for his
wife's aim at his head with the tum.
bier of water had not been good owing
to her tement-Dillmere demand.
ed What's the use of raising such
row. Wh-what did you try to drown
me for? p
''Pecause I didn't want you to go
through the roof in your paiamas,' re-
Piled his wife sternly. James Dill
mere, you've got to give those awful,