The Winslow mail., 1912-04-13

hip. You didn't know" he remarked
that 1 was chief of the Dimdum-
mertes before came to this country,
did you? Well, 1 was!"
The small boy dragged up a box
that had escaped the blaze and sat
down on 1t very close to Mike. "Tell
me-" he begged. lI1.
"The Dimdummeries," explained the
janitor, "is fiourishing society," in.
the ould country that has communica-
shuns with ghosts an fairies-an'-
an sperits in general. Whenever a
Dimdummery wants to talk to fairy
all he has to do is build a magic bon
fire on spot hit by the light of the
full moon for five minutes on a
Chuesday night. That's very i'm
portant, picking out the right spot.
And lay the first sticks pointing to-
ward the north!'
The small boy peered at the base OF
the bonfire, but the janitor sighed.
''They amt any spots that the. light
OF the moon hits on Chuesday night
in this neighborhood," he mourned.
That is, iXcipt some that is occupied
by buildings and otherwise engaged.
But 1 say the magic words over my
fires and pretind it's a glade I'm in
and that there are fairies peeking
out"
did you-did you ever truly see q
fairy, Mike?" the small boy almost
whispered.
The janitor laughed condescending-
ly. did 1 iver see fairy, now!" he
repeated, scornfully. well, listen to
that! Amt l telling you how Iwas
the chief Of the Dimdummeries and
what for would they be making me
chief if 1 couldn't see more fairies
than any other man in the county?
There was one fairy who-look out,
you'll be in the fire, now!-who used
to pop up just as sociable an smoke
a pipe with me livery time I lit fire
for him! Vance he said: Mike,
like you-you're fine lad, an you
may have two wishes-anything you
ask shall be granted!'"
'I know what I'd have asked for!"
breathed the small boy "An airship
AM"
"Airship!" Mike repeated In dis
gust. THAT shows your Needless dis.
posishun! A real sensible person
would have asked for wagon load
of money, wouldn't he? An then he
could-a got a. fleet Of balloons an
everything"
"Oh, of course!" agreed the small
boy, much embarrassed "Of course
he would! But what did you do with
all your money, Mike? If I was as
rich as that I wouldn't work"
The ianitor coughed and was very
busy stirring the fire. What did
do with it?" he repeated, scowling
horribly. 'Tll tell yer-much as I
hate to do it, l stuffed it into old
stockings, av coorse, and TUX a board
off the wall and chucked 'em into the
cavity. They was banknotes-an' the
rats and mice ate 'em up. I should
have wished for bank that cudn't
fail, for my second wish, an then I'd
have been a rich man today. Instead
Of wishing as l did for-for-''
For what?" demanded the small
boy.
Candy" confessed the janitor, sor-
rowfully. 81 couldn't think of any
thing l wanted so much as plenty of
candy and I got 1t and ate it all up
and that was the end of it,"
The small boy swallowed appre-
ciatively. "Still, you had it," he
said philosophically. "That wasn't so
awful bad. Did you get chocolute an
car'mels and lemon sticks?"
ooh, all kinds" the janitor said,
loftily Il was sickern you ever
dreamed of being, l tell you! 1t kind
of soured me on that fairy an I gave
him the cold shoulder after that, but
it didn't matter because right away
the prettiest fairy I ever saw began
coming out Of rose bush that
"Oh, tell me all about it," de-
manded the small boy ecstatically.
"Will-ie-ie-ie!" came down from the
back porch of one of the flats.
There's your mother now" said
Mike "And anVhow-the magic fra'c