Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1912-03-29


full Of surprises for your friends as
your cigars have been for mine. l
have found it.
"You know what a curiously upside
down people the Chinese are. Exam
pie, they begin dinner with desert
and end with soup; they drink hot,
acid beverages in summer instead OF
iced ones; they write from right to
left, vertically, while we write from
left to write, horizontally; they mourn
in white instead Of black, and they
are awfully honest and pay their
debts.
But there is one other point of diff
ference still queerer: they wear pa
jamas all day, while we wear them
only at night"
Here I yawned Always hate that
heavy, historical, instructive stuff, you
know. If you have to hear 1t, gives
you headache, unless you can slip off
to sleep first.
So l reached the letter up to Jen-
kins.
Just run over the rest of it your
self, and see il he says anything about
his present." I said, settling comfort
ably. Clever idea Of mine, don't you
think?
And I was just dropping my head
to have snug little nap-just little
forty, you know-when, dash me, II
I didn't have another idea! Awfully
annoying, time like that.
Mind is so devilish alert, dash 1t!
Always doing things like that; can't
seem to get over it, you know. And
this ripping idea that bobbed up now
and got me all reused up was nothing
more or less than to unite the string
myself and see what the thing was.
See?
:. believe, sir" said Jenkins, look
.i.s up. the gentleman has sent you-
h'm--has sent you"
by Jove, a suit of pajamas!" l ex-
claimed, holding them up.
1t was neck and neck, but beat
Jenkins to it, after all!
Gentleman says, SIR continued
Jenkins, studying the letter, that his
present OF a pair Of pajamas may
seem surprising, but you won't know
how surprising until you have worn
hem
Jolly likely" l admitted, feeling
the silk. By Jove, it was the finest,
yet thinnest stuff I ever saw, soft as
rose leaves and as filmy light as
spiders web. Not bad, that, for
comparison, Ell? Caught the idea
from a vase Of full-blown roses that
were beginning to shed their petals
there on the table. And on one OF
the blossoms was little brown
spider. Catch the idea? Suggested
spiders web, you know.
They're rather red, sir" jenkins
commented obviously.
Red? Well, I should say! My!
How jolly red they We're! We spread
them under the light, and the red
seemed to How all over the table and
fall from the edge. Why, they were
as red as
I tried to think of something they
we're as red as, but somehow L
couldn't fetch the idea. l thought or
red ink and blood and fireworks, but
they didn't seem to be up to them at
all. And a big, velvety petal that
dropped from one OF the crimson
roses just seemed brown beside
them.
I was wondering whether the little
spider was curious about the jolly red
color there below him. And just then
Jenkins hand went out and swept at
the little thread. The spider dropped
and shot into a fold of the pajamas.
IT say! Look Quit" I exclaimed as
jenkins made another clutch. Don't
mash the beast on the silk; you'll ruin
1.-THE silk, meant"
There 1t goes, sir!" said Jenkins
eagerly. over by your hand"
mo; by Jove; he's gone into a leg
of the pajamas! Here, shake him
out-gently now!"
Jenkins lifted the garment gingerly
and lightly shook it. But nothing
came forth.
"Wny don't you look in the Leg"
said, and see If you can see it?"
jenkins peered down one OF the
silken tubes and forthwith dropped 1t
with a yell. He jumped back.
cS, hn Cd cd
don't touch 'em! There's tarantula
In there big as a sand crab, and it's
alive"
backed nervously from the crum-
pied crimson pile on the floor.
Crimson?
Of course, I knew it was crimson;
it must be the shadow Of the table
there that made the things so dark
black, in fact. But my mind was on
the tarantula; and was thinking that
1t must have been wrapped with the
pajamas. Yet I could not understand
how this could be, considering how
tightly the things had been rolled.
Anyhow, it was there; and jenkins
pointed excitedly.
Look, sir! You can see it moving
under the silk"
By Jove, so you could! And the
thing seemed nearly as big as rat.
It was making for the end of the leg.
l climbed upon chair.
Get a club" I exclaimed, and
smash the thing as it comes out"
Jenkins rushed out and returned
with a brassie.
Careful now" | warned from the