The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-06-27
He Cot a
Chance


suffers over those concealed from or.
binary mortals. When 1t comes to
reading, Dillmere. because Of his TEN.
permanent. should select something
soothing and mild II 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
once. do you mean by buying that
stun. James Dillmere' Why. if |
caught Jimmy with volume of crimes
in his hand"
You aren't going TO-" said Dillmere.
They are not for ,1immy's youthful
intelligence. 4 mature mind can read
without harm about deeds of VIC.
lence-"
THAT book agent must have been a
good talker." said Mrs Dillmere.
grimly. You'll have to keep those
books on your closet shelf or Johnny
and don't see. anyhow. why on
earth you should want to read such
things when there are so many nice
books"
I'm tired Of nice books" said Dill
mere recklesly. i've had a surfeit of
recipes for tatting and prescriptions
for making a china cabinet out of 4
packing box. My mind needs stimu-
lating. Anyhow. it is a matter of edu.
cation. am ashamed to he ignorant
of what has happened In the world"
After dinner Dillmerc retired into
the fastncss of an easy chair with his
books and promptly was lost to his
family
Him" couehcd Mrs. Dillmcre ut
last in desperation. Il looked at new
coats for Johnny today"
Silence.
Him" began she again. Grace
telephoncd that her uncle was dead
wonder II 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 a conversational voice,
the bank failed today. Your father
murdered your mother. fell down.
stairs and broke my ncck!"
"Um!" answered James vacantly.
Mrs. Dillmere 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! II you didn't like fellow you
just put cold poison In his tea and II
he wouldn't drink It you choked him
til he did! Nobody seemed to mind
wholesale slaughter II you had money
enough to awe the populace! 1t must
have been fierce!"
That night Mrs. Dillmere woke up
to find her husband pacing the floor
Somehow" he said, Il cant sleep.
Are you sure the back basement win.
dows are locked? thought I heard
some one on the basement stairs
. little while ago, 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 we're reading"
declared Mrs. Dillmere. 60 TO bed"
Dillmere persisted In reading tho
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 a ~
Ing in those days." Dillmere said one
evening. AFTER every fellow got
through his daily stunt OF poisoning
few relatives. beheading a whole vii
iage, robbing cathedrals and burning
up castles he naturally would not havo
much energy left for the milder pur-
suits OF life"
Mr.. Dillmere woke that night TO find
the lights turned on and Dillmere
perched on q chair endeavoring 10
climb the wall.
James," she shrieked.
Hush" said James impatiently.
I'm escaping. n 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 of. but I'll have 20
hurry"
A little later, while he mopped The
cold water from his person-for lis
wife's aim at his head with tie tlTn-
bier Of water had not been good oTing
to her Observation-Disclosures demand
ed: whats the use OF raising sgch a
row? Wh-what did you try 70 drown
me for?"
because didn't want yol - 20
through the roof in your paiamas." re-
piled his wife sternly. "James D.l-
mere. you've got to give those awful,
disgraceful books away"
az II rirhk . ella Ilili..o rlf-.cri-ac,