The Richfield recorder. (Richfield, Idaho) 1909-1931, 1912-10-03
He Cot a
Chance

ne sorrow over troubles visible, Dul
being blessed with an imagination, he
/ suffers over those concealed from or
binary mortals. Wha it comes tc
reading, Dillmere, because OF his TEN
permanent, should select something
soothing and mild 1t was a 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
stuff, James Dillmere? Why, if /
caught Jimmy with a volume of crimes
in his hand"
You aren't going to- said Dillmere
They are not for Jimmy's youthful
intelligence. A mature mind can read
without harm about deeds of VIC
hence
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 l 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 surfeit OF
recipes for tatting and prescriptions
for making china cabinet out of
packing box. My mind needs stimu-
lating Anyhow, it is 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. Dillmere at
last in desperation, q looked at new
coats for Johnny today"
Silence.
HIM" began she again. Grace
telephoned that her uncle was dead.
l wonder If he left anything? She's
always expected that he would"
Silence
Mrs. DiIlmere 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 neckl"
'Umt" answered James vacantly
Mrs Dillmere rose and swept the
book from his hands.
why don't you listen to me-" she
demanded.
"Whewl" hreathed her husband. |
They were going some in the middle
agesl If you didn't like fellow you
Just put cold poison in his tea and If |
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 populacel It must
have been fiercei"
That night Mrs Dil,mere woke up
to find her husband pacing the floor.
Somehow" he said, 81 cant sleep.
Are you sure the back basement win
lows are locked? I thought | heard
some one on the basement stairs a
little while ago, ! don't see what is to
prevent 9 burglar from walking in at
he open bedroom windows from the
-oom. Therel Did you hear that?"
ITS that book you were readingl"
declared Mrs. Dillmere. 60 to bedi"
Dillmere persisted in reading the
books. Occasionally when the hor
'ors grew too great for him to bear
llone he related them to his wife
lfter Johnny had gone to bed.
81 don't see how they earned a liv-
ne in those days" Dillmere said one
,vening. after every fellow got
through his daily stunt of poisoning a
ew relatives, heheading whole vii
age, robbing cathedrals and burning
Up castles he naturally would not have
much energy left for the milder pur-
uits of life"
Mrs. Dillmere woke that night to find
he lights turned on and Dillmere
'erched on a chair endeavoring to
limb the wall
James," she shrieked.
"Hushl' said James impatiently.
I'm escaping. If I get to the top OF
his wall and drop into the moat be-
DIV Caesar Bcrgia and his minions
annot find me to make me drink the
olson, They are burning up the bod
rs of the people whose heads they
ave chopped off, but I'll have to
urry.'
A little later, while he mopped the
old water from his person-for his
lies aim at his head with the tum-
Ter Of water had not been good owing
} her citement-Dillmere demand
d: What's the use of raising such
ow? Wh-what did you try to drown
lie for?'
Because I didn't want you to go
trough the roof in your pajamas," re-
lied his wife sternly. James Dill
,o~e ro,,,ua Cof IN oiva thoea ufr11