Gilpin observer., 1912-10-03
He Cot a
Chance

he sorrow over troubles visible, but,
being blessed with an imagination, he
suffers over those concealed from or
dinary mortals. When it comes to
reading, Dillmere, because Of his tenn.
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 Dilimere reached home that
night he found hts 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 D!llmere? Why, II
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
ience-" ----..... -i-
THAT book agent must have been q
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 surfeit OF
recipes for tatting and prescriptions
for making a china cabinet out Of
packing box. My mind needs stimu
lating. Anyhow, 1t Is a matter of edu.
cation. I 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, II looked at new
coats for Johnny today"
Silence.
"H'm!" began she again. "Grace
telephoned that her uncle was dead.
I wonder If he left anything? She's
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. 1 fell down.
stairs and broke my neck!"
"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 gong 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
till he did! Nobody seemed to mind
wholesale slaughter If 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. 81 can't sleep.
Are you sure the back basement win
dows are locked? l thought l heard
some one on the basement stairs a
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 were reading!"
declared Mrs. Dillmere. Go 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 gene to bed.
'T don't see how they earned liv.
Ing in those days" Dillmere said one
evening. after every fellow got
through his daily stunt of poisoning a
few relatives, beheading n whole vii.
lage, robbing cathedrals and burning
up castles he naturally would not have
much energy left for the mllder pur.
suits of llfe."
Mrs. D!llmere woke that night to find
the lights turned on and Dillmere
perched on chair endeavoring to
climb the wall.
"James!" she shrieked.
"Hush!" said James impatiently.
I'm escaping. If / get to the top OF
this wall and drop into the moat be-
low Caesar Borgla 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"
A little later while he mopped the
cold water from his person-for his
wife's aim at his head with the tum.
bier Of water had not beer good owing
to her excitement-Dillmere demand.
ed: whats the use of raising such a
row? Wh-what did you try to drown
me for"
because I didn't want you to 20
through the roof in your pajamas." re-
piled his wife sternly. James Dill.
mere, you've got to give those awful.