Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1912-08-14
He Got a
Chance

soothing and mild. II was n malig,
nant fate that led him into the snare
Of tho book agent who was selling
The Worlds Greatest Crimes at re-
duced rates and In an attractive cloth
binding
When Dillmere reached homo that
night he found his wife waiting for
him. She was pointing to the opened
bundle OF books much az one OF re-
nned disposition might point at viper
or q dynamite bomb.
What on earth" she began at
once. do you mean by buying that
stun. James Dillmere? Why. II 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
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 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 a surfeit OF
recipes for tatting and prescriptions
for making a china cabinet out OF
packing box. My mind needs stimu'
latinE. Anyhow, 1t is a matter OF edu.
cation. 1 am ashamed to be ignorant
IL, h.
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
/ 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 neck!"
UNI" 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 a fellow you
just put cold poison in his tea and Il
he wouldn't drink II you choked him
till he did, Nobody seemed to mind
wholesale slaughter II you had money
enough to awe the ropulace, 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? I thought ! heard
some one on the basement stairs a
little while ago. don't see what is TO
prevent a 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 gone to bed
81 don't see how they earned a liv
, ing In those days" Dillmere said one
I evening. After every fellow go
= through his daily stunt OF poisoning
, | few relatives, beheading a whole vii
: lage, robbing cathedrals and burnin:
: up castles he naturally would not hav,
much energy left for the milder pur
suits OF life"
Mrs. Dilfmere woke that night to fin,
the lights turned on and Dnimer,
climb the wall.
James," she shrieked.
'Hush!" said James impatiently
! I'm escaping II get to the top o
this wall and drop into the moat be
low Caesar Borgia and his minion
cannot find me to make me drink tn
poison! They are burning up the bod
les OF the people whose heads the
have chopped off, but I'll have t
o hurry"
O little later. while he mopped tn
cold water from his person-for hi
d wife's aim ut his head with the tun
II bier OF water had not been good OWN
to her excitement-Dillmer demanS
ed: What's the use of raising such
row? Wh-what did you try to drov
y me for?"
% Because didn't want you to 4
n through the roof in your pajamas," r.
l. piled his wife sternly. James oil
r. | rnerA y0u'va vOf IN gtvA fhnsa att,