Gilpin observer., 1912-12-05
He Cot a
Chance

! being blessed with an Imagination, he
suffers over those concealed from or.
| dfnary mortals. When 1t comes to
reading, Dillmere because Of his tenn.
perament, should select something
soothing and mild. 1t was a malig.
nant fate that led him into the snare
pf 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, II ]
caught Jimmy with volume Of crimes
In his hand"
You aren't going to-" said Dillmera
'~They are not for Jimmy's youthful
intelligence. A mature mind can read
without harm about deeds Of vio
| lence@"
"That book agent must have been q
good talker," said Mrs. Dillmere,
gr1mly. You'll have to keep those
books on your closet shelf or Johnny
and I 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 reckiesly. I've had a surfeit Of
recipes for tatting and prescriptions
for making q china cabinet out Of Q
packing box. Ny mind needs stimu.
iating. Anyhow, 1t Is matter Of sdu-
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.
"H'm!" coughed Mrs. Dillmere at
last in desperation, II looked at new
coats for Johnny today"
Silence.
"H'm!" began she again. "Gracs
telephoned that her uncle was dead.
wonder If he left anything? She's
always expected that he would"
Silence.
Mrs. Dillmere looked at her husband.
His eyes we're 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. I fell down.
stairs and broke my neck!"
"Um!" answered James vacantly.
Mrs. Dillmere rose and swept the
book from his hands.
- ,1a
demanded.
"Whew!" breathed her husband.
They were going some in the middle
ages! If 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? I thought heard
some one on the basement stairs q
little while ago, don't see what is to
prevent burglar from walking in at
| Sh0 OP0n pCoiOOA WiaQOWo iIOul tA0
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.
II don't see how they earned a liv.
Ing in those days." Dillmere said one
evening. after every fellow got
through his daily stunt Of poisoning q
few relatives. beheading a whole vii.
lage, robbing cathedrals and burning
up castles he naturally would not have
much energy left for the milder pur
suits Of life"
) Mrs. Dillmere woke that night to ind
the lights turned on and Dillnasrs
perched on q chair endeavoring Ia
climb tho wall.
"James!" she shrieked.
'Hush!" said James impatiently
I'm escaping. II get to the top oi
this wall and drop into the moat BE-
low Caesar Borgia and his miniona
cannot md 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 ia
hurry"
A little later. while he moppsd the
cold water from his person-for his
: wife's aim at his head with the tum.
bier Of water had not been good owing
l to her Observation-Disclosures demand
. ed: whats the use Of raising such q
row? Wh-what did you try to drown
me for7"
\ because I didn't want you to e
!, through the roof in your pajamas." re
|. piled his wife sternly. James Dill
, mere, you've got to give those awful
disgraceful books away!"
:. | 0All rlrhA y aald Dil mara shiuorins q