, 1919-02-27
75ie
rjottentot
o@
BY JEROME G. BEATT
(Copyright)

Genuine. anu pEhdy dnu 1 "a piaH
ing wosome bridge with dummy
hands. 1t was nearly three o'clock in
the morning. was dealing to
O'Grady, who sat facing the windows.
81 never knew an Irishman In my
life who wouldn't try 10 lick every
thing, even the worst animal that de-
lirium m ever"
O'Grady stopped short.
/ looked up.
He was staring at the window be-
hind me, and slowly and carefully he
began to pull out the drawer in the
table in front of him. We kept our
revolvers in that drawer.
l stopped dealing.
Keep on. Don't move" he COM
manded softly.
The rain seemed to have stopped. 1
found later that l dealt all the cards
in the middle of the table. Behind
me. through the open window. l heard
the clang of chains and a sort of
scraping on the brick wall. There was
no ire-escape there and the ground
was four stories below. I thought I
heard a low growl.
The next instant a brown una
skull fell on the table before me, rolled
over and stopped, staring with empty
Eyes at my throat.
O'Grady fired past my head. I turn
ed quickly. and III of the window,
where 1t had crouched / saw a big,
dripping. hideous, one-armed, hairy
figure, from whose breast a long horn
protruded.
And 1t had no headI
We rushed to the window. O'Grady
first, carrying the revolver. The huge
beast was several feet below u win
dow, hanging to the water-pipe, its
feet on a brick cap owe the window
below ours. Chains hung from its
body, and by the light from the street
we could see that its long hair was
matted with mud.
Mortified, we watched the thing
struggle a moment to get a firm foot
ing and to hold with n ARM, which, I
noticed now, was attached to its
side instead of Its shoulder.
Then II a muffied growl, the head
less giant spokel
Cant you give a guy a lift7" II
said.
We couldn't tell where the voice
came from.
what are your" I asked in astonish-
ment.
"Talk up or I'll shoot again.
O'Grady commanded.
'Im the Headless Hottentot Of the
Himalayas-the Blood-Sweating Kiosk
of the Holy Writ, and my name is Bill
Klank. You missed me the first time
but please don't shoot again. All ]
want Is somebody to undo me and lei
me get at the pIe-eyed rat that got
me into this"
"who? Us?" asked the ever-cau.
tious O'Grady.
mo" grunted the Headless Hotten-
| tot, and with remarkable agility, con-
sidering that he had only one arm, he
began to crawl up the water-pipe.
We helped the wet. muddy giant
into the room. On his instructions we
unlocked him down the back, and Bill
Klank-a whole man-stipped of his
skin and sank into n chair. His head
and one Of his arms had been inside
the padded covering, which was so de
vised as to make the top of his head
level with the shoulders of the head
Tess animal he represented. To see,
he had been forced to look out two
Sits In the chest of the skin.
The porter was called from the bar.
| cigars we're put at the side of the
| BIood-Sweating Kiosk, and he told US
this story:
81 was a high-wire man, doubling in
a trapeze act with the Bingley Broth
ers' circus until a month ago, when i
met that heather, sneaking yeggman
that"
''Have another drink" interrupted
the diplomatic O'Grady.
The Kiosk swallowed the, liquid with
a toss of his head, and continued:
'Tom Hanks, was ballyhoo man at
| the side-show. He framed up the
scheme where we were to have so
much money that the price of a motor
| car would be small change. "The only
thing about this plan that makes me
| hesitate Tom says to me. is that
somebody might murder us so as to
steal our act We took the chance
rather I did. Tom, the yellow-heart-
ed. cheese.brained-
Thanks. This is good liquor.
1.-THE plan was to make a Headless
Hottentot, and take him round the
Rube ro~ute-country fairs, you know.
/ was to be the Hottentot, and Tom
was TO ballyhoo. We bought us an
old lions cage from the circus and
| got us a lot of chains, and | made that
suit. It's a great suit" he said proud
ly; made 1t out of mule-skin and
| horse-hair and a cows horn. l wouldn't
AXE a hundred dollars for 1t. 1t
hooks up SC good you can look all
over me when it's OF md not find how
I got into 1t.
"We got a banner painted. 1 fur
nished the money. Gee, II there ever