The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1919-03-07

bedclOthes and to cover himself com
pletely, as far as the top of his head
for the old man was but one of the
monsters that threatened.
Burglars!
Burglars were creeping through the
halls upstairs and downstairs; the
air of the whole house became MUIR
murous with the whispers and rust
lings.
Penrod, still not moving his head,
pulled the AK and the camphor bottle
beneath the sheet; slid the gun off the
coverlet, and pushed 1t as far under
the bed as he could. Burglars might
be more merciful If they believed him
but little lonely sleeping child in
tending no resistance.
He gulped lamentably, and a poig-
nant bitterness began to form no in
considerable part of his condition.
What kind Of parents were they Che
asked himself) who could go blthely
Off and leave little lonely child to
be found by burglars--and other
things-in q great, horrible, hollow
empty house? Probably his father and
mother were somewhere with whole
crowd of people, in brightly lighted
rooms; no doubt at this very mo-
ment they were both talking and
laughing.
Laughing!
His indignation extended to cover
the cases Of his nineteen-year-old
sister Margaret, and of Della, the
cook, and Katie, the houscmaid Most
likely all three of these marble hearts
We're also somewhere, talking and
laughing!
Big, strong, old grown people
every one of thcm-well, maybe they
would be sorry tomorrow! Besides,
he would get even with them--if he
lived.
He was making up his mind in what
manner general revenge should be
accomplished upon the household
when the handle of his door clicked
family, and yet distinctly: was softly
turned, and the door opened little
way.
Penrod's heart did not stop. but his
breath did. He lay motionless.
The door was closed again, gently.
Then heart and breath both bound
ed. There was no donbt about it;
something had certainly opened his
door-and had looked at him. He had
felt 1t.
1t was too much for closed eyes
Penrose lifted himself on his elbow
and stared whirlingly about him until
his gaze became fixed in utter hor-
ror upon the threshold of the door. A
thread Of light glimmered wanly along
that threshold.
Shaking to the verge Of spasms, Pen
rod gathered his weapons again.
Then the light disappeared, and
there was darkness-and silence, and
silence, and silencel
And whatever the color of the CLEAN
beneath the door, the thread that re-
manned upon the fixed retina of Pen !
rods eye, after the actual light bad |
gone, was green.
Now, indeed, out of the darkness |
over the frenzied boy did Chimera
peer and monster hover! The green
thread broke and twisted into shapes,
,odiless, faceless eyes came closer and
loser and closer, while animals
,reathed hot upon his cheek.
The silence grew tenser with noises
ust about to burst forth; the dark
less became charged with unthinkable
'islons just ready to make themselves
'lsible; raw heads and bloody bones,
phantasm and ravening
bugbear, bugabOo, mummy
nd nightmare, CHASTITY thing that had
yer got into Penrod's head was issued
orth and now hung over him.
And outside the door were the bur-
lars. There were burglars rampaging
IL through the house by this time, In