The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-03-30


Deck" holding an animated CONVEX
sation with Mr.. Rice in our bedroom.
At my gasp of horror they turned
around and burst out laughing. point
ing their fingers at me very rudely
ana continuing to vent their mirth at
nay expense, for what reason | knew
not. I
/ | turned a stony glare upon my ap-
parently demented spouse, and asked
! him politely (oh, so politely if he
/ realized that l was not adequately at +.
/ tired to entertain his gentlemen
! friends. This only seemed to throw
them into more violent spasms of
nlirth, so | shut it out of my burning
ears by diving under a pillow and
pulling the covers securely over my
self. After some time had elapsed, |
lifted the pillow the tiniest bit and
vcntured a look around. My tormen-
tors had disappeared.
| In a few minutes Deck" came in,
and | burst out crying, asking him
what had possessed him to bring
chat horrid man" in our bedroom? /
sobbed, that | was tired. and had a
splitting headache again, and It
couldn't be more than twelve o'clock,
could it," He comforted me as best
he could, gave me my headache pow
der, and said for me to go back to
|. sleep and he would explain in the
morning.
[ | felt so exhausted (from some
cause unknown to me) that | was
t asleep before he had finished talking,
: and awoke next morning with a start,
7 knowing there was an early breakfast
to be cooked The phone rang sharp,
ly while | was in the kitchen, and
: when | hurried into the hallway to an
f swer it / found "Deck" fully dressed
: and at the phone carrying on most
iGiotic conversation with Mr.. Rice,
t ending up with: "No, old boy; you
' come over and tell her, after break
r fast"
= At the breakfast table | could get
J no satisfaction out of Deck" as to
;, this conversation, and l managed to
\ gulp down a cup of too hot tea and
e a few tears just as the dOOrbell rang,
= and Mr.. Rice came into the dining
j room without waiting to be invited
: (that man seemed to be getting I'M
e duly intimate with my husband of
| lated I now recalled, with n vivid
Y blush, the events of the previous
v night, and | was about to stalk an
t grily out of the room, when my hus-
hand sprang up and caught me around
t the waist with his arm, saying,
d "Come, odd. Dynamite " This favOrite
d name for me when / am in a temper)
: lets hear about Mr.. Rice's capture of
e the burglar"
r "So-o-o!" thought l, "that explains
S your midnight VISIT" and / slightly
Y relaxed. "But even if there was a
S burglar in his house. he had no moral
n right to intrude upon my privacy"
" Mr.. Rice was saying, with the evil
r dent relish of a person sure of the
e interest of his story:
@ "You see, Mrs. Venable. | was pre-
Y pared for Mr.. Burglar, as | told you
last night. | had a trap set for him
t, with an ordinary spool of threat, and
r. the trap worked beautifully. My wife
IS ties her money up in handkerchief
is Tin spite of my warnings) and puts II
J. under her pillow; so l tied the loose
= end of the spool of thread to hel
3 handkerchief containing the money
3 ran the thread over my shoulder
3 fartherest from her. and dropped the
q spool of thread into the pocket of my
II nightie. I'll admit / haven't SLEPT
e comfortably since my first night Of
3 this sort of thing, but l am now amply
8 repaid for my discomfort" Here M
Is paused long enough to accept cigar
81 from Deck" ask my permission e
3 smoke it. and to eight up"
= "About one o'clock this morning
& felt a huge tug at the thread, and tnt
!: spool in. my pocket began to unrol
= very fast. l broke the thread. so a.
!; not to scare up my game and, max
X ing grab for my pistol on a nearb!
= table, slipped around the foot of tn
q bed, made dash for the open window
= leading on to the roof, and stood Their
Z petrifed! There was my burglar il
* full view, on the tip edge of the roof
= walking Cor rather skimming) alOnl
8 as if he had nine lives to lose. ] wa
8 so fascinated by his cat-like maneuv
i ers that | could neither move, speaI
Il or shoot, and there | stood until hi
4 white-clad figure disappeared in tn
3 act of shooting the chutes' down tn
Il rain pipe to the ground. / now made
s dying leap for the stairs. slid dow
3 the bannisters in a bungling limitation
& &C his earlier performance. and sprani
* through dining room window to cut OF
* his retreat from the back yard. a
3 you know, the only path leads aroun
3 the side of the house from the kitch
Il en-.
81 81 here dropped down behind sy
3 ringa bush to await his coming, de
5 batting, meanwhile. whether | shout
i capture him red-handed or track hin
8 to his lair and perhaps discover som
: confederates. By the time | coul