The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1924-02-01
BY r. G. WODEHOUSE
Copyright BY George H. Doran CO.
CHAPTER xvI-contInued.


ordinary happening would have had the
power to distract him. What occurred
now was by no means ordinary, and 1t
distracted him like an electric shock.
As he sat on the floor, passing ten
der hand over the egg-shaped bump
which had already begun to manifest
itself beneath his hair, something cold
and wet touched his face, and para
lyzed him SO completely both physi-
cally and mentally that he did not
move q muscle but just CONCEALED
where he sat into solid block Of Ice
He felt vaguely that this was the end
His heart stopped beating and he sim
ply could not imagine 1t ever starting
again, and, IL your heart refuses to
beat, what hope is there for you?
At this moment something heavy
and solid struck hlm in the chest. roll
ing him over. Something gurgled asth-
matically In the darkness. Something
began to lick his eyes, ears and chin
In a sort Of ecstasy: and, clutching
out, he found his arms full Of totally
unexpected bulldog.
"Get outl" whispered Sam tensely.
recovering his faculties with jerk.
"Go awayi"
Smith took the opportunity Of his
lips having opened to lick the roof Of
his mouth. Smiths attitude In the
matter was that providence in its all
seeing wisdom had sent him, human
being at moment when he had reluc-
family been compelled to reconcile him
self to total absence Of such indis-
pensable adjuncts to good time, and
that now the revels might commence.
He had just trotted downstairs in
rather a disconsolate frame Of mind
after waiting with no result IN front
Of Webster's bedroom door, and It was
q real treat to meet a man.. especially
one seated in such jolly and sociable
manner on the floor. He welcomed,
Sam like long-lost friend.
Between Smith and the humans who
provided him with dog-biscuits and oc-
casionally with sweet cakes there had
always existed q state Of misunder-
standing which no words could remove.
The position Of the humans was quite
clear They had elected Smith to his
present position on straight watch
dog ticket. They expected him to be
one Of those dogs who rouse the house
and save the spoons. They looked to
him to pin burglars by the leg and
hold on till the police arrived. Smith
simply could not grasp such an atti-
tude of mind. He regarded Windles
not as private house but as social
club, and was utterly unable to see
amy difference between the human be-
Y ings he knew and the strangers who
dropped In for late chat, after the
place was locked up. He had no In
tention Of biting Sam. The idea never
entered his head. AT the present mo-
ment what he felt about Sam was
that he was one Of the best fellows he
had ever met and that he loved him
like brother.
Sam, in his unnerved state, could
not bring himself to share these
amiable sentiments. He was thinking
bitterly that Webster might have had
the intelligence to warn him Of bull
dogs on the premises It was just the
sort of wooden-headed thing fellows
did, forgetting facts like that. He
scrambled stiffiy to his feet and tried
to pierce the darkness that hemmed
him in. He ignored Smith, who SNUFF
fed sportively about his ankles, and
made for the slightly less black OBJ
long which he took to be the door
leading into the hall. He moved war
lily. but not warily enough to prevent
him cannoning into and almost upset
ting small table with a vase on it.
The table rocked and the vase jumped.
and the first bit Of luck that. had come
to Sam that night was when he
reached out at venture and caught
It just AZ It was about to bound onto
the carpet.
He stood there, shaking. The mar
rowness Of the escape turned him
cold. If he had been an instant later,
there would have been q crash loud
enough to wake a dozen sleeping
houses. This sort of thing could not
go on. He must have light. It might
be risk; there might be chance Of
somebody upstairs seeing 1t and com
ing down to Investigate; but 1t was a
risk that must be taken. He declined
to go on stumbling about in this dark
ness any longer. He CROPPED his way
with infinite care to the door, on the
wall adjoining which, he presumed,
the electric light switch would be.
It was nearly ten years since he had
last been inside Windles, and it never
occurred to him that in this progress
sive age even woman like his Aunt
Adeline, of whom he could believe al
most anything. would still be using
candles and oll-lamps as a means Of
illumination. His only doubt was
whether the switch was, where It was
In most houses, near the door.
It Is odd to reflect that, as his
searching fingers touched the knob, a
-