The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-03-21
Chapter SO
THE TABLES TURN

lively.
"W-w-what are we going to do
next?" he inquired.
Were going to take up a COM
Portable position behind this door"
said Bobby. And when our friend
returns you and | are going to give
him the surprise of his life. How
about it. Badger? Are you game?"
ooh, absolutely"
"As for you, frankie, when you
hear his step you'd better get back
onto your chair. He'll see you as
soon as he opens the door and will
come in without any suspicion"
"AIl right" said frankie. "And
once you and Badger have got him
down I'll join in and bite his ankles
or something"
That's the true womanly spirit"
said Bobby approvingly. Now, let's
all sit close together on the floor
here an hear all about things. want
to know what miracle brought Bad
ger through that skylight just in
the nick of time"
"Well. you s-s-ee," said Badger,
latter you w-w-went off, got into
bit Of a m-m-mess."
He paused. Gradually the story
was eXtracted-a tale of liabilities,
creditors. and bailiffs-a typical
Badger catastrophe. Bobby had
gone off leaving no address, only
saying that he was driving the
Bentley down to Staverley. So to
Staverley came Badger.
Il thought p.p-p.perhaps you
m-m-m-might be able to let me have
a f-f-fiyer." he explained.
Badger had no wish to endanger
Bobby's mysterious enterprises. but
he was of the opinion that a car
like the green Bentley would not be
difficult to find in a place the size of
Staverley. AS a matter of fact he
came across the car before he got
to Staverley. for it was standing
outside pub-empty.
$3.50 | thought" went on Bad
ger. that Id give you a little s-s-s-
surprise. don't you know? There
were some r-r-rugs and things in
the b-b-back and nobody about.
g-g-got in and p-p-p-pulled them
over me- thought I'd give you the
s-s-surprise of your life"
What actually happened was that
a chauffeur in green livery had
emerged from the pub and that
Badger. peering from his place of
concealment, was thunderstruck to
perceive that this chauffeur was
not Bobby. He had an idea that the
face was in some way familiar to
him but couldn't place the man. The
stranger got into the car and drove
off.
BADGER was in a predicament
- He did not know what to do
next. Explanations and apologies
were difficult. and in any case it is
not easy to explain to someone who
Is driving a car at sixty miles an
hour. Badger decided to lie low
and sneak out of the car when it
stopped.
The car finally reached its desti
nation-Tudor Cottage. The chauf
feur drove it into the garage and left
it there. but on going out he shut
the garage doors. Badger was a
prisoner. There was a small win.
dow at ono side of the garage and
through this. about half an hour
later. Badger had observed
Frankie's approach. her whistle and
her admission into the house.
The whole business puzzled Bad
ger greatly. He began to suspect
that something was wrong. At any
rate he determined to have look
round for himself and see what it
was all about.
With the help of some tools lying
about in the garage he succeeded
In picking the lock of the garage
door and set out on a tour of in
spection. The windows on the
ground floor were all shattered. but
he thought that by getting onto the
roof he might manage to have a
look into some of the upper win
dows.
The roof presented no difficulties.
There was a convenient pipe run
ming up the garage. and from the
garage roof to the roof of the cot
tage was an easy climb. In the
course Of his prowling Badger had
come upon the skylight. Nature
and Badgers weight had done the
rest.