Activate Javascript or update your browser for the full Digital Library experience.
Next Page
OCR
Hanes een iene wet ae Ta ape gt pe
g
Se a a ip
am
am}
“>
a
4 a,
Ne
aa
*
( “a
ee
ES
>»
“up,
* surrender,
-fhomas.
- nice dog.
yard,” said Thomas.
Vou. VIII, No, 22, J rcetisaen
} WEEKLY.
DAVID C.
“Copyright, 1909, ty Davia Ce. Cook Publishing ¢ Company. ~
cooK PUBLISHING CO., Excix, ILLINoIs, AND 86 WasnIncTon St. Cuicaco.
+ May 29, 1999.
OO
-§ SHERLOCK
HOLMES IL.
By JANE ELLIS JOY
Qo.
SOOOOOOOSOSOOOROOOOOSOOOOOS
ALFWAY between the gate and
the porch, with his new friend at
his heels, Thomas braced himself
for what he fully expected.» ‘The
‘amily were at the front door
getting the fresh air. Mother Stiles didn’t
give Thomas a chance to deliver himself
of the little speech that he had composed
-the way home. .
“ Thomas Philpot . Stiles,” she opened
“where on earth did you set that
dreadful beast?”
*Txperience + had ° faught Thomias™.'t!
when mother gayé him big three names in -
full, there was.rothing for him to do but’
The. Dreadful Beast looked as
if-it was at the surrendering point. It
crouchel close to ‘Thomas, as if aware
that the fateful moment in ‘its life had
come. There was a desperately forlorn
expression on the animal’s face; its legs
were bent and quivering, ‘and the tail
circled under. the starved body. .A_ dirty
pateh of bare skin on its colorless back
pointed to a period in its past when it
might have been mistreated to a pan of
hot water. |
“ A-h-h, mother!” pleaded Thomas.
“You needn't .* mother!’ me,
You know-I net like dogs; if
I did like them I wouldn’t have such a
specimen as that.” .
Because mother had said “Thomas”
instead’ of “Thomas Thilpot Stiles,”
Thomas felt that the case was not hope-
“He won’t look so bad after he
square meals,
mother. He followed me on the street. I
couldn't get rid of him unless maybe by
kicking him; and, of course, 1 couldn’t do
It wouldn’t have been Tight, would
“No, certainly. not,” nid mother, ‘and
her, Pee was almost norma ly mi
> you’ wouldn't: -wa
abuse ay "dam animal,” pursued Thomas,
¢laiming his advantage. “ Ile’s.an awfully
I call him Sherlock Holmes, He
knows ‘ Lock’ better, but Sherlock Tiolmes
is ‘to be his -full name. “He learned his
Dame in two or three minutes, didn’t you,
Lock? Nice Lock! Good old fellow!”
“Sherlock Holmes crept closer to Thomas
and licked his hand gratefully. |
“Perhaps some of that ‘Never Failing
Ilair Restorer’ that didn’t restore my
hair might restore Sherlock [lolmes’,” said
Unclé Philpot, who was ba
At this remark sister Evelina giggled. ,
Mother smiled.
Sherlock Ilolmes looked as ‘painfully _
self-conscious as if he knew that the laugh
had to do with him. Ile crouched so close
' S
to Thomas’ legs for. protection that the
boy could hardly maintain his footing on
the flagstone waik~.
--wish you hadn't
” resumed mother,
u know T~don’t like
dogs in the house.”
“Tl build him a house in the back-
z
i“ Te he jumps over the fence to Miss
Kinnet's -yard, she’ won't ‘like it. + She's
such a nice neighbor that I don’t want any-
thing from our side of the lot to trouble
he:
Permission to keep Sherlock Holmes was
given by mother reluctantly. Thomas built
at knows he’s not wanted here,”
“lessons, Thomas avent ‘out "to ~
pole and a pile of junk left -
Parker went,
a little dog-house in the backyard, and
bought a collar and chain for Sherlock
Ifolmes. A~ good bath made the. dog
cleaner, and a few hearty meals. seemed
to ‘satisfy his craving for food. Whether
Thomas attempted to restore the lost hair
is uncertain. If he did, the cure was.
more successful than in Uncle Philpot’s
Sherlock Ilolmes retained his sorrowful
except when Thomas was
“Mother, I do believe that: dog
said Evelina
one day, when she and mother were in the
backyard. - .
“ Well, he knows the -truth,” said
mother. “If Tommy wasn’t so fond of
him I'd give him to the dog-catchers.”
At this Sherlock Iolmes, who was stand-
ing outside his little housé, crawled in and
hid himself,
“Tock is the nicest dog in Parkside,”
said Thomas to the home folks one evening,
when he and Sherlock Holmes had got back
from their stroll about town. Je knows
nearly everythitig a person says. I don’t
no " move.
“No, Tom wouldn’t do that. ~ It’s
against the rules, you know, and Tom
never breaks the rules,” said Joe: Parker.
“‘ Guess it’s about time for me to wriggle
out,” thought Thomas after a while. Ile
could not hear the boys talking now. He~
tried to reverse the muscular process by
which he had crawled into the boiler, but
directly he discovered that it was not so
easy. Twist and wriggle as he might,
movement was slow work. This was in
part owing to the fact that his coat had
folded back, making a thick wad that in-
creased his circumference considerably,
With good reason Thomas was fright-
ened when he found that he could not
“Tlello, Joe!” he called. “ Dick!
Alf! -Come and get me out!”
No help came. The truth was that the
boys had separated some time previously,
and were now on their ways home. Vigor-
ously Thomas renewed his efforts to free
himself, kicking out with his feet; and
scratching the rusty scales with his finger-
nails. ~ If only he could have raised his
_arms so as to get his hands against the
closed end of the cylinder, then he might -
have pushed effectively. But his arms were
as if pinioned at his sides. He called
loudly for help, alternating the calls with a
whistle.
It was stifling as well as dark in the
close, iron prison, and the boy gasped for .
air, and spent his strength pushing desper-
ately against the-unyielding iron. Dvery
_now and then he heard the rumble of a
Drops of cold perspiration bathed bis face.
He had shouted till his throat was dry.
Numbness was creeping over his limbs.
Looking at the clock in the dining-room,
Mcther Stiles saw that it was half-past
nine.. “I wish Thomas would come in,”
she said.
“Boys forget themselves when they’re
playing,” said Uncle Philpot. “ 1°] go and
bring him.”
Uncle went to the vacant lot, wheré he ex-
pected to see the boys playing; but now
there were no boys there. He walked to
the next corner, turned it, and was walking
back when he met Joe Parker carrying
home a tin cup of baker’s yeast for his
mother. :
“Do you know where Thomas went ‘after
the play, Joseph?” Uncle’ Philpot asked.
“No, sir. He left us before we stopped
playing. We guessed that he had gone
home.”
Uncle Philpot walked on without the
least uneasiness, .s0 sure was he that
Thomas would be home directly.
“Didn't you find: him?” asked Mrs.
Stiles, as her brother came in alone.
“ Dear me! Something must be the mat-
ter!”
It was now nearly ten. Uncle Philpot -
told what Joe Parker had said about
Thomas” having left the boys at play, and
this made mother uneasy. Thomas was not
in the habit of making visits without tell-
ing where he was going. Joe was his best
friend, and it was generally to Mr. Parker's
that he went.
see why you folks can’t like
him.
“ ‘Tom, you're as bad as the
fox in the fable,” said Evelina.
“You got Sherlock Holmes
admitted to the backyard;
and, now that he’s there, you *
want mother and me to take
him to our hearts. But you
needn't expect. me at least to:
pet the horrid, ugly thing!”
..“TTe’s smart, though,” de-
fended -Thomas. “ Smartness
is better than beauty.”
. “That's ‘a matter of opin-
jon,’ ” giggled: Evelina. -
One * pleasant September
evening. after studying ‘his .
play.“ hide and: seek” by. the
light -- of. the street “lamp. _
Doorsteps, trees, a big electric
that day in an, empty lot .,
through the breaking down of
wagon, served as hiding-
places for the boys
The play was at its height
or perhaps a little past it,
when Thomas, looking fora
hiding-place, noticed: an. old
kitchen range boiler
among the weeds
heap of scrap iron. The boiler |
was open at one end. Ah,
here -was a place to hide
where he would not be discov-
ered directly! It was a pretty -
tight squeeze. Thomas, could
feel the rusty scales falling off
the cylinder as he crawled in,
The signal was given, and ~
the hunt began. One by one
the hiding-place of each hider
was revealed, save Thomas’.
While mother and. Evelina
worried and listened for the
sound of Thomas’ step on the
walk, Uncle Philpot took an-
other stroll around the strects.
Again he came back alone.
‘Something has happened
to him!” said mother in dis-
tress.
“Suppose I phon
police station?”
Uncle Philpot, Sharing
fears of the other.
“Do!” . said mother. “I
know. our poor Tommy is hurt,
and can’t come home. He is
too good a boy to give me this
painful anxiety. And he's not
thoughtless.”
Before eleven o'clock a po-
liceman called at the house,
and asked questions.
boy ever talked about running
proposed
the
had good times at home, and.
he knew it.”
“Perhaps he didn’t like his
school?” questioned the police-
man.
“He loved school.
never wanted to miss a 3
he policeman scratched his
head thoughtfully. It was
plain that Thomas Stiles was
not the kind of runaway boy
that officers hear most about.
Then, thinking that possibly
Thomas had been kidnapped.
he asked, .“* Have you any ene-
mies, Mrs. Stiles?”
-dear, no!” * gasped
frightened Mrs. Stiles. “Do
Whee
Up.and down the street Joe
‘ looking behind
trees.*
tall ‘weeds’ beaten ‘down. Thomas’ could
hardly keep the laugh in as he heard some-
ene, say, “ Wherein the world car Tom
“ Maybe he’s hiding in somebody's ves-
tibule?” suggested a boy,
The junk-pile was circled, and the
“GO FIND TOM, LOCK,” SAID EVELINA.
passing trolley-car. Oh, would nobody
ever come! He thought of the home folks,
Mother and Uncle Philpot would be uneasy.
Mother liked him to be home at nine
o'clock. Oh, for a breath of fresh air!
Oh, for a sight of the electric light that
he knew was shimmering over the lot!
you think a person could be
so cruel as to hurt a boy of ©
phirtesn, or try to entice him away from
om
“It takes all sorts to make a world,
mum. Let me have Tommy’ s picture. I'll
report to headquarters.”
Uncle Philpot went away with the offi-.
cer, and mother and Evelina were left to
fot
aS