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Newspaper Page Text
"Good day, Mr. Hans," spoke Gyp, smooth as grease. Hans xegarded this unwelcome vis itor grudgingly and with suspicion. He recalled soaped windows, tattered display signs, a greased floor and ap plied them all to fhe reputation of the outcast , v "You got a magnifying glass in the windy," proceeded Gyp.in a business likeway. "How, much is it?" 'Two dollars.'' - "Well, you'll never sell it in this burg, for nobody wants it," declared Gyp. "I do, though. If you'll let me run your errands for a week I'll take the glass as pay." Hans ruminated and accepted the offer. Gyp was honest and faithful. He did loyal service and won the re ward. Then for a week his boy com panions were, treated to all the adap tations of the glass. They viewed magnified wonders, they set fire to a hay stack, they played dazzle up and down the main street, they focused the sun,' rays on a patient , horse until the ' burn stung and he ran away with a load of eggs.' Then one day, when Hans came home from his restaurant lunch, he found his cherished Phryne a drip ping, drooping mass of melted wax. J He complained to tne police and Gyp, suspected, was warned. "Revenge!" "pronounced Gyp sol emnly to his cohorts, tljus, tabooed, and proposed a new, fiendish bit of mischief. Opposite the store of Hans was one having an awning. Appriz ing his cronies of his .intended at tack on Hans, and armed with a hag of corn and a bean blower, the in genious Gyp nestled in among the folds of the awning. He cut two tiny round holes in the fabric and the crowd posed at the corner waited. Hans was not very busy until aft ernoon and was wont mornings to sit in a huge armchair in the doorway of his store. On the present, occasion he had no sooner become interested j in his newspaper than flip bing! the J fusillade began. Prom some myste-1 rious source a steady rain of missiles assailed him, passing pedestrians and every customer. A tattoo rang across the windows. Hans suspic-. iously eyed the grinning group at the corner, but could not 4race the source of the bombardment to those ' knowing ones. Finally, Hans sent for the town marshal, who was as well made the .subject of a sound peppering. Then, anv unfortunate thing happened to Gyp. The owner of the awning Came out to unroll it to shade the front of his store and the unwarned Gyp was thrown into the street Spry and speedy, he picked himself up and darted away and was missing in Brookville "for nearly a month. It was in a distant city that Gyp sought a n,Ightts shelter at a police station. His bright ways attracted' tne indulgent attention of the turn key and he saw that Gyp had a good breakfast. Then' Gyp, cafsually look ing over some notices on the bulle tin board, was struck with the photo graph there of an escaped convict. "I 'know that man," volunteered Gyp. "He comes to Brookville oncp in a while and goes as Jacques Le moine." ""Good!" nodded the turnkey. "Maybe that's a tip. Well look up this Jacques Lemoine of ydurs." Gyp returned "home" a few days, later. He did not penetrate the vil-j lage until late in the evening, fearing the marshal, and It was about 11 o'clock when he ventured down -the principal business street. .Some one was coming through the thorough-. fare. Gyp dodged down an alley. It happened to be next to the store of Hans .Batterman. Gyp was about to dodge behind an ashbox when he chanced to look' through a side window of the store. A spluttering glare attracted his at- " tention. It was the -great oil lamp . Hans kept burning all night in the ' backvof the store near the safe. "Crackey!" bolted out Gyp, for of a sudden the lamp exploded, scatter-