Show tf adventurers club ill cut your ears og off by FLO FLOYD D GIBBONS famous headline hunter I 1 WONDER why it is that the majority of us seem to have our most JL thrilling experiences when we are around ten years old funny it but lets leave that to the psychologists to figure out and get on with our story its from mrs louis walker of west winfield N Y mrs walker was only eight years old when the adventure took place that was destined to remain in her memory the rest of her life that was over fifty years ago so you can see what an impression it made mary what everybody called mrs walker in those days lived on a farm with her father and mother near the town of richfield N Y it was a lonely place mary nays flays quite a distance from the main highway at the top of a steel hill with deep woods all around they have automobiles telephones or radios in that time so you can see how lonely it really was weird looking stranger k knocks at the door the country was sparsely settled and the nearest house her grandfathers was a mile away mary was one of uve five children the oldest of whom was fourteen and the youngest two the country around richfield was then a hop growing center and many transients wandered in at hop picking time to get work homeier Ho weer weier mary says strangers seldom frightened them and the children were idere often left alone in the house one day when marys mother and father were away and the children all alone they heard a rap on the back door the youngsters aag eager er for any diversion that would relieve the moto nony rushed into the kitchen marys oldest sister louisa who was inclined to be sickly opened the door on the porch stood the strangest looking man the country children hadi ball ever seen lie ile seemed mary recalls about forty and wore a loud checked suit and a gray derby hat bat after the manner of racetrack race track touts in addition to his rainbow clothes the man actually carried a cane canel I 1 the visitor indulges in a queer prank the clothes and the cane fascinated the children and when the man asked for a bite to eat he was invited into the house louisa prepared him some food while the rest of the youngsters surveyed this city marvel from head to foot fool mary says aside from his strange getup the man seemed perfectly normal us as he ate his food they were not the least bit afraid of him and readily told him they were alone in the house louisa was particularly kind to the stranger and served him all he wanted to eat when he had finished the fourteen year old girl picked up the dishes and started for the kitchen sink with them in her hands although slightly lame and a semi invalid mary says her sister insisted on helping about the house louisa had just turned her back her arms loaded with dishes when the stranger suddenly stuck out his cane and tripped her down went the poor 11 W 11 17 the fiend brandished brandishes Bran dished a knife at her girl heavily on her face the load of dishes prevented her from putting out her hands bands to protect herself and as the crockery smashed her face struck on the sharp edges and cut her in several places dangerous lunatic terrorizes the helpless children mary and the other kids were aghast ag liast they could not dot believe that anyone would deliberately hurt their gentle sister but there was no question about it the man had bad done it purposely because he now sat back and roared with laughter louisa picked herself up pale and trembling her face scratched and bleeding the other children doubtless thought her pale from her fall but louisa was older and her pallor was caused by something she had seen in the mans eyes that something to louisa meant ityl their visitor was a dangerous lunatic and the children were in his the brutes next nest move proved her worst fears to be true laughing still he ha strolled over to the bird cage where their pet canary perched watching the scene and sticking the point of his bis cane through the bars of the cage began poking the helpless bird eight year old mary faces maniac with a knife mary alary says her teni ten i earold ear old brother ran out of the house at this point hot but she and her sisters stood there paralyzed with horror and watched the man thrusting at the fluttering canary repeatedly with his cane until their pet fell a mass of quivering feathers in the bottom of the cagel their canary was deada the little two cearold baby girl began to cry louisa protested and the man suddenly turned on her and hooking her around the neck with his cane jerked her to him the threat to her sister goaded mary into action she was only eight but she grabbed up a knife from the kitchen table and went for him quick as a flash the horrible cane tripped her and the fiend faster than it takes to tell it had the knife in his hand he grinned horribly im going to cut your ears off he said the man disappeared as strangely as he had arrived mary jumped to her feet terror giving her wings and rushed out of the room the man followed cursing and waving the knife threateningly furniture crashed as the horrible chase went on mary threw chairs and tables at his feet as she ran and dodged for her life but not tor for long iong A hand closed on her hair from behind and she fainted mary woke up on the parlor sofa A man was leaning over herl she screamed and threw her hands over her earsl but mary had no cause for alarm now the man leaning over her was her grandfather her brother had wisely gone after him and the children were safe tho the man in the checked suit was gone and her ears were still on an armed posse of neighbors searched the woods tor for days it seemed impossible mary says that a man dressed that way could escape in that country but he did and was never seen again Q service |