Show r bill the sneaks getaway dy elliot flower iii i ii K x ari oyie by joseph 13 bowles I 1 ahe he house C certainly seemed to be va vacant ant On one human numan family had ha J mo moved v ed ull rut t and no other human family had ft moved I 1 in R naturally dill bill tile the took no account of families that were not human dill bill had ac quiren the latter pait of hla his name through his ability to sneak into houses and purloin such articles as might be within easy reach ile he did not rank well with thieves and he ceita certainly did not lank well with noth honest people the thieves considered consid eted ills his operations too pett to reflect any credit on him and the honest people considered his operations of a nature to reflect dla credit on anyone but bill saw the old tenants moving out of the house and no new tenants moving in ti ue a few boxes and crates were left and a man and a woman vollman fol followed loved them and remained in the house for an hour or so BO but it was wag evident that they had no intention 0 of f occupying it that night indeed bill heard the woman sa eai disdainfully it will be two days before that house I 1 Is 8 fit for human habitation bill dida didat t ape speculate as to what might underlie this remark he t much care the only point that impressed him was that the house would be ten antless for at least one night now hou houses sea have plumbing and ju junk it k dealers buy plumbing A vacant house has been known to have hobt of its water pipes ripped out in a single night in addition to which the gas range was carted away arlous barlous detachable parts of the furnace re moved and numerous nume ious fixtures taken I 1 it t A would i not lot be fair to accuse bill of such efti vandalism sm as this be cause bill had bad not the nerve to re main long enough at work but iny adny thing that could be removed inside of an hour would mould bo be right in III bills line and there crates and boxes that might contain many things of value bill straightway went in search of gumshoe gum shoe pete who failed the same line of and was vas just about as much of a cowadd pr pete te saw at once that there splendid in the vacant house to so it was agreed that should be some thing doing that night but at the very moment that bill and pete were vere discussing the vacant house the worn wom an who bo had been there in the afternoon was wag complaining to the man because it was as tenanted ten anted you can t fool me met she declared de ared ca I 1 ve lived in flats long enough to know the signs and the very conditions show that the old tenants a slovenly crowd there are bugs in that house bouge there wont bo tomo now said the man with convie conviction tion I 1 I 1 was pretty nearly overcome while I 1 was lighting that last sulphur can call dle die im taking no chances asserted the vi woman oman I 1 I would mould not move into the house until it has been thorough thoi ough ly ay fumigated of course we are run ning a risk in leaving the crates and boxes there but it can t be helped it if anyone breaks in heaven help himl him interjected the man at uny any rate said the woman we are doing what we can to disc discourage outage any objectionable occupants that it may have this campaign for health and corn foit which every housewife in variably undertakes when she follows in the wake ot of an unknown family was something beyond the ken of bill and pete it never even occur red to them when they eie forcing a basement window that such things were done but when bill finelly put his hl head bead in at the opened window thero there was something that chat troubled illin him greatly the candles candies feie burn ing on the upper floors but sulphur la pLuet rating pete said dill bill that don t smell tight right to we me aw awant gwan ordered pete riving giving nih bill a push that sent him into the basement then pete put his own head through the window and imme thereafter tried to withdraw mith draw it but pill bill having regained his feet aught him by the shoulders and yanked him in theres golie to be two of us its when the devil calls the roll announced bill flitting it ting on the he floor where they had fallen they sniffed and then looked at each other as well as they could in the gloom bill sounded the floor with the heel beel of his boot and finally put tits nose to a crack ile he naturally took it for granted that the tunics came ri aiom om below willit wed biake in higher up he whispered huskily this is t too nar crust must be mighty thin sug pete it if it busts were we re gon ers apt lpt epta a git out 9 a ahl cautioned dill bill rising and leeping out of the window I 1 bet es a cop ot at the comer lets git alt upstairs anyhow an how urged pete I 1 even in my human home I 1 never did like abeln too close to the furnace he made for the th stalls and dill bill fol lowed but they staggered back when they opened the djoi to the main hall were there groaned bill no we aint asserted pete it dont don t right foi that oh ob were therel thera insisted dill bill da if mally 11 I 1 condei when we died I 1 dont don t remember niber ayin pete do you ri bit it N P sure died or we aulda I 1 be shut up commanded command pd pete it if we a was dead wed be fullin fallin into it instead ot into it the higher we go the moise it gits how do we know it eie dead aske anke hill we NN e may be goin down all the time were dreaming goin up but we e ablit dead said pete angilly lor for somehow anger seemed to lubsen ills his own unsteadiness then thebes e a a hell bell on earth alre folks has said announced 1111 nut but it dont don t seem right to me I 1 figger that I 1 died yesterday yeste iday afternoon wh ln I 1 was feelen so mean an now we I 1 e in the sa sai I 1 but it a 8 botn to be awful when ahen the devil opens the door can t we e go lack back I 1 now ow bce here nill exclaimed pete 1 3 ou oil III etty near got me so eos a I 1 would rit date daie pick a a dimond ling off the floor an it if some faller sold said boo I 1 id d bump my iny licad head on a star I 1 id d be lookin to see a I 1 led ed man with horns borns an a tall if it m asu t tor for one thing that asked bill there aln t no chance tor for wood floii aloois a down to his place bill took a knife aiom his poc pocket ket cut a piece from one ot of the steps of the basement stairs and gave a deep sigh ot of relief its teal real wood mood pete he said lets let a malce another by at the list were baila tho the devil leval ot of a time pete complained dill I 1 aint feel in right about it yet we only A A 1 1 2 f I 1 16 7 e fell over each other and rolled down stairs di earned it was wood an it was aas abbes tos cos all the time it aln aint it hot is it demanded pete I 1 in pretty hard rt replied plied dill bill so m I 1 admitted pete but it aint aln t heat you got me nervous nerous an my eyes Is sni smartly smart artin ln added dill bill 1 I bet you were ere dead an A we e ala aint t got the sense to know it e aln t no such place as this on earth shut apt up pete it we was where you think m we a are wed bo be sc scotch ln hot leal an tolls blis lut jut the suffocation smell pete an the chokin an the sm smartly smart artin ln eyes ayea I 1 tell sou mole dead an ail heln bein trained easy for the big chow allow NV we e got to be worked up so sos s we me can stand it een the devil give a feller the thirty thlik degree light off pete wavered ills hla own on eais were bm alting his own oan throat was hot and dry his own breathing was difficult i ad painful and tits hla own mind was u to the task of deciding the cause of this choking at e but lie remembered the cl chates ates and boxes we got to see BOP what teiei Is he said we well 11 make a I 1 lun to tile the second je c ond floor smash in III the boxes an then git out its brimstone bill thes dont need else in this place I 1 tell you pete wore more dead an the devils makura us its rel reheat waise pe out oui old clicks think ot of havin to rob hell bell of still suli sulphur hurl hur thus bill whined but lie he fol followed loed pete because tie lie was afraid to do an anything thing elst clef ahey luthea up the stairs and burat banri t open a bedroom door the inside furnace celled belled bill lies hes got us now they gasped clicked choked closed their award smarting rig eyes backed out fell over each other and rolled down the stairs still half crazed they got to the door to tile the bast basini ent stairs and rolled down them also at the window by which they had two policeman pol icema were waiting wove we ve got ou out cried the pouce men thant thank heaven for that ex claimed bill little ake us said pete as lie deimit I 1 ted himself to be pulled put of the window you make ioui laughed one of the policemen just what bat were doln now cited bill and pete an no other fel lers avei got so BO close an come hick bick so lo the grout great of the policed men these two wo ti 0 deilke great comfort and sad Bul lation faton from temporary tempt asso chillon with tile tha representatives of human law it fame came near leli worse they said |