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Show A DANGEROUS SOMNAMBULIST. 11" rrraenta a I'lalol to a Hotel "lerk" Itfad. You see, said the clerk of a Sua Francisco hotel, an old mining man took a room the other niht and some hours afterward, as I was dozing behind be-hind the desk for I was tired I was startled by hearing footsteps shuffling down the stall's. I looked up and saw my friend tho mining man with a six shooter in his right hand. He walked over toward me, his eyes staring blindly blind-ly and almost staring out of their sock-eta. sock-eta. It is hard to tell what thoughts Hashed through my brain as he approached. ap-proached. What could he mean 'and was I alone with a maniac? He walked up to my desk and took deliberate aim at me. I expected him to follow the action with a couple of shots and so I dodged down behind my desk and rang for the police. "Fork over that ftOO young fellow,1' he cried. "You can't run in any cold deck on mo and get away with the spoils." Of course, I knew tho situation immediately. immedi-ately. He had been "done up" in a game by some card sharps and had been dreaming the matter over until tho operations of his mind led him in his sleep to se::k redress for his griev-inces. griev-inces. I don't know why he tackled ma, but perhaps the man who had worked him was good-looking and something like me in facial appearance. What did I do? I knew it would take some moments for the police to arrive and time was very precious just then. "I'll pny you the money," I yelled. "Put down that pistol and you can have your blasted three hundred." The miner lowered his weapon. "Come this way," said I. and he followed me into the barroom. Behind the bar was a big dish of water. I fumbled a moment with the money drawer to deceive de-ceive the murderous-looking sleeper and then, quick as a Hash, I threw the basinful of water across the counter into his face. He yelled, dropped his pistol to tho floor, rubbed his eyes a second and then, fully awakened, began to look around. He begged a thousand pardons par-dons when I explained matters to him and told me how he hud gone to bed wishing that he could get hold of tho man who had played an unfair game with him in a hotel east of the mountains. moun-tains. That man invites me to supper every time ho comes to town and is one of my best frionds now. But it makes my soft brown hair curl, even when months had passed since the occurrence, oc-currence, whenever I cogitate on the story of the "Bloodthirsty Dreamer or, the Lucky Waterbasin." |