Argosy All-Story Weekly, May 17, 1924 — page 29: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

a TARRAPIN TOES. } He tried to dislodge all the chimneys on top of the clergyman’s house, but failed in this. Meantime, the crowd kept him busy dodging the missiles they were throwing at him. Then he climbed down and visited several other roofs in the vicinity, showing no partiality. As he advanced from roof to roof, an ever-growing number of his pur- suers followed. ‘Tickfall is too small for an incident like that not to cause all business to stop and every activity to be concen- trated upon the one great event. It was a great game and Dago was in top form. Gaining the roof of one residence, he slid down a pipe and entered the house through an open window. He found him- self in a bathroom, and cast about for something with which to entertain himself. He broke a mirror—seven years hard luck for Dago. Then the gleam of a _ well- polished razor attracted his attention. Dago appropriated the razor, and hopped out of the window upon the top of the porch, brandishing this formidable weapon of attack. About ten people looked upon that polished instrument of keen blade, and in- stantly remembered that they had import- ant engagements elsewhere. Then followed a chase over back fences, through yards, over roofs and galleries, up and down alleys, the crowds ever growing and becoming more and more hilarious— but Dago ever eluded. The crowd shrieked and cursed and laughed, called warnings to each other as the little monkey ran from place to place, and his agile arm brandished his razor of defense. He seemed to be com- pletely captivated by that dangerous weapon. Everywhere he went, he carried it, and he had an uncanny wisdom which prevented him from cutting himself with it. Then Miss Lois Roone appeared upon the scene. When Lois took a ride, she got on a man’s saddle, mounted a real horse, and rode like a girl who regarded her steed as something else than a fancy plaything to be galloped around a drive in a park. There was a cow-repe upon the horn of Lois’s saddle, and that girl had the idea that as a rope tosser she was second to none in the State. Maybe so, but despite the mean- ness with which she attempted to lasso Dago, the monkey ducked every time. If 179 the loop settled over his head, he leaped through it. Generally, he saw it coming and leaped to one side before it landed. Once, as Lois was drawing it in, Dago leaped at it and caught it in his tiny paws. In some way the rope came in contact with the keen blade of the razor, and was cut in two. Then Miss Lois gave it up. After that, the officers of the law arrived upon the scene. The big fat constable was Mr. Huff. What was this racket about? he wanted to know. Ah, just a monkey— that same monkey that is always cutting up monkey shines in Tickfall. Well, watch him! That monk and he are good friends, and he will show them how to capture da monk. And they did watch him while he and the other minions of the law sweated and swore, raved and ranted, chased Dago down alleys and up trees and over houses, sicked the dogs on him, threw rocks at him and finally gave up in disgust and wanted to shoot Dago. Mr. Everett Kurtin hove in view. He was carrying a seine one hundred feet long across the pommel of his saddle. He could catch the monkey. “Sure! You fellows help me spread out this seine, and then we’ll run Dago down the middle of the street, and close in on him and get him all tangled up in the mesh.” z So while Dago sat upon a telephone pole, they spread out the net, and straightened it. Now all they had to do was to chase Dago off the pole and when his feet struck the net, close in on him. The monkey ac- commodated them—he leaped into the ex- act center of the net, seeming to think it had been stretched there for him as a sort of life saving device in view of his trapeze performance. But, alas, it was demonstrat- ed that you cannot catch a monkey with a fish seine, From a housetop Dago laughed rancor- ously. Sheriff Flournoy shook his fist angri- ly and muttered to himself. No dumb mon- key, he claimed, could put anything over on him. He threw a half brick. It hit above Dago’s head, rolled down the roof into Dago’s arms, and he hurled it back with his lithe arms, having the advantage CORNIGLOOOKS (C@) a RAD tess 8 deh ladiale bes s,