NEARLY 'UMAN
(Continued From Page 0)'
Forta
"Suddenly I heard shuffin behind me. Then there' was a rear from Great Garou like as if he'd spotted the Loup-Garòu ¦ himself. I turned un' suw Wilkhaw about six feet away from me 2 skinnin'-knife in his hand. Then Garou was on him. That's how he got that cut on his lip. But Will- shaw 'didn't need a knife no more." Crawley's eyes were eredulous, "You mean to say," he asked blankly, "that the dog killed him?"} "Yessir!" affirmed old Dave. "It! was all over in about two minutes Say, If I hadn't knocked him cold with a chunk o' stave-wood I'd have had to get Willshaw out of here with a shovel. Since then," he con- cluded, "it ain't bin safe for no une but me to handle a knife around! here."
There was a silence broken only by the roar of the flames striving: to clamber up the stove-pipe. Old Duve scomed to have forgotten his visitor's existence. Crawley's brainį worked with the speed of lightning So! It wasn't safe to pull' a knife when Garou was around, wasn't it? Well, that was something worth knowing!
And Garou could read a man's thoughts, could he?
laugh.... Pour sap!
What a
Well,
And
there were other ways Miami would come all right. To hell with all this snow and ice; al dog's life! ... There were fur) easier ways of making a living than by following a trap-line.. Crawley's eyes marked the spot where his thumb would sink into the pld trapper's stringy neck. And if Garou interfered?.... Well - he chuckled inwardly just one good crack with a heavy trap and he'd have finished with mind-reading... The husky stirred uneasily. Old Dave spoke again.
"Say, Crawley," he said. jerking
a thumb over his shoulder, "there's
« bottle o' whisky on that back
shelf. I ain't so young as I usator. be. Get it down; let's have a drink."
Crawley glanced in the direction indicated by the old trapper. He saw a shelf fixed to the wall high above the stack of pelts, and on it three or four bottles, one plainly whisky bottle. He rose from his chair and crossed the room, his eyes) fixed on the furs.
Yes, he told himself, they were' good stuff. He passed his left hand expertly over one of them, noting the extreme length of the hair, while with the other he groped above his head for the bottle of whisky. He plucked it from the shelf and continued to examine tho furs. He grinned,
*
In a few minutes ... after they'd had a drink.... A deep- throated saprl shattered his reverie. Garou was on his feet, upper lip raised, baring dripping fangs in a diabolical grin.
Crawley stood as if petrified, the bottle in his hand. His eyes, set in the deathly pallor of his face, were wide with horror. Into his numb- ing brain seeped the echo of old Dave's words: "No man has to atart anything with me; he only needs to think it."
Suddenly Crawley's bones seemed as if turned to water. He realised the utter futility of attempting to stop this devilish creature with a blow from a trap. Already he felt those terrible fange plucking out his throat. He saw the glant husky, body taut to spring raise one huge fore-paw and lassen the distance between, them.
The bottle allpped, from Crawley's nerveless band and crashed to pieces on the floor. Crawley caressed his throat with a qulver- Ing hand... He backed slowly to the door, tore it open, and slammed it behind him.
Old Dave stared after him in amazement, then his eyes dropped to the floor strewn with broken
glass. A liquid moved, sluggishly | across the rough boards. The old trapper gazed hard at it for a few moments, then the light of inder atanding crossed his wrinkled face. He chuckled and turned to the husky,
Garou, y'durned old fool," said old Dave, affectionately,
did think
he was goin to dose you?
"should told him earlier
safe for no one but, me to touch
that castor oil bottle
THE END.
WELL, I'M CERTAINLY EN JOYIN' THIS-I KIN HARDLY BELJEVE I'M HOME,
SEE! WE'RE FIGHTIN I'M SCRATCHIN' YOU- 500! YOUR
HEAD 15 BLEEDIN'-
THIS IS TERRIBLE· WILL THE MOTHER
EVER GIT HERE AN' TAKE THIS RIOT
HOME?
SURE IT IS- WHAT DO YOU
THINK? IT AINT
SOLID WOOD- YOU KNOW!
I WANNA PLAY INJUN- I'M HUNGRY-
I FOUND OUT YOU WERE, OVER HERE,SO I CAME OVER-THE CHILDREN WANT TO PLAY-
NOW WHATLL I BREAK FOIST?
Rosie's BEAU
GIED. M-MANUS
Registered U. S. Patent Office.
MR. ARCHIE IS ON THE PHONE, MISS ROSIE
NOW ISN'T THAT NICE 7 MY LITTLE ONES WANT
TO PLAY
TOO-
THE CHINA MAIL, FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 1935
Bringing Up. Father
MRS. LOTTA KIDLETS SENT HER LITTLE DAUGHTER OVER TO
SPEND THE DAY WITH US-I'M GOING SHOPPIN, 90 PLL LEAVE HER IN YOUR CARE-
WHO'S
THE FUNNY MANS?
EVERYTHIN WUZ QUIET
UP TO NOW. LISTEN TO ME-CHILD- 1 DEMAND SILENCE-
NOW! LET'S SEE! WHAT SHALL WE
PLAY? I KNOW- }} WE'LL PLAY WERE ANIMALS-I'LL BE A LITTLE
PUSSY-CAT-
I'LL BE THE BIG GOAT IN FACT
VE BEEN THAT AROÚN' THIS HOUSE FER YEARS
LET'S PLAY BALL. IT'S MORE FUN-
THANK GOODNESS.
THERE'S THE MOTHER, AT THE
DOOR NOW-
LOOK: LEON!
I'M GONNA
JUMP IN
HIS
LAP.
I JUST CAN'T UNDERSTAND ARCHIE HE HASN'T PHONED
· ME FOR TWO DAYS- LI WONDER IF HE
HAS STOPPED LOVING ME ON
ACCOUNT OF THE QUARREL WE HAD?
OH, GOODY. HE STILL LOVES, BUT TELL HIM I'M OUT. I WANT HIM TO KEEP PHONING-
O
FER WHO? THIS HAS
GONE FAR ENOUGH- I'LL SEND FER HER MOTHER-
I COULDN'T LEAVE ANY OF THE CHILDREN-I BROUGHT THEM OVER TO PLAY WITH HER-
HELLO.MRS.LOTTA KIDLETS!]
WILL YOU PLEASE COME
OVER HERE RIGHT AWAY?
YES! YOUR LITTLE
DARLIN' IS.
WHERES
THE PIAN-EE?
DOT ANY CHEWING
DUM?
LONESOME-
WHAT?
LET'S PLAY JAIL AN'
HANG DIS
GUY-
WHAT A NICE
MESS I'VE GOT MESELF IN-1
WONDER IF.
THEY'LL EVER.
STOP?
BANG
BAVYG
CRASH
01934, King Features Spiditate, Inc., Great Britkin tighe reserved,
EDMCMANUS
WELL-1 GUESS ROSIE WON'T CALL ME UP BUT
I'LL BE BIG AND CALL MA
HER I'M NOT JEALOUS
AND I WANT HER TO KNOW IT-
STH AT. OUT WITH A FOOTBALL PLAYER ILL. BET- SHUCKS.
AS FECARED-
WONDER -WHO HE 15.
HOW TO KEEP FROM GETTING OLD
LOOK OUT BATES YOU'LL RUN INTO THAT BIG BOAT-
LET HIM LOOK OUT: KVE GOT
THE RIGHT OF WAY.
12.23
0.1534, King Features Synd