The Argosy for May — page 183: what you’re looking at

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

370 { knew that something unusual was about to happen; but I did not guess the awful fate that fiend in human form had mapped out for us. ‘Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, in a rasping voice, “I have assembled you here in order to give you a great treat. My asylum for the sane has been an immense success. [ am very well pleased with the way my original idea has worked. My experiment has given me great pleasure; but, nevertheless, I have decided that it is time to bring it to an end.” Each of us heaved a heartfelt sigh of relief. We thought that he was about to announce we could have our freedom. ‘““T have decided to bring my experi- ment to an end by a great and thrilling spectacle,” he went on, chuckling at the hopeful look on our faces. ‘“T once read in a book that in ancient times slaves were thrown into the arena along with wild beasts. This barn, will make an excellent arena, and those pet dogs -of mine are certainly wild beasts. { haven’t given them a morsel of food this day, in order that their appetites should be thoroughly whetted.”’ We understood him now, and looked at each other in horror and despair. ‘Good Heavens,” I gasped. “ You don’t mean to say that you are really going to be inhuman enough to set those dogs on us?” He laughed sardonically. ‘““T reckon you’ve got my idea exactly, friend,” he chuckled. “In three min- utes I shall whistle for my faithful pets, and then the fun will begin.” He again rubbed the palms of his hands together. I looked into that cruel face, and foresaw that we doomed; but, nevertheless, I tried to plead with him. ‘‘ Have mercy,’ a little more time. us, shoot us down. ble dogs tear us to pieces. 29 I begged. ‘ Give us Or, if you must kill Don’t let those terri- Have a little no,” he replied, laughing loud and shaking his head. ‘It wouldn’t be half as much fun to shoot you down. I’ve thought of that, but it would all be over too quick. ‘Fhe dogs will furnish a much more thrilling spectacle. It’s going to be the dogs. were all. THE ARGOSY. ‘ And the three minutes are up, too,” he added. “The festive hour has ar- rived. Slaves, prepare to defend your- selves, if you can, for here come the wild beasts to devour you.” He pursed his lips, and was about to give vent to the whistle, which meant our doom. But just then we heard wild howls of fury, followed by the sharp reports of firearms and the shouting of many men. Before Farmer Snookins could turn, a burly man had entered the barn, and brought the stock of a rifle crashing down upon his head. The burly man was followed by sev- eral others. We turned to our deliverers with exclamations of gratitude and joy. “Thank goodness we were in time,” said the burly man, kneeling and tying the prostrate farmer’s hands and feet with ropes. ‘I am the sheriff of the county, ladies and gentlemen. ‘The note you sent in the bottle was picked up in the creek by a feller in a naphtha launch, and handed to me. ‘| didn’t know whether it was a hoax or not, but I decided td act at once. I got my posse together, and we came here as quick as we could. “ Pve been sort of suspicious of this feller Snookins for some time past. Every time [’ve met him on the road I’ve fan- cied he looked and acted sort of queer. “He ain’t been exactly right, I guess, since his wife and daughter were drowned, a year ago. I didn’t suppose, though, that he was really violently in- sane. I figured out that he was harm- less.” . “Well, he wasn’t harmless, I assure you,” I declared grimly. ‘If you had arrived one second later you would have found our mangled bodies. He was just about to order those terrible dogs of his to tear us limb from limb, when you and your men gallantly intervened. By the way, what have you done with those dogs?” 3 “Shot ’em all dead,” he answered, with a grunt of satisfaction. ‘“ Thanks to the warning contained in that bottle, we came here fully prepared to handle them brutes. They attacked us, but we were too quick for them. Each and every one of them has a bullet through his head.” (C@ DOOLK