made roused the father and mother below, and the latter started for the
stairs. 'That b'ye 'll be the death av me yet,' she complained. 'I'll go
up and give him a slap.' She lost no time in reaching the little room,
and when she entered she saw the bed with what she thought was Mike
under the clothes. 'Mike, ye rascal,' she exclaimed, 'turn down the
sheet this minute. It's mesilf as'll tache ye to raise a noise at this
time o' night. For shame, ye spalpane! What, ye won't obey your own
mother? I'll show ye. Take that!' She brought her hand down upon the
figure outlined under the sheet with a resounding whack. The next second
the thing leaped from the bed squarely into her arms. 'Wow! Murther!
Mike, what have ye been doing?' she howled, adding at the top of her
voice, 'Patrick, Patrick, come quick! The b'ye has got hold of your hair
restorer. He's all covered with hair and he's gone daft. Murther!' With
that the father made for the stairs as fast as his legs could carry
him. Just as he got to the top--"

"The sight I saw when I opened the outer door of the little house almost
knocked me silly," broke in Tom, rather excitedly. "There in the other
room gleamed--"

"When Patrick reached the second floor," interrupted Bill, raising his
voice, "he felt something strike him full in the chest; then two hairy
arms clasped him about the throat and--"

"In the other room gleamed two--"

"Oh, give a fellow a chance, will you?" cried Bill. "You want the whole
floor. What do you think--"

"Sh-h-h! here comes the executive officer," hastily whispered "Stump."