forehead.
"You're it!" he answered, with a groan.
The crowd that had collected were looking upon the lady wonderingly,
and a middle-aged gentleman now exclaimed:
"Why, she's wax!"
"Wax!" echoed the policeman.
"Certainly. She's one of those dummies they put in the windows,"
declared the middle-aged man.
The people who had collected shouted: "You're right!" "That's what
she is!" "She's a dummy!"
"Are you?" inquired the policeman, sternly.
The wax lady did not reply. She began to fear she was getting into
trouble, and the staring crowd seemed to embarrass her.
Suddenly a bootblack attempted to solve the problem by saying: "You
guys is all wrong! Can a dummy talk? Can a dummy walk? Can a dummy
live?"
"Hush!" murmured the policeman. "Look here!" and he pointed to the
hold in the lady's head. The newsboy looked, turned pale and
whistled to keep himself from shivering.
A second policeman now arrived, and after a brief conference it was
decided to take the strange creature to headquarters. So they called
a hurry-up wagon, and the damaged wax lady was helped inside and
driven to the police station. There the policeman locked her in a
cell and hastened to tell Inspector Mugg their wonderful story.
Inspector Mugg had just eaten a poor breakfast, and was not in a
pleasant mood; so he roared and stormed at the unlucky policemen,
saying they were themselves dummies to bring such a fairy tale to a
man of sense. He also hinted that they had been guilty of
intemperance.
The policemen tried to explain, but Inspector Mugg would not listen;
and while they were still disputing in rushed Mr. Floman, the owner
of the department store.
"I want a dozen detectives, at once, inspector!" he cried.
"What for?" demanded Mugg.
"One of the wax ladies has escaped from my store and eloped with a
$19.98 costume, a $4.23 hat, a $2.19 parasol and a 76-cent pair of
gloves, and I want her arrested!"
While he paused for breath the inspector glared at him in amazement.
"Is everybody going crazy at the same time?" he inquired,
sarcastically. "How could a wax dummy run away?"
"I don't know; but she did. When my janitor opened the door this
morning he saw her run out."
"Why didn't he stop her?" asked Mugg.
"He was too frightened. But she's stolen my property, your honor,
and I want her arrested!" declared the storekeeper.
The inspector thought for a moment.
"You wouldn't be able to prosecute her," he said, "f
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