Produced by Suzanne Shell, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) THE HAUNTED PAJAMAS BY FRANCIS PERRY ELLIOTT WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY EDMUND FREDERICK NEW YORK GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS Copyright 1911 The Bobbs-Merrill Company TO MY WINIFRED [Illustration] CONTENTS I A PRESENT FROM CHINA II AN OMINOUS DISCOVERY III I DON THE PAJAMAS IV JENKINS DECLARES FOR THE WATER WAGON V THE GIRL FROM RADCLIFFE VI ARCADIAN SIMPLICITY VII CONFIDENCES VIII HER BROTHER JACK IX AN AMAZING REVELATION X A NOCTURNAL INTRUSION XI IRON NERVE XII I SEND A MAN TO JAIL XIII FRANCES XIV "YOU NEVER SAW ME IN BLACK" XV BILLINGS' SYMPTOMS ALARM ME XVI AN INSCRIPTION AND A MYSTERY XVII THE PROFESSOR XVIII I RECEIVE A SHOCK XIX THE SPELL OF THE PAJAMAS XX BILLINGS RAMBLES XXI THE COLLAPSE OF BILLINGS XXII MY DARLING IS SLANDERED XXIII A MESSAGE AND A WARNING XXIV I SPEAK TO HER FATHER XXV THE FAMILY BLACK SHEEP XXVI FLORA XXVII I RECOVER THE PAJAMAS XXVIII "IF I EVER FIND A MAN!" XXIX "BECAUSE YOU--ARE YOU" XXX THE JUDGE FIXES "FOXY GRANDPA" XXXI THE DEMON RUM XXXII I TOUCH BOTTOM XXXIII UNDER THE PERGOLA XXXIV THE CUB XXXV IN THE GLOW OF THE RUBIES THE HAUNTED PAJAMAS CHAPTER I A PRESENT FROM CHINA It was the first thing I saw that night as I swung into my chambers. Fact is, for the moment, it was the only thing I saw. Somehow, its splash of yellow there under the shaded lamp seemed to catch my eye and hold it. I screwed my glass tight and examined the thing with interest. Nothing remarkable; just a tiny, oblong package, bearing curious foreign markings, its wrapper plainly addressed to me, but-- "By Jove! From China!" I ejaculated. Somebody in far-off China sending me a present, with duties and charges prepaid evidently. What the deuce was it? I shook it without getting any revelation; then I weighed it in my hand. The thing was devilish light! In fact, so light that, allowing for outside wrapper and box, dashed if I could see how there was anything at all. Then I had an awful thought: Suppose, by Jove, they had forgotten to inclose the thing--whatever it was! Jolly tiresome, that, if they had. I felt devilish annoyed. Really, awfully provoking to do that sort of thing, you know; and I was jolly sure now the dashed thing had been wrapped up empty. I wondered what silly ass I knew in China who would be likely to do a thing like that. I couldn't think of any one at all I knew in China, so I rang for Jenkins. "Anybody I know in China, Jenkins?" I asked. And to help him out, I added: "Fact is, some chap's sent me a package, you know." "Name on box, sir, perhaps." Said it offhand, just like that--no trouble of thinking, dash it all--never even blinked. Just instinct, by Jove!