JACKO SERIES.

Waikato Times, Volume 100, Issue 16712, 30 January 1926, Page 14 (Supplement)

JACKO SERIES.

JACKO HAS A NARROW ESCAPE.

One morning, as Jacko was strolling down the village street, he spied a big crowd gazing at one of the houses.

* Of course he Svas in the thick of it at once; but, much to his disgust, there wasn't anything exciting to be seen. He was turning away, when he suddenly the magic word "burglars." He asked a man in the crowd what it was all about, and was- told that there had been a robbery in the house during the night, and that the burglars were believed to be in hiding on the premises.

"The police are inside looking for them," added the man. "Se.e their helmets through the window? 1 ' Jacko could. He slipped round tp the hack of the house, and poked his head inside the back door to see what was going on. But, as he did so, there was a chorus of terrified shrieks. The cook and housemaid were huddled together in a corner of the kitchen, not daring to move till the burglars had been found. They had suddenly caught sight of Jacko. "Here's one of them!" they shrieked.

The policemen heard the shrieks and came rushing into the kitchen. Jacko though it time to make himself scarce.

Out in the garden he rushed, witn three burly policemen at his heels. Fortunately Jacko managed to squeeze through a little hole in the hedge at the back of the house, and as the policemen were too big to follow him, they lost a lot of time arguing as to the best way to get over the hedge. By the lime they did get over the hedge, Jacko had disappeared. lie had buried liimsclf in a barrow of dead leaves which was standing at the street corner.

Jacko fairly chuckled as he lay in the barrow and listened to the hue and cry. But after a bit jt got very hot and uncomfortable under the leaves, and he was just thinking of creeping sout when the barrow began to move l A crossing-sweeper had come for it. Jacko thought it best to settle down again. "Coo! Nobody will ever find ntiS now!" he said with a grin, as he felt the barrow being tunglcd down the street. But it was a case of out of the fry-ing-pan into the fire. Suddenly the barrow stopped, and when Jacko peeped through the leaves he found that the man was just going to tip his load on to a big, blazing bonfire 1 With a yell Jacko sprang out of the barrow and took to his heels. He had never had such a fright in his life. And neither had the crossing-sweeper.