Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-04
THE
ON THE
VII.
A Police Affair.

"Officers. arrest this fellow commanded
the young woman. Her gesture was DIDO
esque in its wrath.
THAT we will, ma'am!" cried one of the
policemen. flinging himself from his horse.
$50 it's you, me gay buck? Thirty days
fer you, an mebbe more. l didn't like yer
looks from til start. You're working some
kind of a trick. What complaint, ma am?'
'Drunke nress and abduction rubbing
the burning spot on her cheek
THAT ii be rather serious. Yell have to
appear against him in TIL mornn', ma am.
II certainly shall do So" She promptly
gave her name, address and telephone
number.
"Biil, you drive TIL ladies home an I'll
this buckle TO TIL station. Here. you!
Ito Warburton, who was still dumb with
establishment at the extraordinary denoue-
ment to his innocent joke. Git on that
horse, an lively, too, or I'll rap ye with
TIL club
ITS all a mistake. officer"
"Close yer face an git on that horse.
can tell tn judge all that in the mornin.
| amt got no time t listen. BIZ, report
just as soon as ye see TIL ladies home.
Now. off with ye. TIL lades'll be wantin'
somethn' t quiet their nerves. Git on that
horse, me frisky groom; hustler, Warbur-
ton mechanically climbed into the saddle.
1t never occurred to him to parley. to say
that he couldn't ride horse. The inven-
tive cells of his usually fertile brain lay
passive. Now went on the officer.
mounting HIS oN II nag. Will We 80 uuitllS
If ye don't I'll plug ye in tn leg with
chunk o lead. l won't stan no nonsense.
What are you going to do with me?'
asked Warburton, with desperate effort
to collect his energies.
Lock we up: mebbe throw a pail of wa
ter on that overheated cocoanut of yours.
But if you'll only let me explain to you!
It's all joke; l got the wrong carriage--''
born yestiddy? Ye wanted tn ladies'
sparklers. or I'm doughhead.' The police
are the same all over the world; the origi-
nal idea sticks to them, and truth in voice
or presence is but sign Of deeper cunning
and vllainy. Anyhow, ye can't run
around Washington like ye do in England,
me cockney. fe can't drive more'n hum
dred miles an hour on these pavements''
But. l tell you Warburton, realizing
where his escapade was about to lead him.
grew desperate. The ignominy of it, He
would be the laughing stock of all the town
on the morrow. The papers would TEEN
with it. you. findlthat you are making a
great mistake. If you will only take to
Scott Circle
Where ye have pal with gun. eh? Git
ahead!' And the two made off toward
the west.
Once or twice the officer found himself
admiring the easy seat of his prisoner
and If the horse had been anything but a
trained animal he would have worried some
regarding the ultimate arrival at the third
precinct
Half a dozen times Warburton was of
mind to make bolt for it. but he did not
| dare trust the horse or his knowledge of
the streets. He had already two counts
against him. disorderly conduct and alb
duct1on. and he had no desire to add
useiessly a third. that of resisting an Of
f1cer which seems the greatest possible
crime man can commit and escape hang
| ing Oh. for mettlesome nag! There
would be no police station for him then
FoIlce station! Heavens, what should he
do? His brother. his sister: their dismay
their shame: not counting that he himself
would be laughed at from one end of the
continent to the other. What an ass he had
money 1t would take to clear himself and
at the same moment recollected that he
hadn't cent in his clothes A sweat of
terror moistened his brow.
What were ye up to. anyway" asked
the policeman. What kind of booze have
ye been samplin?'
I've nothing to say"
1e speak clear enough. So much tn
worse. II We amt drunk. Was ye crazy t
ride like that? Ye might have killed tn
women an had a bill of manslaughter
brought against ye."
Il have nothing to say; it is all mis-
take got the wrong number and the
wrong carriage"
''Th devil ye did. An where was We
goin' t drive tn other carriage at that
thunderin rate? 1t won't wash. His
honor'll be stone deaf when ye tell him
that. You're drunk or have been"
Not tonight
We'll, I'd give night off t know what
ye were up to. Don't We know nothin'
about ordinances an laws? An 1 wouldn't
mind havin' ye tell me why We threw yer
arms around TIL lady an kissed her
shrewdly.
Warburton started in his saddle. He had
forgotten all about that part of the episode.
His blood warmed suddenly and his cheeks
burned. He had kissed her. kissed her
soundly, too the most radiantiy beautiful
woman in all the world. Why come to
think of it, it was easily worth a night in
jail. Yes by George, he had kissed her.
kissed that blooming cheek, and but for
this policeman, would have forgotten,
Whatever happened to him. she wouldn't
forget in a hurry. He laughed. The police
man gazed at him in panied surprise.
We'll. ye seem t take it good an hearty"
IF you could only see the humor in it, my
friend, you'd laugh, too
'Oh. 1 would, hey? All I got t say is
that yer nerve gifts me- An We stand
pretty tor good or show nc +s Of beia rounded
Well, we've had yer joke; mebbe we have
tn price t pay tn fiddler. Turn here"
- The rest Of the ride was in silence, War
burton gazing callously ahead. and the Of
ficer watching him with q wary eye to OBJ
serve any suggestive movement. He couldn't
make out this chap. There was something
wrong, some deep-dyed villainy-of this he
hadn't the slightest doubt. 1t was them
heightened swells that was the craftiest
an most daring. Handsome is that hand
some does A quarter of an hour later
our jehu was registered for the night UNI
der the name of James Osborne. He was
hustled into small cell and left to him
self
He had kissed her! Glory of glories!
He had pressed her to his very heart be-
sides After all, they couldn't do any
thing very serious to him. They could not
prove the charge of abduction He stretch
ed himself on the cot. smiled, arranged his
legs comfortably. wondered what she was
thinking of at this moment and fell asleep.
1t was sign of a good constitution and
decently white conscience. And thus they
found him in the morning. They touched
his arm, and he awoke with a smile, the
truest indication of a mans amiability. At
first he was puzzled he looked blink
ingly from his jailers to his surroundings
and then back at his jailers. Then it all
returned to him, and he laughed. Now,
the law. as represented and upheld by it's
petty officers, possesses dignity that is
instantly ruffled by the sound of laughter
from a prisoner. and Mr. Robert was
roughly told to shut up. and that he'd soon
laugh on the other side of his mouth.
''All right. officers. all right; only make
allowances for man who sees the funny
side of things" Warburton stood up and
shook himself and picked up his white hat.
They eyed him intelligently. In the morn
ing light the young fellow didn't appear to
be such a rascal 1t was plainly evident