The Washington times., 1906-09-23

utcs had been fuTtiyely watching hln'
appeared 10 be an Italian. lie was
Targed crooked backed fellow. delFlhs
with am iron hook into several reIuse
barrels near an alley DO one OF the
hack streets of the banking district
and occasionally thTusting handful OK
RAGS or a biz of old junk into huge
burlap bag hung over his p""eu
shoulders.
The ragpickcr looked up with semi
subdued snarL
Me no moyaT' he resent'uIly NUT
tered. You bigga no good, you teilA
me nova on!'
DRY up. YOU dog. and get OUT,
Coleman sternlv retOrJed. not liking
the fellows looks. Move lively. too.
or I'll run you in
The raspicker's dingy face 'ook on
a curious Ieer and he now rejoined
I'm a whisper, so incisive that It seem
ed fairly TO cut its way through his
matted beard:
Instead. Jimmie run into my Office
n little later. and III make you wise
% NV game"
Coleman could have been foored with
a feather. He stared briefly at the
speakers upturned. hansdog face, then
caught the subtle gIeam Of the keen.
gray ewes he thought he knew so well
'Perdiuon." he groWled- rs II you.
FeliX2 What the devil
Careful" whispered Mt Felix Boyd.
"see me later. Jimmie"
Even while DE spoke he worked the
huge burlap bag squarely upon his
back. then shambled slowly away
crooked and unsteady with his un-
kemrt head shaken as II with palsy,
and so he presently disappeared around
The nearest corner
Elvd laughed in quiet way, when
Coleman dropped into his Pine street
office some hours later, and at once
inquired about the unusual episode.
Going 90 run me IN. were you,
Jimmle2' said he with Quizzicai
light ia his keen. expressive eyes.
you need a pair OF dOuble-convex
glasses. old man
"Cut that out" growled Cole
man. with a laugh. "A man would
need an x-ray, along with the
glasses. 10 penetrate some OF your
Internally artistic make-ups- In what
sort of a game are you now engaged p
"A c1uuter-game, Jimmie. said
BOYD. more gravely. Il want 20 keep
nv head on my shoulders, even ad-
hitting it 20 be a cabbage head"
."rhe dickens, Has Il come 70 that
pass2"
Nothing less" replied Boyd, with
nod. Sit down and III tell you about
fl. There are parties cut after my
peIt after IL iu dead earnest, yet I
don't mean 10 let them get IT, sulL
the racket has been bit strenuous or
late. and no mistake. close calls are
coming early and OFTEN
"On the level, Felix?' demanded
Coleman. seriously.
MY statement IS on the level
Jimmie. if that's what YOU mean. Not
So. however. the several recent at
tempts to turn nv toes up. They were
far from the level Let's see, today
is Saturday. isn't it?'
Certainly
''Yes. OF course laughed Boyd.
rather grlmly "The fact IS, Jimmie,
I've been so deucedly occupied in look
ing after my head that 1 may have lost
INV reckoning
-Hamph! Not you, Felix Boyd,"
returned Coleman, dropping into
chair. Danger serves only TO sharpen
your wits. that Iu swear TO. What
about Saturday,
We'll Jimmie Saturdays little move
HASN'T been made yet, so I cannot tell
just what il may prove 10 be, re-
piled Boyd. wednesdays was rather
exhHar1uug. however"
'WLat was that?'
"Dh. merely an incident. AS I was
Iasr.ug the stone building on the cor
uer ot Bond street. just before dusk,
heard something sing by my ear
fFT lT
che wall 7 felt enough interest 10
warrant picking il up. and 1 found it
10 be a chunk Of lead"
Not a bullet" cried Coleman.
Nothing less" answered Boyd.
- bullet from an air-pistol. evidently,
since / had heard no report. My head
was the target, Jimmie, or the marks
man was "a deucedly bad shot I made
bluff at looking him up bu, such
miscreants cover themselves well
when taking such chances, and my
quest proved vain. 1t doesn't matter
much. however. since he missed me-"
Yer"
wait "a bit. Jimmie" smiled Boyd
oddly Late Thursday evening, while
crossing NTH avenue. / was struck
by am automobile and tossed some
twenty feet 20 the park wall The
chauffeur meant 10 do even better
than that and toss me into the here
after, hut luckily I had my eyes open
and saw him swerve suddenly IN my
direction lie was of and gone be-
fore I could gather up my agitated
remains
could you Identity"
Identify nothing" lnterposed Boyd
erImly. 81 had only time to see where
/ could land 20 the best advantage"
But"
'Walr once more, Jimmie On Fri
day morning. as I was passing near
the staging Of that building now be-
iag demolished on Forty-frst street,
a piece of blocking weighing about
hundred pounds fell down and struck
the pavement some eight inches be-
hind me. I looked up and saw-no-
body, 1t might have been an acci-
dent eh2'
'Not by a long chalk," cried Cole
uan, with much Indignation. Il
should say indeed that parties are
our afler your pclL Why, Boyd. this
Is outraseovs."
"Oh. uo; only a bit stimulating"
laughed Boyd. reaching for his pipe
''It serves 20 keep one alert. This
pluec-ng in a bran-ncw move against
q mans life each day is rather inter