The Huttig news., 1909-02-06

to see yer fren, yeh better get wiggle on. He won't last long"
 Who? Zimmerman? What the deuce do you mean?''
 Hes the feller I plugged in the elevator, that's all. Put hole through his lungs They took him into an of flee on the twenty.first floor, right opp'site the shaft"
 "But what in Heavens name has he to do with this ghastly mess?"
 Hickey turned shrewd eye upon Maitland q guess he can tell yeh better'n me"
 With smethered exclamation, Maitland hurried away, still ineredu- lous and impressed with a belief, firm CT with every minute, that the wound ed man had been wrongly identified.
 He found him as Hickey had said he would, sobbing out his life. supine upon the couch of an office which the janitor had opened to afford him a place to die in. Maitland had to force way through crowded doorway, where the night-watchman was hold ing forth in aggrieved incoherence on the cruel treatment he had suffered at the hands of the law-breakers A phrase came to Maitland's ears as he shouldered through the group.
 grabbed me an trun me outer the cage, inter the hall, an then the shootin' begins, an jumps down. stairs t the sixteent floor ''
 Zimmerman opened dull eyes as Maitland entered and smiled faintly.
 "Ah-h, Maitland" he gasped: thought you'd come"
 Hacked with sorrow. nothing guess ing of the career that had brought the lawyer to this pass. Maitland slipped into a chair by the head of the couch and closed his hand over Bannerman's chubby, icy fingers.
 Poor. poor old chap," he said. brokenly. How in Heaven"
 But at Rannerman's look the words died on his lips. The lawyer moved restlessly. Don't pity me-, he said in a low tone This is what I might have expected I suppose man of Anisty's stamp des- perate character .. iIs all right. Dan. my just due. :"
 q don't understand, of course" fal- tered Maitland.
 Zimmerman lay still moment. then continued: T know you don't That's why 1 sent for you Member that night at the Primordial? When the deuce was it? can't think straight long at tine That night I dined with you and touched you up about the jew els? We had bully salad, you know, and spoke about the Graeme affair. .
 Yes, yes.'
 Well I've been up to that game for years. I'd find out where the plunder was. and Anisty al ways divided square. I used to advise him. Of ce sse yoy. won't understand--you've nev 1T want ed for a dollar in your life .
 Maitland said nothing But his hand remained upon the dying mani-
 This would never have happened If Anisty hadn't been impa- uent. Hs was hard to handle, some times. l wasn't sure, you know. about the jewels; I only said I thought they were at Greenfields Then I under took to find out from you, but he was restive, and without saying anything to me went down to Greenfields on his own hook-just to have look around, he said. And so so the fat was in the fire
 Don't talk any more, Bannerman,' Maitland tried to soothe him. You'll pull through this all right and You need never have gone to such lengths. If you'd come to me-
 The ghost of a sardonic smile fitted. incongruously, across the dying mans waxen, cherubic features.
 "Oh. he'll he said; you wouldn't understand. Perhaps you weren't born with the right crook in your nature or the wrong one. Perhaps it's be- cause you can't see the fun in playing the game. It's that that counts
 He compressed his lips, and after a moment spoke again. You never did have the true sportsman's love of the 6diut TUT ItS OWH Sdh6. IOu Te lke most of the rest of the crowd--Gontent with mighty cheap virtue, Dan. don't know that I'd choose just this kind of wind-up, but it's been fun while it lasted. Good-by old man"
 He did not speak again, but lay with closed eyes.
 Five minutes later Maitland rose and unclasped the cold fingers from about his own. With a heavy sigh he turned away.
 At the door Hickey was awaiting him. Yer lady" he said, as soon as they had drawn apart from the crowd, is waitin for yeh in the cab down stairs. She was gettin' a bit high steerical nd I thought I'd better get her away. Oh. she's waitin' all right" he added, alarmed by Malt. land s expression. But Maitland had left him abruptly: and now. as he ran down flight after echoing flight of marble stairs, there rested cold fear in his heart In the room he had just quilted. a man whom he had called friend and looked upon with affection ate regard. had died self-confessed and unrepentant liar and thief