The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1909-12-24
toward the door.
Joe returned to his typewriting.

| JUG returueu 10 us typeWfltlng.
Moran. however. having reached tn,
door. stopped, hesitated and turned
back. He approached Joe's desk
leaned over it and looked him straigh
In the eyes. The grim determination
of his face daunted Joe a little.
Here, you" said the old man sig
niicantly. 81 want to know something
and ! mean to find out. Where 1,
Jenny?"
Joe shifted his eyes from Moran's
face to the wall behind it ana wrlg
gled uneasily in his chair.
"Why-er"- he stammered.
Answer my question:" said the
other man, with ominous calm.
II don't know. Moran"
Il believe you are lying. You know
where she is and what she is. Mark
my words. l will find that girl. l will
find her. tell you"'
He continued to look at Joe in ST.
lence. with new determination In his
watery. wavering eyes. His fiabby
mouth was drawn In a tight line. Joe
was startled again, but again mas
tered himself. He looked back bold
ly. steadfastly, resolved to keep to
himself what he knew.
Moran's next action startled him still
more. The old man took his keys out
Of his pocket, unlocked the drawer,
took from 1t the revolver and slipped
1t into the pocket Of his overcoat.
Then he left the office without q
further word.
Joe got up and walked up and down
He was now deeply disturbed. far
more so than he would admit even to
himself This sudden demonstration
of frmness by the fabby. vacillating,
mouthing Moran-well. he did not like
1t. No man is so dangerous. he knew,
as a coward with gun when he
screws his cowardice up to the stick
ing point.
For whom was that revolver meant?
He cast about in his mind. but
could settle on no particular person.
Moran's hatreds were so all inclusive.
social and economic In the aggregate
rather than particular.
Or course John j. Haggleton was to
Moran the incarnation of all the evils
OF society, including the evil whose
victim Jenny was. But then John ].
was away on his yacht for three
months cruise. and Moran could not
reach him with pistol across the At
lantic ocean ut Gibraltar.
There were the police and the police
justices on their benches and the set
Element workers. whose social superior
ity Moran detested. He hated the car
of Russia and the president of the re-
public. He did not like Jackson. He
gun to sheer at Philip and his sudden
business activity. He was rude to
Margaret Lawrence. Jenny alone he
loved
Perhaps he hated Joe himself He
thought of the pistol again 1t might
be turned against himself. Joe stop
ped in his walk.
He remembered what he had heard
the leader of the gang he had deserted
in time say upon one occasion: "When
a man threatens you with gun, shoot
first. and do it quick But if you're
grab hold of his windpipe
and squeeze. No man who feels the
life being strangled out of him ever
has presence of mind enough left to
shoot. Instinct tells him to tear those
hands away from his throat-to get
air. to breathe. He'll drop his gun to
do IL before he'll fire"
Joe became calmer. He lighted q
cigarette. After all. what was he
about? Such nonsense! He
dismissed the subject from his mind.
Hes an awful bluff" he said, half
nloud. Hes wind anarchist! He
couldn't blow up red balloonv'
Moran had left the Office little be-
fore in the afternoon. He stood q
trying to decide what to do. |
1t was no use to return to the Office |
in his present state of mind. he con-
Guided. Moreover, they would close |
In an hour. He entered saloon and |
had drink. then took another and |
still another with couple Of men |
who, he discovered, were fomenting |
trouble among the hands Of the bakery |
combine.
He mechanically ate of the "free |
lunch" and emerged at o'clock to |
AXE up his hunt for his daughter.
He walk oil tho Rowerv from China