The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-01-20


overtime 1t amt no use tryin' to leave,
thout the mazooma, an didn't pull buck
out 0 this job That's why I'm here.
He walked over 10 her in three catlike
strides, and stood there in the faint after
glow, looking hard at her, in his pale eyes 4
stern significance.
She answered his gaze helplessly.
That's why I'm here, he repeated.
But this amt no safer than the street,
Wil"
"Course it amt. Liz, how much YOU
got}"
Her eyes lightened. She bent forward,
and, rising, handed him crumpled roll of
dirty bills
He got the light upon them; counted them
rapidly, and then, with snort OF disgust,
thrust them into his pocket
Now gimme the rest" he commanded.
"That's all there is, VIII
Gimme the rest, he said again his eyes
narrowing and his empty grin growing wider.
The woman covered against the wall
Honest 10 God, Will, she quayered, IL
amt got another cent. 7" /
He smacked her smartly across the mouth>
"Then gn some" he said.
Liz buried her burning face in her hands,,
Fink shook her thin shoulders until her black
head bobbed grotesquely.
Hear what tell you?" hedemanded, with
aPhysical emphasis for every word. II want
iift, dollars. It's six O'Clock now; I'll be
back here at twelve, an, if you amt got it
tlen, III give you somethin' else that you'll
remember the rest O. your life"
With rapid twist, he spun her about andS
tossed her SO heavily into the chair that chair
ard woman clattered together to the floor.
But Fink never turned to examine how
much damage he had done. Instead, he
stepped to the fre-escape and descended
rapidly into the court below. Cautiously,
yet quickly, he hurried along its shadowy
side, and not until he turned into the mar
rowest alley that fed it did he pause to ad-
dress passer-by. Then he stopped before
ragged peaked-faced boy who, with head
elevated and bit OF lath extended before
him, was picking his progress in the opposite
direction.
The boy was noteven half the size of Cock
Eye Fink. He had sharp irregular features.
In his left hand he held tin cup containing
a jangling coin or two, and his wide-open
eyes were quite sightless
Hello, Fink" said the boy. He had
drawn away from the man, and if a,blind face
can express terror his face expressed it then.
"G'out o my road" replied Cock-Eye,
but he had paused directly in fnpnt Of the
boy and now, very deity, he extracted a
quarter from the tin cup without 50 much as
sound.
"Gimme back that quarter, VIII" whined
the boy.
Fink smiled.
How'd YOU know took 7" he.inquired.'
"Iknow yOu," explained the beggar
But Cock-Eye's face resumed its natural
stormy expression.
well, Butch, you know too damn'd
much,' he responded; an I'll Just keep
this to teach you manners" He stretched
out his sinewy hand and grabbed the boys
ear An another thing" he cautioned:
I've done a trick or two fer YOU, so just
you remember you amt heard peep about
me fer a week see"
He tweaked the ear and its,owner yelled
in pain.
"All right, all right, Will" he walled.
"Only le'me gol"
Fink pushed the boy aside, and proceeded
on his way, which lay'through other narrow
alleys and at last led him into the dark back
room OF the only saloon in New York where
he now dared trust his suddenly valuable
hide There, alone he sat him down, anc
began to spend an appreciable portion Of th'
bills which he had just acquired from Lii
and an amazing amount of thought which HI
had previously been screney unaware o
possessing at all.
Never before had Fink turned to liquo
when he was hard pressed b, the law, so tina
here was fair token that he now felt him
self very hard pressed indeed. And neve
before had he INDUCED in debauch of re
Election, whereby one may discern what wa
vet more sinister. Tie truth is that il wa
absolutely impossible for him successfully t
run away without good deal of money
that he did not want TO leave New Yorl
I anyhow, and that he had just interviews
the two persons who most bound him t
that city.
For Butch he felt something which in
" normal man, would more or less dimly hay
approached fondness. On more than
single occasion the boy had stood watch 10
y him in the midnight street while the ma
paid an unexpected visit to some hous
i where be was not wanted. The lads blind
ness served at such times as cloak OF inne
d ,ency and his quick wits and quicker ear
were ample safeguards Real kindness, 9
l. course, there was none, and blows had bee
The circulating medium in such payment a