Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1911-02-24

NdipnElllS.
You'd won out if 1t hadn't beer
| for that Cotton. who blew on you be-
cause you beat him out of dame"
Valentine turned and clutched him
by the arm.
"You rat. don't you ever speak OF
her again or I'll murder you" He
threw Red roughly away from him.
Now. get out of here and forget
! you know me-"
Good God. JIMMY" exclaimed the
other. II wouldn't say anything tic
hurt your feelings. Why. I'd do any
thing for you: Id done your bit If l
could have. Why. I'd go to h-l for
YOU"
Will you turn square with me!
| That's all want Of you now. Let's
you and start now and from this
minute on go square, if we starVe In
the streets Will you do that Red?
Valentine spoke in intense earnest
! ness.
| Red heSitated Zone job to get
stake and I'll go YOU" be said eager
| ly.
Valentine appreciated the character
istic unwillingnesS OF Red 10 leave his
! lifelong vocation-that of ritiing strong
boxes and safes deemed by their mHn
ufacturerS to be fire and burTia
| proof" True. the flames were some
| times f0ileG Ivy the thickneSSes Of met
| al and asbestos Hut rarely had Rei
Flanagan been foi,pd by mere inan'
mate metal or tir!r iockS-rarcly. III
| deed. when :ccef.Winied by No. rs?
| the man who. as Warden Handler De
sclibpd him. opened safes solely b.
the Se,:Sp of :uuch. Valentine kne"
| the ho:d that the unlawful life he
too had followed invariably secureG
on its vorarieS. and he WAS not sur
pris"d when Red hesitated To leave il
for the dubious rewards Of going
| straight
NO" answered Valentine: "nothn"
for me but work from now on-work.
honest work. hard manual labor Il
necessary. I've quit the old game for
keeps. Red
Red. plainly nonplused ii this revo
lutionary chance of heart in his for
| mer pal" stood speechless for mo
ment. Jimmy Valentine. the best man
in the country in his line, had turned
! square" Mercifu saints! Was the
| work! coming TO an end: AT last h'
recovered his ability TO talk.
| He had an inspiration that h
| though, might win Valentine over
might make him come 10 his senses.
What about the copperS?' suggest
ed Red are yon dippy enough 10
think they'd let you turn square?
YES Why not" rrlorted Valentine
like fash "WhH: have they got 70
do with honest men:
Again did Red find cause 70 actually
doubt the sanity of his eS-confederate.
for here he was overlooking entirely
in his childish reasoning the renorS"
less, dismal certainty THAT the detec
tiyes would force him 10 "peach" Oh
his old pals or any one else III the M
derworld OF whom he could obtain III
formation desired by the police. In
short, Valentine had overlooked the
stool pigeon game" the despair CT
every crook who had ever tried to &c
straight"
CAV, don't kid yourself" warned
Red. THE copper II let you be square
If you're Il stool pigeon. If you tip off
old pals No other way" &
Absurd! How, for instance, could
they do me?'
absurd, eh? What about Kid
Steele? He turned square, but HI"
wouldn't squeal. and job after job they
threw him cut OF till he was hungry
in the street Then Il copper offered
to stake him to IL feed if he'd turf
up an old pal And he murdered the
COP on the spot. and now he's doing
life. Turn square. eh? That means
be a stool or bum in our game"
Red raised his hands protestingly
and turned his face away from Naien-
tine.
"Reat the coppers." insisted the 9th
er. Get away where they can't find
you We can do that"
YES, we caa." Red again faced his
friend. Why, Doyle is in town to sec
you now"
Doyle here?" in alarm.
"Yes. met him when he got off
the RATHER He's going to give you
your orders, and you'll have to do as
he tells you if you turn square. He
knows you beat it. He was laying for
Avery when he came out and told
him to report once a month. And
what about Avery? You sent him to
me, and we've been at work on some
thing"
Where is Avery" asked Valentine
quickly.
Want to see him?"
yes; can explain better" valen-
tine crossed the parlor and peered
through the portieres.
Red went to the opposite doorway
and softly called, "Oh. Billw
Avery. dressed In a roughly cut
ready made slIi; Of clothes and look
Ing in much better health than he did
on the day he defied Detective Doyle
and finished bis term In Sing Sing
came slowly into the hotel parIor.
Hello. Bill. You're taking n
chance" greeted Valentine, and you
are, too. Red"