The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1912-09-19

the last few minutes, Mr.. Kelly"
Kelly laughed spontaneously.
You've had a close call all right"
said he. Want something to brace
you? can send right upstairs and
get you anything you like. No? That's
all right. If you are on the water
wagon, but you've been through some
nerve-shaking stuff, and you need q
little inv%igorator. Tell you what
I'll have some coffee and some good
thick steaks brought down here; we
can eat on this table, and | can tell
you the whole story without any rub
bernecks horning in"
There was no chance to decline the
hospitality of Mr.. Kelly. even If the
boys had wished to refuse. They had
no desire to refuse his friendly
profers. for that matter-both OF
them, with the danger past. found
themselves unstrung and shaky. The
Italians offer of coffee and steaks ap-
pealed at once, and it was only a
few minutes before the Jewish youth
superintendent the setting of the table.
Did you e the Jap gent on his
"ay?' querfed Mr.. Kelly, as the coffee
pot was borne in. .
Il sure did that" grinned the He.
brew. He wanted to stop and argue
at the street door, but l give him the
c1rcus-hand and out he went, still cat.
calling. He's one sore guy, and we'll
nave to watch out for his smoke ii we
amt careful"
He'll never come back" said MI.
Kelly. mot round here, anyways, but
got a notion he'll try to get to you
fellows while you are on your errand.
Keep your lamps open, and don't for.
get to lock up the back door nights
Five young men Of excellent ap.
pet1tes fell earnestly upon the steaks
and coffee, and the hospitable Mr.. Kel.
~ seemed delighted at the enthusiasm
shown by his guests. There was no
discussion of any special subject while
the meal was in progress, but when
the feast was finished MI. Kelly, light
ing up a cigarette, began his work OF
explanation.
I'll tell you fellows all about it,
every line from the start to now. and
know you won't let 1t go any further.
It's like this: I'm in the backroom of
my cafe. upstairs here. when this
Japanese duck comes in-oh, along
about an hour before you made the
acquaintance of the place. He intro.
duces himself as Mr.. Yazimoto, and
asked me If l could turn a trick
said he had read about my reputa-
ton in a magazine. If l ever catch
the stiff that wrote it, him and me
Will go to the floor, for it's made me
a lot of trouble-still. it made me
some easy kale this evening, SO !
oughtn't to get sore about it.
Anyway. Mr.. Yazimoto tells me
that two crooks. with a lot of stuff
that they'd stolen from the Japanese
embassy at Washington, would be in
Doyers street before long, and that
he'd make it worth good money to
snare EN-. See the frame-up? He ar.
ranged for the mob scene. Those
Chinks were all Japs in Chinese
clothes. OF course, l don't know how
he was wise that you two would be
along SO soon. or how he knew you'd
be In Doyers street at ALL"
THAT gets me-" exclaimed Brockett.
How on earth could Yazimoto know
where We would be, or at what time?
And even If he had managed to cling
on our track, how could he be posted
far enough ahead to have things ready
for u reception"
Got to give it to those yellow
mokes." said Mr.. Kelly. They are a
long ways wiser than we give 'em
credit for. and they can do things that
we can't even understand. One time
l knew a party-well, I'll tell you that
n some other time. Too busy now.
Anyhow, this Yazimoto man frames up
the whole deal. The Chink riot would
force you over towards my door; I'D
call you in to get out of the smoke,
and then we'd have YOU"
"You had us, all right" admitted
Solano. But what was to be done
with us after the Jap got all he want
ed?"
w., SAoS was OIL uuuS1 0lOOu, x
| planned Mr.. Kelly. After you had
given him all he was after. you would
both be put in a piano box-it's up-
stairs now. Along in the morning the
piano box would be taken out, loaded
on a wagon, carried to a vacant lot
over on the west side, and dumped
there. In an hour or so you'd be able
to wriggle out, and there you'd be,
with Yazzy's money in your clothes
he'd have played square on the dough
and a story to tell that would sound
like the SWEETEST kind of a pipe-dream.
He meant we'll by you-didn't want to
have you hurt If it could be helped,
and intended to slip you the ten thou
sand, according to his word"
Tell us, Mr.. Kelly" asked Solano-
"how did you come to change your
mind?"
The Italian smoked half a cigarette
before he %vouchsafed reply.
This is the first time" said Mr..
Kelly, that l ever double-crossed any
body. If l give my word, that settles
it. A mutt that double-crosses people
that trust him won't get far in his
world, and I've played straight. BE-
sides, this seemed easy money for a
job where l couldn't fall-wouldn't
even have to hire a lawyer to look u