Evening star., 1914-01-06
THE EVENING STORY.
HABEAS CORPUS.
BY FRANK CoNDoN.

II was exactly five minutes after in
the morning when Billy Nawn sat upon
the edge of his three-quarter bed on
the top floor of Mrs. FIynns boarding
house In West a0th street He looked
about the darkened ballroom and grim
ned amiably.
1T amt daylight vet, he muttered.
but this has got to be done; it's some
thing that won't wait He struck a
match, lighted the gas and began to
dress.
He was in need of shave; in dressing
nurriedly his garments slipped on with
out any particular regard for exactitude,
and he omitted lacing his shoes. He went
out without his hat and walked east on
oth street until he came to 18th avenue.
In the pocket of his coat was a thick
blue envelope. hulging wide containing
numberless sheets of ruled paper
Vt o'clock on the following morning
Bily sat on bench in Madison Square
Park He ofened his eyes and gazed
about him in bewilderment On a bench
across the narrow asphalt walk sat a
uewsboy. his feet curled beneath him.
his papers by his side.
Hello. kid, said Billy che, fully.
What time is it,"
replied the molder of public opinion
Been hittin up old Kid Booze. amt
vou?'
''If you mean that I've been drinking
sponded. Il don't drink. infant. and
don't YOU drink. either. Where do you
get the funny dope?
'oh. nowhere: only I'VE been sittin'
here for an hour two listening to you
habble about sunny fields of clover and
running brooks and what a regular old
party your aunt was. | kept two cops
off by telln' EN- I'm your guardian, so
! ought TO get nickel out of it.
Billy placed his hand ON his head and
discovered the absence of hat; he glanced
at his clothing and felt no joy in the
process. Vaguely, the memories of the
night filtered through his numbed brain
and he sat up stiffiy on the bench. I'm
consciously ne laid his hand against his
chest and smiled as he touched the bulky
envelope.
Here's a quarter. kid he said ris-
ing to his feet. Il guess | must have had
a somewhat sneary night of it, but you're
wrong about the booze. 1t was over
work. merchant of the inky sheet Never
overwork. kid. because it will certainly
interfere with your nights Slumber.
Thanks for sliding the coFs along
He rose and started down the path.
Il wish it was booze the urchin So
.tioquized. because if it amt it's some
thing worse.
MIR. Nawn found that his hands twitched
as he walked and that occasionally his
eAin jerked back abruptly. He remer1-
hered leaving the office at : o'clock the
evening before. He had eaten lightly and
had sat for while on the front steps
talking TO Mrs. Flynn. Then he had
gone TO bed. Why he had wandered out
Of the house half clad to the park on
Fifth avenue was beyond his understand
For six weeks he had toiled despera te-
~ Ills immediate superior in the book
keepinS department had come to him with
an important detail and when he had be-
gun the special work selected for him he
had not understood it. His company was
iar@" one. Its president was Maurice
NHscheim. There We're vice presidents.
secretaries. boards of directors auditing
experts. annual meetings and treasurcrs
reports. IN annual meeting Of the direct
in- board was at hand and among other
things expected was a yearly report. Ac.
curateiN shown. the report would have
rns'dc it apparent that Mr.. Muscheim had
taken the companys money and had lost
1t IN a silver mine in Arizona.
Instead of having a S9Hgo balance the
company was S!o.OU to the south of moth
ing. and in order to avoid irritating an
anxious board Mr.. Muscheim had spoken
10 Craig. Craig was the head book
keeper
Il can put Nswn on the books. Craig
remarked. Hes wizard with a stub
pen.''
DO 1t. said Muscheim You've been
bleeding me for six years and this will
simply add to your assets. If ! can get
years lceway. | can pull the thing
through
Billy Nawn tackled he job immediately
II dawned upon him after three days'
work that what he was doing wore no
halo.
What's the difference he murnlured.
They're trying to sting him and he's
succeeded i'll singing them
apparently he owns all the bees there
are.
Then came six weeks OF the kind of
work that brings the black lines under
mans eyes and the no lows in his cheeks
Night after night Billy came home to
the boarding house pale and shaky.
He fought with trial balances. credit
ratings bills payable. rebates and dis
counts. reserve funds. current liza bilties
cash balances and outstanding liabilities
until the universe took on the appearance
Of vast ledger.
I'm sapping all the juice out of my
poor little mind for what? For s2s a
eek and man I've never laid eyes on
lie dimes at Del's on terrapin and wine
a;.d ] cut into the goulash a la Flynn
,la knows that somebody is working
twelve hours a day TO fix up a phoney
set of papers and save him from iaiI
when the board of directors gets togeth-
er- All he wants is a fake summary of