Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1914-05-16

Wen just be sociable."
"Mebby you think them guns
won't know that we're after some
thing"
"All the better, so long as they
don't savvy what it is. Well be
mixers tonight"
"Hold on a minute" said Marine.
Suppose Shannon turned the swag
over to Crewe? Mebby he did. /
hadn't thought of that. Crewe
wasn't here last night, Shaughnessy,
SO mebby he was off somewheres
soakin' It away. Sure, if / thought
he had it, I'd pull his Joint this very
night, so would. Come on in"
They passed inside then. They had
remained for a moment before en-
tering beneath the oblong box sign
that struck straight out from the
building just above the doorway, and
upon which the words CREWE'S
could be read by a person approach
ing the place from either direction.
Had any of them ever taken the
trouble to notice it, they would have
discovered that the box sign was ap-
proximately the length, breadth, and
thickness Of a man. body.
But that fact had escaped the at
tention of the police as well as of
the patrons of the place, as it was
intended it should do, and Crewe, the
proprietor, had always remained
more or less of an unknown guam
tity to officialism and crookdom
alike.
But Crewe was "wise" concerning
the people he dealt with and catered
to, and and he was a student of hu-
man weaknesses. He knew that the
very last exchange of condolences
between persons to enter a room, or
building, always takes place as the
last thing before the door is opened,
hence the sign that stuck out over
the entrance to his resort-the sign
that was approximately the length,
breadth and thickness of a mantle
sign which was large enough to con-
tain his own person at times when
he wished to see and hear the APP
plause of any person.
Crewe knew, also, nearly to d
minute, what time the detectives
were due at his place on their night
ly rounds. When the three passed
inside and closed the door after
them, shutter slipped nOiselessly
into place along the bottom of the
box-shaped sign just over the place
where they had Taused while h old
erness asked Shaughnessy the ques-
lion about what he intended ID do
while he was inside.
Of the room soon. after the officers
entered it. He was in his shirt
sleeves. His never-absent headlight
diamond, vaguely described "as big
as a chunk of COAL" cleaned in his
immaculate shirt front. He was q
1.-the, graceful man on his feet, nor
over tall, and spare and sinewy.
A sumptuous shock of iron-gray
hair, rather long and pompadour,
surmounted a face that would have
been handsome but for an unfortu
nate blemish. One side of it was ut
naturally white and deathlikc pal
lCr, the opposite side of it was dis
figured to actual hideousness by a
repulsive, beaded, and knotted birth
mark that fuctuated in coloring
from unwholesome crimson to red
dish brown.
He greeted the three officers with
an Indifferent nod, and passed behind
the bar where he set out bottles and
glasses as if he already knew the ia
vorite tipple of each one. The oldest
patrons of the place had never
known Crewe to take a drink him
self.
II s'pose you know about the
Shadow Crewe?" Holderness asked
as he shot the settler into his whis
ky
eve know most things that hap
pen here" the proprietor replied in
differently. What gets me, though
is how did you bulls knew about it so
quick. Did Shannon have a wireless
between his room and headquarters
You blew in at the death-scene,
didn't you. Holdy?"
cav, that was an accident"
Shaughnessy spoke. "We'd decided
to send him away for his own good
on one of his old counts"
"How long before he died did you
see him, Crewe?" Marine asked
suspiciously.
1.-TWO or three days. All of that
or more"
81 heard he was in here two
nights ago." Shaughnessy ventured.
well, he wasn't. Whoever told
you that, lied"
Didn't you tell me, Holdy? 2"
Shaughnessy insisted.
THAT was three nights ago,
Shaughn. Let's sit down. Crewe,
bring your siphon along and join us.
Won oan och tba b,,pob Zoo TIL
blow" Holderness picked up his
glass preparatory to carrying it to
one of the tables.
Looking for information, are
you? ?" said Crewe, without smiling
and without moving. "Take it from
me, Holdy, you'll get it quicker if
you touch off the fuse at the start,
and let 'em see what kind of dope
you're trying to mix with the drinks
you're going to buy. We're all chill
dra,, bt1f xya CON cpoI1 ,pac i,,cf