The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1915-10-15
"Try another JOLT Of old George C.
nnoza % ha tnuifad

| In downtown cafes, and one quick
glance had shown my eyes the "out OF
T, order" sign over his own typewriter.
1t took three big drinks of the fiery
stuff to take the chill from inside me
and bring back the old color to my
| cheeks.
Buck up" advised the friendly bar
man as / turned to leave. Don't get
any fool idea of missing yourself all
| UP with gun. T'morro's another
day"
Suicide! I'd never thought of that.
| Then the incongruity of considering
the taking of my own life and my
paralysis of fear at the thought Of the
| electric chair struck me. There would
be no self destruction. was too much
| OF coward! 1t was life l wanted;
| life at any cost.
The cost was to be two hundred
| thousand dollars to the father of the
girl I loved; two hundred thousand
dollars of the money entrusted to him
by the neighbors back home.
But life is sweet thing, made
lessness. ] must go on. I must play
the game for the man who was to
| turn me adrift when l had finished it.
/ must rob those l loved to pay the
| man hated above all men.
For an hour l walked the streets,
brown eyes of the girl. l was hungry
| for the last precious minutes with her,
| for that would be the only memory I'd
have as l strolled the gay boulevards
| Of Paris, spending the money l had
accumulated in my years of grating
and watching for simple American
tourists who would be my prey.
l came to subway station and hur-
| ried down. The sight of a news
stand made me curious to see what
new facts the papers had. The lit
| tie had read at Kennedy's was all
knew.
grabbed later edition of the
same lurid sheet and ran for the up
| town train. It was not until l was
safely seated that l opened in. My
| gloved hands frightened so they tore
the edges. and / drew in my breath
sharply.
In the center of the first page, pic.
tured in heavy black, were the thumb
and four finger-prints that had been
| photographed from the tray. Every
| line and curve was perfect; the black
hand seemed monstrous huge as II
stared from the surrounding white
ness of the three-column space. /
stared at it, and it required all my
will-power to keep my eyes from ny
own gloved hands that gripped the
pages.
"Startlingly vivid, isn't it," The
words of the man next to me brought
me to life. Had he noticed my agi.
tation and suspected the cause?
"Sure is" l muttered with we'll
assumed indifference when I'd sized
him up as the sort who talks to any
one who will listen.
"a murderer might just as well
leave his photo and address as that"
he continued. 1.-THE fellow who made
those prints certainly would have 10
have a cracker-jack alibi IL he wanted
to get off.
Alibi, The words Strengthened my
muddled senses with jolt. Why
hadn't | thought of it before? There
was still chance. Had Mike Gar
ven an alibi?
He must have had to go somewhere
to take that tray and give instruc-
tions to the man who did the actual
killing. He'd hardly have nerve
enough to let him come to the Office.
tured alibi! I'd been a fool with my
scnseless, childish fears!
/ jumped out as the train stopped
and ran from the station. The one
man who had helped me would do 1t
again. The fear of Mike Garven still
gripped me, and / was afraid to take
a chance myself But Kennedy could
find some one to do it.
I'd pay Heavens, how I'd pay!
Mike wouldn't suspect me this time
He couldn't have read my soul on the
DEVILS palm, because my terror had
been real. My soul would have shown
az much fear as my face-because Tc
forgotten my one chance!
I was shaking like leaf as his
voice came to me over the wire in the
first closed telephone booth l found.
But he cut me. off in the middle Of my
first eager sentence.
"I've felt the hand Of the divil.
Jimmy-boy," the words came to me.
and l could hear the sobbing break in
them. Hes towld me something that
not even my priest knows-Ill have
to swear that you left me to see Sliv-
ers O'Hagen-and how We came back.
Do what the divil says, Jimmy, an
may Heaven help ye!"
The telephone girls warning that
my three minutes were UP told me
that I still held the receiver In my
! hand 40 7 stared dumbly into the 81