The Washington times., 1916-01-11


To Jake the sight of money was
bone to starving dog. lie wavereL
Then
"Oh. take it, you swine"' he growled.
tossing the brooch down upon Eagan's
iita,ther,aproned ,,,. lap; Take It, nope
Sam peeled two greasy ten-dollar bills
from the roll. handed them to Jake ana
put the rest of the money back in MS
pocket. He picked up the brooch. ~
he did so. Tom Dunn slipped hnrricdiy
INTO the shop.
Max Lamar-fy COP" he rcportsd'
nished save for big and dog-earcd CAL
numbers on the houses"
Gee" babbled Jake, hell spot me,
dead sure! He's"
out the back way" ordered Sam.
The lookout caught the shaking JAKE
by the arm and hustled him toward the
back of the shop; to place where the
blank surface of the wall was broken by
several shelves on which stood sparse
array of shoe boxes.
Dunn thrust his hand in among these
boxes. Instantly, a section of the wall
shelves and a!l--opened outward, re-
vesling a passa geway behind. Throush
this opening Dunn showed the panic
stricken Jake. closing the thick secret
| door behind them.
Jake and his conductor foand them
sci, es in dim-iit inner room. 'lntur-
nished save for big an dog-eared cal
| broken packing box below IT. Dunn
pushed violently at a slab in the Clipped
plaster Of the adjacent wall. The Dlas-
ter gave back at his push. a door,
way, perhaps three feet high and
twenty inches or less in width. took the
place of the seemingly solid plastering:
| Through this hole. closing 1t behind
| thcm. the two wriSgled; out into the
yard beyond: and thence through the
rickety gate to the alleyway.
~ IT,, Il, ,ta al, i,
ing Sam Eagan saw a long shadow fall
| athwart the street threshold and hesl-
| tate there for an instant.
No time was to be lost. Sam slipped
| the brooch back into the hollow or the
shoe-heel: and. with two deft blows Of
| the hammer. nailed the heel into place
on its shoe.
He was driving the second nail when
| Max Lamar sauntered into the shop.
Max glanced down approvingly at the
| busy old fellow tacking worn heel on
] to a worthless shoe. 1t was a picture
| of poverty tinged by honest toll. sam
| looked UP inuuirinSly and for the frst
time beheld his visitor. His Jolly old
! face broke into an expansive and
warmly cordial smile. Tossing aside the
shoe on which he had been working. he
| rose clumsily to greet his visitor.
well, well. Mr.. Lamar he cried
| iovially, holding out an enormous hand.
This is an honor I wasn't a-lookinR for.
Sit down. You'll find that bench clean.
I -, Nk. / try to keep things as tidy
as l can. This is like old times seeing
! Thanks" said Lamar; seating himself
on the shiny bench and taking out his
cigarette case. ITS good to see you SO
nicely fixed here. Sam. And it's good
That's right. SIR" chimed in Easan,
with a big laugh of genuine amuse-
ment. why. l can remember the day
| x,l,a y in II
| IL you came in sight Lord. but it's
worth while not to be scared stiff every
time a detective happens round"
I'm not detective demurred Max.
, arette?"
I Thanks. sir. no. I don't go in for
style. I'll just take breather with
this old pipe of mine instead-if you
Pretty snug quarters YOU have here. y
commented Max. accepting the lighted
match t!. IT. hBusiness Sf% GEod;", .,r,.n rhrss
| get dull. And then after a while they
get duller again. But I'm helped along.
| Miss Travis set me up here. you know
Gawd bless her pretty face!-and she
paid my first months rent Every now
getting on-like you've done today. sir
and if trades bad, she bives me a
little something toward the rent. If 1t
wasn't for her. I'd a begged down be-
| fore now. But I keep at 1t. l keep at
it, And it's better'n a cell in the pen.
She's taught me that the square llfe's
the only life. She's an angel. that
young lady is. That's what she is. An
angel. Gawd bless herr
There was sanctomonous lilt in
| the old blackguards tone that, to Max
Lamars trained ears. rang as false
as leaden half-dollar. He looked
keenly into the benevolently smiling
face, half minded to voice his suspi-
ex-convict should be making free with
June Travis name. Abruptly Max came
to the object of his visit,
"Eagan," he said. i've called around
here this morning to see If can get
! some information from you"
| Certainly, Mr.. Lamar" said Sam,
unctuously. "Tll be glad to tell you
all about the rise of shoe leather prices
or the neighbors that are good pay or
bad pay, or how my rhuematism aches
the information I've got In stock now
adays. If you're looking for some OF
the crowd I used to travel with-why.
| I'll tell you, flat. don't know anything
brace me on the street when first got
out. But as soon as they found Id
| turned square,
Save the pious sentiments. Eagan.'
interposed Lamar. Sometime. on
the ninth day of the week. I'll call
and listen to your edifying expert
ences as a reformed sinner. Just
| now I'm too busy. 7 can set your mind
| at rest. too. I'm not trailing any of
| your friends who haven't been so
| lucky as to reform. SO you won't be
| called on to squeal. I'm here on an
other kind of errand. The informa
| tion I'm looking for from you is on
a point in ancient history. I want to
talk with you'about Circle Jim Bor-
| den"
"Old Circle Jimr" exclaimed Sam.
| "Why, Jim's dead. Too dead to skin
| You know that, Mr.. Lamar. The news
papers said you was there when
Yes. was in at the death admitted
| Lamar. But it's about "Circle Jim
| that | want to talk about with you,
just the same. Nothing you can say
can do him any hurt. now. So you
| can speak freely"
IF it's about any. Of the jobs he
| was OH" hesitated Sam.
1T isn't" Lamar assured him. IT. 5
| about his family history"
| oh" said Eagan, relieved.
You and he were pretty close
friends, weren't you?"
ME and jim? Yes. Good friends
for more years than you'd know how
to remember" replied Sam; adding
musingly: Poor old Jim. He was q
queer guy. But he was a good stanch
pal. at that. and a white man in a lot
of ways. With all his sins"