The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-01-11

To jake the sight OF money was
bone to a starving dog lie waverel'
Then
"oh. take Il, you swihe." he growled,
tossing the brooch down upon Eagan's
leather-aproned lap, Take II. hope
II lands you In tho penV'
sam peeled two greasy ten-donar bills
from the roll handed them to Jake and
put the rest OF the money back In bis
pocket. He picked up the brooch. ~
he did so, Tom Dunn slipped hurricdiy
INTO the shop.
Max Earnar--fiy COP" he reported.
nished save for big and ,dog-eafcu cal
numbers on the houses"
Gee" babhled Jake. hell spot me-
deed 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 a sparse
array of shoe boxes.
Dunn thrust his hand In among these
boxes. Instantly, a section or the wall
shelves and all-opened outward, re-
vesiing a passa geway behind. Through
this opening. Dunn showed the panic.
stricken Jake. closing the thick secret
door behind them.
selN es in q dim-lit inner room, nntur-
nished save for a big an dOg-eared cal-
endar that hung on one wall, and
broken packing box below IT, Dunn
pushed violently at slab IN the Clipped
plaster OF the adjacent wall. The plas-
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 plasterlng:
Through this hole, closing IL oea.na
thcm. the two wriggled; out into the.
yard beyond: and thence through the
rickety gate to the alleyway.
Meantime. left alone In his shop. Smii.
ing Sam Eagan saw long shadow fall
athwart the street threshold ana hesi-
tate there for an instant.
No time was TO be lost. Sam slipped
| the brooch back into the hollow OF 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 lacking worn heel on
of poverty tinged by honest toll. Sam
/ looked up inquirinRly and for the first
time beheld his visitor. His jolly old
/ face broke into an expansive ana
/ 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
| ioviallX holding out an enormous hand.
/ 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
l you again"
! on the shiny bench and taking out his
| cigarette case. Its good to see you so
nicely fixed here. Sam. And it's good
to see you aren't scared at sight
| Of"
That's right. SIR" chimed in EaEan,
with a big laugh of genuine amuse-
| ment why. / can remember the day
when I'd a run a-screechin' up tree
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,
Pm a crime specialist. Have a Gig
arette?
style. I'll just take breather with
this old pipe of mine instead-if you
don't mind. Have light. sir?".
Pretty snug quarters you have here.
Parrish, sir. Only fairish. Things
get dull. And then after a while they
i get duller again. But I'm helped along.
Miss Travis set me up here, you know
iGawd bless her pretty face!-and she
paid my first months rent. Every now
and then she drops In to see how I'm
| getting on-like you've done today, sir
land If trades bad, she Dives me a
wasn't for her. I'd a begged down be-
fore now. But keep at 1t. keep at
II. And it's bettern a cell in the pen.
She's taught me that the square LIES
young lady is. That's what she is. An
angel. Gawd bless hertz
There was a sanctomonious Tilt in
the old blackguard's tone that, to Max
Lamar's trained ears, rang as false
as a leaden half-dollar. He looked
keenly into the benevolently smiling
face, half minded to voice his suspi-
cions. 1t vexed him that this canting
ex-convict should be making free with
June Travis name. Abruptly Max came
to the object of his visit,
i "Eagan," he said, i've called around
here this morning to see II 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
me in wet weather. But that's about all
the information I've got In stock now
adays. II you're looking for some OF
the crowd used to travel with-why.
I'll tell you, flat, don't know anything
about 'em. One or two OF 'em used to
brace me on the street when first got
out. But as soon as they found I'd
Save the pious sentiments. Eagan,"
interposed Lamar. Sometime, on
the ninth day of the week, I'll call
and listen to your edifying expert
| ClCGS dH EGIOTHlGu
now I'm too busy. I can set your mind
at rest, too. I'm not trailing any OF
your friends who haven't heen 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
point in ancient history. ] want to
talk with YOU about Circle Jim Bor-
dem"
"old Circle Jimp" exclaimed Sam
I''Why, Jims dead. Too dead to skin
You know that, Mr.. Lamar. The news
papers said you was there when
| he"
Eyes. was in at the death" admitted
Lamar. But it's about "Circle Jim
that l 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 ht
was on" hesitated Sam.
ut isn't" Lamar assured him. TITS
about his family history"
oh" said 1agan, relieved
You and he were pretty close
friends, weren't your"
me and Jim? Yes. Good friends
for more years than you'd know how
to remember" replied Sam; adding
musingly; "PooF old jim! He was {
queer guy. But he was a good stanct
pal, at that, and q white man in 10
of ways. With all his sins"
~ L.