The Press., 1917-03-08
nd smiled at the sight Of brass

9S s!NN w hePGS S the man that elOne Ilal
 inquired the officer eexcitedly. Don't you figure out that migh
 have had something to do with it?'
 said Soapy, not without sarcasm, bu
 friendly. as one greets good fortune.
 The policeman's mind refused to ac
 cept Soapy even as a clew. Men wh'
 sIaash windows do not remain to par .ey with the laws minions. They talk, to their heels. The policeman saw ;
 man halfway down the block running
 to- catch a car With drawn club h. joined in the pursuit. Soapy. with dis gust in his heart. loafed along. twice
 unsuco essful.
 On the opposite side of the street
 was restaurant of no great prcten I sions It catered to large appetites and modest purses. It's crOckery anC atmosphere were thick, It's soup and
 napery thin: Into this place Soapy
 took his accusive shoes and telltalC ] trousers without challenge. At a table
 he sat and consumed beefsteak, flap , jacks, doughnuts and pie. And then l to the waiter he betrayed the fact ! that the minutest coin and himself were strangers.
 'Now get busy and call a cop," said SOapy, ''and don't keep a gentleman waiting"
 No cop for youse," said the waiter with voice like butter cakes and an
 eye like the cherry in a Manhattan cocktail Hey Con-
 Neatly upon his left ear on the cal
 lous pavement two walters pitched ! Soapy. He arose, joint by joint, as a ! carpenters rule opens, and beat the 1 dust from his clothes. Arrest seemed but a rosy dream. The island seem l ed very far away A policeman who stood before drug store two doors | away laughed and walked down the street.
 Five blocks Soapy travelled before his courage permitted him to woo cap ture again. This time the opportunity presented what he fatuOusly termed
 to himself ''cinch. A young wOm an of a modest and pleasing guise was
 standing before a show window gag | in" with sprightly interest at it's dis play of shaving mugs and inkstandS
 and two yards from the winGCW a i large policeman of severe dempannl leaned against a water plug. lI was Soapy's design to assume tn role of the despicable and eXecratcd | ''nEtsher." The refined and elegant ap
 poaran"e Of his victim and the conli | gt:l,' Cf the conscientious cop encour
 aged him to believe that he wnuli1 soon feel the pleasant official clut l.
 upon h::s arm that would Insure hi> Wnter quarters on the right little tight Title isle,
 Soapy strengthened the lady mission arYS ready made tie, dragged his ' shrinking Cuffs into the open, set his , hat at a killing cant and s:dIed to. Wa.d the young woman. He made [ eyes at her, was taken with S,LlCen coUyhs and mems" smiled, snaii',l d ana wen Drazenly through the mpu- cent and contemptibe litany of thc ii'maShe"." With half an eye Soapy saw that the policeman was watching him fiXedly. The young woman mOv- el away few steps and aga.H be st"Wed her absorbed attention upon the shaving mugs. Soapy followed hnldiy stepping to her side. raiSeI his hat and said
 '-\h, there, Bedelia! Don't you want to come and play i'll my yard?'
 The policeman was still looking The rcr>ecuted young woman had but t1 , bcckOn finger and SOapy would be practically ell route for his insular ha vcn. Already he imagined he coulI fee, tl" ccZy warmth of the station house. Tie young woman faced him and, stretching out a hand. caught Soapy'> cO;i sleeve.
 ''SSrrc, Mike" she said joyfully, If lOull blow me to pail of studs. I'd haNc spoke to you sooner. but the cop Was watching."
 With the young woman playing the tlinging ivy to his oak Soapy wake | past the policeman, overcome with @ioom. He seemed doomed to liberty At the next corner he shook off his c0mpanion and ran. He halted in th. district where by night are found the li@hteSt street. hearts, VOWS and H. brrttO&. Women in furs and men In srentcoats moved gayly in the wintrN air X sudden fear seized SOapy tha , some dreadful enchantment had lender cd him immune to arrest. The thought brought a little of panic upon it, and when he came upon another policeman iOEnging grandly in front of tran sp!crd dent theater he caught at the i'm mediate straw of ''disorlerly conduct. ''
 On the sidewalk Soapy began to yell drunken gibbelish at the top of his harsh voice. He danced, hOWled, raved and otherwise disturbed the welkin. :" The policeman twirlCd his club, turn ed his Lack tO Soapy and remarked tc Il citizen:
 lis cne of them Yale lads ccltlJl'at- in the goose egg they give to the Hart ford college. Noisy. but no harm We've instructions to Fave them be-
 DisconsOlate. Soapy ceased his un- availmg racket. Would never Tolice- man lay hands on him: In his fancy the island seemed an unattainabte Arcadia. He buttoned his thin coat against the chilling wind.
 In q cigar store he saw well dress ed man lighting a clSaf at swinging light. His silk umbrella he had set bS the door on entering. Soapy steppe inside, secured the umbrella and saun- tered off with 1t slowly. The man al the cigar light followed hastily.
 My umbrellaw he sai sternly.
 "Oh, is it?" sneered Soapy, adding insult to petit larceny. Well, why don't you call q policeman: took it Your umbrella! Why don't you call A cop? There stands one Cn the cOlner.'
 The umbrella owner slowel his steps SOapy did likewise. with q preSenti ment that luck would run against him The policeman looked at the two curi Ously,
 "Of cOurse," said the umbrella ma: -"that .is-well, you know how these mistakes occur Tiff it's your um