South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-06-20
A Poker Chip and a Parrot
By Robert Carlton Brown

"~N@Nf ANaa AAAo 4 a.
or. but could not win his way 70
Poe. who vas struggling against two
men Ia an effort 70 regain his feet
and help hold the Frog.
The dOOr-keeper and three "boun-
GERS from below dashed up, final
is ecured wrestling grips on the
Frogs slippery. skiu-creeping limbs
aud az last manased 10 wrest the
murderous razor from his hand.
iioor him fast and keep him down.
The proprietor had been sum
mOned from his f~avorite cafe across
the street and oy the time he ar
rived on the scene the Frog was
down and order was being restored
My Gawdi' he yelled. taking in
the Of tho trouble in a flash.
Is the Frog loose again? Who
worked him up2 WHAT'S the mat
teri Who in" The proprietor
was ~straining toward the climax of
Z towering rage when Poe caught his
arm firmly and spoke low in his
ear, telling him hal the Human
Frog had murdered the Waterman
at the Manhattan National and that
@N- fHAAANNA ~ So AAAAA VAk Vi "a
[ place as soon IS possible.
The owner turned and slared at
Poe. cutting him OF / n the middle
OF his sentence with. Where's your
proof hat Frogs u murderer"
"Here.' said Poe cOolly, stepping
back out OF range of the proprietor's
whisky breath, taking from his out
side pocket the glass coated thumb
and dropping it into the gamblers
pink palm.
ouch, Damn it," the owner
dropped the thumb like i red hot
coal. "What're you tryin' 10 do
This amt your house; What in
hells got into you. Hardy? You
amt turned stool-pigeon p" The
veins in his neck sWelled malignant.
~ and ne glared down at tile thumb
which lay AT his feet, his SAFE hX-
ing or it in horrible fascination.
But what does that prove any
way?" he clustered in an effort 10
recover his doughty dignity as d
man with better nerves and con-
science picked UP the hideous ex-
/ hibit and displayed it on his palm
Remove the glove from his left
hand you'll see-but he careful ne
doesn't bite YOU" replied Poe.
pointing TO the Human Frog, A
/, trihe spent. but still managing oc-
c%asionally with a sinuous twist TO
loosen the hold of one of the eight
strong arms that held him.
A fresh night followed. The Frogs
loose flesh began TO creep across his
bones again as he cOiled and buck
led like d frantic venOmouS reptile,
the whole slippery length OF him.
They were unable 10 remove the
glove until the doubty little owner
stepped over and delivered d deli
berate, sense-snulfIng kick cold
/ bloodedly with his heavy heel, di-
rectly in the fear-frozen face of the
Human Frog. While the poor devil
was recovering they snatched off his
glove and exposed a big bandage n
place of a thumb. The proprietor
ripped that off with a brutal jerk
r and disclosed an unsightly wound.
freshly dressed.
5 It's his thumb all right" agreed
+ the gambler h~esitantly. But how
5 does hat prove he did for the Man
/ haitian National Waterman this
morning. 1 read that the watch
2 man lost a thumb, too. What's the
, DOPE"
3 Poe took the proprietor aside and
with a shrewd wink explained
quickly. in order TO maintain his
character as Hardy, spender and
5 sport. I'm doing this TO keep my
e stand in with one OF the Manhat-
p Il - lg--~AA-- go. D.. H. -.
S is, queer guy, doped out this theory
about the Frog an sent me Over 10
- get the Frog out of here without
, making n trouble, see!"
g Are you on the level, Hardy 90
e asked the pufy proprietor suspi-
ciously.
r III give you the straight Of il as
I that friend Of mine doped it," SAID
e Poe convinciBgly. He said from
the first nobody but a regular eel
q like Frog here could wrisgle
through a little window in the bank
he found the glass cut out of. I
; was there when ne climbed a lad
der, rubbed his myers over the sill
OF the window and found little
. threads where the rope had rubbed.
i He said Frog used two ropes. one
4; tied high up on the hre-escape next
door. which he used 20 swing back
TO the theater on and the other TO
hold the grating and glass in place
and give him something TO hold on
the while he slipped down 10 set
summers. who was probably half
asleep Poe spoke in the character
of Hardy with such vigor that the
j proprietor drew hum into a chair
{ and leaned close in intense interest.
This director found the watch
mans ticker gone and marks as
q though he'd been tied Up. The
Frog went 20 work and opened the
d vault door with the key and com0i-
nation which ne had bought from a
< friend, as / Just found pat by lead
ing him on with "a pipe story at the
table here. There was one OF the
new whirliug safes inside that vault