South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-06-20
Concluded from Wednesdays
EditI0u.l

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"Iu 20 when 1 get damn good and
readv the dead-faced gambler
shouted 10 "a high-pitched tone.
sHatchinE his arm away and ainzinS
himself down again on the stool. his
treacherOus ace k1OtteI and glover
ing with passion.
40 one paid the slightest attention
% him otter that. The wheel rolled
on. Poe won and lost with the others
mostly lost, and turned his atteu-
zion 20 the man on the other side OF
him. a wobbly-chinCd youth. evi
IDENTIFY 20 fiat. pCsaOly a defaulting
clerk. surely a very lnjudicIous
player.
AT length P0es stock Of chips grew
very low, a waiter came 20 him with
a sandwich and a glass or beer. n
pushed back mis- stool and looked on
idly as ne ate mis- sandwich. chatting
meanwhile with tine young fellow
beside him. whom he finally advised
10 cease PLAYING for a fen minutes
until the run Of luck against him
should be over.
Picking az a 20 cent chip from his
stack Poe turned 20 the young fei-
low and remarked iu the ann
OF "A typical sporting man, a little
white chip just like this. with the
same three circles and ali. saved u
mans life once"
How was that asked the young
fellow. languidly interested.
The man I'm speaking of was a
sport began Poe, moving back
slightly 10 make sure hat the dead
faced man at his left could hear
quite plainly and slipping into the
v~ernacuiar easily. He started as
a boy turning hand-springs, crawl
ing through sewer pipes, wriggling
oGt OF s-traitjackets. bending his
head back TO pick a handkerchief
Oft the floor behind him and things
like that. He got so good he went
on the stage as a cOntOrtionist. -
The man at Poe's left shot a quick
glance from beneath his NANCY
iashes and tried 10 pretend he did
not hear.
Well" continued Poe, his sue
cess went TO his head. He won
$1,000 IN Texas in a Mexican lot
terry. He a a crazy sort of guy.
Booze got him. lie dropped down
TIL he was just a hanger-On behind
the scenes at a vaudeville house
where he used 10 act. and at a
couple of gambling dumps where he
got d chance once in a while TO make
a little coin as a capper. He did a
bit Of stealing. too" The blanch-
faced fellow was now leaning to-
..wT- De- nnH Tf-fnnFnU nnnn1rr
blinking his sickly, greenish. red
trimmed eyes at each sentence, much
more interested than the fellow ad-
dressed.
Finally" Poe continued. "he got
an idea Somebody suggested that
he rob a bank. He'd never tried
anything hat big before. but this
pal sold him the keys and the COM
bination 70 the safe" Poe felt the
frog-faced fellow at his left start at
this. He failed IT that, but on &C
count OF his ungovernable temper
succeeded in committing a murder. d
zoe saw out OF the Orner Of his
eyes that the thin, pale gambler
hunched on the stool beside HIM was
trembling and had turned his pallid
face away. We'll. he escaped
through the door 10 the roof Of the
vaudeville house where he used 10
hang out When he went to replace
the key he had stolen from the
rooms Of the %janitor there was a
parrot in the room where the key
was 10 be replaced" Great drops
of p~erspiration stood out on the
pasty forehead OF the man beside
- ~. a--H~a--n-# "a H ETe
escape after the murder the mar
had remembered to replace the rot
ten grating from the bank window.
he had remembered 10 replace the
key-but he had forgotten the par.
rot. The bird heard him steal into
the room and started 20 holleI
What are YOU up TO now!' At that
the perspiring man beside Poe
caught in a sharp breath and
elenched his moist, shiny hand in q
frantic grip.
Quick as thought" Poe contin
ued. the murderer reached into his
pocket and pulled out the first thins
his fnge.s struck: he pushed II in
10 the cage TO distract and silence
the foolish bird he had overlooked
It happened 30 be a poker chip,
Polly may have taken it for a
cracker and"
You're a liari' screamed the
f~rog-faced man leaping TO his fee
in a burst Of trembling rage and
crashing his fist on the table. set.
ing a stack of chips TO rocketine
back and forth.
Christopher Poe stood up, smiled
reached into his outside coat pOcket
ard drew out the chip he had res
cued from Polly's 80 There j;
the identical chip I was telling yo-
about" he remarked. looking
straight at the Human Frog. "anC
YOU are the murderer I referred to-
The Human Eros staggered bact
from Poe IN horror. slipping his un.
-Ioved hand behind his back Their
with a veil he hinged at Poe. jerk.
ing a razor from his hip pocket
the hare edge Of the wicked blade
in his grasp.
The banker-detective side-step.
ned and caught the madman's wrist
Rut the Human Frog was too deN.