Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-05-18

Nope" was the one-too-encour-
aging reply. 81 gotta stick to the shop"
Good night, then" he facetiously
observed, as he swung out toward
me and the open door. He ignored me
as though l hadn't been there.
Wait" I said.
] tried to say it calmly, but there
was a shake in my voice which l
couldn't control.
"Why?" asked my enemy. A gray
shade passed over his face like
cloud over field of wheat stubble.
And as / saw it I warned myself to
be wary. very wary.
Because you're the man who picked
up my pocketbook in Brentanos."
announced. I knew that I could put
bullet singing and rending through
his body, tearing triumphantly
through bone and flesh. But clearly
wasn't compounded of the stuff of
which heroines were made. / didn't
have the courage. I was too coward
ly. All I could do was to play for
time. Time, 1 kept telling myself,
was the one thing l wanted-time
above everything else. For l was
still hoping against hope that Doyle
or wilkins or Sloan himself would
follow up that !,tenuous paper
chase trail of mine and in some way
come to my deiiysggance before it was
too late. st,sSs
Say. what.re you pipe-dreamin'
about. anyway Z, demanded my studi-
ous-eyed enemy.
You know what 4 mean" I cried
out, only too glad -of the promise of
an argument. ! s"Ehat purse is there
in the side pocket of your coat, and
you can't deny! it," ,'':,
Say, what's.this, dame drivin' at?'
inquired the man with the file in his
hand Shag regarded him with
quick and anxious eye.
You're not goin' to fall for any
song and dance like that, are you?"
he demanded.
"Then let him show what he's got
in his pocket" Il exulted. for l could
still see the telltale protuberance there
over his hip bone.
"Whatve you got in that pocket
anyway" demanded the man in the
dungarees.
What difference does that make to
you?" challenged Shag, with one hand
cropping behind his hip.
This dame looks straight to me,
retorted the shopkeeper, by the way
: of explanation. And you DON'T!
He was still remarkably impersonal
about it all. But at the same moment
: that Shag started to pack away l real
lied that the shopkeeper was with me.
: He threw his file down on the work
bench. making that trivial movement
strangely final one. Then he advanced
slowly toward the other man. with an
eager and calculating look in his keen
l. blue eyes And minute by minute, l
3 knew time was slipping away
whats in t.:at pocket" demanded
y my brawny advocate.
Still more time might have been taken
up had not Shag made movement as
!, though to circle about for the door.
That resulted in a startlingiy sudden
dive and clinch and collision which con-
v verified a metal-littered basement shop
s into a place of tumult Those two ODDLY
e interlocked bodies stamped and swayed
II and stumbled about the uneven floor l
6 could hear short grunts. heavy gasps,
r throaty sounds Of animal-like anger
# but still was afraid to do anything.
d could see the two bodies go over with a
e thud-and the man in the dunEarees
8 was on top.
E. you would. would your" he painted.
=, His gasping words Of indignation were
= cut short by two double sounds, so close
: together that one seemed merely an
n echo of the other. 1 saw the thick hg'
t ure in the dungarees suddenly draw up
v tense, and then relax and then draw W
: again, in a quavering convulsion thai
died in midair and let him subsid'
" Imply back on the still PROSTATE Shat
: Fewster. whose right hand. noticed
y was bright red.
J.. had my own automatic in my hand
!, but still l Vas afraid. I was SO afrait
~ that l stumbled forward on my knees
~ with my face not three feet away from
:. Shae's frightened eyes as he twisted
and writhed and tried to unburden him
self of that limp and loathsome weigh
which was dripping its scarlet warmth
on our hands.
brought the paper-covered automati