Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1920-12-17

HiSt HiSht she turned TO the back or
the house and laid a confident hand
upon the knob of the furthest door 1t
turned, but the door was stubborn
WIN a movement of impatience she
khuckled the panels with a triple
knock of peculiar timing. A hum of
voices ia the closed room died away,
heavy tread became audible a KEY
grated, the door swung open. She
went In, nodding lightly TO the man
who had admitted her and finding
herself under the concentrated regard
of eleven pairs of eyes, paused in the
middle of the floor and struck a Spir-
tied pose.
Good evening, folks! Pipe my new
ragsn
The silence that answered her was
broken after little by Red Carnehan.
WHO said heavily: Hello, kid. Sit
down"
Ignoring his invitation to an empty
chair on his right, she dropped her
pose but remained where she had
stopped, lifting her brows a little and
reviewing the company with quizzical
gaze.
Though both windows were open
closed shutters prevented any draught
from vitiating the STIFFNESS of the
private dining room"-a bed-chamber
in the intention of the architect In
an atmosphere sitting with smells of
food, alcohol and a truculent perfume,
the smoke of imitation Turkish tohae-
co hung in lazy, lilac reefs Discol-
ored paper of morbid pattern was.
parting in reluctant spirals from the
walls. Dust Of decades weighed down
an elderly carpet and obscured it's
ford design Scorbutic paint dsfig-
ured the fine old woodwork.
The man who had let Leonora in
having resumed his chair, twelve were
seated at a table Uttered with debris
of meal, unclean earthenware plates.
and those high-shouldered bottles OF
dark glass, guiltIess- of labels, which
seem to be the sole habitat of the win
du pays so generally known as red
ink" that to name it by this alias no
longer excites a smile.
Because of the heat all the men but
one-Mr Harry the Nut-had pui off
their coats and collars, while the wom-
en- had l0osened their blouses at the
throat. Sweat beaded faces Of various
compilations, ranging from the san
guine countenance of Red to the pasti
ness of Charlie the Coke Leonora
looking from one TO another. found
each, With he exception of Reds, sui
len of cast if not openly hostile. She
sketched a lofty smile.
What's the funeral?"
Red Carnehan-red of head and
hand-an Italo-Celtic product. as sen-
der, supple and sinewy as a snake. and
as deadly-replied sufficiently. No
body's-yet." and again waved hand
toward the vacant chair. "Whyn't you
sit DOWN." He added you're pretty
late"
What about III" The girl hounced
to the table and threw herself side
ways into the chair.
English Addie, blonde, blousy and
fulI-bodied, sprawled half across the
table and. without removing the ciga-
rette from her moutha spoke In accents
of cloying affection fatty denied by
her semi-sober stare of Jealousy:
Maybe you won't mind telin' us
wat mide you lite. dearie
Leonora experienced a qualm of mis-
givings Had somebody spied on her
and Mario and hurried ahead to tat
tie? !. Even so. that was a matter
between Red and herself, nothing TO
excite ill-feeling in the others. But
Red was apparently unrufied, although
unusually subdued for him. and per-
haps shade suspiciousIy Impartial in
his attitude.
She lied readily. without a culver,
naming two plain-clothes men she had
noticed In the Street of Strange
Faces
Ennis and Corbin lamped me on
the way here-lf it's anything in your
young life, Addie dear-and ! had 10
chase all over to lose EN-"
''You did shake EN-, kid-sure?'
Red demanded with keen interest.
"Sure. If hadn't wouldn't be here
now"
Maybe so, Charlie the Coke
drawied in a voice as colorless as the
flesh Of his maybe not"
"Where do you get that stun?
What's all this. anyway? / want to
know"
Her eyes ranged again the array Of
faces, challenging each in turn, and
getting no satisfaction; for each IN
turn averted his gaze with an express +.
sion more or less sheepish and discon-
certed. all but Red Harry the Nut, and
Inez. the third and only other woman
present.
"Wen? What's it all about? Start
something, somebody-why don't youf
If anythng's gone wrong, let me 10 the
know. I guess I've got as much right
as anybody"
The Nut shrugged and with super
cilious nonchalance selected another
cigarette from the fat gold case he