The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1920-09-03
TIicksons Hidden Hours
A SHORT STORY By sEWELL FORD

hurt her to smile. That Is, it would
have hurt her If she'd ever tried,
(which take it she never did. But
she gets a nice job as saleslady with
la Bible publishin' firm, rents a little
|three-room apartment in the wilds OF
Brooklyn, and settles down to the
work of keepin' Brother Albert in the
straight and narrow path
1t couldn't have been so hard, a.
that, for about all the bad habits AL
bert had collected durin' his college
career was a weakness for lettin' his
hair grow long in the back and fond.
ness for playin' popular tunes on the
piano. However, Sister Alice hadn't
had him in hand more'n a month be.
fore he was visitin' the barber regular
and was confinin' his musical orgies to
thumpin' out pieces like "The Maiden's
Prayer" and "The Moonlight Sonata .
It was SisterAlice who prodded him
into takin' advanced bookkeepin'
courses at the Y. M. C. A and finally
got him launched as an expert, with
desk room in the top floor of the
buildin' where I'm located here.
You wouldn't think work like that
would expose him to many tempta-
tions, would you? But Sister Alice
seems to have had fine lot Of sus-
picions all her own. She made Albert
give detailed report every night of
where he'd been durin' the day, just
what he'd done, and what he expected
to do tomorrow. AS for his evenin's
she didn't need to be told. She had
him right under her eyes. Oh, he did
lbeg off occasionally to take in movie
show or a concert at Carnegie Hail.
but mainly he got his evening dissipa.
ton by walkin' Sister Alice around
Prospect Park or listenin' to the latest
bulletins as to how the work was goin'
lon in Kaio, Chow. No, that's wrong
Iremember Albert's sayin' how some.
times him and Sister Alice got real
frivolous and INDUCED in game Of
lotto.
$50 you see," says he, bunchin' his
shoulders, "I've never really had a
chance"
Maybe that's lucky too," says /
l"You quiet ones are the lads that
tear things loose when you get
started"
| Albert only smiles patient at that
Ijab. 81 did get to Coney Island once
says he, "and drank two glasses OF
beer"
/ "You hardened wretch!" says |.
"But, then, most of us have something
or other in our past"
Well, that was the Albert Hickson
ira known for going on FIVE years.
So you can judge what jolt got
when read in the papers one mornin'
thow they was holdin' him without bail
flor shootin' Big Bill Barsden. Vol
remember the Barsden case, expect
It amt more'n a couple Of months old
|but of course them murder mysteries
soon get stale and only the latest one
Isticks in your mind.
First off, too, didn't follow it close
lrd heard Of this Big Bill, like most
Everybody else, but didn't know him
personally. No, don't mix much with
THE race track crowd, nor run around
with SQUAD fanciers like Big Bill. You
know he owned string Of uptown
movie houses as well as his bunch o.
lselling platers, and for a while there
latter he was found plugged through
1.-THE middle of the forehead in his PR
waite Office it was a question whether
lsome grouchy pony trainer or a green
eyed sportin' friend that Big Bill had
lfrisked OF his lady love had done ths
job. / didn't get much excited oyel
either proposition. But when they
dropped them two clues and the papers
announced that the arrow pointed II
4 u certain party by the name of Alber'
Hickson 1 sure got interested.
"What nuts them headquarters mer
are at times" remarked to Swiftly Joe
I"Tryin' to pin thing like that on oul
Albert. Why. he wouldn't pat anybody
lon the wrist real rough"
"Ah, you can't always tell" says
Swifty, shakin' his head. mot about
them brainy guys. I've often thought
he had q queer look in his eyes. And
lit seems like they got the goods on
him straight"
| "Just because he'd done work on
lBarsden's books?" ] demands.
| ''He was the last one seen with him
that night" insists Swiftly. land the
llady typewriter heard 'em hayin
words over the bill. Looks like Hick'
lson was thrown out. Then he mus
have bought the gun, sneaked back
Halter on, and croaked him for II"
{xx.n sfrH C