The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1920-09-03
you got to, though" says l.

They've got to pin this on somebody.
and you're the goat That is, unless
the gun-man comes forward and gives
himself up, which amt likely. Come
now! You know where you were.
Give up and let's see if we can't get
you out of this.
"Oh, on" groans Albert, rockin
back and forth. What will Sister
Alice say?"
"Huh!" says l. That's it, Ell? You
was out pullin' somethin' that would
give her a jolt if she knew"
He mods and lets out another groon
"What? says l.
Il don't want to TELL" says ne,
"Alice would
"Ah, forget Alice for a minute"
says l, land remember that your own
fool neck is in danger. Besides, you
amt confessin' to her I'm only askin'
you to tell me-
"Mum-must ~" says he.
UNLESS you're yearnin' for dose
of high voltage" says l. Come, what
are you up to-"
"Well," says Albert, IL was play.
ing the piano."
"Wh-a-at?" l gasps. Say, do you
think this is any time to get comic :?
Playin the piano where?'
"In Noonan's, on Ninth avenue
says he.
"Eh says l. mot in the Cave?"
"Yes," says he. Il believe that's
what they call the back basement"
l must have been gawpin' at him
by then. But isn't Noonan's Cave
the hang-out of the Spiders, the
toughest gang in the HelPs kitchen
district" I asks.
Its the Spiders Club I play for"
says Albert, "every Thursday night.
I've been doing it for several months"
"You have!" says I. "Well, of all
the places for you to be in. How did
you happen to get let in for job
like that?"
1t was simple enough accordin' to
Albert. A friend of his who was a
musician had told him, as a joke on
himself, how he'd answered want
ad for a pianist and discovered that
the number was the tough joint of the
Spiders. Course he'd turned it down.
so l went around" says Albert,
land took it."
"You did," says l. why"
Because" says he, II wanted to
play jazz. Tits great fun, really
There were three of us, violinist
and the fellow who played the saxa-
phone. We got along fine; that is,
when the violinist wasn't sober. He
He had no touch then, and he was
apt to be ugly. But he was seldom
real sober And the Austrian who
played the saxaphone used some kind
of dope. We gave them good music
though. Lots of ginger to it. You
can't imagine, unless you've played
jazz stuff how it gets in your blood.
And then, the Spiders are such a jolly
crowd"
81 should say they WERE" says L.
"Any one of 'em would stick man
up for dollar and grin while he was
doing it. Don't you know that?"
"They were rather rough looking"
admits Albert, land sometimes they
had fearful fights among themselves.
With knives, you know. But 1 simply
didn't look and kept on playing. They
were nice enough to me, though. Es-
pecially some of the young ladies.
Very affectionate at times I suppose
they were just teasing me. l didn't
mind. II rather liked one or two
of them. There was one big blonde
a Kitty something or other. 1t was
Kitty who got me to smoke a cigar
THAT night. Gracious, it made me ILL.,
And the Spiders thought it was
great joke. You should have heard
them laugh when turned so pale and
had to quit playing"
"See here, Albert" says 1, did that
cigar incident happen the night before
you were arrested?"
"Why, yes" says he.
"And about how many Spiders and
their lady friends were there in the
Cave at the timer
About one hundred, l should say"
says Albert.
"Then, you poor prune,' says l,
don't you see that makes your alibi
just about one hundred per cent per-
feet? Hey, you sleuth in the next coop
there! Did you get all of that? Hick-
son can bring a whole roomful Of wit
nesses to show where he was durin
his hidden hours"
"If he cam" says the flattie, steppin'
out, 81 guess the Chief will have to
punch in on another line"
"You bet he will" says I, "for I'm
going over to Ninth avenue now and
round up a bunch of Spiders. I'm
going to get Hickson out of this be-
fore night or show up somebody In
the papers,
ooh, can you get me out, Profess
sor?" says Albert. "If you only CAM"
Don't worry" says l. tits simple.
The Spiders will jump at chance to
mt one over on the District Attorneys