New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-08-08
I he Kidmabers

through the third degree. Come on.
Give it up"
Barney grinned sheepishly. "Dum-
my knows Pm a. He knows Pm
worlin' here"
"And all the rest Of your friends,
eh?"
"Yes'r."
"Huh! You'll meet that on the
street some day when you least ex-
pect it. l have a job for you that |
don't want any fumbling on. I'm 60
ing to plant you as a deaf mute
with this Dart gang. You'll have to
be prepared with a trunk and a
handbag full of good clothes. Cor
coran II 60 with you to see that you
get them right. I'll give him in
structions. He'll take you and your
baggage to rooms that I'll engage
for us at the Hotel HARLEM. III
pick you up there as soon as you're
fixed and explain matters to you as
we go along" He took his office
phone. "Get Corcoran in here right
away" AS he returned 70 his study
of the Dart file he said to Barney:
"You can practice being deaf and
dumb till he comes"
Barney grinned at this pleasantly
as cheerfully as dog wags it's tail
when the voice of authority turns
from reproof to forgiveness.
Corcoran arrived in due course,
silent, non-committal, with his hat
on the back of his head, looking like
newspaper man on the sporting
page. When he had received his in
structions he said, Come on, kid"
slightingly, and he let Barney trot
along behind him to the elevator.
Going to put you out as dummy,
eh?" He pressed the signal button.
81 suppose youth be able to get away
with that if you keep your mouth
shut"
His manner was contemptuous.
Barney had not forgotten their first
experience together and Corcoran's
disgust at "this kid business when
he had stolen Cooper's cipher code
He touched the detectives elbow,
frowned, flickered elcquently with
his hands, pointed at Corcoran,
spelled out an impertinent reply, and
ended with his eyebrows up again.
Corcoran said: "What the hell's
the matter with your"
Barney pointed to his mouth and
to his ears, shook his head and
launched into another gravely irnpu-
dent communication.
Corcoran flushed and swore at
him. Barney grinned. III the eleva-
tor cage he spelled out: Owe got
your goat"
And he had. By the time they ar
rived at the Hotel Haarlem-with
an automobile full Of purchases for
Barneys new role-Corcoran was in
a speeches. rage and Barney, still
consistently deaf and dumb, was en-
joying himself like q young imp.
c." Corcoran said, through
his teeth, 81 hope this Dart gang
cuts your throat. They'll do it, too,
if they get half chance"
1t was late in the afternoon when
Adam Cook, accompanied by his af-
flicted son, descended from taxicab
in front of No. 1875, rang the bell
and asked to see the mistress of the
house. A discouraged-looking maid
ushered them grudgingly into the
parlor and left them therein a
room that apparently had been out
fitted second hand from all the dis
carded reps and pushes of all the
defunct boarding houses Of the last
generation.
Barney looked around him and was
disappointed. Corcoran's prediction
that the Dart gang would cut his
throat if they got "half a chance"
had given him a promise of excite
ment, and Babbing had Endorsed the
promise with a further warning in
the taxicab. "These people," he
had said, "are professional crimi-
nails. You can't get past them with
any mistakes, mind you. They're
dangerous. If they suspect you're
after them they're deadly. They'll
kill to get free. You'll have to
watch out" Consequently Barney
had entered the room with the feel
ing that he was about to penetrate a
bandits lair.
Babbing pointed Barney to a chair
and waited, standing. At the sound
of footstep in the hall he faced the
door-a mild-mannered, n1ild-eyed
widower, accustomed to courtesy and