Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1921-02-05
w. MISUNDERSTANDING.

Better tell 'em, KID" Red counseled
uneasily. "You got to come clean"
Like HI l haveW Once more the
flames of rage leapt high. II don't
owe this gang anything, much less an
account of everything do. The shoes
on the other foot. You all know me,
you all know I'm on the level. Most
Of you'd be up the river today If 1t
wasn't for me-and you know that,
too. How far do you think you'd get
If my brains didn't work for you, tell
you what to do and how to get away
with 1t without the bulls tumbling?
Who planned the raid on Einsteins
hook shop? Did any of you get
pinched for that? Who figured out
how to get those bonds away from the
Chemical Trusts messenger? Was
anybody Jagged for that? And
because / take the trouble not to lead
a coupla guns right up to you tonight
and because the Nut saw somebody
that looked like me all dolled up on
Fifth avenue yesterday-or thinks he
did"
"It was you, all right" Harry af-
firmed coolly.
Their glances met and clashed, the
girls hot with challenge and resent
ment, the mans cold with malice. For
the first time she recognized in this
creature an enemy Then her super
excited intelligence, graphing with the
problem of how to confute his implicit
accusation, experienced flash of
memory followed by a lightnlnglike
stroke of intuition.
.If you want to know who squealed,"
she suggested deliberately, "why don't
you give Harry the Office? Ask him
what he does with all his time, where
he gets the coin for all his swell
clothes, who he talks to when he's
bulging up to the bars of the big ho-
tells Ask him why the cops always
look the other way when they see him
coming, why he amt never pinched-"
With an oath Harry thrust back his
chair. which overturned with a crash,
and jumped up, guilt stamped upon
his countenance of sudden pallor,
glinting fearfully in his furtive little
eyes. But In the same instant the door
left negligently unlocked after the
entrance of Leonora-was hastily
opened and slammed The first to
identify the man who had slipped in
and now stood fumbling with the key,
English Addie cried out In shrill dis
may: "Leo!' The company turned
simultaneously and with confused
cries and questions got to its feet,
Slight and under normal height,
painting, sweating, haggard, his face
livid, eyes terrified, hatless, and with
clothing disheyeled. Leo Bielinsky,
alias Leo the Blood, sank back against
the door, one hand pressed to his
side Just below his laboring heart. The
other, holding an automatic pistol, de-
scribed a gesture of supplication. Red
snapped over-shoulder profane de-
mand for silence. Leo's broken
phrases became audible.
g. Croaked bull down the
street coming out of Bennie's
place, Corbin and Ennis tried to jump
me Corbin got It." He ges-
ticulated meaningly with the pistol.
Ennis took after me Looks
like frame-up cops every
where I turned :"
Red demanded furiously: what in
IBID you come here forT
mo place else to go cor
nered, ! tell you Listen !" The
Russian held up a hand and, bending
an ear to the door, heard sounds below
inaudibie to the others. There they
come now For Gods sake, get me
out Of thisi"
"Fire escape" Red indicated with a
Jerk OF his head Somebody thrust
open the shutters of one window. The
murderer pulled himself together,
reeled across the room, and lurched
out upon an iron platform grating.
Immediately he disappeared.
Now the rumor was loud In the hall
below, the shrill protestatiops of the
walters rising above yet dominated by
the deeper voices of the police. After
brief but violent alteration. heavy
feet came pounding up the stairs
Then panic fastened upon the wits of
all hose Va the private dinins raaru