Elbert County tribune and Elbert County banner., 1921-07-15

mere 70 stop tnat.
mot Germans-no. But Interna.
tionals. revolutionariat- They ara
more than you think. 'Tis time for
them to strike a great blow"
you are Polish. are you notf'
yah. from Warsaw. l come over
six years"
"Naturalizedr
Il have first papers-why you ask7'
suspiciously.
Il merely questioned from curios-
ity." My eyes wandered once more to
the girl across the room, and he no
ticed the glance.
you wonder what she do in hereT r.
he asked. II tell you. She was my
niece. an sit here to walt for friend
good neighborhood, this, for a woman
alone IN the dark"
Her home is some distanceY'
"Five-six blocks. 1t is a dark. bad
way"
He moved back toward the bar, ap-
parently satisfied with his examination
of me, as well as his explanation. I
wondered grimly why he had taken
the trouble to tell me all this, aud q
dered another glass of beer as an ex-
cuse to linger there a while longer.
What was the party like who was to
call for the girl? I did not have to
linger long to crafty my curiosity.
The side door opened silently, and a
man stepped briskly inside, shaking
the raindrops from his coat as he
greeted the barman cheerily.
"A dirty night, JAMS" he said, glanc-
ing swiftly about, his eyes sweeping
over me sharply. Business not very
good, l supposeT
Dead. It's no good now any more,
with all the factories closing up be-
cause of the war. Just some salesman
drops in for n beer That makes me
nothings."
The newcomer laughed, evidently
put quite at ease by this quick expla-
nation. was watching him. A rather
thick-set fellow with turned-up mus
tache and disfiguring scar on one
cheek. which gave to his eye a peculiar
expression. Watching the fellow I
must have missed some signal, for he
whirled about suddenly and confront
ed the girl. who had already risen to
her feet and stood eKpectantly, one
hand yet resting on the table.
"Ah, senorita! You were waiting
for me to come" he exclaimed "Yet
have not kept you long"
"Oh, no." sne answered quietly in
Spanish, her voice so low the words
barley carried to where I sat "You
were delayed?"
"A car blockade at the wharf. No,
thank you, Jams, nothing tonight. You
would go, senorita?"
'"There can be nothing to remain
longer here for, surely"
/ watched them disappear through
the side door, marking his grasp on
her arm and her quick glance aside
into his face. There had been some
thing wrong about this meeting, some
thing undeniably awkward and con-
strained. These two were not what
they pretended to be-old-time friends
meeting incidentally to walk home to-
gether. They were strangers, coming
together there for the first time by
appointment. Neither had previously
known the other l had even detected
fear, doubt, In the expression of the
girls face.
Yet i dare not move, or attempt to
follow them. I could only sit quietly
my eyes on the window fronting the
street l watched intently, but no
shadows passed that way-the two had
not turned down Cans street
My mind worked RAPIDLY as l sat
there motionless, afraid to make the
slightest move lest it arouse suspicion.
Whatever the object of the meeting
might be, JAMS was more or less in
volved. He had signaled to the girl
twice, and his words, however inno-
cent they may have sounded. must
have brought a warning to the man.
Beyond doubt he had questioned me
with the distinct purpose of thus dis
covering why I had drifted into the
place. l dismissed utterly his state
ment that the young woman was his
niece-her very appearance gave that
the lie.
Something was wrong. perhaps not
criminal perhaps in no way associated
with the affair which had brought me
into that neighborhood, and yet sus-
piciously wrong, and ] felt inexorably
driven to find out what it all meant.
I finished my beer slowly, and then
selected n cigar from the case and lit
1t deliberately. Jams leaned over the
bar sDenkinp cOnfideptIallv and 7 had
to remain, although cursed inwardly
at the delay. Yet broke away at last.
assured that I had finally lulled every
suspicion to rest and passed out
through the front door
"You,re Charlett. Ain,t You 2n