Evening star., 1921-09-25

L
Continued from Yesterdays Star)
I He remembered only one thing dis
tinctly. and that was because it had
) happened so often. He was in a
| ahead OF him was Boolkie Skarvan.
! He did not know why it was, but he
could always see Bookie Skarvan in
the darkness. though Bookie Skarvan
! never quite reach that fat. damnable
figure that kept fitting around the
I trees. Bookie Skarvan was not run
| ming away. because Bookie Skarvan
f, did not even know that he was being
! followed-and yet Bookie Skarvan al
ways eluded him.
| II he was dreaming now. it was at
least q very vivid dream. He remem-
hered. He had just fallen unconscious
on the floor of the car. Well. then,
| to escape. Yes. the pain might come
again II he moved, it would take all
his will power to shatter this blessed
restfulness. and he was still very
tired: but he had no choice-it was
win or lose-all the way--no limit.
He opened his eyes He did not un-
derstand at first: and then he told
himself quite simply that, of course,
he could not still be lying on the
foor of that lurching car, and at the
around his body. He was in bed-in
a white bed, with white covers-and
there was a screen around his bed.
And around the corner Of the screen
he could see other beds-white beds
with white covers. 1t must be hos
pital ward. There was some one sit
ting in a chair beside the foot of his
bed-no. not a nurse; It was a man.
The mans face for the moment was
turned slightly away. He studied the
"a, 10
opened little wider. Yes. it was
familiar! A cry surged upward from
his soul itself. it seemed-and was
choked back. His hands. clenched
fiercely, relaxed. There came a queer
smile to twist his lips
The man at the foot of the bed was
looking at him now. 1t was Harlan.
Lieut. Joe Barjan, of the Frisco
plain-clothes squad.
The man spoke:
Hello. Dave"'
Hello, Joe!"
There was silence.
The other spoke again:
Tough luck. Dave! Sorry to grab
you like this: Feeling better?"
Some" said Dave Henderson.
Barjan nodded his head.
"It was touch and go with you" he
said. Bad leg, bad fever-you've
been laying like a dead man since the
night they found you in the freight
car"
Dave Henderson made no reply.
There wasn't any door to shut now,
and he wouldn't have to move now
until he went away with Joe
squealing stacked cards ."
a new deal with a new pack perhaps
some day . . he wasn't squeal-
ing . but he couldn't fight any
more . not now - he couldn't
fight he was too weak
l,av fyxN
three days waiting for you to come
out of dreamland. sos / could ask you
question" said Barjan pleasantly.
Come across. Dave! Where'd you put
that little package you had with you
when you beat it from the car, and
handed Badly the broken ribs?"
Dave Henderson smiled. He was
very weak, miserably weak. 1T was an
effort to talk; but his brain. because
there wasn't any pain. was clear
clear enough to match Barjans.
Come again?" said Dave Hender-
son.
''Aw, can thatr' a tinge of i'm
patience had crept into the police Off
GERS voice. I'VE got the whole story.
Runty Mott and Baldy vickers opened
II read about them In the papers,"
said Dave Henderson. 'They said
enough without me butting in. didn't
they~ ... s,,s p,,,,n s,,rn,v
that you won't come across?"
Whats the use!" said Dave Hen
derson. Their story goes. doesn't 1t?
l wouldn't spoil good story. They
said I took the money, and II you be-
lieve them. that goes. I'm through.
NO goodw snapped Barjan. you'd
better open up on where that money is,
or it will go hard with YOU"
How hard?" inquired Dave Hender-
.,..l, = dunno. said Barian grimly.
Five years. How long was five
years? His mind was growing tired
now. too. like his body. He forced
himself to the effort Of keeping it ac-
tive. 1t was a long way from where
Badly vickers had broken his ribs.
and where they thought he, Dave
Henderson, had last had the money,
to Mrs. Tooler's old pigeon-cote. And
a hundred thousand dollars in five
year-salary, twenty thousand dollars
a year. i've years! 1t was win or lose,
wasn't it? No hedging! Five years
five years before he could settle with
Bookie Skarvan!
He spoke aloud unconsciously:
ITS a long time to wait"
You bet your life, it ISL said Bar
jan. Don't fool yourself! It's hell
of a long time in the pen! And II
you think you could get away with
LHC "du "ucH you Sek ouI d6diHs
you've got another think coming, too!
Take it from me-"
Il wasn't thinking about the
money. said Dave Henderson slowly:
Il was thinking about that story"
He closed his eyes. The room was
swimming around him. Five years
chalked up to BOokie Skarvan! His
hand on the coverlet clenched. and
raised-and fell impotently to the
coverlet again. He was conscious that
Barjan was leaning over the bed to
catch his words, because he wasn't
speaking very loud. II was thinking
it was long time to wait-to get
even.''
A woman's voice seemed to come
drifting out of space ." that would
be the nurse, of course woman S
voice -
That's all very well! You may be
appellee officer. but you had no busi-
ness to make him talk. He is not
strong enough to stand any excite
ment, and
The voice drifted off into nothing
ness.