Evening star., 1922-04-01
THE BLACK HAND.
BY ARTHUR b. REEVE
One Of The Stars Weekend Fiction Series
Complete in Three Installments.
BY ARTHUR B. REEVE

of his ear to his mouth That, I
knew, was a brand set upon him by
the Comorra. ! sat and smoked and
slipped slowly for several minutes,
cursing him inwardiy more for his
presence than for his evident look of
the malta vita" At last he went
ont to ask the barkeeper for q
stamp.
Quickly I tiptoed over to another
corner of the room and ground the
little bottle under my heel. Then I
resumed my seat. The odor that
permeated the room was sickening.
The sinister looking man with the
scar came In again and shifted.
shifted. Then the proprietor came In
and shifted.
Say" l said. in the toughest voice l
could assume, you got leak. Wait.
rext block when l came in. I'll get
the man."
l dashed out and hurried up the
street to the place where Kennedy
was waiting impatiently. Rattling his
tools. he followed me with apparent
reluctance.
AS he entered the wine shop he
snorted. after the manner of gas men.
where's de leak?"
You find'a da leak" grunted All
bano. "What-a you get-a you yap for?
You want-a me to do your work?"
o here. that's all. Dyouse all wanter
be blown ter pieces wild dem pipes
and cigarettes? Clear out" growied
Kennedy.
They retreated precipitately. and
Craig hastily opened his bag Of tools.
Quick, Walter. shut the door and
hold it," exclaimed Craig, working
rapidly. He unwrapped little pack
age and took out a round, fiat disc
like thing, OF black vulcanized. rub
Der. Jumping upon a table, he fixed
1t to the top of the reflector over the
gas jet.
Can You see that from the floor,
Walter?" he asked under Ms breath.
NO." ! replied, mot even when l
know it is there"
Then he attached couple of wires
to it and led them across the ceiling
toward the window, concealing them
carefully by sticking them in the
shadow of a beam. At the window
he quickly attached the wires to the
two that were dangling down from
the roof and showed them around out
OF sight.
Wen have to trust that no one
sees Them" he said. That's the best
l can do at such short notice. l never
saw room SO bare as this, anyway.
There isn't another place l could put
that thing without its being seen"
We gathered up the broken glass
oN -" Soo oAAPPihSS pollie, anu J
opened the door.
It's all right now" said Craig,
sauntering out before the bar only
de next time you has anything de
matter call de company up. / amt
supposed to do dis witout orders,
see?"
A moment later I followed. glad
to get out of the oppressive atmos-
phere, and Joined him in the back of
Vincenzos drug store. where he was
again at work. AS there was no back
window there. it was quite q job to
lead the wires around the outside
from the back yard and in At a side
window. 1t was at last done, however.
without exciting suspicion. and Ken
nedy attached them to an oblong box
of weathered oak and q pair Of spe-
cially constructed dry batteries.
Now" said Craig. as we washed
off the stains of the work and slowed
the overhalls back in the suitcase.
that is done to my satisfaction. 1
can tell Gennaro to 60 ahead safely
now and meet the Black Handlers"
From Vincenzo's we walked over
toward Center street, where Kennedy
and l left Luigi to return to his res
taurant, with instructions to be at
Vincenzo's at half-past eleven that
night.
We turned into the new police
headquarters and went down the long
corridor to the Italian bureau. Ken