The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1922-03-11
The Girl
Bootlegger
.. FRANK n. WILLIAMS

OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES,

,ssa. by Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.
rho Girls name was Agnes Cunning
She was young, pretty and alert
rho khaki suit, with regulation
-, trousers which she wore, she
a,oked more like boy than girl.
Now she was seated in her small
.uring car beating it rapidly over a
zone road from Detroit to Indiana
~so space Just in front of the rear
..o, of the car was piled with six
s.sos of whisky which had been
,-.uobt from Canada the night be-
.o,e over this was worn carpet.
In the Indiana city to which the girl
~os bound her partner was waiting
az her. He was the actual sales
.,ont-the man who disposed Of the
cot goods at prices running up to SIS
ouart to the leading business men
!, the city. Since Agnes had gone
,nto partnership with him in this
hootlegging deal they had cleaned up
o,er $1,000 and the start of their
,ertnership in crime was only three
Z vuJlhS''f
months past.
But as Agnes drove swiftly and au-
daciOusly, her pretty face looked
troubled. She wasn't happy at ALL
Two things were worrying her deeply
One of these was the fact that it was
against her better nature to be boot
logger, and the other was that her
oldtime sweetheart, Tom Moore, whom
che hadn't seen for years, had turned
m in Detroit just before she had
started on this trip to Indiana and
had made violent love to her again.
Agnes had thought that all her for
mer sentiment for Tom had left her.
She had thought that her affections
we're entirely conferred on John Green
leaf her bootlegging partner. But
now she wasn't so sure about it,
Though Agnes didn't fully realize it,
the conflict which was now going on
IN her heart was really a conflict be-
tween right and wrong. Before going
into partnership with Greenleaf she
had been as poor as a church mouse
but had led an irreproachable life.
Now she had more money than she
had ever had before and her con-
science was hurting her.
Toms arrival had brought affairs
to a crisis. for Tom was undeniably
good. undeniably square and honest.
What was to be the outcome? Would
she continue to make money boot
logging? Or would she give heed to
Toms avowals Of love and turn around
and be the sort of woman he would
IKE her to be?
1t was while Agnes, unhappy and
dlscontented, was hurrying along the
Indiana highway, that she became sus-
picious of II car some distance behind
ha. 1t was her habit while running
4 cargo of liquor through to keep q
wary eye for suspicious cars and now
he realized that the car behind her
had been following her for some time.
Was 1t the car Of q prohibition officer 2
This thought troubled Agnes more
than ever, now that her conscience
was awake and active, and. c0nse-
Quently, she put on more speed than
ever. hoping quickly to leave the car
behind
But the car kept coming right along
More than that, It kept gaining on her.
Soon 1t was abreast Of her.
Then Agnes gasped. The driver Of
the car was Tom Moore!
Quite astonlshed at Toms unex-
pected appearance beside her. Agnes
brought her own machine to quick
stop. Tom did likewise. Agnes got
out Of her car and rushed up to Tom.
"Why, Tomv' she cried. what are
you doing here? / thought you were
back in Detroit
1t seemed to Agnes that Tom looked
avasive.
'T've got job" said Tom briefly.
"What doing?" queried Agnes.
Tom hesitated. He looked at her
for brief moment, then looked away.
"Well. you know" said Tom, you
always said ! didn't get ahead or
make any money because ! was too
righteous and honest"
His handsome young eyes were deep
and inscrutable as he looked at Agnes
upon saying this.
"Yes," said Agnes.
WELL" went on Tom. 1--WE about
come to the conclusion that you're
right about 1t. A fellows got to be q
little crooked to get ahead nowadays.
] guess I'm no better than any one
else. ] guess it's up to me to quit be-
Ing 20 sancflmonious."
Agnes heard him almost unbeliev-
hgly. But there could be no doubt
about what he was saying. And as the
real meaning of what Tom was saying
sank into Agnes's consciousness she
islt her heart sinking. Somehow it
semed as though her last hold on
everything that was good and sweet
ana wholesome was slipping away
nom her.
Why, Tom" she cried. what do
yeu meanr'
mean thisi" exclaimed Tom.
With quick movement Of his right
hand he threw back the side curtains