Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-05-19

The officers pried Jerry loose from
his victim with the greatest difficulty
He tried furioUsly to get at him
lunging from the men who were hold
! ing his arms.
The puncher sank helplessly against
the wall.
Hes got all he can carry, Mr.. Du-
rand" one Of the bluecoats said, sooth-
ingly. you don't wantta croak the
little guy. Gimme the word, an I'll
run him in for a drunk"
Jerry shook his head. Nope. Let
him go, Pete"
The policeman walked up to the
Runt and caught him roughly by the
arm. Move along outa here. I'd
ought to pinch you, but I'm not gonna
do it this time, see? You beat it,"
Durand turned to one of his follow
ers. Tail that fellow. Find out where
he's stayin' and report"
Helplessly Johnnie went staggering
down the street. He did not under
stand why he had been treated so, but
the instinct of self-preservation car
ried him out of the danger zone with
out argument about it. Even as he
wobbled away he was looking with I'M
wavering faith to his friend to right
his wrongs. Clay would fix this fell
low Durand for what he had done to
him.
Clay did his best under the handicap
of q lack of entente between him and
the authorities to search New York
for Kitty. He used the personal col
umns of the newspapers. He got In
touch with taxicab drivers, ticket-sel-
lers, postmen, and station guards. All
the time he knew that in such a maze
as Manhattan it would be a miracle if
he found her.
But miracles are made possible by
miracle-workers. The Westerner was
a sixty-horse-power dynamo of energy.
He felt responsible for Kitty, and he
gave himself with single-minded devo-
ton to the job of discovering her.
When Clay met Kitty at last 1t WIS
quite by chance. AS it happened, bea-
trice vas present at the time.
He had been giving a box party a
the Empire. The gay little group WAS
gathered under the awning outside the
foyer while the limousine hat was &c
take them to Shanley's for supper was
being called. Colin W%hitford, looking
out into the rain that pelted down, Ut
tered an explanatory "By Jove!"
Clay turned to him inquiringly.
"A woman was looking out of that
doorway at u.s." he said. IF she's not
in deep water I'm a bad guesser. /
thought for a moment she knew me or
some one of us. She started to reach
out her hands and her Shrank back"
Young Oh old?" asked the cattle
man.
"Young-a girl"
Excuse me-" The host was off in
an instant, almost on the run.
But the woman had gone, swallowed
in the semidarkness of a side street.
Clay followed.
Beatrice turned to her father, eye
brows lifted. There was a moments
awkward silence.
Mr.. Lindsay will be back pres
entity" Whitford said. Wen get in
and wait for him out of the way a lit
tie farther up the street."
When Clay rejoined them ne talked
in a low voice with Beatrice's father.
The mining man nodded agreement
and Lindsay turned to the others.
I'm called away" he explained
aloud. MI. Whitford has kindly prom
ised to play host in my place.. Tn
right sorry to leave, but it's urgent"
His grave smile asked Beatrice to
be charitable in her findings. The eyes
she gave him were coldly hostile. He
knew Beatrice did not and would not
understand.
The girl was waiting where Clay
had left her, crouched against a base
ment milliner's door under the shelter
of the steps.
1--we looked for you everywhere"
moaned the girl. Its been-awful."
II know, but it's goin' to be all right
AONs nifty, AC COlulOI Ieu. LOU I6
goin' home with me tonight. Tomor-
row Wen talk it all over"
He tucked an arm under hers and
led her along the wet, shining street
to a taxicab. She crouched In a cor
ner Of the cab, her body shaken with
sobs.
The young man moved closer and
put a strong arm around her Shout
ders. Don't you worry, Kitty. Yore
big brother is on the job now"
He knew her story now in it's essen
tials as well as he did later when she
wept it out to him in confession. And
because she was who she was, born to
lean On a stronger will, he acquitted
her Of blame.
RLAnTED "