The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-04-29

at her inqufringly from behind the counter.
 "I want a gun, and a good one. please" she said, after a glance
 around her to assure herself that they
 were alone.
 The other squinted at her through his spectacles, as he shook his head. T haven't got any, lady," he an- swered. Were not allowed to sell | them without-'
 "Oh, yes. you have. Daddy" she contradicted quietly, as she raised her veil. And quick. please: I'm In a hurry"
 The little old man leaned forward. staring at her for a moment though fascinated; and then his hand. | in a fumbling way, removed the skull cap from his head. There was g. curi- ous. almost wistful reverence in his voice as he spoke.
 '"The White Moll!' he said. "Yes," she smiled. 'But the gun, | Daddy. Quick! haven't an instant I to lose"
 "Yes, yeel' he said eagerly-and | shuffled away
 l He was back in a moment, an au- tomatic in his hand.
 'It's loaded of course?" she said,
 as she took the weapon. She slip | ped it into her pocket as he nodded affirmatively. Flow much, Daddy?'' ''The White MollI" He seemed still under the spell of amazement. | 'It is nothing. Therer is no charge.
 It is nothing, of course" Thank you, Daddy!' she said soft 1y-and laid a bill upon the counter,
 and stepped back to the door. Good night!" she smiled.
 She heard him call to her; but she
 was already on the street again, and hurrying along She felt better, somehow, in a mental way, for that little encounter with the shady old pawnbroker She was not so much
 alone, perhaps, as she had thought; there were many, perhaps, even if they were of the underworld, who
 had not swerved from the loyalty they had once professed to the White Moll.
 It brought a new train of thought, and she paused suddenly in her walk. She might rally around her some of those underworld intimates upon whose allegiance she felt she could depend, and use them now, tonight, in behalf of the Adventurer; she would be sure then to be match for Danglar, no matter what turn af- fairs took And then, with an i'm patient shake of her head, she hurried on again. There was no time for that It would take a great deal of time to find and pick her men; she had even wasted time herself, where there was no time to spare, in the momentary pause during which she had given the thought consideration. She reached the nearest subway station, which was her objective. and
 boarded a Harlem train, satisfied that her heavy veil would protect her against recognition. Unobtrusively she took a window seat. No one paid her any attention. Hours passed, It seemed to her irnpatience, while the black walls rushed by, punctuated by occasional scintillating signal lights, and, at longer intervals, by the fuller glare from the station platforms
 In the neighborhood of 125th street she left the train, and entering the first drug store she found, consulted
 a directory. She did not know this
 section of New York at all; she did
 not know either the location or the
 firm name of the iron plant to which Danglar, assuming naturally, of
 course, that she was conversant with it, had referred; and she did not take
 care to ask to be directed to Jake
 MaIley,s saloon, which was the only clew she had to guide her. The
 problem, however, did not appear to be a very diffc cult one. She found
 the saloons address, and, asking the clerk to direct her to the street in-
 d:cated, left the drug store again
 But after all, it was not so easy;
 no easier than for one unacquaint- ed 2 ith any locality to find ones way about Several times she found her self at fault, and several times she was obliged to ask directions again She had begun to grow panicky with
 fear and dread at the time she had
 lost before, finally, she found the saloon. She was quite sure that 1t was already more than half an hour since she had left the drug store; and that half an hour might easily mean the difference between safety and dis
 aster, not only for the Adventurer. but for herself as we'll Danglar
 might have been in no particular hur-
 ", and he would probably have gone first to whatever rendezvous he hao appointed for those of the gang se- lected to accompany him, but even to have done so in a leisurely way
 would surely not have taken more than half an hour!
 Yes. that was Jake Maney's saloon now, across the road from her, but she could not recall the time that was already lost! They might De
 here now-ahead of her.
 She quickened her steps almost to a n. in f:nC lE the iron plant now. Be hind Jake Melley's saloon," Danglar had said. She turned down the cross street. passed the side entrance to the
 aloon, and hastened along. The To- ,ality was lonely, deserted, and none too well lighted. The arc lamps, powerful enough in themselves, were so far apart that they left great areas If shadow. almost blackness, between then, And the street too was very narrow. and the buildings, such as they were, were dark and unighted- certainly it was not a residential dis tricti
 And now she became aware that she was close to the river, for the sound of a passing craft caught her attention Of course. She under stood now. The iron plant for shipping facilities, was undoubtedly .z. .l,a har,l- of tfna river Itself and