Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-04-16

s bridge ana the SUBWAY. ENciy az
lamp In the park revealed little
moving picture of white. falling
snowaakes. A thousand lighted WIN
dow. in the buildings that hanked
the open space cut the night into
gigantic pattern of inky black and
incandescent pink. Trumbuli, max
ing his way northward across the
park and athwart the human stream,
was only mechanically aware OF the
scene about him. His mind was ABB
sorbed in happy excitement
what luck!" he was thinking. ex-
ultantly. This will just cinch 1t at
every corner. 1T will be the biggest
thing ever did-the biggest thing
anybody has done in a year,!
In his warmed mind pleasant pic
lures formed and dissolved Of an ex-
ultant and grateful city editor, of the
managing editor patting him on the
back. of the old man himself speak
ing in generous appreciation and CIV
ing appropriate directions to the CASH
Ter; pictures of blue eyed young
woman. also happily excited, and of
another blue-eyed female. not under
standing the details but gurgling ap-
y Il ~
GETTING across the park. he struck
~ into Traverse street and followed
It a hundred yards beyond Broadway.
The scene and prospect there were
strikingly different. Immediately in
front Of him dingy Traverse street
lost itself in void darkness. Roaring
broadway and the thronged. brilli-
antly lighted park might have been a
mile away The doorway before
which he paused belonged to an an
cient red brick building in ruinous
contrast with the span-new. towering
skyscraper adjoining it. which fronted
on Broadway Only the ghost of the
street NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Under
the sign. But that was the number
ne sought and he entered briskly.
Third story. last door on the right"
Clancy had said. OF course, there was
no elevator, so he took to the stairs.
1t occurred to him in ascending that
the building was nearly tenant1ess.
Only one transom on the third floor
showed a light--that over the last
door on the right. The hall was so
dim he could hardly make out the
sign on the door. but he opened it
confidently and strobe in.
He found himself in the long, mar
row outer room of a dingy law office,
which apparently the tenant was pre-
pairing to vacate. A black walnut
railing divided the room in halves.
Behind the railing. under a green
shaded lamp. sat very large man in
his shirtsleeves, manipulating a type
writer.
Two things at once struck Trum-
bull First. that the air was very
bad, and he saw that the window had
been blanketed by the new sky
scraper. The second thing was that
the big man under the green shade
operated his typewriter clumsily. like
a novice But neither fact seemed Of
any moment Striding to the railing.
he asked with brisk assurance: Mr..
Bode in?"
It'll see." said the man. "will you
give me your card?"
Trumbull produced a bit of PASTE
board and the man took it to the
inner room. In half minute he APP
peared at the inner door. holding it
open and reckoning.
Trumbull slipped past him into the
inner room. 1t was a square ROOM
and, like the other. showed signs of
impending evacuation. A pile of law
books and of dusty documents lay on
the floor in the corner. Beside them
stood a large trunk, empty and with
the lid thrown back against the wall.
The shades of the two east windows
were up and the electric light shone
against the wall of the new sky
scraper. flush with the outer window
stills. For the rest, the room con-
tanned three chairs and an ancient
black walnut table. with telephone,
some law books and litter of papers
upon 1T.
Behind the table sat a man of sixty
in wrinkled, loose sack coat.
Better throw off your coat Mr.
Trumbull: it's close in here" he sug-
gested as soon as the caller had
closed the door behind him.
TRUMBULL tossed his coat and hat
to one empty chair, pulled another
In front of the table and sat down
with the swift, assured motion of a
man who means to go right to the
point. But. secretly. he was surprised.
He had expected to find furtive, rat
like. shyster lawyer; and the dis
agreeable man on the other side of
the table who looked coldly at him
out of narrow, heavy-lidded eyes. was
scarcely that type. He perceived that
the man had a harelip, which his
stubby gray mustache only partly
concealed.
II suppose you know what I'm here
for. Mr.. Bode?" he began briskly.
II know. I spoke to Clancy" the
other replied in his dry. metallic tone.
"I can tell you something about po-
lice graft in New York. But in the
FIRST place I'd like to know a little
more about the man I'm dealing with.
Please write your house address there"
He dipped pen in Ink and handed 1t
over, together with the card which
Trumbull had given the man outside.
Trumbull had pugnacious feeling
that this fellow was taking the inter-
view out of his hands. But, after ALL
writing his address was easier than
arguing about it. Being an efficient
young man, he wrote. handing back
the card.
eighteenth street-not far away"
the lawyer observed, reading the ad-
dress. you are married, believer"
Eyes"
ANY children
zone female child, named Janet.
aged two years and ten months. What
are you doing-taking censusT
ssyo Mr. Tru.nhull" said the LAWYER