Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-05-12
CHAPTER VIII
A Late Evening Call.

NAAS0 90 AAhi- Ii tAACGA liz ACoA ~
nation struggling with fear.
Say, what are you anyhow-a mol
buzzer? II you're a porch-climber out
for the props you've sure come to the
wrong dump. l got nothin' but bum
rocks
This was Greek to Clay. He did
not know that she had asked him if he
were a man who robs women, and that
she had told him he could get no d.
Almonds there since hers were false.
The Arizonan guessed at nee that
he was not in the room mentioned in
the letter. He slipped his revolver
back into its place between shirt and
trousers.
rs this house number 1912" he
asked.
mo, it's 1913. What of it?'
Its the wrong house. I'm ce'tainly
one chump."
The black eyes lit with sardonic
mockery. "Say, do 1 look like one
of them born-every-minute kind?" she
asked easily. go ahead and spring
that old one on me about how you
got tanked at the club and come in
at the window on account O. your wife
havin' a temper somethin' fierce"
mo, Il was lookin' for some one
else. I'm awful sorry I scared you.
I'd eat dirt if it would do any good,
but it won't. Pm just a plumb idiot.
I reckon I'll be pushin' on my reins."
He turned toward the window.
stop right there where you're at"
she ordered sharply. Take a step
to that window and I'll holler for a
harness bull like a Bowery bride get
tin a wallopin' from friend husband.
1 gotta have an explanation. And
who told you I was scared? Forget
that stuff. Take it from Annie that
she amt the kind that scares."
II came to see some one else, but I
got in the wrong house." he explained
again lamely.
"That's twice l heard both them in
terestin' facts. Who is this goil you
was comm through a window to see
in the middle O. the night. And what's
that gat for if it amt to croak some
other guy? You oughtta be ashamed
VI yOdi oCl 1Ol hOl quinn q OOttSA
wheeze than that on me"
Clay blushed. In spite of the
slangy impudence that dropped from
the pretty red lips the girl vas slim
and looked virginia..
you're way off. / wasn't calm
on her to" He stuck hopelessly.
"Whadya know about that?' she
ao-,o hoo A. it'll ob-;a,,o- 49, GgVon
soitainly give me a pain. I'll say you
weren't calm to arrange no Sunday
school picnic. Listen. Look at that
wall a minute, will your
When he turned again at her order
she was sitting on the side of the bed
wrapped in a kimono, her feet in bed
room slippers. He saw now that she
was a slender-limbed slip of a girl.
The lean forearm, which showed bare
to the elbow when she raised it to
draw the kimono closer round her,
told Clay that she was none too wei
nOurished.
1t occurred to him that she might
give him information of value. He
told her the story of Kitty Mason. He
could see by the girls Eyes that She
had jumped to the conclusion that liz
was in love with Kitty. He did not
attempt to disturb that conviction. 1t
might enlist her sympathy.
Annie Millikan had never seer a
man like this before, so clean and
childhood she had been brought up on
the fringe of that underworld the at
mosphere of which is miasmic. She
was impressed in spite of herself.
"Say, why don't you go into the
movies and be n of these here screen
ideals? You'd knock 'em Dead" she
advised f1ippantly, crossing her bare
ankles.
Clay laughed. He liked the ~insolent
little twist to her mouth. She made
n strong appeal to him. This bit of
a girl, so slim that he could break her
In his hands, was game to the core.
He recognized 1t as a quality Of kin
ship.
How do you know the girl amt
a badger-worker? You wantta go slow
when you tackle Jerry Durand. 1 can
tell you n thing. He's in this busi-
ness up to the neck. I seen his
shadow, Gorilla Dave, comm puts the
house next door twice today"
"Seen anything of the girl?"
Nope. But she may be there. Hon
est, you're up against a tough game.
Why don't you lay down on itf" she
asked, her frank eyes searching his.
"You soitainly will if you've got good
sense"
I'm goin' through"
Her black eyes warmed. SAY, I'll