The Press., 1922-05-04
The Girl Bootlegger
By FRANK H. WILLIAMS
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The girls name was Agnes Cunning ham. She was young, pretty and alert. In the khaki suit, with regulation army trousers which she wore, she looked more like a boy than a girl.
 Now she was seated in her small touring car beating it rapidly over a stone road from Detroit to Indiana. The space just in front of the rear seat of the car was piled with six cases of whisky which had been brought from Canada the night be- fore. Over this was worn carpet.
 In the Indiana city to which the girl was bound, her partner was waiting for her. He was the actual sales agent-the man who disposed of the wet goods at prices running up to $l5 a quart to the leading business men of the city. Since Agnes had gone into partnership with him in this bootlegging deal they had cleaned up over $S,OOO and the start of their partnership in crime was only three months past.
 But as Agnes drove swiftly and au- daciOusly, her pretty face looked
  Two things were worrying her deeply. One of these was the fact that il was against her better nature to be boot legger, and the other. was that her Old-time sweetheart, Tom Moore, whom she hadn't seen for years, had turned up in Detroit just before she had started on this trip to Indiana and had made violent love to her again.
 Agnes had thought that alt her for iner sentiment for Tom had left her. She had thought that her affections were entirely centered on John Green leaf. her boOtlegging partner But now she wasn't so sure about it.
 Though Agnes didn't fully realize It.. he 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. 1
 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 like her to be?
 ! It was while Agnes, unhappy and discontented was hurrying along the i Indiana highway, that she became sus piciOus of a car some distance behind her. It was her habit while running a cargo of liquor through to keep q wary eye for suspicious cars and now she realized that the car behind hel l had been following her for some time 1 Was it the car of a prohibition officer
 This thought troubled Agnes more ] than ever, now that her conscience
 was awake and active, and, conse Quently, she put on more speed thal
 ever, hoping quickly to leave the ca
 behind.
 But, the car kept coming right along
 More than that, it kept gaining on hel Soon it was abreast of her, Then Agnes gasped. The driver o
 the car was Tom Moore!
 Quite astonlshed at Toms unex
 pected appearance beside her, Agne
 brought her own machine 10 a Quic
 stop. Tom did likewise. Agnes go
 out of her car and rushed up to Ton
 "Why, Tom!" she cried. "what ar
 you doing hereF I thought you wer
 back in Detroit"
 It seemed to Agnes that Tom locke avasive. /! i've got a job," said Tom briefly. What doing" Queried Agnes.
 Tom hesitated. He looked at he for brief moment, then looked ava!
 "Well, you know" said Tom, 'yo
 always said I didn't get ahead (
 make any money because I was to l righteous and honest"
 [ His handsome young eyes were dee
 and inscrutable as he looked at Agnt : upon saying this.
 $ "Yes," said Agnes.
 "Well," went on Tom. "Tve abo' come to the conclusion that your
 right about it. A fellows got to be little crooked to get ahead nOwaday | ] / else. I guess it's up to me to quit b = ing so sanctlmoniOus.'
 Agnes heard him almost unbelie : tngIy, But there could be no dOul ] about what he was saying, And as Il > real meaning of what Tom was sayiT r sank into Agnes'S consciousness sl felt her heart sinking. Somehow , semed as though her last hold ( ' everything that was good and swe r and wholesome was slipping aws ii from her.
 l. "Why, Tom" she cried. what ( you mean2"
 "l mean this!" exclaimed Tom. <' With quick movement of his rig hand he threw hack the side cHrtai
 which had screened his rear set
 Then he pointed dramatically ["
 rarpel covered load just in from 0 the rear seat,
 r. Agnes could hardly believe her eyt & Could it be possible that T"m-t r man she had always thought 10 " the best man in the world was { II tually-
 k But perhaps she was mistaken aft H all.
 d With a quick rush to the ear Agn lr jerked away the carpet covering. Is There beneath the covering repns 'ti six booze cases!
 ,f Agnes staggered back as thou ,> she had been struck. Tom hn '' legger! Tom, the man who had ht rr fast to ideals and to honesty anu ''' ( serything worth while in the fi' ot of all temptations. To think of T' p, going In for this sort of thing s. was bad enough for Agnes to be in
 but for Tom, too She felt hu
 dreadfully hurt,
 '"Tom, how could you?' she cri ec- How could you?' li- It seemed to Agnes that Tom lool at