Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-04-09
\ e lay where he had landed and
awaited the worst resign
eddy. Undoubtedly he was
l dead. Also, one Of his legs

Qe2Q. Also, one OL HIS ICE 2
was slowly srorching.
He sat Up There was smoldering
patch on re leg Of his trousers. He
beat at it and burned his hands. A
cloud Of fame burst about him. In
wholly mortal terror then he scram-
bled away, got to his feet. ran.
cracked his shins. and slid on his face
in a heap OF cinders. Boston detected
an unmistakable flavor of anthracite,
with a dash of Worcester county mud.
He felt greatly relieved.
'"Ther." he remarked aloud, IL I'm
here, 7 amt there-yet"
Empty rattIers lay piled along the
ditch in n jackstraw tumble. Most OF
the passenger coaches of the Limited
that had plowed into an open switch
still held their track. one car huddled
behind the>other like a string of cat
tie damned up at gate. What was
left of the mail car burned merrily.
Boston began to test himself all
over with probing fingers. He had
been riding under that mail car. He
had shot through the very vortex OF
destruction. And as far as he could
discover he had come out of 1t with
out SO much as scratch-not a
scratch.
Cries and running feet persisted
down the line, but for the moment he
was alone and unsuspect. He began
to trundle himself along. spying here
and there like a wolf in thicket.
And suddenly he made a find.
Beside the track lay a large-bodied
man in a pose of limp abandon. arms
70 ha q.
ton remarked that face. with it's big
chin and shoe brush mustache, be-
cause he watched It anXiously for any
culver of life. But the victim showed
no sign Boston crept on again until
he could stretch out one hand and
take hold between finger and thumb
of the right lapel of the victim
coat Very deIicately he turned it
back. And there he paused.
NOW, Mr. Boston Blackie belonged
~ to a class technically denominated
the Potential Criminal by gentlemen
e. who eat three meals a day and write
little books and sociological dope
sheets He knew all there is vaiu-
able to know about the following
Chicken coops. clotheslines. refrfgera-
tors Con the back porch). gas pipes
and gas meters lin empty houses).
And drupks. He had robbed them all
with equal skill and satisfaction. On
the other hand. he had never robbed
banks, babies women. insurance COM
panies or-dead men.
Boston squatted on his heels and
considered The victim was clad in a
something of official neatness. There
should be good pickings about ouch a
corps. And so easy. Right under his
hand lay perhaps as much as ten dol
lars. Maybe fifty. The victim would
have no further use for the same him.
self Nobody would ever know if Bos-
ton should borrow it. And, yes. there
was a wallet in the inner pocket He
felt the outline quite plainly through
the cloth Then why hesitate:
Simply because among the infinite
potentialities in the soul OF Boston
Blackie was lacking the one which
would allow him to frisk a stiff. He
couldn't He dropped the lapel and
-trundled on farther. Almost imnledi-
ately he had his reward. He made
another find-a shiny. tan leather
suitcase. bulging at the sides and
quite hefty. A suitcase was fair prize.
well within his compass. And while
a suitcase may not perhaps contain
as much portable and negotiable
wealth as wallet in a dead mans
pocket-why, then again it may. 1t
may.
The Wulliver wreck occurred just
dipp hnV0n6
sight of the little hubble of houses
that marks the junction. After the
first fence Boston encountered no OBJ
stacles to straightaway course
across country. His rush carried him
to the trees and he was safe with his
trove.
Another marauder might have ran
sacked that suitcase on the spot. But
Boston went on until he had crossed
a wide rise among the pines and had
dipped into a little sandy hollow that
offered privacy There he delayed
further while he collected twigs and
built up a discreet blaze against the
seasonable chill. And finally he
charged a pipe and took care to have
It drawing well.
All in good order. he sat himself
down at last, with the suit case be-
tween his knees.
There might be anything In that
extraordinarily. anything! Though
when all was said he would have been
quite satisfied with an outfit of warm
clothes and some loose silver in the
change pocket.
Few persons. the philosophers re-
mind us. ever realize one cent on a
dollars worth of dreams. Consider.
then. the notable case of Boston
Blackie, to whom was yielded An ac-
tual return of something like a hum
dred thousand per cent on his best
expectation.
The suit case was full OF money
real, ordinary. palpable. dirty, greasy,
man-handled money. Just stacks and
gobs Of money!
Mr.. BOSTON BLAcK1E stared and
-'A stared. and stared some more. His
first emotion was a great fright: his
first impulse was to rise and shoot
away through space like a rocket.
with a frantic yell. He saved him
self by letting the lid fall to close out
that terrible vision. Thereafter he
sat perfectly still for long time.
Presently, with a white face and
shaking fingers. he began to count the
money.
"Is it all there?
Boston's lids popped up and his jaw
dropped down as stifiy az the mechan-
ism of a china mandarin. For the
rest he remained petrified in an atti-
tude highly absurd and helpless,