Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-05-26

"Yes," said the Arizonan simply.
did you get the girl?"
'They dropped her to save them.
selves. My friend found her with a
man and took her from him."
81 hope you did up Jerry right ~
cried Annie, a vindictive flash in her
dark eyes.
81 haven't called him up this mon
in to see how he's feelin'," said Clay
whimsically. Miss Annie, we're wor-
ried some about you. Mrs. Muldoon
is right anxious for us to get you to
come and stay awhile with her. She's
honin' to have a 1T girl to mother.
Don't you reckon you can go?"
Il wish yuh'd come, Annie"
blurted out Tim, looking down his
nose.
"Im an alley cat you're offerin' to
take in and feed, Tim Muldoon," she
charged suspiciously.
"Yuh're the girl-my mother loves"
He choked on the impulsive avowal he
had almost made and finished the SEN
tence awkwardly.
The girls face softened. Inside,
she was a river Of tenderness flowing
toward the Irishman. "Tll go to your
mother, Tim, if she really wants me-"
she said almost in a murmur.
you're shoutin' now, Miss Annie"
said Clay, smiling. "She sure wants
you. I'll hit the trail to have that talk
with Jim Collins"
He found slim Jim at his stand.
That fashily dressed young crook eyed
him with a logged and wary defiance.
He had just come from a call at the
bedside of Jerry Durand and he felt
a healthy respect for the man who
could do what this housekeeping
young fellow had done to the cham
pion rough-houser of New York. The
story Jerry had told was of an assault
from behind with a club, but this Col
Inns did not accept at par. There were
too many bruises on his sides and cuts
On his face to be accounted for in any
way except by a hard toe-to-toe fight.
"Mo'nin', Mr.. Collins. I left you in
a hurry last night and forgot to pay
my bill. What's the damage?" asked
Clay in his gently ironic drawl.
"Slim" Jim growled something the
meaning of which was drowned in an
oath.
"You say it was a free ride? Much
Obliged. That's sure fair enough"
Clay went on easily. swell, I didn't
come to talk to you about that. I've
got other business with you this mon
in"
The chauffeur looked at him sullen-
ly and silently.
Suppose we get inside the cab,
where we can talk comfortably" Clay
proposed.
"Slim' Jim stepped into the cab and
sat down. Clay followed him, closing
the door.
"Have you seen Jerry Durand this
sunny mo'nin'?" asked Lindsay, with
surface amiability.
"Wot's it to your" demanded Col
Inns.
"Not a thing. Nothin' a-tall," agreed
Clay. But it may be somethin' to you.
I'm kinda wonderin' whether I'll have
to do to you what l did to him."
"Slim" Jim reached for the door
hastily.
A strong, sinewy hand fell on his
arm and frightened, slightly twisting
the flesh as the fingers sank deeper.
Collins let out a yell. "Gawd! Don't
do that. You're KILN me-"
"Beg yore pardon. An accident. If
] get annoyed I'm liable to hurt with
out meanin' to-" a%pologized Clay,
suavely. "Ill come right down to brass
lacks, Mr.. Collins. You're through
with Annie Millikan. UNDERESTIMATE
"Say, wot tells this stuff you're pip
in? Who d. you t'ink youse aref"
"Never you mind who 1 am. You'll
keep away from Annie from now m
absolutely. If you bother her-if any
thing happens to her-well, you GO
and take a good long look at Durand
before you make any mistakes"
"You touch me an I'll croak you
See!" Kissed Collins.
"a gun-play?" asked Clay pleasant
!y. "Say, there's a shootin'-gallery
round the corner. Come along. ]
wantta show you somethin'."
saw, go to h-lw
The sinewy hand moved again to-
ward the aching muscles Of the gun
man. Collins changed his mind hur-
riedly.
"All right. I'll come" he growled.
Clay tossed a dollar down on the
counter, took q % and aimed at the
row of ducks sailing across the gal
lery pool. Each duck went down as 1t
appeared. He picked up a second rifle
and knocked over seven or eight mice
as they scampered across the target
screen. With a third gun he snuffed
the flaming eye from the right to the
left side of the face that grinned at
him, then with another shot sent II
back again. He smashed Q few clay
pipes by way of variety. To finish Of
with, he scored six center shots in a
~