Evening star., 1922-01-22

W ell, COHio OH III. 1HaI you, 10"
kima Hase?'
NO." said Toptit, standing in the
doorway. Its l."
The door softly closed behind him.
Crayton was caught abruptly and
off his guard. He had been reclining
| in long chair. sucking cheroot and
! reading a French magazine. Beside
| him on bamboo stand was a whisky
| bottle and syphon. His fieshy figure
His jaw dropped as he stared in
credulously at Toptit. Then:
THE devil! Your
I'm not" said Toptit gently. "At
least, l hope I'm not any devil. No.
! don't get up, beg Of you!"
His hand clutched the pipe in his
pocket and pointed it. To Crayton
it looked terribly like revolver pro-
truding from the white jacket. Cray
ton relaxed In his chair.
You cursed fool! 1 s'pose you
| came asking for me and the boys
thought you were a friend of mine"
Il suppose So" assented Toptit. Il
couldn't very well ask for Miss Tsing,
so asked Tor you.
The heavy face of Crayton mottled
with rage.
"Why-why-''
'If 1 were you, Crayton, I'd be
afraid of apoplexy. Take it quietly,
| now. really ought to shoot you
I've considered doing it for a long
while"
Crayton turned shade whittier at
| this. The deliberate voice Of Toptit
must have frightened him. The next
words of his visitor sent his eyes wide
in alarm.
you know. Crayton." went on Top
tit in his horribly gentle way. TOP
tit isn't my real name at albany
more than yours is Crayton." His
gray eyes rested speculatively upon
the large man. Their absence of all
enmity lent fearful emphasis to his
| next words.
You married~a girl in Chicago two
years ago-and deserted her. She was
my cousin. My real name is"
Crayton came out of his chair in a
blind spasm of fear and rage. a bel
low on his lips. Toptit moved slightly
under the attack. Crayton was abso-
lutely beside himself. frantic with
the comprehension that Toptit's words
had brought him. He launched him.
self at Toptit and his big fist shot
out. ,,.
| But Toptit calmly kicked him on
the shin. Crayton uttered a howl and
lost his balance. At that instant Top
tit drew back and delivered another
kick with the utmost deliberation.
His leather toe caught Crayton be-
hind the ear, and the bulk Of the big
| man shivered on the floor.
1--WE just written a very decent
| verse;" observed Toptit. land I really
hate to use my hands on you just
| now. Besides, you never understand
my methods. ought to kill you. but
that wouldn't do my poor cousin any
particular good, nor me either"
Crayton, who was half-conscious,
uttered a moan.
"Oh, you criticize the grammar
there?' said Toptit reflectively. We'll.
perhaps that is true. l should have
said or but did not stop to think.
| I always stumble over that negatiye
| proposition. But the point is that
| killing you would give me no satis-
faction. You are a rotten coward at
/ heart, anyway. Where's Miss Using
| Crayton jerked one hand. Next
room," he mumbled. He made an ef-
! fort to rise. Toptit came forward and
kicked him again. this time. In the
side.
| 'stay put until I'm done with you!
| Hello! Your friends heard the row"
| ~ k*
IA .PATTER Of feet in the hall. q
knocking at the door, chatter
ing Of sibilant voices outside broke in
upon Toptit. He glanced around
quickly. A cheap dresser stood In
the corner, beside it a chair bearing
Crayton's clothes.
Toptit went to the clothes. caught
at them. and uttered an exclamation
Of satisfaction. A large automatic
pistol fell into his hand. He glanced