The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-03-11
ANOTHER "TEX DAMON AND CUPID
 PYTHIAS"- STORY

SIdieiy Iuc QOOf OpeHeu anu q UdHuSOH1e, dark young man released the knob, broke into shrill litter and reached for the hand of the visitor.
 "Buenos das, senor,' he giggled, shaking the pudgy white paw with vigor. The true Spanish-American gentleman never over looks opportunity to shake hands.
 Bunny dees-aw, dammit, Claudio, couldn't learn to speak nickePs worth of Spanish if you tried to teach me the rest of your life. Is this where old VanFleet hangs out? Is that him-the funny looking old stiff over there in the corner?"
 "The same, suh," parked the big, lank gentleman, who whirled his chair and glared at the visitor. "The very same old stiff, suh, who sat at the same place and listened to a lot of your same nonsense yesterday. If you have tired of trying to kid my part ner, suh, maybe you will explain this in- trusion, suh?"
 Wonderful how they get that way" unused the little pink one, addressing his re- mark to Claudio. "He wasn't a bit like that when we went to school together up in Cambridge Cludio broke out fresh package of giggles. slapped hand over his mouth and dashed into another room. Through the hastily closed door the Amer ican heard the titters turn to shril shrieks of hysterical laughter.
 'Now that you have afforded my assist ant his daily cackle, suh-"
 "Aw can it! Stop calling me 'suh, like I was a second lieutenant. You know l never was anything but private in Colonel Teddys gang-and you were three military ;nfa o{ hot This iSp'f nv foolish day. I come seeking advice-no, no"-as the attorney came to attention and placed his fingertips together-"I don't mean professional advice at the prices you charge for it. Pm not yet a millionaire. I desire little unprofessional chat be- tween Tex VanFleet and Cupid Carruthers. You see before you poor but reasonably dishonest man who is being pursued by villain, yea, even from the far north.'
 < '
 The judge pulled out the right-hand drawer of his desk An ivory-handled .45 came in view. "Sho him to me" he said. eff any of your enemies need good, fust- class killin, as that old sheriff so aptly put it, Pm your man."
 "Wait-hesitate Cupid put out hand in protest "Far be it from me to make suggestions without carefully going into de- particularly in the presence of any one whose judgment is warped by the baser practices of reprisal. That cost me more than thousand dollars once. Remarked, in the presence of some of the banditti that hung around my political and business cave in Chicago, that certain knocker needed admonition. This guy had been abusing me through the papers, and the remark l made was, Someone should soak that boob with a stuffed club That night some one did.
 "Yes yes-go on, I'll bite. How did it cost you thousand?"
 Keeping a so-called henchman out of Joliet. I neglected to specify that the club should not be stuffed with bird shot,"
 "Yes, see-sad story of sordid crime. But in what way related to the case in hand? To recall your wandering mind there's villain-maybe peace officer with warrant-pursung-
 "You guessed it-villain, peace officer warrant-or rather plenty warrants. think he carries a dozen different colors and flavors of warrant in stock and my name adorns all of 'em.'
 "Thy sins shall run thee in hole," stated the judge. "Not so very long ago you beaned high-jack with monkey wrench, then ably assisted in half killing deputy sheriff, and now you complain of an officer blocking your pathway. Whats the an swer? Is he bigger than that deputy? Must be big man if he is. Maybe if we are going to get anywhere before dnnertime you'd better cut out your funny line and tell papa all about it."