Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-05-20


member that 1t had been IS quiet as
this in his boyhood.
The old residence part of the city
had unchanged much. Same street
lights, shedding a feeble circle OF
yellow aura on the black cobb.es
Far away the whine of street-ca
Rotor picking up speed on it's way
dnpru there to the vaporous glowing
oeuthe city. The brick front houses
with the white. recessed doorwsys
and iron railing steps were. old
friends. One of them had been the
house of Margaret Emison. Dead
now, he had heard: married and dead.
He remembered her playing hop
scotch. She had marked out the dia-
gram on the bricks with her fathers
tailor chalk while he had looked upon
her in adoring. respectful. awed fas-
cination.
shadow moved across the lighted
space below the street lamp where
the wetness of the drizzling rain fell
A cat--a black sinking eat shaking
the water from its feet. His mothers
own cat-the one called Bub; short
for Beelzebub. He laughed. Hardly
the same cat. That was twenty years
ago.
Well" said one of the men--the
one with the cropped mustache
There's the house. what's the mat
ter. Mr., Milburn Erode -
Nothing. That's the house all
right If he isn't there already, he's
coming. On his way, they said at
his Office
Erode gathered the folds Of his
. ulster around his neck.
The third man. lean. tall. cadaver-
Gus, wearing black raincoat spread
ing from his narrow shoulders,
snuff1ed
She lives in a wooden house" he
said contemptuously The rest are
brick. I'd hate to live here. Dull at
night. eh?"
Erode sneered at him. YES: very
duli-a dull. old. respectable. stuffy
neighborhood. Book clubs. church
festivals. All that. That's why left
it, used to live up there on the next
cross-s.reet. opposite a public school.
That's why left. Dull, stupid-too
wholesome-too sweet-too-"
The cadaver spoke again. Yep"
He did not have much interest not
much interest in anything Always
snuffled at the end of every sentence.
catarrhal villain.
THAT is the house. She lives
there" said Erode There's a light
in the front room. She was born in
that house. That's Celia Burton's."
THE cadaver addressed the stout
Il man, saying. How do we know
that he hasn't come-isn't inside al
ready"
"Who?'
why. this John"
That's So said AIilburn. Il hadn't
thought OF that. What about it, Mr..
Sells"
"You know the woman" asked the
stocky Sells
Erode half closed his puffy. aching
eyes. She was fifteen. / wouldn't
know her. Time works changes. She
wouldn't know me. I'm only a name
to her. Seldom spoken, 1 guess"
Well il there's a chance he's in
there, you better go in now. II he
isn't there you can get in a little
work on her while you wait. See him
when he comes"
well, all right His Office said he
was working there after supper to-
night and had gone at to come
out here. He'll come. | suppose
you'll wait for.me."
The cadaver gave forth a cackle
and leaned against the iron fence
Shut up, Joe," said Mr.. Sells Yes.
Mr.. Erode, of course. We'll wait for
you. That's our business. TIL wait
at the front door. and Joe will wait
at the back door, maybe, but you
know how it is"
:. yes" answered Mr.. Erode II
know how it is
The stout man coughed. Look at
this mist. It's a fine night for a
murder. Well go to it,"
"What-murder?" Erode asked.
"No--the money"
yes, the money"
Sells watched the other start away
along the iron fence. slip over, Joe,
and watch the back door," he said
out of the corner of his mouth. and
then he called grufiy. Say. Mr..
Erode"
"what?"
Sells came up again. II just sent
Joe around to the rear" he said, IT
want to talk to you
Yes" Erode said loathingly
I'm not q bad feller," Sells told
him. There are not many who are
straight in my business, and I'm
straight. I just wanted to give you
tip"
WHAT"
No monkey shines"
You mean I'd try to escape?
Yes. Don't do IT, 1t wouldn't get
you anywhere, and there'd be a dis
position on the part of the company
to work on the D. A. to hand the
Judge tip for the maximum. This
corporation never let's up on a man.
They have too many travelling col
I. iectors like You not to make of any
case like yours"
AN example"
Sure! an example. But the cor
porstion also likes to show a clean
set Of books. They never got caught
with ain oversight like this."
Sending me out without seeing l
was bonded by surety company"
Certainly. And you getting into
,em for $l0,S0o. Wow! No wonder
they give you this chance to square
it."
ERODE recalled the interview with
T. the treasurer after the arrest