Evening star., 1923-07-31
CONTINUED from Yesterdays Staro

f1lChcy, WdNIiil5 Sib''S' s''N~
haste to remove the bad impression.
@Hen, Nobody expects looks in
d1ivver. Wait till you feel her move
under you! She's a landaulet. see?
The top let's down in fine weather:
Take the wheel! Take the wheel
Greg remembered afterward that
during this preliminary Inspection,
Hickey stood squarely in front or
the door of the cab, thus blocking
any view of the interior. But it
never occurred to him to look in
side. He took the drivers seat. and
Hickey cranked her. They started.
They had not gone hundred feet
before Greg discovered, though
Hickey kept up a running fire of
praise to drown the myriad voices of
the fivver, that her piston rings We're
I worn and her transmission loose. She
I was indeed well supplied, little two
supple in fact. There were other
! rattles, squeaks and knocks that he
could not at the moment locate.
: Nevertheless she ran; she ran indeed
! with the noisy enthusiasm characters
: tic of her kind. There is no false deli
) ,Cacy about a flivrer. Greg never hesi-
atated. He was. a natural-born me-
) chanic, and the engine of n f1iver held
mo terrors for him.
When. having completed the circuit
of the long block, they drew up be
fore the Brevard House again, Hickey
4 said anxiously: 'Well?"
| It's eo" said Greg eprtiy
I SWherell we changer"
In the car" said Greg.
"Aint room enough" hastily OBJ
5ected Hickey. If were going to
change we can't dress one at time
! or the other wo0ld have to stop out
side naked"
/ We'll. 1 suppose we could get a
! room in this hotel
And let Nosey the bartender in
! Let's go down behind the hogsheads"
! Below, along the deserted water
/ front. Were great piles of heavy
freight which had overflowed from
: many secluded hooks suitable for
their purpose. Letting the taxi stand
{ in the roadway outside. the change
: of their outer clothing was soon
effected. Greg handed over money,
s baggage checks and receipt for the de-
< posit money; receiving in return the
license cards and bill of sale.
Don't forget you're Elmer Fish
back to the inspectors" said Hickey.
; In the light of an electric lamp
overhead he strutted up and down
5 the aisle between the rows of hogs
J heads. swinging Greg's stick. and
| getting the feel of his clothes"' he
{ said. They were several sizes too
! seemed not to be aware of that.
Well come on" said Greg. Hop
in, and III drive you up to the
, Savoia in style"
His hand instfnctively went to the
! door handle as he spoke. Hickey
! hastily pushed it aside. ''Oh, hell,
J I'll ride on the front seat with you"
he said. Il amt proud"
Greg ran her back to the Brevard
. Line pier. Many cabs We're arriving
: now bringing luxurious parties direct
from the theaters and restaurants.
( Greg took his place in the slowmov-
Z ing line and in due cougse reached
+ the first cabin gangway. Hickey
! over his arm, squared his meager
shoulders with swagger.
Well ta-ta. old chap" he said in
! a throaty voice; I'll write you from
dear old Lunnon."
I "By-by," said Greg, biting his lip.
He was sorry he had to miss the
q comedy that would be played out on
the Savoia's promenade deck during
& the next five days.
I The cabs pressing behind forced
Greg to move on. Turning on the
! pier, he hastened away back to the
town. AS he went he endeavored to
without much success; they were
rather confused. Here he was a
. taxi driver on his own cab. looking
): for a fare. he told himself but with
out quite believing, it. The change
had been too sudden. He couldn't
quite rid himself of the feeling that
s he would wake up presently. He
didn't feel like a taxi driver inside.
The whole thing seemed bit unreal
He had an absurd feeling that the
dark -windowed houses were racing
past waving their stoopS at him, while
he sat still in the middle OF the road.
Little by little he began to believe
In what had happened. For one thing
the fiivver made a most convincing
racket. Yes; there could be no doubt
or 1t! Here he was starting on the
bottom rung of the ladder just as he
had always told himself he wished to
DO. Well, time would show how far
he could climb. Meanwhile there
ought TO be fun in it-rich fun! Many
, a dollar had Greg spent in his day
on the prowling cabs of night. Here's
where he would get some of it back
He knew the very air. the confiden-
tlal, everything goes good :
fellows air with which he must touch
his cap and say, Cab, sir?I
The old f1ivver ratified and bumped
companionahly across town. Greg
was making for the White Light dis
trict. OF course, where fares were to
be picked up after midnight At
Madison Square he turned north on
the avenue. With it's disappearing
perspective of twin lights in a dou-
ment, 1t was like a Venetian canal at
. carnival time, but the old taxi was
a noisy gondola.
Greg had gone no farther than 26th
sotLceI WHeH He WAS nailed from the
sidewalk by two men in evening
EdresS, who had come perhaps FROM
the club down the street. Greg
spulled up beside the curb and feane1,
sout to open the door as he had al
ways seen the chauffeurs do
Where to, Sir?"
: The Chrohos Club"
One of the men made to get in and
sstaggered back with a queer throaty
sgasp, Good God, what's this"
s Greg hastily slipped out of his seat.
x"Whats the matter?"
"A dead body" the man gasped,
and instinctivelys looked around for a
spoliceman.
On the floor OF the cab before them
lay a bulky BODY aueerIy huddled on
top of an old valise. When the door
had been opened the feet pushed out
Yuncompromisingly The light of a
street lamp fell full on the upturned,
lyellow, dreadfully quiet face.
& Greg's mind, after an instant's stand
shut the door, pushing the feet in
with it
"Oh, he's only soused," he said
TArelessly. II didn't know his friend
Siad left him behind. I'll have to take
him to the station house now"
Springing back into the drivers
seat. he opened her up wide. The two
certain air. The taxi leaped ahead
He turned the next corner on Two
wheels, and the next and the next
CATER that His blood was pounding
in his ears. Finally in the middle
OF quiet block he ventured to draw
up and listen. No sound of a raised
alarm reached him.
CHAPTER II.