Evening star., 1924-03-30

| when destiny played one of those lit
tie pranks for which it is celebrated.
| 1t was all the fault of Sid Green
baum for hiring a new organist in the
| person of Signor Roselli, who con-
| sidered himself quite as important an
| attraction as the Queen of Hearts.
| Miss Miller thought otherwise, and
she proceeded to enlighten her ac-
companist in the lobby shortly after
their number was over.
Say, listen to me, Spaghetti" be-
gan the Queen of Hearts. The next
time you try to drown me out with
that bum organ I'll bang you right on
the nose"'
! BAH" said the signor. "Eef
drown you it ees but to spare the
audience. Too much tremolo in the
voice. You and one lady goat make
good duet"
( Bang.
| Twenty seconds later two talented
artists were engaged in mortal COM
bat, and Sid Greenbaum was out on
| the sidewalk blowing a police whistle
as fast as he could draw breath.
! Two blocks away the Jack of Clubs
heard the summons. He wheeled in
| his tracks, clapped a hand to his
( holster to keep the heavy pistol from
J falling out and broke into Il run. \
| very pretty riot was going on in the
! vestibule of the Greenbaum Theater.
| officer Foley, pursuing the methods
| of a snowplow, bucked his way to
! the center of the disturbance. and
| there uncovered Signor RoselH, still
| struggling in the clutches of the
| Queen of Hearts.
! Here, here" he demonstrated.
| cut that out! Leggo Of him, lady.
Leggo, l tell you"'
| He pried open the girls fingers, re-
| leasing the professors necktie, and
! thereby saving its owner from i'm
! mediate strangulation- Promptly
| Miss Millers disengaged hand doubled
| up and came into violent contact with
| officer F'oley's left eye.
Butt in, will you?" screamed the
| Queen of Hearts. I'll show you one
! person in Vernal Heights that you
| can't bluff. Take that, and lemme
| finish this wop."
! OF went Officer Foleys cap, and his
i cheeks showed the scarlet trail of
! feminine finger nails. 1t needed only
| spectators lunging at him like pack
| of wolves. The Jack of Clubs thrust
| the girl from him, yanked out his
nightstick and backed desperately
against the wall. He recognized
! among his assailants Spike Kennedy
/ and other members of the gang. Then
he lost his head and fought blindly,
with the lust of battle raging in his
| veins.
Many the bitter hour he later spent
| in trying to recall just what happened
! during those next few moments, but
| it was all a disordered nightmare.
! One scene alone was indelibly pho
| tographed on his memory girls
| figure flashed in between him and his
! assailants. Over her head the Jack
| of Clubs aimed a savage blow at
man who was welding a black jack.
! He thought his nightstick reached it's
! intended mark. But it was the Queen
| of Hearts who went down, dropping
/ sidewise with her hand to her head.
! The fear that he had killed her smote
| him with the sudden shock of an
! icicle driven into his throat. For an
! instant every one drew back. Look
! ing down, Officer Foley saw a tiny
| trickle Of blood moving across a
! white cheek toward lips that twitched
/ spasmodically. Out flashed a police
| gun. He ripped forth his commands.
| Stand back, every one, Grab that
| phone, Sid, and get an ambulance
/ Main 40. Boy, get me some water.
/ The rest of you-get thell OUT"
| When the ambulance drew up few
minutes later the Jack of Clubs. cap
! less and disheveled. was squatting on
forth, with an unconscious girl in
| his arms.
x j; X Z
! TT was a badly battered and very
dazed young cop who wrote out
! his report at o'clock in the morn
! ing and turned it in at the desk.
| Capt Denny Malloy, sober-faced and
gray haired, had already been in
, formed of the case in detail. He dis
| cussed the matter with Sergt. Davis.
| Both were well aware what might be
| expected.
I'll stand behind the lad if it costs
| me my job said the captain. The
whole thing was probably n frame
up SO the gang could jump him. You
can tell from the marks on his face
he was fighting in f-defense. I
believe him when he says he didn't
mean to hit her.
so do t. agreed the sergeant, but
| who else will? His reputation is
against him. They're going to oper-
ate on her tonight for a fractured
| skull. Can't you see the headlines
| in the paper? Pretty girl dubbed to
death by a COP"
Capt. Malloy shuddered and threw
up his hands.
"All the same, if he's ordered before
the commissioners I'll stand by him.
know that girl from way back, and
they don't make 'em any tougher.
Foley was only performin' his duty
when they mobbed him. There amt
another cop in the city who'd have
the nerve to go into that district,
and if the commissioners break him
I'll take my star off and throw it in
the chairmans face. Keep Foley on
his beat and refer any protests to
me-
Brave words from the head of the
Southern Station, but they brought
little comfort to the conscience
stricken Jack of Clubs. He could
have weathered the storm of criticism
from anti-adninistration citizens, he
could have borne up under the
flashing from the chairman of
the commission and the accompany
ing sentence of suspension without
pay, both of which were administered
for purely political reasons, but all
the blood in his veins turned to
water when he went out to the hos