Evening star., 1924-03-30

the honor of the department and his
own pleasure. Hitherto the Vernal
Heights gang had operated on the
we'll established policy of starting
something" whenever the mood i'm
PEELED. But here was a. cop who be-
lieved in starting things himself. He
took the initiative and he kept 1T.
In vain they launched a counter
offensive. One after another they
tried all the old tricks that had been
successful in the past. They staged
Il fake fight in the street when they
saw him approaching, and the COM
batants ran into a stable where the
WHOLE gang was hidden, armed with
pick handles. But Foley didn't fol-
low. Had he done so there would
have been one more funeral in the
police department.
Instead, he bided his time and
polished them off individually, check
ing their names in his address book
one by one. Many hard-boiled citi-
home at midnight, alone and unsus-
pecting, discovered the Jack of Clubs
sitting patiently on the front steps,
awaiting his arrival. These noe
turnal encounters were brief, but
none the less impressive. They usu-
ally ended in the victim stumbling
up his steps. handkerchief TO his
nose and mumbling:
How do you do. Mr.. Foley; how do
you do? Yes, officer, I'll remember"
l got so bad that they were afraid
to go home. Then he varied his at
tack by swearing to warrants and
dragging them out of bed at o'clock
in the morning. There was no chance
at that hour to get bail, no chance to
tip off an influential friend. The
charge was always dismissed as soon
as they got word to Sheriff Randolph,
who was a brother-in-law to Spike
Kennedy, but for a few hours the
Southern Station had the pleasure of
entertaining some OF it's old enemies.
Rizzoli, proprietor of the coal yard,
proffered his congratulations.
Alta boy, Jack! 1 tell the worr
you some cop! How you like a lii
grape juice, eh? Good, leave some
thing by the door when l close up
The Eernal Heights Ladies' I'm
provement Club passed resolutions
commencing officer Foley, merchants
along 54th street stopped him TO
shake hands, Capt Malloy posted a
commendation on the bulletin board.
Small wonder if a young patrolmen
thus honored in every direction
should reveal symptoms of that fatal
pride that goes before destruction.
Stung to quick and humiliated be-
yond endurance by what now amount
ed to persecution. the members of
the Forty Strong Gang rallied under
the standard of Spike Kennedy, for
mer heavyweight champion and now
the proprietor and matchmaker for
the Eernal Heights fight club. other
quarrels were forgotten, old feuds
buried. and from one end of the dis
trict to the zother old and young
whispered the ancient shibboleth,
Get that cop!"
They were respectful enough when
they passed him on the street. but
the How dye do, MIR. Foley" held
hint of sarcasm, never sufficient to
warrant his taking action, but just
enough to keep him guessing.
Then for ten days there was a COM
plete luIl. Not window was broken,
not one disturbance of the peace oc-
CURED. The Jack of Clubs began to
fret. He found no outlet for his en-
ergy, no excuse for maintaining his
reputation lie walked the curb by
day and the building line at night,
according to the regulations, but the
only bit of rowdyism that occurred
was a battle between a bulldog and a
tomcat, and that was over very
quickly.
This is d bum beat" he told him
self. eff old man Williams was out
here now he'd hang a hammock on
the trolley wires and snore until the
sergeant woke him up
But the following night, without
any warning, the storm broke. 1t
was a girl who trumped the Jack of
Clubs, thereby changing the whole
aspect of the game.
Before you go any further you
should know something about Miss
Tilly Miller, who had just as much
right to the title of the Queen of
Hearts" as John Francis Foley had
to his nom de guerre of the Jack of
Clubs. Tilly was a native daughter
of Vernal Heights, which meant she
was brought UP on the streets and
wore overalls until she was fourteen
Her juvenile accomplishments in
cluded licking her five brothers,
throwing rocks through the windows
of the Chinese laundry and hopping
street cars.
The first bit of poetry she mas
big feet and ended in a mad dash
for safety on the part of the elocu-
ZIONIST.
When Miss Miller was eighteen she
made the interesting discovery that
nature had endowed her with violet
eyes, lustrous black hair and a voice
of considerable sweetness. Forth
with she purchased a fur coat and a
vanity box, and when certain ad-
mirers among the Forty Strong Gang
limited of their Willingness 10 invest
in furniture and a ring she responded
gently:
"How dye get that way?''
OF course. that only increased the
number of her suitors. Miss Miller
was uncertain whether to burst upon
the world via grand opera or the sill
yer screen, but she finally compro-
missed by singing illustrated ballads
at Sid Greenbaum's motion picture
house on 54th street There she be-
came the acknowledged Queen of
Hearts of Vernal Heights, and it was
in this capacity that the Jack of
Clubs first behe)d her. The spotlight
enhanced the charm of her slim figure
and piquant features, and she was
singing, with the enthusiastic aid of
| the gallery:
'1 never knew, till met you,
4 f..l