The Daily Alaska empire., 1930-02-27
Chapter p A NAME DEFLED

LI1oAdA1y CtQOCO bAiCl1
 Seated in taxi on Third ave- nue block from where they had abandoned the gangsters' car she contemplated her present predica- ment. It seemed almost as diff cult as if she had been captured.
 Phil had been surprised at her ridiculous but perfect disguise. He had asked questions but she had temporarily evaded satisfying them because of the more pressing prob lens of the moment. He had been intent on giving the story to his paper and she presumed some man in the Herald-Star was now taking notes as Phil phoned from the nearby store.
 He had suggested driving to the police station but Enid'ss dismay- such notoriety would spoil her plans-had caused him to change his mind. He would phone them instead
 There had been the problem of keeping Enid out of the newspaper story-Phil had confidently urged her to leave that to me"
 She had conceived a play and the taxi driver only awaited Phil be- fore taking her to her destination It wasn't only that she could ex- plain nothing-it was to be a parting. Her mind was made up She was afraid but glad, she had to confess, that he, too, cared She could not be blind to that. He had shown it many times tonight-in his words, his voice, in his man. ner and the way he touched her hand.
 Presently Phil Martin emerged from the store He paused at the side of the cab with the obvious in- tention of giving directions to the driver, was steady, almost casual as she forestalled him
 i've told him where to go" she said.
 "Oh, all rightl' he said easily; then to the driver, as he stepped into the cab: Letter go, sonl"
 The taxi started forward. Well, I've got that fixed upl" he an- nounced buoyantly And now tell us all about it. Enid. There is no place like taxicab for condolences. That's why they all rattle-so's the drivers can't hearl"
 No" she said, "1'd rather hear your story first. Tell me how they got you into that house"
 He smiled a little ruefully
 It was an old gag" he said. "The oldest there is. Matches I told you that in the house. I'd just had a snack with a police lieutenant friend of mine, who's just about as keen on getting his hands on the Big Shot as I amin fact, that's what we'd been talking about while we were there"
 When l left him I started across town along Sixty-eighth street. A man. coming up from behind, asked me pleasantly enough for a match. I handed him my box--and he handed me one over the head with blackjack. When I got my senses back I was lying up there on the floor of that room nicely roped and gagged"
 He paused for an instant and laughed grimly. They thought l was still uneonscious-and I let them think so. That's how found out that the fellow who black lacked me was called Batty-you supplied the surname. There were only two of them at this time. The other fellow answered to the name of Skinny He coughed a lot.
 T didn't see either of them. They stood in the dark outside the room in the hall and yapped-but they yapped too much for their owr good. I heard one or two things I guess I came nearer meeting the Big Shot tonight than have yeti
 "Yes?" she said little faintly.
 "Oh, yes!" he said, laug hi n grimly again. That's what it wa' all about. In some way or othel the Big Shot had got wind of wha' was going on between Shive Frank and me. One of the things I heart Batty say was that the Big Sho' was coming down there to have little seance with me-and bunny me off. Pleasant! Not exactly the way I'd figured I'd end up with ths Big Shotl
 "Rut never mind about that; didn't end up that way, thanks tT you-and I won't ever now. Witt the leads I've got tonight, thai house. Skinny, Batty Rose, ane ether things they said, I'll have the Big Shot trapped in short or der: and when I do-say do you know what happened today?'
 Was it the jolting of the taxii Her head seemed suddenly to Dc spinning around, strange numb ness to be sLttling upon her. She