The Washington times., 1930-11-26
CHAPTER IT

y
opium that Silk Freeman, with
his titan will power had been
able to control (for he smoked
but once a day and always at
the same houD, fell on him
when he entered his devastated
apartment a few minutes after
Tommy Gillespie and Cyclone
Tim McClosky had torched
through his steel door, knocked
out and crippled the two
guards, tied up the old ex-
convict, Pete, and rescued Alice
Schuyler.
The Big Boy, who only re-
. Gently had given away to his
passions, both love and anger,
found himself now so com
pletely unnerved and maddened
by this latest diablerie that he
sought detachment in the pipe.
The old servitor had been his
official cooky for years, had
prepared his pipe, rolled his pill
and touched it with the magic
flame. But Silk kicked the
PROSTATE form of his servant,
who still lay gibbering on the
floor, and went to his couch to
satisfy his craving and still his
turbulent senses.
He quickly opened the toy Of
opium, choice Persian brand,
high in morphine content, and
dug out with the needle a lit
of the black, gummy substance.
He lit the small lamp and then
he played with the opium on
the bowl of his pipe, rolling it
back and forth into a little
pellet.
A Wicked Smile
Then he jabbed it into the
tiny hole in the center of the
bowl, and. without lying down
on his side, as was his habit,
he sat on the couch and turned
the pipe over the small blue
flame. The opium sputtered
and cracked, and Silk sucked
the black smoke into his lungs
in one long. ecstatic inhalation.
Then another pill and still
another cooked en- his pipe and
he felt the soft embrace of the
drug around his jangling brain.
The two bodyguards who had
followed him into the apart
ment. after he had received the
frantic telephone call from an
official source, stood across the
room, shifting from one foot to
the other in their embarrass.
ment, for they had never be-
fore seen Silk display a weak
ness .-...-
But the Big Boy needed no
body. and a cruel, wicked smile
played on his thin lips as he
smoked.
The telephone at his side
rang He appeared not to hear
it, and then, after the bell had
tinkled six times, he took up
the receiver, holding his smok
ing pipe in one hand.
"Yeah?" he snapped. oh,
GlasSon9 Come right up"
Faces The Floor
He turned again to his pipe.
He now inhaled his tenth draw
and he laid the stem aside. His
face was pasty mask OF
hatred. The pupils of his eyes
were pin-points, He sat for a
moment and then arose and be.
gan pacing the floor.
"Get these mugs out of here"
he said cllrtly to his two body.
guards, waving toward the
wounded men The bodyguards,
coughing from the sweetish
poppy fumes, dragged the
bodies. one by one, into the
room where Alice Schuyler had
been held prisoner.
Get a doctor for 'em-you
know who I mean - and
straighten up this joint"
He continued to pace the
floor, kicking now and then
angrily at some battered bit of
furniture, The opium had
whetted a nasty and dangerous
edge on his mood.
Biff Glasson. king of the
Bridge Twisters mob" was there
in five minutes. He took one
look at the chaotic, blood-spat.
tered room another at the
chalk,whlte. leering face of
Silk, and shifted the opium
fumes but made no comment.
When he entered, Silk turned
on him quickly.
Now I won't stomach any
more kid glove stuff" he
stormed. Il want you to clean
out that McClosky mob and
clean 'em out like crabs"
Listen. E. b." raucously
growled Bff. I've got that mil.
lion bucks O. heroin spotted.
It's salted AVA in { cockroach
palace on Cherry ST.. and I got
a place rented right across the
way. I'm ripe to shoot
Grab Off the Dope"
You. ou've found that
dope?" cried Silk, planting. him,
self squarely in front of the
gang leader Then wicked
smile played on his curling lips.
That's great. Grab it off quick.
But get me that McClosky mob
at the same time. Here's five
grand wtrkin' capital. Clean
up!"
He showed he money into
Biff's hand and pushed him to-