Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-11

I couldn't blame the officer. Sweet" d..
Philbin had just said. Mugs must have looked
sweet to that ofacer. The Mugger at his best
must look, to most folks, just about Is HARM
less as q crocodile. In fact, The Mugger COS
his name after that famous one that waited Mt
the ford in Kipltng;s tale, The Undertakers.s
No doubt of It. old Mugger's style Of beauty
had in large measure the crocodilian chaEm
that wins blue ribbons Tor his kind.
One hard-boiled-looking customer was .The
Mugger. could not blame the ofacer-ths
scene set IS 1t was. +4
I racked my brain for some defense for Mug
ger, but could find none. The Muggers only
defense that night was character, and people
do not know the character Of old SOurmug.
They only know his reputation. They do NOT
know he got that reputation centuries ago. and
has long since outlived it. They do not know
that he, today, is that thing which Is 80 rare
q perfect gentleman. Strong, but no bully.
Brave, but no bravo. Like Bayard; without fear
and without reproach. The Mugger never
pulled poor old Eph Joppey down.
So. officer Of the law or not, no man was
going to blow The Muggers brains out And
certainly ofacer Of the law or not, no man was
going to put hand on Steve to take the bull-
dog from her. This I resolved, because I just
had seen a little Squaring back Of the shoulders
OF this tall; broad-backed good-jaWed young
fellow. He was about to take steps to put the
law into action. He had an ordinance to back
him-that knew. He was entirely within his
rights in using his judgment-and the gun. But
just the same. {. Well, just the same, The
Mugger hadn't done i'll ''st 7ass
And so something unpleasant was about -
happen. For the officer put one shoulder for
ward as a man about to step aggresSively. And
then Steve spoke.
I hear first her little gasp, as one gasps who
has. after much brain racking, come suddenly
on the solution of an ugly problem.
Leave it to Steve. More times than once
in is years, while the brain, called, Of her
hepmate, more or less, has been hitting On
one cylinder in the well known block, she has
come through
The phrase was one which we had used 80
often speaking of The Shadow and The Mugger.
"CuI-de-Sac!"
before me in q fash, as though actually had
seen it. knew-knew absolutely, without the
slightest trace Of doubt, exactly where TO look
for that one who had done this dreadful thing.
Where else but in the bottom Of the bag?
said to Oficer O'Malley--that turned out
to be his name-"You put your gun up
now. You'll never need it for the one that
did this job"
He hesitated. So Steve to show him that
we knew, put down The Mugger, and gave him
matte.
go over there, you lamb" she said, sand
show the ofilcer your weapons. Open his mouth
and look in, viii you, oficer?"
The Mugger gallOped over. OMaliey dtdn9
know that the ferOcious scowl that Wrinkled
Muggers villainous muzzle an ingratiating
smile. He didn't know but what the dog was
going to try to eat him. ssst@
But just the same O'AGalley put aside his
gun and kneeled He must have felt sure from
this gesture of my wifes, in sending Mugger
to him. that we knew something that he didn't.
GO he kneeled and reached out for that chare-.
ing head, and put it ON his thigh, and
opened those great jaws, and looked inside.g u.s.
See said. "UndershOt Nose set back, :
so he could beathe while he kept his hold 6n y
the bulls soft nose. His lower fangs donse
meet 'his upper ones. They're out In front Of
them hhif "a 3ne Ia Spfte Of rebdtS tiIbbdh.
he's ef6ttt ..nehtefsa q But hls ~