Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1932-06-15
Chapter 10
A FIGURE I'M GANGDOM

r UCCI and Mallory went down in a
IL r~everberating crash, the gangster
clinging To his adversarys throat like
a bull terrier TO a bone.
Mallory's knees came up in a spasm
Of pain. His face became mottled,
his jade green eyes protruded like
those of a gargoyle. His hands beat
~ineffectively against Luccis rigid
arms as the latter's thumbs pressed
and legs began To f%lutter, rapidly
losing strength as the life-giving air
was denied his lahoring lungs.
Then. suddenly. he became limp.
Lueei held on, oblivious to all the
world except that inhuman face be-
fore his eyes.
That's enough Ashwood's voice
snapped thru the silent room like a
pistol shot. Lucci held on.
The cripple hobbled across the floor
with amazing speed. His face still
bore an expression of disintereSteu
enjoyment. A blue-black streak cut
a half circle thru the air as the butt
Of his heavy automatic crashed down
on Lucci's head. Without a sigh or
groan, the intent. rigid figure
slumped down like a bundle of old
clothes tossed across the insensihle
form of his enemy.
Ashwoo6 turned away ~negligently.
whistled a shrill, bird-like note and
said:
put them to bed"
Four burly guards who had mater
ialized out of nowhere at all picked
up the two unconscious men and bore
them from the room. Then, for the
first time in her life, Nancy Went
worth tainted.
The long porch, under the caress Of
a faint morning trade wind, was al
most endurable.
Ashwood lounged in a deck chair,
smoking a cigarette and idly gazing
over the turquoise water toward the
tiny segment of horizon between two
islands to the westward. A copy OF
Soldiers Of Fortune lay open but
forgotten on his knees. If he noticed
the quiet man on the eac VINO
lounged near a m-achine-gun tripod,
he was not interested.
Nancy, very alluring in a simple
dress of brown organdy, appeared at
the door. Her golden hair seemed TO
catch all the light in that shady corner
of the porch. She saw Ashwood and
hesitated. The cripple snapped out or
his abstraction. ross with surprising
grace and bowed.
There's a delightful breeze. Won't you
join me?"
She looked at him in frank Curl
osity, hen took the chair he had
indicated.
Il am simply bursting with con-
ceit,'' he said, easing himself into
his chair. That organdy dress is
perfect. The arrogant saleslady tried
to tell me | should have chosen green.
She was wrong. | knew 1t then, and
and I'm positive of 1t now You are
very beautiful, Miss Wentworth.
do you mean to tell me. she de-
manded. that you picked out the
wardrobe | found in. my closet
II admit ii with becoming bushes.
[ tottered from one END of Fifth Ave
nue. to the other, simply overwhelm-
ing the salespeople with my unerring
what a strange person you are,
Mr.. Ashwood, she observed medi-
tatively.
There was a half-mocking light in
his eyes as he met her somber gaze.
How penetrating.' he murmured.
She flushed at her w cliche. He
did not push his advantage, but lay
back in his chair and resumed his
INCIDENT watch over the sea n sky.
Il can't imagine the same man en-
joying shopping for feminine apparel
one day and conducting a kidnapping
expedition the next She was deter
mined to draw him out. He interest
ed her, this frail man who looked
and spoke like a scholarly sophisti-
cate despite the obvious fact that he
was a desperate criminal. MIR. Lucci
tells me that you are one of the
greatest figures in gangdom."
Mr.. Lucci is too flatterlng, ne
replied drlly. 1T is true, OF course,
that we both come under the generic
term of gangsters, but there is some
| thing direct and forceful about One
shots work that l could never rope
| to equal"
Again that hooking CLEAN flashe1
| from his vivid blue eyes.
\ II would be more successful IN my
/. chosen career" he continued conf
| fortably, IF ] could be more like me
worthy One-shot, who is downright
| persevering and unimaginative. One
| of my little foibles is that b~ootlegginS,
per Sc, does not stimulate me-.
He offered her a cigarette, theE
went on in a dry, almost pedantic
tone.
MY own efforts, as o may have
observed, run to more unusual
things. This guest house of mine, foI
instance, you must admit that 1t Of