The Coolidge examiner., 1932-03-04

what to do? Their present police
status is that of vags."
1--WE can ask the sheriff up IN
Villas county If he cares for Mr.
Blair" said the states attorney.
Horde, go and see if you can get
him on the wire. Tell him we are
holding a suspect with some strong
circumstantial evidence"
The states attorney looked the
two men over for a moment of cool
silence which was intended to be
minatOry and which was not. Blair
stared at him and then laughed. The
laugh was short and derisive. 1t
could be taken in any trade of opin-
ion as an insult. Ashley was cheer
lily interested.
What are you fellows doing"
the states attorney asked. What's
your reason for being in Chicago"
ASK the lieutenant" said Ashley
He's OBTAINING US. We were trav-
cling. He said something about CIV
ing Roberts a break. We don't crave
Roberts company, Lieutenant. He
isn't very interesting, not for hours
at a time. You ought to have found
that out last night"
"Why did you send that fat man
up to our room in the Palatine?'
Stanton asked.
That's a sensible question" said
Ashley. Not insinuating that your
question wasn't, Mr.. States Attor-
ney. But the lieutenants question
is highly reasonable. Why did we
send a fat man up to your room?
That assumes that we did. Don't
you know we went to New York;"
You started for New York"
And none of the dicks told you
we didn't get there. You'll often
find them that way. Sometimes
they don't like TO admit they were
outsmarted. and sometimes they are
Indifferent to such cases. We de-
cided to travel and get off the train.
1t wasn't going in the right direc-
ton. We wanted to 90 north and
! west. 1t was going south. 1t was
my idea to send the fat man up to
your room. Blair didn't think much
of it. 1 don't myself now. |
wouldn't have you judge me by it.
Lieutenant"
! Ashley's smile was intended to be
deprecatory.
81 thought it would be fun TO flut-
fer Roberts and start him in mo-
tiOn. | knew he must be with you.
He changed your room, didn't he?
He shouldn't be so fluttery, but
sometimes lie is. But don't rate
him as a coward. He has as good
nerve as the next man, but he has
his ruthers Some things he doesn't
like. He doesn't like heights. Nei-
ther does Blair. They don't bother
me at all. Now, scorpions don't
bother Roberts and Blair at all, and
they panic me. That's a tip for
you, Lieutenant. Introduce a scor-
pion, and I'll climb a wall. l sup
pose we were bit confused as to
your room. thought you'd make
inquiries. Well, no harm done.
Just some good-natured fun. Did
Roberts say where he was going?
We thought maybe he would go to
San Francisco and take a boat. We
might run into him. We're going
out to the coast.
Does Mr.. States Attorney want
to ask any more questions? / may
have seemed to have cut him off. |
didn't intend to-"
blair. where's Maisie?" the lieu
tenant asked.
Now you've got him on a sore
spot" said Ashley. He doesn't
want to know. That's why we're
travelling. Maisie, you know, was
Mrs. Trembly, and her husband was
killed in an automobile accident.
You know that. You said some.
thing about the lights not being in
place at a dangerous piece of bridge
construction"
Horde came into the room.
THE sheriff thinks it would be
useless to hold the man for them
Ito come after" he said. He says
they couldn't make a case. He says
the chances are a hundred to one
no one would identify him as hav.
ing been in the county. and if they
did. how would that prove he took
the lights out? There's the farm
er's story that they were taken
away and put back. AS he sees it
that doesn't make case, and i.
isn't worth the expense of trying
to make anything Of it and then hav
ing nothing. They're content to lei
it go as reckless driving with fatal
results unless better evidence turns
up"
That's all right with this office,
said the states attorney. II think
they are right, don't you, Stanton?'
Il suppose they are" said the
+ lieutenant. blair, of course, did it
He doesn't havo fo COW ho did hu-