The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-09-02
Chapter SO
PLEASANT PROSPECT

JOu saw dnyDOuy on the porch,
= said Benny Malone with mali
-ious grin, 1T was old Keppelsteil
and nobody else. because he live
there all by his lonesome, and hei
too much OF a miser to let anyon,
else sit in one of his chairs withou
paying for it,"
Colin looked puzzled.
You don't mean that he's in on
HIM" CALCULATED Benny Malone
Nix! He's as dirty crook as there
is in New York-but he amt oul
kind OF crook. He'd slap court order
on your false teeth il you owed hin
money.
THE only thing he's in on here
Is his rent-and he comes around q
get II from Barney before breakfast
the first of every month. He owns q
lot Of property and is worth a lot OF
money, but nobody ever knew him
to blow any of it-even on himselfi
Some day.if he lives long enough,
somebody'll bump him of. I'd take
the. job on myself and enjoy 1t. He
put a widow and three kids that
lived in tenement he owns in the
next block out on the street in a hell
OF a storm couple OF days ago.
What do you know about that? But. !"
Benny Malone admitted grudgingly
che makes hot blind for us here
just the same.
Il get you" laughed Colin. Say,
feel like a kid at school putting his
hand up. What else have / got to
iearn?"
How to get in and how 70 get
out--and that you're never to come
here unless you're sent for" re.
turned Benny Malone. "And get that
last good and hard. Clarke! This
amt any clubhouse. and there amt
any loafing done around here.
"Mr. and Mrs. Barney are sup
posed to be respectable. See? Only
the big shots like Buck o'Mara and
Heimie Schwarm come here when
they Ike. and sometimes when
there's big job on one or two OF
them sleep here-being the roomers
/ was telling You about that the Bar.
neys sometimes take in.
"The rest OF us aren't here more'n
once week. and sometimes not for
two or three weeks--only when
we're wanted And when you're
wanted youth get a card with w. P.
on It and the hour, or else the same
thing over the phone. Savvy?"
Colin licked his lips greedily.
I'm sucking II In" he said.
'"xxfELL. then" said Benny Malone.
listen to the last shout. II you
have 10 show up here In daylight
use the store. or else go down and
see II Soily's got your shoes mended
yet. Switch about. shutie your cards
--seeg
IF It's dark there's another way
In. Duck into the alleyway alongside
here and then around into the lane.
There's a door there that opens OF
this lower hail. It's got a latch. Lift
the latch and you'il find the head Of
. nail-only IT'S a push button. Push
II once. wait a second. then push II
twice--two quick ones--and one Of
the Barneys will let you In.
There's another door there, a III.
tie farther away from the alleyway,
but don't monkey with that. II leads
TO the back stairs. and the big shots
are the only ones that have got keys
70 4. There amt anything else
that"
A form bulked suddenly In the
doorway and a man came into the
room. Benny Malone. as master OF
ceremonies, performed the introduc.
tlon. The mans name was Rlengel.
At Intervals Of some few mimi IS
two more men appeared--stocky
chaps like the first. with weather.
beaten faces. Again Benny Malone
went through the rites. The latest
eomers answered respectively to the
names OF smadge Kilrea and Geor-
die Napp.
"Heimio Schwarm's right,hand.
ers." Benny Malone announced for
colin's benefit. Clarke here is
new one. Any more TO Gomez