The Washington times., 1934-10-27
CHAPTER I

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"F1v0 years?" she asked.
"six," corrected.
''Damn!" said Paddy, grinning
and hailing q waiter. Some day
I'm going to fool q sleuth."
80 far he had fooled all Of
them-he had never slept in q
hooSegow.
I looked at the girl again. Six
years before, this Angel Grace
Cardigan had buncoed half .
dozen Philadelphia boys out Of
plenty. Dan Morey and I had
nailed her, but none Of her VIC
tins would go to the bat against
her, 30 she had been turned
loose. She was . kid Of 10 then,
but already q smooth grifter.
In the middle Of the floor one
Of Larrouy's girls began to sing
Tell Me What You Want, and
I'll Tell You What You Get"
Paddy the Mex tipped q gin
bottle over the glasses Of ginger
ale the waiter had brought. We
drank and I gave Paddy q piece
Of paper with name and ad'
dress penciled on it.
"Itchy Maker asked me to slip
you that" I explained. II saw
him in the Folsom big house
yesterday. It's his mother, he
says, and he wants you to look
her up and see If she wants any
thing. What he means, I sup
pose, is that you're to give her
his cut from the last trick you
and he turned"
You hurt my feelings" Paddy
said, pocketing the paper and
bringing out the gin again.
I downed the second g1rl-ginger
ale and gathered my feet, pre-
pairing to rise and trot along
home. At that moment four OF
Larrouy's clients came in from
the street. Recognition Of one
Of them kept me in NY chair.
He was tall and slender and all
doIed up in what the well"
dressed man should wear. Sharp
eyed, Sharp-faced. with Lips thin
as knife edges under q small
pointed mustache - Bluepoint
Vance. wondered what he was
doing 5000 miles away from his
New York hunting grounds.
While I wondered, I put the
back Of my head to him. pre-
tending interest in the singer,
who was now giving the custom
ers, II Want To Be a Bum"
Beyond her, back in a corner, I
spotted another familiar face that
belonged in another city-Happy
Jim Hacker, round and rosy De-
troit gunman, twice sentenced to
death and twice pardoned.
When I faced front again,
Bluepoint Vance and his three
companions had come to rest
two tables away. His back was
10 US. I sized up his playmates.
Facing Vance sat q wide-Shoul-
dered young giant with red hair,
blue eyes and o ruddy face that
was good-looking in q tough, saw
age way. On his left was q shifty-
eyed dark girl in Q floppy hat.
She was talking to Vance. The
aed4haired giants attention was
Ill taken by the fourth member
OF the party, on his right. She
deserved It.
she was neither tall nor short,
hin nor plump. She wore q
black Russian tunic affair, green
trimmed and hung with silver
dtnguseS. A bleak fur coat was
Npread over the chair behind her.
She was probably 20. Her eyes
were blue, her mouth red. her
teeth white, the hair-endS show
ing under her black-green-and-
silver turban were brown, and she
had O nose. Without getting
steamed Up over the details she
@As nice. ! said 90. Paddy the
Mex agreed with . That's what, I"
and Angel Grace suggested that
] go over and tell Red O'Leary
! thought her nice.
RED OIeary the big bird?" I
asked, sliding down in my seat
50 I could stretch q foot under
the table between Paddy and
Angel Grace. who's his nice
girl friend?"
Nancy Regan, and the other
ones Sylvia Yount."
"And the slicker with his back
DO us?" I probed.
Paddy's foot, hunting the girls
under the table. bumped mine.
Don't kick me, Paddy" I
pleaded. 'Iu be good. Anyway,
I'm not going to stay here to be
bruised. I'm going home"
swapped so-longs with them
and moved toward the street,
keeping my back to Bluepoint
Vance.
AT the door had to step aside
TO let two men come in. Both
knew me, but neither gave me a
tumble-Sheeny Holmes (not the
old-timer who staged the Moose
Jaw looting back in the buggy.
riding days. and Denny Burke,
Baltimore's king Of Frog Island,
A good pair-neither Of them
would think Of taking a life un-
less assured Of profit and 20.
&Ncal protection.
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